The holidays are magical, until you check your bank account. Between gifts, travel, party outfits and that one cousin who always expects something nice, Christmas can drain your wallet fast.

According to the NRF’s 2025 holiday survey, shoppers planned to spend an average of $890.49 per person on gifts, food, decorations and other seasonal items. That’s the second-highest amount since the survey launched 23 years ago.

The good news? There are tons of legit ways to make extra money for Christmas, and most don’t require a second job or special skills.

Whether you’ve got a few spare hours or you’re looking to hustle hard through December, this guide breaks down 17 seasonal earning ideas. From gift wrapping to grocery delivery to getting paid to play games on KashKick, you’ll find something that fits your schedule and skills.

Looking for year-round options too? Check out these easy side hustles to start today.

How Much Extra Money Do You Need for Christmas?

Before diving into earning ideas, it helps to know your target. The average American spends around $900 on the holidays, but your number might be different.

Make a quick list:

• Gifts for family and friends
• Travel costs (flights, gas, lodging)
• Holiday outfits or party clothes
• Food, drinks and hosting expenses
• Decorations and wrapping supplies
• Charitable giving or tips for service workers

Once you have a rough total, you can pick earning methods that match your timeline. Got two months? You can mix and match several options. Down to the wire in mid-December? Focus on fast ways to make money online like delivery driving or selling stuff you don’t need. Want to give back too? Here’s how to earn $50 to donate on Giving Tuesday using KashKick.

17 Ways to Make Extra Money for Christmas

Ready to start earning? Here are 17 seasonal-friendly ways to pad your holiday budget.

1. Earn Cash From Your Phone With KashKick

If you want to make money without leaving your couch, KashKick is one of the easiest places to start. It’s a rewards platform that pays you real cash for playing games, taking surveys, trying new apps and shopping online.

Here’s how KashKick works: KashKick partners with brands and game studios that want to reach new users. When you complete activities through KashKick, the platform shares part of what it earns with you. You’ll accumulate kash in your account ($1 Kash = $1 USD), and once you hit $10, you can cash out via PayPal, Venmo, gift cards or even a charity donation.

A few perks that make KashKick stand out for holiday earning:

• Multiple ways to earn so you never get bored
• Low $10 cashout minimum
• Fast payouts (1-3 business days)
• 4.6 stars in the App Store and 4.4 stars on Google Play
• Generous referral program (25% of friends’ earnings)

One stay-at-home mom earned around $75 in fun money before a family Disney trip, and another member, Eric, banked over $500 in less than a year. Read more KashKick reviews from real members.

👉 Sign up for KashKick and start earning holiday cash today.

2. Offer Gift Wrapping Services

Wrapping presents is a love-it-or-hate-it activity. If you love it, the holidays are your time to shine.

You can offer gift wrapping in a few ways:

• Set up a booth at a local mall, craft fair or holiday market.
• Advertise on Nextdoor, Facebook groups or community boards.
• Partner with small boutiques that don’t offer wrapping in-house.

Charge $3 to $10 per gift depending on size and complexity. If you can do specialty wrapping (think: fabric furoshiki, hand-tied bows or custom tags), you can charge even more. Stock up on paper, ribbon and tags from dollar stores or wholesale clubs to keep your costs low.

3. Become a Seasonal Sales Associate

Retailers ramp up hiring big time between October and January. According to Hiring Lab, retail jobs dominate holiday hiring.

Stores like Target, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Best Buy and Amazon warehouses regularly post seasonal openings. Pay typically starts around $15 to $20 an hour, and many stores offer employee discounts, which is a nice bonus when you’re shopping for gifts anyway.

Apply early. Most retailers start hiring in September or October, and the best shifts go fast.

4. Sell Baked Goods

If you can bake, the holidays are basically your Super Bowl. People love giving (and receiving) homemade cookies, fudge, breads and pies.

Ideas to get started:

• Take orders for cookie boxes or holiday platters.
• Sell at farmers markets, craft fairs or church bazaars.
• Partner with local coffee shops to stock baked goods.
• Offer custom decorated sugar cookies. (These can sell for $30 to $50 a dozen).

Just check your state’s cottage food laws before selling. Most states allow home bakers to sell certain low-risk items without a commercial kitchen, but rules vary.

5. Hang Holiday Lights and Decorations

Not everyone wants to climb a ladder in 30-degree weather—but plenty of people will pay someone else to do it.

You can offer light hanging services through:

• TaskRabbit, where you set your own rates
• Local Facebook groups and Nextdoor
• Flyers in your neighborhood

Typical rates run $200 to $500 per home depending on size and complexity. Bonus: You can also offer takedown services in January (a nice boost to your New Year goals) when demand is still high.

6. Rake Leaves and Clear Snow

Late fall and early winter mean yard work for homeowners. If you’ve got a rake, snow shovel or snowblower, you’ve got a side hustle.

Charge $20 to $50 per yard for raking, and $30 to $75 for shoveling driveways and walkways depending on size. List your services on TaskRabbit or just walk the neighborhood with flyers. Repeat customers are common, so one good job often turns into ongoing work all winter.

7. Pet Sit While Families Travel

Holiday travel means lots of pets need watching. Sites like Rover connect pet sitters and dog walkers with local clients.

You can offer:

• Drop-in visits ($15 to $30 per visit)
• Dog walking ($20 to $40 per walk)
• Overnight house sitting ($50 to $100 per night)
• Boarding pets in your home ($35 to $75 per night)

If you love animals, this is one of the most enjoyable ways to make extra money for Christmas. Plus, holiday demand is high, so you can often charge premium rates.

8. Drive for Uber or Lyft

Holiday travel season means more airport runs, more bar pickups and more last-minute shopping trips. If you’ve got a reliable car, driving for Uber or Lyft can be a solid earner from Thanksgiving through New Year’s.

Surge pricing kicks in during peak times like:

• Thanksgiving Eve (one of the busiest bar nights of the year)
• Black Friday shopping rushes
• Holiday party weekends in December
• New Year’s Eve and morning-after airport runs

Many drivers report doubling their normal hourly take during these peak periods.

9. Deliver Groceries With Instacart

Thanksgiving week is one of the busiest weeks of the year for grocery delivery. People are hosting, traveling and short on time, and they’re tipping accordingly.

Instacart shoppers earn money for shopping and delivering grocery orders. You set your own schedule and pick batches based on payout. During the holidays, big orders and bigger tips are common.

Things to know:

• You’ll need a car and a smartphone
• Background check required
• Pay varies by location and order size
• Tips can make up a significant portion of earnings

10. Deliver Packages With Amazon Flex

Online shopping explodes between Black Friday and Christmas Eve. Amazon brings on tons of extra delivery drivers through Amazon Flex to keep up.

Flex drivers pick up packages from Amazon delivery stations and drop them off using their own vehicles. Pay typically ranges from $18 to $25 per hour, and you can choose blocks that fit your schedule.

Holiday blocks fill up fast, so check the app frequently if you want to grab the best shifts.

Curious what other gigs are worth your time? Here are some of the best side hustle apps to consider alongside Amazon Flex.

11. Deliver Food With DoorDash

When people are wrapping presents or hosting family, the last thing they want to do is cook. That’s where you come in.

Driving for DoorDash gives you flexibility to work whenever it suits you. Expect higher demand around:

• Holiday party nights
• Bad weather days when no one wants to leave home
• Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (some restaurants stay open)
• New Year’s Day

You can also stack DoorDash with other delivery apps like Uber Eats and Grubhub to maximize your earnings during slower stretches.

12. Babysit During Holiday Parties

Adult holiday parties are a great babysitting opportunity. Parents need childcare for office parties, neighborhood gatherings, holiday concerts and date nights to wrap presents in peace.

Find clients through:

• Care.com or Sittercity
• Local parent Facebook groups
• Word of mouth from friends and family
• Your local church or community center

Holiday rates often run higher than typical babysitting: expect $20 to $30 per hour or more in some areas, especially for evening or late-night gigs.

13. Sell Stuff You Don’t Need

Decluttering before the holidays is a win-win: Less stuff cluttering your home, more cash for gifts.

Where to sell:

• Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist for furniture and bigger items
• Poshmark or ThredUp for clothing
• eBay for collectibles, electronics and niche items
• OfferUp for local quick sales
• Mercari for general goods

Look for items in good condition that you haven’t used in the past year. Old electronics, kids’ clothes that don’t fit, rarely-used kitchen gadgets and decor you’ve outgrown all have value to someone else.

14. Earn Cashback on Gifts You’re Already Buying

This isn’t exactly “earning” money in the traditional sense, but cashback is one of the easiest ways to stretch your holiday budget.

Apps and platforms that offer cashback include:

• Rakuten (cashback at thousands of online retailers)
• Ibotta (grocery and retail rebates)
• Fetch (points for any receipt)
• Issuer programs like Amex Offers, Chase Offers and BankAmeriDeals

If you already have KashKick, start earning cashback on online purchases through the KashBack browser extension. You’ll earn cash back from participating retailers automatically when shopping online.

Stack cashback with sales and credit card rewards for maximum savings. Want to compare more options? Check out our roundup of the best cashback apps.

15. Take On Holiday-Themed Freelance Gigs

If you have creative skills, the holidays open up all kinds of freelance opportunities.

Examples include:

• Writing holiday newsletters or marketing copy for small businesses
• Designing custom holiday cards or invitations on Canva
• Photographing family holiday portraits
• Editing holiday videos or social media content
• Creating custom ornaments, signs or wreaths

Platforms like Fiverr and Upwork make it easy to list your services. Local Facebook groups are also great for finding clients in your area who want personalized work.

16. Become a Mall Santa, Elf or Photographer

If you’re outgoing and don’t mind being on your feet, holiday character work can pay surprisingly well.

Options include:

• Mall Santa positions (some pay $30 to $50 per hour or more)
• Elf or character roles at holiday events
• Photographer for Santa photo setups
• Performer at corporate holiday parties

Apply early through staffing agencies that specialize in seasonal entertainment. Cherry Hill Programs and Worldwide Photography are two of the bigger employers in this space.

17. Take Surveys for Quick Cash

Sharing your opinion online won’t make you rich, but it’s an easy way to earn extra money during downtime. Think: waiting at the airport or watching holiday movies on the couch.

KashKick is one of the best survey platforms because:

• You earn real cash, not points
• Surveys pay anywhere from a few cents to several dollars
• Earnings hit your balance instantly
• You can pair surveys with games and deals for bigger earnings

Other survey sites worth checking out include Branded Surveys, Survey Junkie and Google Opinion Rewards. Just keep your expectations realistic—surveys are best treated as bonus income, not your main hustle.

For more strategy, see our guide on how to make the most money on survey apps.

Tips to Maximize Your Christmas Earnings

Want to make the most of your holiday hustle? Keep these tips in mind:

• Start early. The best seasonal jobs and gigs fill up by October. Don’t wait until December to start applying or signing up.
• Stack multiple income streams. Combine a seasonal retail job with weekend deliveries and KashKick during downtime to maximize earnings.
• Track your time. Some gigs look great on paper but don’t pay well per hour. Keep notes on what’s actually worth your effort.
• Watch out for taxes. Side gig income is taxable. Set aside 20% to 30% of your earnings if you’re an independent contractor.
• Use cashback on everything. Even if you’re not earning more, you can save more on the things you’re already buying.
• Avoid scams. Stick to reputable platforms with strong reviews. If a gig promises easy thousands with no work, it’s not real.

How to Avoid Holiday Money-Making Scams

The holidays are unfortunately prime time for scams. In 2025, the FBI’s Internet Complaint Center received more than 1 million complaints and reported more than $20 billion in total losses, which is up from 26% in 2024. The average loss was over $20,000, so it pays to be cautious when chasing extra income.

Watch out for:

• Job listings that ask for upfront fees. Legit employers don’t charge you to apply.
• Work-from-home offers that sound too good to be true. $5,000 a week stuffing envelopes? Skip it.
• Apps that require you to pay to cash out. A real rewards platform like KashKick never charges fees to receive your earnings.
• Phishing emails about packages or gift cards. Don’t click suspicious links, even if they look official.
• Mystery shopper jobs that send you a check first. This is one of the oldest scams in the book.

When in doubt, check Trustpilot, the Better Business Bureau and Reddit for first-hand reviews before signing up for any platform or gig. For more guidance, the FTC shared common holiday scams.

Get more tips to protect yourself against financial scams.

Start Earning Extra Money for Christmas Today

The holidays don’t have to leave your bank account in shambles. With a little planning and the right mix of side gigs, you can absolutely cover gifts, travel and all the festive extras—without going into debt.

If you want a flexible, low-effort way to earn from your phone, KashKick is one of the best places to start. With multiple ways to earn, fast payouts and a low $10 cashout minimum, it’s a solid addition to any holiday earning plan.

Pair KashKick with a seasonal gig or two, lean into cashback on gifts you’re already buying, and you’ll be surprised how quickly the extra money adds up.

👉 Sign up for KashKick and start earning extra money for Christmas today.