Make Money This Christmas!

Ah, Christmas: the time of year where most people lose hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on holiday shopping, traveling, cooking and more. This year, would you like to stop losing money on Christmas costs? Who wouldn't? Would you like to MAKE money during this costly time of the year? Who wouldn't? Check out these five holiday business ideas and start making profit on the most expensive holiday of the year: Christmas.

Santa Letters: Responding to Santa letters as Kris Cringle himself will spread holiday joy and can make you some serious cash. Simply go online, choose one of many Christmas stationery types, and create a generic Christmas letter that can be personalized to each costumer's needs. To advertise your business, put up ads in your local newspaper, Craigslist.com, and even create your own website. Add personal touches to each Santa letter with creative calligraphy and colorful art. Send your Santa letters with the return address "Santa, North Pole" to all recipients and charge $5-$10 dollars per letter. Start advertising in mid-November, and you'll have a great customer base by Christmas.

Wrap Presents: Gift-wrapping is one of the easiest and most lucrative Christmas businesses you can create. Simply ask a local mall or store if you can wrap presents at their location during the week before Christmas (it helps if you're with an organization such as Girl Scouts or a church club). Many times, the store will provide you with wrapping paper, table, and wrapping supplies. Have 3-5 people wrapping presents at any given time, and politely ask people if they'd like to have their Christmas gifts wrapped as they're leaving the store. Don't charge anything, instead, have a poster with suggested donations, and people will often donate more money than you would have ever charged in the first place. My Girl Scout troop was able to pay for a large amount of a 10-day Costa Rica tour with this business, and we're currently deciding where to go after this year's wrapping.

Christmas Babysitting: Babysitting is in HUGE demand around Christmas, when kids are off of school but parents still have to work. If you have CPR certification and reliable references, you can get away with charging as much as $20 an hour. To advertise, put an ad in your local newspaper, on coffee-shop bulletin boards, and create a profile on SitterCity.com.

Personal Shopper: During the holidays, lots of people are too busy to worry about gift shopping. Here's where you come in: Start a Christmas Shopping business. Have customers make a list of presents they want bought, go to the mall, find the best deals on each item, and buy it on credit. Organize your customer's purchases, receipts, and rebate offers, and trade the merchandise for your customer's payment. Charge however much you spent on presents plus $20-$30 per hour for your fees. Oftentimes, happy customers will tip generously. To advertise, create a website, place an ad in your local paper, and spread your business by word of mouth.

House/Pet Sitting: House Sitting is in huge demand during the holidays, when millions of people travel to relatives' for Christmas. To become a house and pet sitter, consider buying pet sitting insurance (go to petsit.com for info), create an online website promoting your business, and hand out business cards wherever you go. Depending on each house's unique demands, you can charge $15-$50 per house per day, just for basics like taking care of pets and taking out the trash.

I hope these five money-making ideas have inspired you to start your very own holiday business. Extra cash during the holiday season means better presents, more fun, and extra financial security. Just imagine a holiday season where you actually earn money instead of losing it on Christmas costs. Happy Holidays and good luck!