Editor’s note: This article was first published in October 2017, in October 2017. oDesk has been part of Upwork since 2015, and Toys R Us Spain changed hands after 2018.
Christmas is probably the busiest time of year for retail, and so it’s when the most money changes hands. Needless to say, the idea is to set up a small business or income stream to earn some extra money over the holidays. And there’s nothing better than planning ahead, so we have time to get organised.
Most ways of making money at Christmas could be done at any time of year, but some of the ideas below enjoy a certain “Christmas bias”. See: 38 more ideas for making money from home
We always advise against spending money recklessly, but since hardly anyone listens to us, for those good listeners with an entrepreneurial streak, here are some simple ways to make money at Christmas.
Business ideas to make money at Christmas
Some are easier to carry out and others a bit more complicated, but if you’ve ever wondered how to make money at Christmas, you can start with these ideas, since they’re all viable.
1. Parties for people who are on their own
Unfortunately, Christmas seems to be a time when everything has to be celebrated with family, and some people can’t do that for various reasons, from young people far from home to older people. Why not organise a small get-together or a big celebration so these people don’t spend Christmas alone? Not only can it be a very profitable small business, it’s also a social service these people would appreciate.
2. Low-cost Christmas decorating for homes and businesses
A good business idea for earning extra money at this time of year is offering to decorate homes and offices at a low price. Sometimes a few ads in your city’s classifieds are enough to get the word out. Whether you include the decorations in your price or charge for them separately is something you’ll have to work out yourself.
3. Personal shopper
A personal shopper can really have business all year round, especially if they focus on a somewhat more exclusive clientele, although, as we’ve said before, this profession may be more limited in a country like Spain. Still, at Christmas it can be profitable and in demand, and it may help you build a good reputation for the rest of the year.
A personal shopper is someone who shops for someone else. It’s as simple as that. If you’re good at shopping and saving money, this business could be for you.
A lot of people are going to be busy, and if they trust someone, they might hand over a task not everyone enjoys.
4. Make a calendar and sell it
This idea has proved very profitable over time, especially if you have the ability, the contacts, good taste and something original, innovative or fun to put in the calendar. Also, if you partner with a social cause and donate part of the proceeds, you’ll be giving people a reason to buy your calendar, bearing in mind that at Christmas people tend to be more willing to support certain causes.
When people think of calendars, they often think of one featuring scantily clad women, but I think that with a bit more imagination you could do much better: 12 people you admire in your city, 12 messages with images (one for each month of the year), or 12 of the city’s landscapes or monuments. And let’s not forget that a calendar is useful in itself.
5. Freelancing
At this time of year work piles up and there’s a rush to close out the year. But companies are running on a skeleton staff, so demand for professionals to handle specific tasks grows considerably. If you have a skill, there are many platforms where you can earn some quick money over the holidays.
Some freelance platforms for earning money at Christmas
- Infojobs Freelance: Spain’s biggest job site decided to open a section specifically for freelancers.
- Freelancer.
- Odesk.com
- Trabajando Freelance
6. Virtual assistant
Christmas is without doubt the best time to launch your virtual assistant business, since some companies outsource services that can range from call forwarding and picking up gifts to finding venues for company dinners. At this time of year, a virtual assistant may even end up working as a personal shopper.
7. Pet sitting
At Christmas, as in summer, people travel, and sometimes our pets can’t come with us. I started seeing ads from people offering to take care of cats or dogs over the holidays, providing a warm home for the animal and the care it deserves. It’s not the business of the century, but it can be a good way to earn extra money, especially if you really love animals. As a pet owner myself, I’d honestly feel more at ease knowing my pet was safe with a family I trust to look after it.
8. Christmas video editing for businesses and families
This business idea could really appeal to families who’d like a special keepsake or an original end-of-year message this Christmas. The same goes for businesses: many might prefer to make an original Christmas video to post on social media and wish their customers or fans a merry Christmas. So if you’re good at photography and video editing, you could make some money with this idea.
9. Personal concierge
At a time when everyone is going to be very busy, it may not be a bad idea to advertise yourself as someone who can help others with errands, whether that’s grocery shopping, finding a special gift or anything else people ask for.
10. Delivery driver for retailers
At this time of year, with the increase in both online and in-store shopping, some companies subcontract deliveries to self-employed drivers.
11. Services for businesses and households
Everything has to be ready, and this is when many companies take the opportunity to give their offices a deep clean. It’s also when many families remember they should have sorted out the garden.
12. Group gift buying
Closely related to personal shopping, one way to make money at Christmas is to pool the gift purchases of lots of friends and relatives, and even other people. Make a list of all the gifts and order them online.
Not everything is cheaper online, but some toys can be found at big discounts by buying directly from the brand’s online store, especially brands that big chains like Toys “R” Us work with directly.
On the other hand, in Amazon’s Christmas Store you can type the name of a toy into the search box or filter by brand and compare different sellers. Sometimes there’s a big price difference.
So pooling the gifts for friends and relatives and buying them through the various online channels can save the whole group money and earn you some too.
There’s also Amazon Outlet, where some products are heavily discounted. In short, you can make quite a bit of money by taking care of other people’s gift shopping.
13. Original Christmas hampers
You can put together a sample of an original Christmas hamper and sell them to order. If you’re creative and offer something different from what’s already out there, Christmas hampers are, needless to say, a profitable holiday business.
14. Buy local wine from producers and resell it
At least where I live, local wine is in demand at this time of year, and local producers want to sell it as soon as possible. Buying wholesale and selling the wine to friends and acquaintances can also bring in considerable extra income.
15. Organising parties and events
This is clearly the time to prove your worth as a party and event organiser. Lots of seasonal entrepreneurs want to make money on the nights of 24 and 31 December. They’re going to make an investment, so they want to be sure they’ll have a packed house. Help them.
16. Uber driver
Uber‘s busiest period is Christmas. On nights like Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve there are thousands or even millions of short trips, and taxis tend to be overwhelmed or simply not working.
So Uber drivers earn a huge amount of money at this time of year. These are nights when people love to drink, even to get drunk, so when there are alternatives they’ll avoid driving in that state.
17. Selling Christmas lottery tickets
There are still plenty of people who buy tenths (décimos) of Spain’s Christmas lottery in one province and sell them in another, charging 2 or 3 euros more per tenth. Although the Christmas lottery is now more computerised, so you can ask for the number you want at any lottery outlet, there are still sellers with that kind of sales talent.
18. Christmas trees
There are Christmas trees at every price these days, but if someone wants something more specific and you can offer it, go for it.
19. Home-delivered food (Christmas menus)
At this time of year some families decide they don’t want to cook but don’t want to eat out either, so if you build a reputation for preparing Christmas menus, you could do good business over the holidays.
20. Father Christmas or Santa Claus
The oldest Christmas business of all is playing Santa Claus: in a good location you can make money brightening up children’s day or selling instant photos with the little ones.
21. Clothing repairs and alterations
This is probably the time of year when we dress up the most, so demand soars for altering dresses and suits (taking up trouser hems, taking in waistbands, shortening suit sleeves and so on).
There are clearly many ways to do business and make money at Christmas. At this time of year money is moving from one place to another, and it’s a question of grabbing a slice of the pie. We can do it simply or look for more elaborate ways. Either way, creativity will help.
Featured image: Jorge Láscar from Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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