Every year around this time, my household starts to feel the holiday squeeze. Gifts, travel, random school events, food… it all piles up faster than I’d like to admit.

And because of that, I’ve unintentionally fallen into this routine where my income always spikes in November and early December — not from some grand plan, just from habit.

For example:

• My Pokémon flipping side hustle always picks up. Collectors buy vintage packs as Christmas gifts, and demand pushes prices up on the singles I’ve been holding. (January is when things cool off again, but December is prime time.)
• Freelance SEO work gets busier. Solopreneurs and small biz owners love to “finally get serious” before the new year, and many have tax refund season budgets to spend. I usually get more consulting inquiries in November–January than the rest of the year combined.
• Back when I still worked in the hospital, I’d pick up a little overtime around this time. Not glamorous, but the holiday differential pay always made a noticeable dent in my budget.

Point is: most of us do a little something extra to keep holiday spending from getting out of hand. And if you’re looking for ideas that don’t require months of planning, I just published a full guide on realistic ways to pick up extra Christmas money — even if you’re short on time.

It’s called:

👉 17 Festive Ways to Make Extra Money for Christmas​
​https://dollarsprout.com/make-money-for-christmas/​

It covers everything from quick gigs to high-demand seasonal jobs, plus a bunch of options you can literally start this week.

If you’re looking for a few hundred bucks to soften the blow of December, there’s probably something in there that fits your schedule.

Enjoy — and hope the season is good to you, financially and otherwise.
—Ben

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P.S. If you already have a go-to holiday side hustle, reply and let me know here or in the article comments. I’m always curious what people do this time of year to stay ahead of the spending curve.