How can I get a loan for $500 before Christmas and replay back in January

First its not a good idea to piggyback your question on someone else's. This can lead to confusion. You should start a new thread. So I've moved your question to its own thread.

There are short term lenders out there. Like HFC or BFC. Even if you take a 6 months loan, just make sure there is no prepayment penalty and you can pay it back in Jan.

Local bank, from your work, from friends, And I guess I would ask do you really need to borrow the money ?