During the month-long holiday break, some college students can be found sprawled across their parents’ couches or gorging on Christmas leftovers.

But a growing number of students are trading the luxury of time off to work full time and overtime during the break, planning to use the extra money for the climbing costs of school books and tuition.

“It is my one time to get some extra income,” said Alex Tonsberg, a nursing student at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale who works at Rock Creek Outfitters. “It is frustrating because I want to go do (other things), but I don’t get to because I need to earn money.”

Ms. Tonsberg, who pays more than $16,000 each year to attend Southern, is one of many college students who turned their part-time work into a full-time job over the holiday season, she said. While she would rather travel or relax during her break, school is expensive and not working is not an option, she said.

Kelsey Stockburger, an environmental science major at UTC who also works at Rock Creek, said she doubled her hours at work over the month-long break from school and took a second, once-a-week job at a yoga studio.

“I don’t have two pennies to rub together because of school,” she said. “I like to be doing something, but it would be nice to have a day off.”

It is important to have financial padding before the spring semester begins since the cost of school supplies, books and tuition hits all at once, said Courtney Simmons, a special education major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Ms. Simmons works more than 25 hours a week at Francesca’s Collections in East Brainerd and also works part time at a textile printing business. She said she tries to save $100 a week, which she plans to carry into the spring semester.

Those who have been able to work and save money this holiday season are lucky, said Greg Delich, general manager at Rave Motion Pictures in East Ridge, which employs several college students. He said he received more than 120 applications for staff positions for the holiday break, and a lot of students already working at the movie theater asked to work extra hours.

Unfortunately, Mr. Delich said, he was able to hire few people because hiring was cut back due to the economy.

Similarly, Francesca’s Collections received more than 30 applications from college students looking for work this year, and students already working there also wanted a bump in hours, said Courtney Gravett, store manager.

However, she only was able to hire one seasonal worker, she said.

“They wanted more money to buy gifts and do things,” Ms. Gravett said. “This is their one time to work more.”