Gift wrapping can be a lucrative side hustle, as Michelle Hensley discovered when it saved her struggling business and turned it into a successful enterprise. Her gift basket business, Nifty Packaging Co., had a small profit margin until she started showcasing her beautifully wrapped boxes on Instagram in 2018. This caught the attention of brands and celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, who hired her for her unique “blind-edge” wrapping style. Since then, Nifty Packaging Co. has grown into a full-time job, bringing in over $466,000 in sales last year, with gift wrapping accounting for approximately 70% of its revenue.
According to a Sidehustle.com survey conducted in October, nearly one in five Americans planned to start a side gig to help cover their holiday spending, such as travel and gifts. Gift wrapping is just one example of a holiday-themed side hustle that can be both profitable and relatively easy to step into for a few weeks each year.
Hensley, who still works part-time as a financial coach, now manages nearly 70 employees at Nifty Packaging Co. Her company’s profit margins hover around 18%, and she is in the process of franchising her business. Individual gift wrappers have the potential for even more cash flow, but it’s essential to have a sought-after style and know how to reach clients through local or social media platforms.
The average gift wrapper in the U.S. earns up to $21 per hour, according to Indeed. However, freelance gift wrappers can charge anywhere from a couple of dollars to over $50 per hour, depending on factors like the number of presents and whether they are designing the paper themselves.
Another holiday-themed side hustle is waiting in line or running errands, as Collins Baffoe does in New York. Taskrabbit workers can set their own prices, but the platform’s average hourly rate for waiting in line services is $27. Running holiday errands brings in an average of $32 per hour, while conducting holiday cleaning averages $48 per hour. Baffoe, a former corporate healthcare worker, makes between $5,000 and $6,000 per month as a full-time gig worker on Taskrabbit, with waiting-in-line jobs representing up to 35% of his income around the winter holidays.
Spencer Claeys, founder and CEO of Northwest Pro Wash in Seattle, found success by offering light hanging services during the holiday season. Hanging Christmas lights can bring in an average of $54 per hour, with the potential to charge up to $700 for two hours of work for high-quality strands. Claeys’ company earned over $30,000 primarily from light hanging jobs last November, and homeowners sometimes add on gutter cleanings once his team is on location.
For those with more than 1,000 followers on social media, creating gift guides with affiliate partnerships can be a profitable side hustle during the holidays. Influencers with smaller followings are often better at driving commerce than larger influencers, according to Forrester. Amazon’s affiliate program, for example, pays anywhere from 0% to 20% commission per sale, depending on the product.
Dressing up as Santa Claus is another lucrative holiday side hustle, as Eddy Rich discovered when he joined the personalized video website Cameo. Last year, he and his son made $14,700 from Cameo during the week of Christmas, filming up to 20 videos per hour. The average Santa earns around $60 per hour, but through Cameo, the Riches could make up to $525 per hour after the platform’s cut. Eddy Rich is the most-booked Santa on Cameo, often asked to encourage kids to tackle tasks like potty training and giving up pacifiers.
In conclusion, there are various holiday-themed side hustles that can help individuals earn extra cash during the festive season. Whether it’s gift wrapping, waiting in line, hanging Christmas lights, creating gift guides, or dressing up as Santa Claus, these opportunities offer a chance to leverage skills and interests to supplement income and spread holiday cheer.
