This is my first Christmas season as a cake decorator. I'm just recovering from my first Thanksgiving. I'm normally moderately or minimally busy, 2 or so orders a week and 1-2 weddings a month or 3-4 weddings a month in the summer is my average, this isnt my full time job. BUT for 8 days leading up to Thanksgiving  I sold 100+ pies, 2 sheet cakes, 4-6 dozen vegan cookies, a few dozen regular cookies and dozens of bread rolls. Im knackered. I feel like because Thanksgiving is such a food focused Holiday that's why demand skyrocketed unexpectedly (maybe I should have expected it but store bought pies are $4-$6 and mine were $12-$22, people have a problem paying extra for "plain" cakes so I expected them to have the same problem paying for handmade pies, will not assume so next year). If youve been open at least one full year  do you see this volume increase at Christmas as well? I  wasnt fully operational by Easter, fourth of July was slow, Halloween was also slow, is Christmas slow like most other Holidays or is it crazy like Thanksgiving despite there being no "feast"? Id been planning to a take a week off for Christmas but Im wondering if I should wait until after the holiday so I dont miss a ton of sales if its going to be busy. 

If you're super busy for Christmas what do you sell? 

oh hell yes -- the holidays are considered "payday" for bakers -- january can be slow slow slow -- i always worked my tail off in november and december -- think of all the parties and celebrating -- so you want to limit your sales to money makers 

what's the easiest to make and makes the most profit

Unfortunately what’s easy to make (cupcakes) and what sells really well are not the same

nobody said it was easy -- but yeah right -- you can get cupcakes everywhere -- 

ok put it this way -- what do you make that is distinctive and relatively easy to make and you can make money with it -- you know -- anything just short of a five tier topsy turvy cake done in lambeth with a cascade of gum paste daisies, orchids, gladiolas, irises and hydrangeas with baby's breath filler --

 i'm just being silly -- but yeah get a shtick -- wow -- like make holly leaf cookies and fashion them in a wreath -- you can get an assembly line going -- i used to do 8" tall, 3-d gingerbread christmas tree cookies and i put "gift boxes" of peanut buttter fudge cubes with a ribbon & bow piped on and i used whilte choco for snow -- drop a few hershey's kisses in pretty foil wrappers -- 

i have cookie cutters that make a sleigh and reindeer -- i've done sleighs full of cookie toys and i made the reindeer galloping up in the air off a platform type thing -- 

i think 3-d cookies rock and you can pop them out like crazy -- i even did a large 3-d snowflake gingerbread cookie -- 

let's see, make pie "kits" with pie crust already in the pan and a beautiful rim of leaves or lattice already made where they just freeze it and slide it on -- idk -- i'm just brainstorming -- or cut out apples they can lay on top of apple pie etc etc.

i hope you get your bearings and have a wonderful profitable holiday -- best to you