# What's Open Christmas In Your Area? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 25, 2011, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349 "2011-12-25T08:41:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/1 "2011-12-25T08:41:07Z")
I am in Chicago, and I noticed some of the Walgreens and CVS (drug stores) are open Christmas Day. I notice the two Dunkin’ Donuts I pass are both closed Christmas Day. Of course 7-11 (convenience store) is open Christmas Day as are a whole slew of restaurants and movie cinemas in Chicago. I remember going past the old Tower Records in Chicago and they used to be open Christmas Day, before the chain folded. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/2 "2011-12-25T09:06:28Z")
I’m in the San Francisco area so damn near everything. Oddly enough I was baffled when I first moved here and found the place pretty much folded up around 10PM. Coming from Indiana where all-night/late-night places flourish I was taken aback by the only late-night place being either 7/11 or (THE ONE) Denny’s. I’m talking restaurants, not bars/clubs obviously. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/3 "2011-12-25T09:59:42Z")
I just started a thread to say this: \*\* Another first - I go to the movies on Christmas Day and get a surprise.\*\* I think this is the first time cinemas have been open on Christmas Day. Since Christmas Dinner in Australia is really lunch, those places with sessions didn’t start until 3.40 or later, so that staff could enjoy the meal with their family. I told my son I would pick him up, give him a Christmas feed and take him to the movies as there would be no-one there. Well there were hundreds of people there - we 2 nominal Christians and the rest split 50-50 between Muslims and Hindus. I felt pretty silly having not foreseen this - everything else is closed and there are a lot of people who attach no significance at all to Christmas Day. It was pretty funny, like watching a movie in a foreign land. The odd conversation I heard was indecipherable. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/4 "2011-12-25T10:01:11Z")
Everything. (I’m in Israel :D) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/5 "2011-12-25T11:04:56Z")
Here in Topeka most everything is closed. The zoo is open, because most staff is already there, the animals still have to be fed and so on. The movies are open, I know because my nephew works in a theater. A couple of drugstores and convenience stores and that’s about it, Even freaking Wal-Mart is closed, the one day of the year around here that they do close. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/6 "2011-12-25T14:13:40Z")
There’s a large Jewish population here, so movies and Chinese restaurants are open. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/7 "2011-12-25T14:27:59Z")
In my immediate (heavily Hispanic) area, not much besides the CVS (much shortened hours) and 7-11. But go a few blocks over yonder into the Assyrian/Arab/Indian/Pakistani 'hood, and pretty much everything is open! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Stilettos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Red\_Stilettos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Stilettos)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/8 "2011-12-25T14:55:16Z")
Waffle House! I’ve eaten at Waffle House on Christmas a couple of times. Very interesting crowd. Not nearly as sad as you might think, in fact it’s usually pretty lively. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/9 "2011-12-25T15:05:03Z")
I’ve spent the last four years (including today) visiting Las Vegas over Christmas, so everything touristy is open. There are plenty of places in the non-tourist destinations that are closed, of course, but if you’re in a Vegas casino, you aren’t likely to notice today is Christmas. We’ll be seeing a movie later today, in fact. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/10 "2011-12-25T15:20:49Z")
1 gas station called On the Run. That was from the 2 different towns I was in this morning. Oh, and a Family Dollar is going to be open from 10 to 3, but that’s it. Everything shuts down around here for Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/11 "2011-12-25T16:24:37Z")
I just got back from walking the dogs at the lake…several gas stations are open. All the fast food joints are closed, as are all stores except for liquor and convenience stores. Movie theaters and some restaurants will be open. Also truck stops are always open. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/12 "2011-12-25T16:28:41Z")
Shoppers Drug Mart near me is open 24/7/365 (however I’m pretty sure not all of them are). ---
**Author:** ![UFC\_Is\_Sux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/46a35a/32.png) [@UFC\_Is\_Sux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UFC_Is_Sux)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/13 "2011-12-25T17:12:13Z")
The stop-and-rob market/gas station just down the street from me is open. The proprietor is Indian and doesn’t celebrate Christmas. He says that Christmas (and Thanksgiving) are his most profitable days of the entire year. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/14 "2011-12-25T18:21:06Z")
I just drove down Devon on my way from Rogers Park to Northfield and all the Pakistani places are open. New York Bagel and Bialy is open, as well as Kow Kow. McD’s had cars in the drive through. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/15 "2011-12-25T18:27:56Z")
The Chinese, Turkish and Indian takeaway places are all open, as are the Pakistani shops. Most of the pubs open for a time, with some opening for a few hours at lunchtime, and some opening up at night. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/16 "2011-12-25T18:47:19Z")
About half of the corner shops (very small convenience stores/newsagents) are open. A few restaurants are open - almost all of the ones on Brick Lane will be - and I know a few pubs are open, but haven’t actually passed one that is. What was really surprising was that the Starbucks near St Paul’s was open. One museum (Charles Dickens) was open too - probably the only one in the country that is. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/17 "2011-12-25T19:36:29Z")
In Las Vegas, pretty much everything is open. If you are a tourist, you probably wouldn’t even know it is a holiday. For locals, some smaller shops and businesses are closed, but many of those are closed on Sundays anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/18 "2011-12-25T19:45:08Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > …probably the only one in the country that is. [This](http://www.nmajh.org/) one’s open too; right near Chinatown for the full Jewish-on-Christmas list of activities. Acme, the local Albertson’s supermarket chain was open for a few hours this morning. WaWa’s (like 7-11 but much better) are too. Dunkin’ Donut’s had a full parking lot when I went past this morning. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/19 "2011-12-25T19:52:29Z")
Sbux, Walgreens, gas stations, and the movie theatre - I’m going to the towards the edge of town because it’s always packed. Alvin and the Chipmunks - year 3! To my son, Christmas _is_ our holiday - we have the day off and we watch the new kids flick and eat sushi. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349/20 "2011-12-25T21:16:00Z")
Around here almost nothing is open. Even McDonalds and Wendys were closed this morning. I’m not sure if the Walmart supercenter plans to open later today or not. I think Dennys is open, and maybe IHop. I don’t like traveling on Christmas day because there’s nothing open if you break down. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-open-christmas-in-your-area/607349.md?page=2)