I came into this article thinking I was going to write about the hell of working in retail during the holidays. Granted, working during this time isn’t easy, and anyone who’s done it can attest to that. The constant Christmas music that starts playing the first day of November, the gift-wrapping, the impatient customers... the list can truly go on forever. In the past five days alone I’ve worked a total of 45 hours, which is more than I’ve had to ever work in one week.

Of course, the store I work for opened an hour earlier and closed an hour later (and sometimes two hours later) than it usually does, specifically because of the holidays. So needless to say, it’s been a long week. But other than a pretty nice-looking paycheck, I gained a lot out of these last five days that I wouldn’t have ever been able to experience if I hadn’t been working in retail.

I had an employee come up to me at work and hand me some things that she said someone got caught stealing from my department. Anyone’s first thought would be, “Wow, that’s a pretty shitty thing to do,” and honestly, that was my initial thought, too. My view completely changed on the situation when the customer in front of me said, “It’s sad when people try to steal children’s clothes, because nine out of 10 times, the kid really needs it, but the parents can’t afford it." It was a pair of winter boots and a coat. The rest of the night, I couldn’t stop thinking to myself that there’s a little kid out there who really needed that coat and those boots to stay warm.

On average, we all ask for things for Christmas that we don’t need, like new phones and iPads. But to some people, Christmas really just might mean a new coat that isn’t falling apart, and a pair of boots that aren’t ripped at the soles.

We all claim to know the meaning of Christmas, and that we're aware that it’s better to give than to receive. But actually, getting to watch the joy in someone’s face when they're buying something for someone else is truly an indescribable feeling. I had an old man come into the shoe department, and it was pretty clear that he wasn’t well. He had a machine hooked onto him that dragged behind him while he walked, and essentially the machine was helping him breathe. He struggled getting around the store, and it was obvious that this wasn’t an everyday task for him. I went up to him and asked if I could help him look for something, and he explained to me that he was looking for the perfect black flats for his wife. He told me all about how she swears up and down by this specific brand, but that she didn’t ask for new ones because hers are still fine, even though they're truly on their last limb. It was pretty clear that his wife wouldn’t even expect him to go out of his way in his condition to get her a pair of shoes, and I could see in his eyes that he wasn’t going to settle for anything but the best for her. I couldn’t stop imagining the way that his wife’s face was going to light up when he handed her that box on Christmas morning.

And then there are the customers who make up for all of the ones who are inconsiderate and incredibly impatient. After having a short and sweet conversation with one of my customers while I was walking around with her, trying to find a sweater for her husband, she told me she wanted to speak to my manager to tell her all about how great of an employee I was. I tried to stay modest about it, even though I was smiling like an idiot on the inside. And even after she did, she came back to me to tell me about how my manager loves how many compliments she hears about me.

So I guess what I’m saying is, even though working in retail can be a complete pain in the ass, there are going to be people and situations to make you realize what the holidays actually are about. And even though the hours are long and the lunch breaks are short, there’s are always going to be people out there who have it worse than you. And yes, most of us know that we're blessed that have what we have, but it’s the lucky ones who actually get to see the meaning of Christmas and the holidays happen right in front of them. So before you go back to work and dread the day ahead of you, make it your goal to notice the little things that make it worthwhile.