by R. Douglas Williams

Created on: December 12, 2008   Last Updated: December 14, 2008

The holiday season does not not feel warm and toasty when you're sitting in a plasma center giving a donation so you can afford more gifts. But, I understand the strong desire we have to gift those we love. Some of us will do anything to get the extra cash we need to purchase the Wii or the Elmo that says five different things. This can get out of hand, though. There's no need to show up at stores the day after Thanksgiving, cutting lines, talking irrationally and beating up store clerks. Some turn to drug deals. Others turn tricks.

The safe choice is to think creatively along the lines of what you can do to make holiday specific items that people will buy from you as gifts for someone else. That's right - you can make stuff that people will wrap and put under the tree for someone because they were as desperate and strapped for cash as you. This seems to be the right season for making gifts rather than buying them anyway, given the condition of our economy. The space beneath trees is looking alot more homemade than it did before corporations and car dealers started asking for hand outs.

The problem with many of us who need a little more money to Christmas shop with is we are so dependent on the marketplace to tell us what people will want. In the meantime, you may have this amazing gift lying dormant that can be invested in making the season brighter for others. If seasonal merchandise is not too gaudy, if it captures the sense of magic that comes with this special time, then you could rack up royally.

Instead of buying cellpones or video games that someone is going to get tired off at some point through the following year, maybe you can create a charming Christmas gift they will keep in a special place so as to bring it out every year. Become entrepeneurial this season and make money! Enhance the spirit of the holidays and watch your bank account grow!

Do you bake? Christmas cookies sold outside Walmart or your nearest grocery store can be a good way to earn extra cash. Selling good hot chocolate to people who are playing in the park (if that's legal). Being a valet at a Christmas event where the traffic is insane. Making wreaths people can hang on their door so everyone will see their festive character.

The best way to make extra money is to use your gifts. With a little thought, you can make the season happier and yourself richer at the same time. Now that feels good.

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