Shop owners estimate the country's Santa sack will contain 2.8 billion gifts this year costing $10 billion.
Photo: 123RF
But with less than two shopping days left until Christmas, people are being asked to spare a thought for the thousands of shop assistants run off their feet, selling and wrapping the merchandise.
The most wonderful time of the year, is also the busiest for those working behind the counter faced with the last minute Christmas rush.
The festive season can be stressful and people sometimes treat shop assistants in a way that's not so jolly.
Catherine Richards has worked for Countdown The Valley store in New Plymouth for 27 years and said shoppers can sometimes be more naughty than nice.
She said it's a stressful time of year and sometimes customers take it out on retail staff.
"I've had groceries thrown at me, I guess now people are just expecting more and more and customers have less patience and that goes for any retail store, whether it's a supermarket or anything."
Maarten Loeffen owns Christchurch's Traiteur European Butchery.
He has been serving up Christmas hams and turkeys for 29 years, and said people often leave their manners outside the door.
"People become really, 'it's me and nobody else', they're impatient, they're all in a rush, it's all more people on the roads, more people in your shop, some people they don't understand that everything it takes time to make it and we take maybe 1200 orders for hams and fresh turkeys."
He asks shoppers to think about those who are serving them behind the counter.
"Just put yourself in their place, would you like to be treated yourself like that?
"People complain that you're closed on Christmas day and I think 'you take two weeks off, we have two days', do you know what I mean? Some retailers have only one day, they don't really realise that actually everybody is also still a human."
Kirstie McNulty manages the Westfield Mall/Centre in Riccarton.
She said the number of staff triple to cope with the Christmas rush.
"The retail workers would swell by probably 200 percent within the confines of the centre, yes there might be a few frustrations, trying to find the right present, you're going to have to wait in a queue - we've had quite a lot of practice at it, we're a fairly well-oiled machine on how Christmas goes."
Retail NZ's Director Greg Harford is calling for calm and patience.
"Our advice to shoppers is just be aware that it is really busy in the shops at this time of year, be patient with retail staff, they're doing the best that they can to get through the queues that might be there."
Harford said it can be a good idea to shop either early in the morning or late in the evening, outside the peak shopping periods.
As for Countdown's Catherine Richards, her Christmas wish is to get through the period without any incident and that everybody can be thoughtful of other people.
"It is meant to be a time for family and friends and getting together and being nice to people and maybe we just need to show that to any retail worker as well."