The holiday season is almost here—along with the mall Santas, pumpkin spice lattes, company parties, and family gatherings. With the added expenses this time of year brings with it, many families scramble to make ends meet.
The holidays should be a time of joy, fun and relaxation with family and friends, without the constant financial worries. A side hustle is a great way to supplement your income during the festive season, so you can settle back with a glass of eggnog and embrace the Christmas spirit.
Here's our extensive list of 25 side hustles to get you ahead.
25 of the Best Holiday Side Hustles That Will Pay for Your Presents
We've collected 25 of the best holiday side hustles to help you pay for your presents, making your holidays even brighter!
1. Become a Food Delivery Driver
Food delivery requests surge during the holiday season as people are often too busy to cook, or prefer to have their meals delivered as they entertain their guests.
You can start delivering almost immediately. The more hours you put in, especially during peak mealtimes, the more you earn. This is also a prime time for generous tips. Plus, many delivery apps offer bonuses or incentives during high-demand periods.
2. Rent Your Unused Space
Platforms like Airbnb allow you to rent out any unused space, such as a spare room, basement, or even your entire home. During the holiday season, demand for short-term rentals increases as people travel to visit family, or go on vacation.
Give the place holiday appeal with seasonal décor, good lighting and cozy furnishings, then research listings to set competitive pricing. A holiday welcome basket of hot cocoa, cookies, and snacks can lead to great reviews and repeat business. Also, you may want to offer discounts for extended stays to reduce turnover.
3. Make and Sell DIY Christmas Gifts
Ornaments, candles, jewelry, and other crafts are in high demand during the holiday season. People enjoy giving and receiving unique, personalized items that can't be found in stores.
Focus on the products that you enjoy making and that stand out from the competition. Eco-friendly or sustainably sourced materials can be a big selling point. Then, when you're ready, sell your crafts on multiple platforms, like Whop, local holiday markets, and social media. Each platform offers unique audiences, and diversifying can help you reach more customers.
4. Create a Festive-Theme eBook
eBooks are popular digital products, covering everything from Grandma's spiced eggnog to decorating tips, holiday spending, and gift-giving ideas.
"Quick and Easy Holiday Recipes" or "How to Budget for Christmas Gifts" are niche topics people actively search for during the holidays. You could even jump on the current fantasy romance-book trend with a holiday-themed fantasy romance. To make the most money with your ebook, sell your eBooks on multiple platforms like Whop, Amazon Kindle, and directly through your website.
To drive readers to discover your ebook, share valuable content to "snag" readers attention and build interest. This could be a recipe from your cookbook, tip from your holiday guide, or a plot line from your fantasy holiday romance. Consider bundling with other digital products at a discounted rate, encouraging additional purchases.
5. Sell Holiday-Theme Finance Trackers
Many people find managing their budget during the holidays overwhelming, from keeping track of gift purchases to managing holiday overspending.
This is a great niche for you to cash in on. Start by creating functional and visually appealing finance trackers for the holidays. Then, sell these as printables on Whop and other platforms. Printables are a low-cost, high-margin product—once created, they can be sold repeatedly and earn you a passive income.
Offer bundles with different trackers, such as a holiday budget tracker, a gift list tracker, and a meal planning tracker, providing customers with comprehensive tools for managing their holiday finances.
6. Become a Babysitter
Parents often need someone to watch their kids while they shop, attend holiday parties, or simply take a break from this busy season. Babysitting is a flexible side hustle that can easily fit around your schedule. Weekends, evenings, school holidays and holiday events are high-demand times for babysitters.
Promote your services through local community boards, social media, or apps like Care.com. Additional services like tutoring, organizing holiday-themed activities for kids, or pet sitting can help you to generate extra income. Also offer package deals like babysitting and tutoring, as these are perfect for parents who want to use your services multiple times throughout the holidays.
7. Offer Gift Wrapping Services
The Christmas season is all about giving, which means there are lots of people looking for a helping hand when it comes to wrapping up the overflow of gifts. Offering gift-wrapping services is an excellent side hustle, catering to those who struggle to wrap beautifully, and those who need someone to discreetly wrap gifts for their families.
Consider setting up a gift-wrapping station at local markets, malls, or even your home where people can drop off gifts. Ensure you have an excellent stock of wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, and tags. Price your services accordingly based on the size of the gift and the complexity of the wrapping; and promote last-minute gift-wrapping - offering speedy services close to Christmas can be particularly lucrative.
8. Rent Out Your Car
Own a car you don't use often? Rent it out through platforms like Turo or Getaround. During the holidays, rental car demands increase as people travel, visit family, or need extra vehicles for holiday errands.
List the vehicle on multiple platforms--each platform has its unique audience, providing a broader customer base that increases the likelihood of bookings. Research similar vehicle rentals in your area and set your rates accordingly.
Regular maintenance and a sparkling interior will keep your car in top shape and result in better reviews, which can lead to more bookings. Additional services like airport pickup or drop-off, GPS units, or car seats can make your listing more appealing.
9. Create and Sell Online Courses
During the holidays, people often have more free time to learn new skills or pursue hobbies, making this an ideal time to sell educational content. Online courses are an excellent way to share your knowledge and skills.
You could sell a whole range of holiday-themed courses, like holiday cooking, DIY gift-making, or event planning. Platforms like Whop, Udemy, Teachable, or Coursera allow you to easily create and sell your courses and often provide marketing tools to help you reach a larger audience.
Offer time-limited course discounts during the holidays to attract more buyers, create urgency, and drive sales, and offer a 'gift' option for those searching for a last-minute thoughtful gift. If you've created other digital products, consider bundling them with your course to add value.
10. Try Rideshare Driving
Rideshare services like Uber or Lyft are popular side hustles that are incredibly lucrative during the holidays. Focus on driving during peak times, such as weekends, evenings and public holidays, when more people will need transport as they partake in holiday festivities. Airport trips are another great way to earn some extra income during the holiday period.
Maintain a clean, comfortable vehicle and offer small amenities like bottled water or phone chargers. Plan your driving schedule to take advantage of ridesharing platforms that offer bonuses for completing a certain number of rides within a specific timeframe.
11. Sell Holiday Cleaning Services
The demand for professional cleaning services increases over the holidays and can be a profitable side hustle, especially for those with an eye for detail who enjoy making spaces sparkle.
Create holiday cleaning packages catering to diverse needs, such as pre-party and post-party cleanup. Advertise services that include deep cleaning, organizing, and even setting up holiday decorations - tree decorating can be a very lucrative opportunity.
12. Make and Sell Baked Goods
The holiday season is the perfect time to turn your love for baking into a profitable side hustle. People love indulging in holiday treats, which also make great gifts.
To get started with this side hustle, create a menu of baked goods tailored for the holidays—christmas cookies, scones, gingerbread houses, or holiday-themed cupcakes and cakes. Holiday markets and craft fairs are excellent places to sell baked goods.
Taking pre-orders helps you manage your inventory and production schedule more effectively—customers can pre-order larger quantities for holiday parties, corporate gifts, or family gatherings. Make your baked goods gift-ready by packaging them in seasonal boxes or tins, and partner with Instacart for delivery.
13. Decorate People's Homes
Now we have already touched upon this as an add-on to cleaning services, but dedicated holiday decorating services can be fun and profitable. People may want their homes to look festive during the holidays but lack the time, ability, or creativity.
Provide a range of services from tree decorating and indoor décor to hanging lights and setting up inflatables. Based on the scope of work, charge by the hour or offer fixed-price packages. Be sure to share before-and-after photos on social media to showcase your decorating skills and find new customers.
14. Start Online Tutoring
Online tutoring is ideal for those who enjoy teaching. It is an in-demand service during the holiday school break when students may need extra help with make-up schoolwork or exam preparation in math, science, and languages.
Sign up with online tutoring platforms like Tutor.com, Wyzant, or Chegg Tutors to connect with students seeking help locally or globally. These platforms also manage payments, making the process easier. Or, to have more control over what you offer and how much you earn, sell tutoring services with Whop - your own whop hub can include a chat function, private messaging, video calls, and file downloads - perfect for a tutoring service.
15. Become a Dog Walker
Dog walking is a popular side hustle, especially during the holidays when pet owners may be too busy or traveling.
Create dog walking packages that include multiple daily walks, pet sitting, or additional services like feeding and administering medication.
Platforms like Rover and Wag! make it easy to connect with pet owners. These platforms manage the logistics and payments, allowing you to focus on the most important aspect - the dogs! Create social profiles and use social proof to build a reputation for reliability and care - positive reviews can lead to repeat business and referrals.
16. Manage Social Media for Businesses
Businesses ramp up their marketing efforts during the holiday season and often need help managing their social media due to an influx of new customers. That makes this a lucrative side hustle if you have a knack for creating engaging content and an understanding of social media platforms.
Start by creating your offering - your best bet is to offer your services on a monthly retainer, providing a steady revenue stream and ongoing client support. Besides social media management, consider offering related services like email marketing, content creation, or graphic design to increase your value to clients.
17. Create Digital Holiday Coloring Books
Parents, daycare providers, and educators are constantly on the lookout for fun activities to keep kids entertained during the holidays. Long drives, flights, and dinner parties mean that children are often occupied with an iPad, and most parents would rather that screen time be dedicated to an activity rather than a show on a streaming service. So, cater to this niche by creating downloadable holiday coloring books that can be filled in digitally.
Software like Adobe Illustrator or Canva can help you create a series of coloring pages featuring holiday characters, winter scenes, or festive patterns. You can offer downloads on Whop, Etsy, Gumroad, or your website.
Promote your books through social media and email marketing, highlighting them as an instant solution to entertain the kids whilst keeping their minds creative and active. You could also create related products like activity sheets, printable games, or holiday crafts and bundle them to increase sales.
18. Become a Remote Customer Service Rep (CSR)
Amazon, Walmart, and other ecommerce platforms often hire temporary workers to manage the holiday rush, and so you can cash-in on this busy time. The key to earning as a remote CSR is to be proactive in finding opportunities and consistently deliver excellent service.
If you have expertise in a specific industry, seek out those roles. For example, if you are tech-savvy, tech companies might pay a premium for reps who can provide technical support to shoppers.
Make yourself available during high-demand times to increase your hourly wage or earn bonuses, and boost your earnings by meeting or exceeding performance targets. Companies may offer bonuses based on metrics such as customer satisfaction scores, resolution time, and call-handling efficiency.
If you have exceptional time-management skills, consider working for multiple companies to really increase your income.
19. Mow Lawns (and Landscape!)
As the holiday season approaches, homeowners want their properties to look their best for guests, family gatherings, and holiday events.
Offer special holiday packages that go beyond mowing. Include services like leaf removal, hedge trimming, and general garden tidying to ensure the yard looks immaculate.
20. House Sit
People travel to visit family or vacation during the holidays, creating a high demand for reliable house sitters. This involves staying in someone's home while they are away and may include daily tasks such as collecting mail and watering plants.
Make your house-sitting services more appealing by offering additional services like pet sitting or gardening services. To find opportunities, advertise on TrustedHousesitters or through local community boards and social media groups.
Housesitting requires an important level of trust, which means reputation is everything. Collect references and ensure you are transparent and open with new clients. House sitters typically charge a daily or weekly rate, depending on the level of responsibility.
21. Offer Personal Shopping Services
Selecting gifts, assisting clients with holiday shopping needs, purchasing groceries or finding the perfect outfits for holiday parties are all part of a Personal Shopper's services. This is invaluable to those who don't have the time or dislike crowds and stress over holiday shopping.
Depending on the services requested, you can charge by the hour or task and offer package deals for a set number of hours or multiple shopping trips. It's best to focus on niche areas like luxury gifts, event holiday fashions, or unique, hard-to-find items, and become known as the go-to expert in that niche.
Target your services to busy professionals or those who find holiday shopping overwhelming.
22. Sell Makeup Tutorials Online
If you're a talented makeup artist, selling makeup tutorials online can be a profitable holiday side hustle. Cater to those attending holiday parties or even themed family gatherings.
Package your tutorials as digital downloads and sell them on platforms like Whop. There are plenty of products you could create here - from downloadable makeup guides, to video courses. One-on-one virtual lessons are a great way to earn more and give that personalized experience.
Again, this is another service that you could offer as a gift. Remember to showcase your work on social media to attract a following and before-and-after posts to help drive traffic.
23. Run Errands for Busy People
Shopping, mailing packages, picking up groceries—holidays can be overwhelming and full of long to-do lists. Running errands for others can help people manage their day, offering convenience and reducing stress during this time of the year.
Promote your services on platforms like TaskRabbit, Craigslist, or local community boards. Social media groups can also be helpful. The amount of money that you can make here really depends on what you offer and how much work you dedicate to this. Charge by the hour or per task, depending on the nature of the errand.
24. Start a Seasonal Blog
A seasonal blog focused on high-demand holiday topics like gift ideas, decorating tips, holiday fashion, festive recipes, or holiday travel advice can attract a broad audience looking for inspiration and information. You can then monetize your blog through various channels making it a potentially lucrative side hustle.
To capitalize on the holiday season, you must start your blog early in the year and slowly build up your content. Then, by the holidays, you will have a well-established blog that will attract even more traffic.
To make money, link to holiday products and services within your blog posts to earn with affiliate marketing. When readers click on these links and purchase, you earn a commission. You can also sell digital products from your blog, such as the planners, trackers, and eBooks that we mentioned earlier in this article.
As your blog grows, it will attract brands who want to reach your audience. Sponsored posts allow you to earn money by writing about specific products or services that align with your holiday content.
25. Try Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing involves promoting products or services on your website, blog, or social media, and earning a commission for every sale made through your unique referral link. During the holiday season, affiliate marketing can be incredibly lucrative as people actively search for gift ideas, decorations, and other seasonal products.
Focus high-quality products in demand during the holidays that offer a higher percentage in commissions so you can increase your earning potential. Write blog posts, gift guides, or social media content that naturally incorporates affiliate links.
Platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube are great for promoting affiliate products. To maximize your affiliate marketing earnings, build an email list and send out holiday-theme newsletters with affiliate links. Offering exclusive discounts or deals can entice your subscribers to purchase through your links.
What's the Best Way to Make Money for Christmas?
As you can see, there are so many different ways that you can make extra cash for Christmas, from mowing lawns to dressing trees. However, out of all of them, selling digital products and services is one of the best ways to earn extra holiday income.
When you sell digital products you can start with minimal upfront costs - unlike tree dressing (investing in decorations) or selling baked goods (investing in ingredients and equipment). Digital products can be created for free, and even sold for free when you use a platform like Whop.
The best part? This money making opportunity can become a true passive income stream. Create your products once and sell them over and over again, even while you sleep.
Make Some Christmas Cash with Whop
If you're ready to start selling digital products and earning some extra income in the holiday season, Whop can help. Our platform provides tools and resources to create, market, and sell products easily.
It offers a user-friendly interface for setting up your own whop, your storefront, tracking sales, and running promotions. With multiple payment options and built-in marketing tools, Whop helps you reach a broad audience. All of this for just a 3% cut of your earnings - no upfront costs, no ongoing platform costs. Whop doesn't make money unless you make money.
By planning and starting early, you can enjoy more financial security and less stress during these holidays. Get started today and turn your holiday goals into reality.
