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A complete guide to what is — and isn't — open this Christmas

People walking at a shopping mall in Santa Anita, Cali. Majority of retailers and businesses across the country will close their doors early on Friday ahead of the Christmas holiday this year.
Frederic J. Brown
/
AFP via Getty Images
People walking at a shopping mall in Santa Anita, Cali. Majority of retailers and businesses across the country will close their doors early on Friday ahead of the Christmas holiday this year.

Updated December 25, 2021 at 12:04 AM ET

Still have a few (or a majority of) things to get on your holiday shopping list? Or, are you trying to plan when you can make that last grocery store run to grab something just in case?

Catering to the procrastinators, the majority of grocery stores and retail chains will remain open on Christmas Eve, but will close early or have abbreviated hours — and will be closed on Christmas Day.

Walmart stores will close their doors at 6 p.m. local time and Target will close at 8 p.m. local time. Drugstore chains such as CVS and Walgreens will be open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Many restaurants will also close their doors early on Friday, as more are expected to be closed on Christmas.

This year, more stores struck deals with delivery companies such as Uber, DoorDash and Postmates to get your holiday gifts to you within hours; providing services like same-day delivery and in-store pickup.

But if you're still in need of that last-minute holiday item or ran out of something to make your holiday dinner, no need to fret.

Here's a list of stores that will be open this Christmas Eve with modified hours, according to the website, Store Holiday Hours.

Grocery stores

(Note: Some store hours may vary. Check online or call your specific location to determine their hours)

  • Acme Market
  • Albertsons
  • Aldi
  • BJ's Wholesale Club
  • Costco
  • Food Lion
  • Fresh Market
  • Fresh Thyme
  • Giant Food
  • Giant Eagle
  • Harris Teeter
  • H-E-B
  • Ingles
  • Kroger
  • Lidl
  • Lowes Foods
  • Meijer
  • Natural Grocers
  • Publix
  • Ralphs
  • Safeway
  • Sam's Club
  • Save A Lot
  • ShopRite
  • Smart & Final
  • Sprouts Farmer Market
  • Target
  • Tom Thumb
  • Trader Joe's
  • Walmart
  • Weis Markets
  • Wegmans
  • Whole Foods Market
  • Winn-Dixie
  • Retailers and other businesses, depending on the state, may have special rules and precautions in place due to COVID-19.

    Retail chains and stores

    And if you happened to run out of wrapping paper or need to pick up a last-minute item to slip in a Christmas stocking, you may be in luck. Most retail chains and stores are opening their doors early Friday.

    But heads up — like the grocery stores, most retail chains are also running on modified hours and are closing up early Friday and will remain closed through Christmas Day.

    Here's a list of retail chains and stores that will be open on Christmas Eve:

    (Note: Certain store and curbside delivery hours may vary. Check with your specific store location for their hours)

  • Academy Sports + Outdoors
  • Ace Hardware
  • Apple
  • Banana Republic
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Bass Pro Shops
  • Bath & Body Works
  • Bealls Outlet
  • Bed Bath & Beyond
  • Belk
  • Best Buy
  • Big Lots
  • Burkes Outlet
  • buybuy Baby
  • Cabela's
  • CVS
  • Dick's Sporting Goods
  • Dillard's
  • Dollar General
  • Dollar Tree
  • DSW
  • Family Dollar
  • Five Below
  • Fleet Farm
  • Foot Locker
  • GameStop
  • Gap
  • Hobby Lobby
  • Home Depot
  • HomeGoods
  • Ikea
  • JCPenney
  • Joann
  • Kirkland's
  • Kohl's 
  • Lowe's 
  • Macy's 
  • Marshalls 
  • Michaels 
  • Nordstrom
  • Nordstrom Rack
  • Office Depot
  • Office Max
  • Old Navy
  • Petco
  • Pets Smart
  • Rite-Aid
  • Ross
  • Sam's Club
  • Staples
  • Target
  • T.J. Maxx
  • Ulta
  • Walgreens
  • Walmart
  • World Market
  • Restaurants and fast food

    If you're wanting to grab a bite to eat on Christmas Eve to treat yourself after all that last-minute shopping, many restaurants and fast-food chains will keep their doors and drive-thru windows open Friday ...only for so long.

    Some locations, depending on the franchise, will be open on Christmas Day. Of course, be sure to contact your specific location for their hours.

  • Applebee's
  • Boston Market
  • Buffalo Wild Wings
  • Cheddar's
  • Cracker Barrel
  • Denny's
  • Domino's Pizza
  • Dunkin
  • IHOP
  • Macaroni Grill
  • Ruth's Chris Steak House
  • Sonic
  • Waffle House
  • Starbucks
  • Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

    Jonathan Franklin is a digital reporter on the News desk covering general assignment and breaking national news.