17 Festive Ways to Make Extra Money for Christmas

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A few extra shifts or a timely side hustle can go a long way toward offsetting the cost of Christmas. Here are a few ways to make extra money this holiday season.

Written by Ben Huber Last Updated: December 11, 2024

Reviewed by Ben Watson, CPA

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If you’ve taken more than a few laps around the sun, you know full well that battle lines are drawn in the sand come November 1st.

On one side are the boring folk who actually celebrate Fall. On the other are the sane people that start preparing for a Yuletide celebration.

But in an age of Grinch-like inflation, decorations, gifts, and celebratory lights don’t come cheap.

If you’re stuck wondering how you’ll pay for it all, we’ve prepped a list of over a dozen holiday side hustles you can try to earn extra spending money this Christmas season.

In This Article show

17 Best Holiday Side Hustles

If you need extra money for Christmas gifts, consider one — or several — of these options for realistically creating a $250 to $1,000 sinking fund you can use to purchase presents in the coming weeks.

1. Get a delivery gig

Delivery companies have moved to allow orders to be delivered via car, motorcycle, scooter, bike, or even by foot.

The gig economy has exploded in recent years, and delivery gigs are one of the easiest ways to make extra money for Christmas.

Apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats let you earn cash on your schedule, with holiday demand making dinner hours (5–8 p.m.) and weekends especially profitable. Whether you’re driving a car, riding a bike, or even walking, you can be up and running within days and earning fast.

If delivering food isn’t your thing, platforms like Amazon Flex and Shipt let you deliver packages or groceries instead. For something steadier, shipping giants like UPS and FedEx are always hiring seasonal workers this time of year, and some positions pay up to $42 an hour. Bonus: Nearly ⅓ of seasonal workers end up with full or part-time roles after the holidays.

Whether you stick with flexible gig apps or opt for something more stable, delivery work is a great way to pad your wallet before Christmas rolls around.

2. Offer pet-care services

The holiday season means peak travel time for families — and not everyone can bring their furry friends along for the trip. That’s where pet care services come in. Apps like Rover and Wag make it easy to connect with pet owners looking for dog walking, overnight care, or drop-in visits.

Pet sitting rates can exceed $50 per night, and demand skyrockets around Thanksgiving and Christmas when kennels are fully booked. If you’re an animal lover, this is one of the most enjoyable ways to earn extra cash quickly.

Getting started is simple: create a profile, set your availability, and choose the types of services you want to offer. You can also advertise locally through platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Nextdoor to avoid app fees. For a small background check fee (Rover charges $35; Wag charges $50), you’ll be ready to start earning.

With minimal effort, pet care can become a reliable income source for the holidays — and maybe even beyond!

3. Babysit

I consider myself a patient person, but working from home with three children of my own means I have very little energy left over to even dream of watching someone else’s kids. But if your circumstances are different than mine, there’s a never-ending need for childcare in this world, and you can be there to help fill the void.

If you set rates at slightly less than someone’s entire paycheck, odds are you’ll be booked out before you can even finish setting up your profile on sites like Care.com or Sittercity.

Or, forego platforms that charge a fee and cross-list your services on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and other local classified boards.

4. Offer a gift-wrapping service

If you’re detail-oriented and have a knack for wowing with wrap, you could turn that skill into a thriving side hustle. Michelle Hensley, DollarSprout reader and founder of Nifty Package Co., started her mobile gift-wrapping business with supplies she had lying around the house. Initially, she offered her services to neighbors and local businesses, promoting herself on platforms like Facebook Marketplace.

Her knack for detail and unique offerings — like next-day guarantees and premium wrapping services — helped her quickly grow her business. Michelle began earning a few hundred dollars a week during her first holiday season, and over time, she scaled her operation into a full-time venture, now making over $300,000 per year.

You don’t need to aim for six figures to earn a little extra Christmas cash. Start small by stocking up on essentials like tape, scissors, gift bags, and wrapping paper. Use free platforms like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace to list your services. Offering perks like pick-up and delivery or unique wrapping styles can help you stand out and charge premium rates.

5. Hang holiday lights

Since light installation isn’t usually a year-round gig, there aren’t many businesses that offer this sort of service. In fact, there’s only 1 small business that offers it within 100 miles of where I live in southwest Virginia.

Unleash your inner Clark Griswold and offer the light-hanging service the people don’t know they need. From the elderly and infirm to the young and lazy, there’s no shortage of willing clients for the right price. Work with what a client already has, or offer a full-service product that includes an in-person visit, quote, light purchase, and full installation.

6. Host a yard sale

A yard sale is one of the easiest ways to make extra money fast before Christmas. Sell unwanted items locally or online to cover holiday expenses quickly. Simply haul your items out to the front yard, set them up, and enjoy a few hours of hassle-free sales — no shipping or meet-up logistics required.

To maximize turnout, promote your sale at least 48 hours in advance. Hang large, readable signs in high-traffic areas, post about it in local Facebook groups, and list it on classified sites like Yard Sale Search.

If hosting a physical yard sale isn’t an option — or you’re left with unsold items — take your sale online. Platforms like Facebook Marketplace let you sell locally or ship nationwide with no listing fees. For high-value or niche items, use specialized sites to get top dollar:

Tech: Decluttr
Clothing/Shoes: Poshmark, Mercari
Vintage/Jewelry: Ruby Lane
Handmade: Etsy
Collectibles: eBay

Whether you host a traditional yard sale or go digital, it’s a simple way to make extra money for the holidays.

7. Sell unique or handmade Christmas decorations

My wife recently spent $100 on a unique Christmas gift for my mother. A custom-made ornament in the shape of her childhood home. She sent her a few pictures of the home, the designer wireframed the design and sent us “proofs,” and a few months later we received the ornament.

My wife loves it, now we wait for Mom.

I don’t consider myself the most creative person to have ever walked this earth, so I’ll leave it to Country Living to share 69 DIY Christmas Ornament ideas that you can create and sell.

🔔 Tip: Cross-list your handmade ornaments or decorations on your own website (Shopify, WooCommerce, or Wix) or any of these popular selling apps.

8. Pick up a seasonal job

Picking up additional [overtime] hours at your current place of employment is nearly always the wisest financial move you can make to bring in extra Christmas cash. An instant 50% raise is hard to beat.

If overtime isn’t available to you, however, a seasonal job can come a close second.

Dozens of companies are hiring workers for seasonable jobs and they often pay a pretty penny to get applicants in the door. A full-time cashier role that normally makes $12.85 per hour full-time is suddenly worth $18.35 from November until early January.

Local job listings quickly illuminate who needs help (and is paying) the most.

9. Offer a holiday errand service

The holiday season can be overwhelming, with endless to-do lists and little time to spare. Offering a holiday errand service is a great way to help others while earning extra cash for Christmas gifts. Common tasks include picking up groceries, delivering packages, standing in line for sales, or even returning unwanted gifts.

This side hustle requires minimal setup — just a reliable vehicle and the flexibility to assist with last-minute holiday needs. You can advertise your services locally on platforms like Nextdoor, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace, highlighting your availability and ability to deliver on tight deadlines.

Plus, many people will gladly pay a premium for same-day service or the ability to skip hectic holiday lines.

10. Assemble toys or furniture

Families want gifts like bikes, playsets, and furniture assembled and ready for Christmas morning, making this a highly in-demand seasonal gig. If you’re handy with tools and can follow instructions, you can start earning quickly by offering this service to busy parents or grandparents.

Advertise locally on platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or Nextdoor, and highlight your availability — especially for last-minute requests. You can also charge extra for same-day service or handling more complex items.

With just a few tools and some effort, you can help make the holidays easier for others while earning a fast $500 cash.

11. Sell digital holiday printables

If you’re creative and enjoy design, selling digital holiday printables can be a low-cost way to make extra cash. Popular items include gift tags, holiday planners, festive wall art, and party invitations. These products are quick to create and can be sold repeatedly with no need for physical inventory.

Platforms like Etsy make it easy to list your designs and reach a large audience. Use free tools like Canva to create professional-looking printables, and focus on seasonal themes that resonate with holiday shoppers. Pricing can range from a few dollars per file to bundles that offer even greater value.

Once your designs are uploaded, promote them on social media or Pinterest to drive traffic. With little overhead and the potential for passive income, selling digital printables is a fun and festive way to boost your holiday earnings.

12. Sell a service

When you’re on short notice, it’s best to not try and reinvent the wheel. Odds are someone or some company is in immediate need of a skill or labor that you can provide.

Copywriting, web design, customer support, you name it. If you have a specialized skill or no skill at all, you can list your willingness and availability on sites like Upwork or Fiverr.

They’re de facto skill exchanges where independent contractors create profiles, list their experience, set rates, and find needy clients. It can take time to establish a documented history, but for some of you, your resume will immediately sell itself.

Here are some tips for quickly creating an Upwork profile that will land you high-paying gigs.

Related: How to Sell Services Online Like a Pro

13. Housesit

As with pet sitting, there is a peak season when homeowners are out and about. If you’re aiming to save up extra money by Christmas, the week of Thanksgiving (really the whole month of November) is your time to shine.

Marketplaces like Trusted House Sitters and House Sitters America connect traveling families with willing house sitters.

Arrangements can vary from just daily check-ins to full-time property supervision [until the homeowner returns]. Create a profile, choose your rates, and set your availability. As far as paid gigs go, this is about as chill as they come. Plus, at an average national rate of $16 per hour, it’s not hard to see how Christmas can be covered in just a few bookings._[1]

14. Use AI to help businesses with content creation

AI tools like ChatGPT and Jasper are opening up new opportunities for freelancers, especially in content creation. From writing blog posts and email campaigns to crafting social media captions and ad copy, these tools make it easier to deliver polished work quickly—perfect for businesses swamped during the holidays.

Not sure where to start? Brainstorm a list of tasks you could handle, then look for virtual assistant gigs where businesses need help with content creation. Plenty of companies are already using AI tools or are open to freelancers incorporating them to save time and improve efficiency.

The best part? You don’t have to be a tech wizard to make it work. Tools like ChatGPT are user-friendly and require minimal training. With demand for AI-driven solutions growing, this is a flexible, beginner-friendly side hustle that can help you earn extra cash this holiday season.

15. Advertise non-standard maintenance services

Starting a successful business ultimately comes down to addressing a pain point for consumers. Sometimes those pain points can be quite literal: the ache in your back you get from shoveling snow.

If you like spending time outdoors and don’t mind the occasional physical labor, there are some surprisingly basic needs that make good money in the fall and winter seasons.

Driveway snow removal, roof ice, and snow removal, pre-storm treatments (salting and brining), leaf bagging, and even winter house prep services (turning off unused water sources, draft prevention, firewood supply) are all low-competition areas that can bring in big bucks in a short amount of time. Plus, they’re all things you can do on weekends if you’ve got spare time, and there isn’t a tremendous startup cost associated with any of them.

16. Become a ho-ho handyman

The holidays can be stressful in so many ways. Businesses are often closed to allow employees more time with their families. But that often means less help is available when something breaks around the home or someone needs a TV or modem setup and doesn’t know where to start.

If you’re techy or have a knack for fixing anything broken, create a profile on one or several handyman sites such as TaskRabbit, Thumbtack, or Agent Anything.

Moving large items, furniture assembly, quick home repairs, TV or shelve mounting, and cleaning are just some of the hundreds of tasks consumers need help with on a daily basis (but don’t necessarily want to pay contractor or top-shelf retailer prices to get it done).

17. Get a mystery shopping gig

Everyone is familiar with the concept of shopping – some of us are too good at it. But if you’re one of those weird people who actually enjoy the process, you can get paid to document it.

Enter mystery shopping jobs.

Market research companies recruit independent contractors to participate in paid shopping gigs. Simply put, they need documented insight into a shopper’s journey.

Were they greeted warmly?
Did the shopper feel welcome, intimidated, or even harassed by store employees?
Was a store display set up nicely and was it clean/organized?
How easy was it to find a certain item?
Was signage clear, readily visible, and easy to understand?

These are all questions a brand may want answers to when promoting a certain product(s).

If you’re going to spend time out and about shopping this holiday season, check to see if any research companies are offering gigs at the stores you frequent. You can knock out two turtledoves with one stone, and your mystery shopping earnings can help offset the cost of gifts for people on your nice list.

Other Christmas Money Ideas

Sometimes the time required for even a simple side hustle is asking a little much. Here are a few ideas for earning Christmas money in a few hours or less.

Sell unwanted gift cards
Earn cash back
Host a Christmas-themed bake sale
Create and sell holiday-themed merchandise (ugly sweaters!)
Donate plasma (up to $100 per visit!)

Start Planning Now

With the average American planning to spend $1,014 on Christmas this year, you start to get an idea of how quickly things start adding up._[2] If side hustling isn’t going to cover costs (or you’re prone to overspending), choose to borrow via low-interest debt — like a small personal loan or a paycheck cash advance — versus the high-interest debt associated with credit cards.

The only gift worse than coal is a sack full of holiday debt.

Set a Christmas budget, plan out your gifts, and enjoy the season instead of fretting about how to pay for it all.

Related:

Sources:

[1] Fabian-Weber, Nicole. “House Sitting Rates: How to Determine Fair Pay Every Time.” Care.com, 24 Sept. 2024, https://www.care.com/c/house-sitting-rates/.
[2] Gallup News. “U.S. Consumers Plan Generous Holiday Spending.” Gallup, 28 Nov. 2024, https://news.gallup.com/poll/652664/consumers-plan-generous-holiday-spending.aspx.

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