Christmas Day 2024: What’s open in the DC region and where can you dine-in?

It’s no secret that the holiday season can be riddled with stressors, especially when you’re playing host on Christmas Day and find yourself needing to add an extra plate for a last-minute, plus-one at the dinner table.

Rest assured, you won’t find yourself in too rough of a spot since a good serving of storefronts and restaurants will remain open for the festive holiday.

Stores and pharmacies

The following stores will be open on Christmas Day, Wednesday, Dec. 25, according to The Holiday Hours, which tracks closings for many chain stores:

• CVS Pharmacy — Many locations will be open with regular hours, but some locations may be closed or have reduced hours.
• Walgreens — Many locations will be open with extended hours on Christmas Eve but will have reduced hours on Christmas Day, which vary by location.
• Giant — Most locations open a modified, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule.
• Safeway — Some locations will be open with reduced hours, with pharmacies closed.

The following stores will be closed Christmas Day:

• Aldi
• Amazon Fresh
• BJ’s Wholesale Club
• Costco
• Sam’s Club
• The Fresh Market
• Lidl
• Sam’s Club
• Target
• Trader Joe’s
• Walmart
• Wegmans
• Whole Foods Market
• Rite Aid
• Food Lion

Entertainment

If you’re not interested in the Christmas vibe and looking for something different, the movie theater is a great substitution, especially with new releases that include the Bob Dylan-focused biopic, “A Complete Unknown,” or the horror drama, “Nosferatu.”

Most movies theaters, including AMC and Regal Cinemas locations, will be open Christmas Day.

The following are among D.C.-area restaurants open during the holiday, according to OpenTable:

• Founding Farmers — D.C., Reston and Rockville locations
• Fogo de Chao — D.C., Maryland and Virginia locations
• The Pembroke — D.C.
• Yardbird Table & Bar — D.C.
• Succotash PRIME — D.C.
• Gyu-Kaku — Arlington, Virginia
• Ambar — Arlington, Virginia
• Delhi Spice — Bethesda, Maryland

For more restaurants open on Christmas Day in the D.C. area, check out OpenTable’s website. It’s best to call restaurants ahead of Christmas Day to confirm hours and availability.

When it comes to picking up a last-minute luxury gift, alas, you won’t be able to get it done at Pentagon City, Tysons Mall or the Clarksburg Outlets since all are closed Christmas Day.

Transit

Getting around without a car on Christmas Day won’t be like a typical Wednesday commute. However, there are some options available.

Metro trains are operating on a Sunday holiday schedule from 7 a.m. to midnight and Metrobuses will run on a Sunday schedule.

Both VRE and MARC trains will not run on Christmas Day.

For drivers on the I-95 Express Lanes, road operator Transurban said there will be no reversal on Christmas Day, with lanes remaining northbound all day.

Roads and parkways

The Open Parkways are parkways open to pedestrians and bicyclists and closed to motor vehicles. In June, the Montgomery County Planning Board voted unanimously to make its then-modifications, with extensions from Knowles Avenue to Cedar Lane, permanent.

While the decision saw the permanent parkway reduced by .7 miles, it also saw Fridays added to the scheduled weekend road closures. It now mirrors the same operating hours for the Sligo Creek Open Parkway.

The 2024 winter holiday schedule for both parkways, according to The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, are Fridays 9 a.m. to Sundays 4 p.m.

Local services

D.C.-area government offices and courts will be closed for Christmas Day.

Trash and recycling pickups

If you wind up eager to clear your home of disastrous Christmas food creations or wanting to get rid of those demolished gift wrappings, you must wait an extra day since the D.C. region pushes trash and recycling days by one day.

That means if your regularly scheduled collection is due the Wednesday that Christmas lands on, you’ll have to wait for Thursday. Typically, Monday and Tuesday pickups proceed on normal schedule, with the one-day pushback continuing for the remainder of that specified week.

For full details, make sure to check in with your county’s waste management schedule.

Mail and package deliveries

In the event you’re expecting a package by Dec. 25, luck will not be on your side Christmas Day.

While the Postal Service and other major package delivery services won’t be offering regular deliveries or be open for retail services, UPS and FedEx will be available for custom critical services, which include temperature-sensitive, urgent, valuable or hazardous deliverables.

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