Tag: Christmas crafts

Christmas crafters urged to check tax rules 

  • Side hustlers selling festive items need to tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) online if earnings exceed £1,000 a year 
  • HMRC’s Help for Hustles campaign supports people earning extra income during festive season to understand tax obligations 
  • Online checker tool can clarify if and when side hustlers need to report their additional income  

People making money from Christmas crafts, seasonal market stalls, or selling festive items are being urged to check if they need to tell HMRC about their earnings. 

As the festive season approaches, HMRC’s Help for Hustles campaign is reminding anyone earning extra income from activities like making Christmas decorations, upcycling furniture for seasonal sales, or running market stalls, that they will need to tell HMRC if they earn more than £1,000. 

The campaign’s guidance explains the important distinction between simply decluttering homes by selling unwanted personal belongings – which doesn’t usually require reporting to HMRC – and trading activities like making items to sell for profit, which may be taxable. 

Anyone who earned more than £1,000 from side hustles in the 2024 to 2025 tax year will need to register for Self Assessment as a sole trader, file their return and pay any tax due by 31 January 2026.

This £1,000 threshold applies to all trading activities combined – so someone earning £600 from craft sales and £500 from content creation would need to register as their total exceeds £1,000. 

Visit GOV.UK to file a Self Assessment tax return online for the 2024 to 2025 tax year and pay any tax owed. 

Kevin Hubbard, HMRC’s Director of Individuals & Small Business Compliance, said: “Whether you’re making handmade Christmas decorations, selling upcycled furniture, or running a seasonal market stall, it’s important to understand when your festive side hustle becomes taxable trading. 

“Nobody wants an unexpected tax bill, so anyone earning more than £1,000 from their side hustle should tell HMRC. Our Help for Hustles campaign provides clear, straightforward guidance to help people get their tax right.” 

Graham Wilson OBE, National Association of British Markets’ Deputy Chief Executive, said: “Markets are an important part of Christmas celebrations and every year, town centres around the country witness thousands of traders enriching the festive atmosphere. 

“As the national organisation for market operators, we want to encourage all traders, particularly those who are trading for the first time, to be clear about their obligations for tax arising from their earnings and we welcome the guidance and support provided by HMRC on this important issue.” 

People can use a free online checker on GOV.UK to find out if they need to tell HMRC about additional income. Guidance is also available on the Help for hustles campaign page, explaining the different types of side hustles, including selling items, providing services and creating content. 

TONIGHT: M Club Xmas Night In!

PILTON COMMUNITY HEALTH PROJECT from 6 – 9pm

At M Club tonight we’ll be meeting at Pilton Community Health Project for some snacks, hot drinks, Christmas crafts and good chat.

Join us and SHE Scotland CIC from 6pm.

Christmas in the new normal

Five ways to celebrate remotely with loved ones this year

  • Amid the current health crisis, Furniture And Choice shares five tips to keep up with your Christmas traditions remotely 
  • Cooking together, craft competitions and online games among the best ways to stay connected to loved ones 

    While Christmas rules may allow some family members to get together, this won’t be the case for everyone and certainly not for those with large families or friendship groups.  

    However, there are many ways to have an amazing Christmas with friends and family even while social distancing or living on Zoom, without letting those all-important traditions fall by the wayside. Interior Style Advisor at Furniture And Choice, Rebecca Snowden, offers her top tips on how to celebrate the festive season with loved ones even if you can’t be physically together:  
  1. Take time to cook (and eat) together 

The highlight of many people’s Christmas is the big festive lunch and you don’t have to miss out just because you can’t leave your home. Share recipes for what you’re planning to cook with your friends and family beforehand, to make sure you all have the same ingredients on the day. You could even assign courses to different family members if you wanted to – although you won’t be able to eat everyone’s offering! 

On the day, arrange a time to video call so you can virtually make the dishes together. This is a great way to chat and feel connected to loved ones as if you’re all cooking and making something special together. There are many apps you can use to do this, including Zoom, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and FaceTime (if you all have Apple devices).  

Don’t forget to arrange a time for a video call at the dinner table too, so you can sit down, have a chat and eat your meal together as a family.  

  1. Take part in a Christmas craft competition 

To really get into the festivities, you could arrange a table centrepiece competition with your friends and family. There are plenty of tutorials for centrepieces online that use things you’ll have lying around the house, and it’s a welcome bit of fun for everyone to enjoy.  

One person should act as the judge and taskmaster, sharing the table centrepiece tutorial beforehand and judging everybody’s attempts via a video call or picture submissions to determine who is the most successful. You could even present the winner with a virtual prize, such as a gift card.  

This is a great way to have some fun with your loved ones and make something perfect for your Christmas dining table.  

  1. Create a playlist to listen to music together 

To really feel like you’re sitting down to have lunch with your loved ones, why not create a playlist for everyone to listen to at the same time? You can easily create a playlist on Spotify or Apple Music, and then share this with your family and friends so you can all listen together while you’re cooking or having lunch.  

To make things a little more interesting, you could create a public playlist and assign each person certain letters of the alphabet to add artists beginning with that letter. Alternatively, create a playlist theme, such as Christmas number ones, and see who can add the most songs to the playlist that fit the theme you chose.  

  1. Play online games 

After you’ve eaten your lunch, what could be better than playing a game? Although you won’t be able to sit down and play a board game together as you would usually, there are lots of virtual game apps that allow you to still enjoy fun and games with your loved ones. 

Try Kahoot! for a virtual quiz suitable for all the family. Each person can select a quiz category that they want everyone to play, or you can make it extra personal by creating a round specifically about your friends and family.  

For something with more of a competitive edge, download Mario Kart Tour on iOs or Android to race as your favourite Mario characters with your friends and family. Fancy something more grown-up? The online version of Cards against Humanity is now available to download – just make sure there are no children present!  

  1. Watch a movie together 

If you fancy something more chilled during your Christmas break, why not cosy up and watch a festive favourite with your loved ones? Thanks to apps such as Netflix Party, you can now sit and watch Netflix films together virtually – just download the extension on Google Chrome, invite your loved ones to watch a film and you’re good to go.

You can even talk via a chat box while watching the film so you can discuss and share your thoughts as you watch, so it’s a great way to stay connected to your friends and family. 

Rebecca continues: “Christmas may be a huge struggle for some this year, as for many it’s a time to be around loved ones to eat, drink and be merry. While rules are allowing some people to get together, there will be many who won’t be able to see everyone they usually would, like extended family or groups of friends.

“But we shouldn’t let this spoil the Christmas spirit, we should try to adapt our plans to make sure we still feel connected with our loved ones.  

“Setting up collaborative challenges, sharing recipes and engaging in a family quiz are great ways to keep spirits high and create memories you won’t forget. Why not use this time to start new traditions from the comfort of your own homes and celebrate the Christmas season in style?”  

For more ideas and inspiration, including Christmas crafts to try, visit Furniture And Choice’s inspiration page here: https://www.furniturechoice.co.uk/inspiration/