The Christmas season is upon you, and you need a little extra cash to buy presents for your friends, family and co-workers. Where in the world are you going to get that kind of money in just a few days? I'll teach you the best ways to make money fast that guarantee payment before Christmas. And get this - it's even legal.

It doesn't matter what time of the year it is if you need ways to make money fast. The methods for making money quickly are the same in December as they are in June. But when you have that feeling of needing to buy presents hanging over your head during the Christmas season, there's no better incentive any other time of the year.

I'm about to share with you the number one method that will guarantee you get paid quickly. This is the one (and only) way I have ever been able to make money fast, and I rely on it any time I need money. I rely on it so much, in fact, that I've made it my part time income.

The secret?

Submitting articles for upfront payment.

No, I'm not talking about submitting them for free to any old article directory. We're talking hard cash here! And you don't have to wait weeks for a paycheck. When you get paid writing, you'll get paid via PayPal in just a few days after your article is accepted.

Here's my five-step method for ways to make money fast.

1. Think of one thing you really like. It could be a celebrity, your favorite rock band, the sports team you root for every Monday night or that iPod gadget you just can't live without.

2. Write one article about that topic. It could be a list of top five movies, top five reality shows featuring detectives, top ten songs from a certain band or top five best plays your favorite team made this year. It might be a how-to article explaining how to play an iPod app. You might outline how to make that perfect pan of lasagna without spending all day making it.

The article should be at least 400 words long. Try not to make it any longer than 700 words in length.

3. Sign up for a contributor account on Associated Content. That's associatedcontent.com. It's always free to sign up, and they'll pay you directly via PayPal if they accept your article.

4. Submit your article for "Upfront" payment. This tells the editor to appraise your article for what they believe it's worth to their site. In addition to getting paid upfront for the article, they'll also pay you every time a reader views it once it's published. So you're really making money fast over and over again.

5. The last step in my ways to make money fast tip is to write another article like your first one. After all, just getting one article payment isn't going to pay for all your Christmas gifts!

Sometimes you have to wait just a couple days for the editor to review your article. During this time, be patient! Write more articles if you want to. After all, the more you write, the more you fulfill that "ways to make money fast" mentality you have right now.