Is Christmas really a time for giving? Well, not if you’re a retail or F&B business—for these folks, the holiday season is a time to profit, as people gear up to wine, dine and splurge on gifts.
You might not be one of these business owners, but that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to be one of the poor suckers who do nothing but spend and spend during the end-of-year holidays. If you’re looking for a way to recoup the losses you incurred buying Christmas gifts for your colleagues, here are four ways you can profit this Christmas.
Work in exchange for leave-in-lieu
Most offices start resembling graveyards during the Christmas season as people scramble to go on that last holiday for the year, or use up their annual leave before they lose it.
While it might seem like a bummer for those who are left behind, it’s actually a lot more pleasant to work when your boss is away on holiday and the office is half empty. Fewer distractions, fewer people getting yelled at, and if you’re lucky enough to be in an industry where work winds down at the end of the year, less work, too.
In fact, if your company allows it, you might even choose to work over the Christmas and New Year public holidays in exchange for leave-in-lieu. Ask your boss if staff are needed on those days—for instance, if you’re working in hospitality or are a trader of some sort, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to work on those days.
In exchange for working, your boss is obliged to give you leave in lieu—most companies just provide you with another day of annual leave which you can use whenever you want. If you’ve got no plans on Christmas or the New Year, this is great, because you can choose to take that day off another day when the streets aren’t jam-packed with revellers and restaurants aren’t jacking up their prices.
Sell Christmas goodies
It’s easier than you think to sell Christmas goodies, thanks to the power of social media and the fact that many of your friends and colleagues will buy your products just to support you. I have some friends who make a killing baking pineapple tarts during Chinese New Year, and the same principle applies here.
If you have any kind of artistic hobby, you might be able to channel this into creating stuff you can sell during Christmas. Skilled calligraphers and artists can create their own Christmas cards. If you’re handy in the kitchen, you can bake Christmas cakes and cookies.
Advertise your services on social media and Carousell, and then send mass emails to all your colleagues and Whatsapp your friends.
Lend a helping hand over the Christmas break
You might also be able to offer services people might need during Christmas—petsitting for people who are going to be away on holiday (sign up on Pawshake), for example.
There’s also a need for Uber drivers after the Christmas and New Year countdowns, when the streets are packed with people trying to get a cab.
Do an ad-hoc job over the holiday season
You might be able to find an ad-hoc assignment or two over the Christmas season, since here’s a spike in the number of Christmas-related events in the lead up to the public holiday.
Here’s a job ad calling for workers to help out at some Christmas Lego event, and here’s another for a packing job at a department store. Ad-hoc cashiers are also in demand during the holiday season, since everybody will be out shopping—here’s an ad calling for applicants.
If you’re a student who’s wondering how you can make a quick buck during the December school holidays, this is your answer.
What are your plans for this Christmas? Tell us in the comments!