As anyone who works in retail can tell you, your favorite time of the year is our worst nightmare. Believe me, I love Christmas time.

Probably a little too much.

I have 30 ugly Christmas sweaters and let’s just say my room is definitely a winter wonderland. I’ve always loved Christmas time. Not because of the overly materialistic aesthetic that goes with it, but because of the Christmas spirit. People holding doors open for one another, smiling as they find the perfect gift for their friends and family.

However if there’s one thing working in retail has taught me, it’s that I was naïve.

Perhaps for Christmas’ past I had spent too much time with my eyes shut enjoying the smell of the pine trees to actually notice how awful people can be. I projected my own Christmas spirit onto everyone else.

I cannot tell you how many times myself and my coworkers have been screamed at for lines, received eye rolls for messes, got that skeptic glare when we checked and didn’t find a person’s size in the back and had our jobs threatened because a coupon didn’t apply.

I believe I speak for all retail workers when I say that while we’re smiling on the outside we’re slowly dying on the inside. Our patience tested and Christmas spirit chipped away at bit by bit, we leave work exhausted and saddened.

The kind of sad that not even hearing your favorite Christmas song on the radio can fix. Boo.

So where has the Christmas spirit gone? I’m not sure, but I think we all have the power to bring it back. Smile a little more, yell a little less.Yes, I know that line is annoying but I promise you we’re trying, and please know that while it may not seem like it, you will eventually reach the checkout.

I believe that if we can all take a moment to empathize with one another we can save the Christmas spirit and change Giftmas back to Christmas. So this holiday let’s try to remember what Christmas time is really all about.