What's open Christmas Day?

[CrAzY4DL]

After all kinds of extended family drama about Christmas Day this year, DH and I have decided to stick with our normal Christmas morning/early afternoon tradition but need ideas for dinner time. It is just the 4 of us, we are looking to start a tradition we can do EVERY year (hence, the word TRADITION. Something my extended family seems to think we change every 2 years or so and have some big ol' yell matches for those that can't change).

Do you think Chinese restaurants would be open? Or somewhere else, not fast food? I am also ok cooking a small ham and a few sides, but I dunno. I am soooo over it this year, can't take anymore of the drama!

TIA!

 

[Redwitch]

No where near you... But, one of my good, local Asian Fusion restaurants sent me an e-mail that they are open Christmas Day. Sushi for Christmas sounds like a good tradition to me!

 

[ptcruisermom]

Chinese restaurants are around here are open Christmas Day. Last year i took my 90 year old mom for lunch-my kids go to their grandparents ( my ex's parents) so it is just mom and me, my siblings come later in the day for supper. This is a nice change for her from the meals at her assisted living facility. However if the weather is bad I won't take her out and I'm going to make ham loaf, we both love it and that is one thing they dont' serve at AL.


I know years back when I was still married and we were in Orlando e verything was open on christmas, I was amazed.

 

[lastminutemom]

Chinese restaurants are generally open as are movie theaters. Generally, at least around here fast food restaurants are open. IHOPs are open, though not all night at least, again, around here.

 

[pigletof4]

We're having pizza. We found one local place that is open 365 days a year. We usually have pizza late on Thanksgiving night. Now our tradition the last couple of years has been pizza and wings. Nice change from the three ham and turkey meals we eat on Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas.

 

[Tink561]

TGI Fridays usually opens around 3 or 4 on Christmas day.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

When I lived in the DC area I found that Christmas Day it was possible to get into almost any oriental restaurant as a walk-in, even those where it was almost mandatory normally to have a reservation.

All Denny's are open on Christmas Day.

In WDW all restaurants are open Christmas Day.

In the Orlando area most chain restaurants are open Christmas Day.

 

[soonerfan2008]

We are going to Movie Tavern. We always go see a movie on Christmas Day, and this way I don't have to cook dinner!

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Join the club! We're trying to escape family drama too

 

[momxx5]

New Year's Day is our traditional day for Chinese Food.....for over 10+ years.


For Christmas, we do not have any family in the area so we are on our own. We have done a few different things over the years, but one "tradition" that has really stuck is having a Christmas Eve buffet. The kids love it because it is mostly all finger food, they get to eat in the family room(a huge treat) and we usually have Christmas movie or music on.

Christmas Day....after opening presents, they kids all start playing with their new things. We'll spend the rest of the day playing, watching movies and eating buffet style again.....a little more than finger food. We'll have a HoneyBaked ham, sm rolls, cheese plate, veggies, shrimp ring, etc. We have found that as the kids get older it takes all my time in the kitchen to make a big meal and by the time its ready no one wants to really sit down to eat. So we do take the time to eat the Christmas Day buffet together, saying the blessing, etc. It is just easier on me not to produce a full blown meal.

It is a tradition the kids look forward to.....our family buffet. My youngest even wrote about it in her school work. So I guess everyone is happy with it.

In the past we have had our "main meal" on Christmas Eve, having leftovers on Christmas Day making it less formal for mealtime.

You can plan a lighter Christmas Day tradition for a meal.....baked ziti or a roast in the crock pot. Anything to allow you to have more relaxing time with the kids and less time in the kitchen.

Let the others all be upset over your choice of a family tradition. You are taking care of your family and putting them first....good for you!!! Honestly you do not need to justify it to others, unless its your parents or family and you are truly breaking ranks with everyone. Even then you are able to make choices and you alone are responsible for your family.

Many blessings to you & your family during this stressful holiday season.

 

[I Believe n Fairies]

I has been our tradition for the past couple years to eat Chinese on Christmas day. We love it and so do our kids. This year, we invited a few friends who will also be home on Christmas to join us. Sometimes, friends are better than family.

I think that would be a great tradition to begin this year!

 

[ripburn]

It seems like Chinese restaurants are always open.

 

[mamo-4-wdw]

We are starting a new "tradition" at our house and eating at our favorite Chinese resturant and going to a movie.

 

[CrAzY4DL]

Let the others all be upset over your choice of a family tradition. You are taking care of your family and putting them first....good for you!!! Honestly you do not need to justify it to others, unless its your parents or family and you are truly breaking ranks with everyone. Even then you are able to make choices and you alone are responsible for your family.

Many blessings to you & your family during this stressful holiday season.

It's my parents, and I am heartbroken.

The story: My entire childhood we did Christmas Eve with my mom's family and Christmas day was just us (and I mean just US, I am an only child so was just us 3) for most of the day and then we would go to my Aunts (my moms twin and best friend) for dinner. Was perfectly amazing, in my eyes. When I started dating DH in high school, it worked out perfectly because his family did nothing on Eve, did everything on Day. So we would do Christmas with my family on Christmas Eve and then I would go to his house Christmas Day evening or he would come over and hang out with us at my Aunts. When we got married, we immediately moved to Hawaii (Air Force) and I guess my mom's mom changed their tradition to Christmas Day. Apparently, allll these years she has wanted to have their family get togethers on Christmas Day but no one was able to so she was "stuck" with Eve. We moved back to Cali over 10 years ago and every year it's something new and drama-filled. Last year after begging, I was "allowed" to host a Christmas Eve dinner for my moms side of the family and I was told that would be our new tradition. My parents came over for an awesome Christmas Day dinner and it was just perfect. Well, NOPE, ain't going to happen this year. They are doing it Christmas Day now, after me telling everyone so many times that it just is impossible and joyless for us to go house to house to house. So why doesn't DH's family change the ONE tradition they have had for 53 years, they ask. Uhhh no, you people are the nuts that can't decide on a day. In years past, we wake up, our kids open their Santa gift, we go to DH's parents house for hot chocolate, breakfast and gifts. We come home, change into clothes and then head to wherever they (moms family) are getting together, do our thing there and then eventually come home. And so, after a long tiresome day we now finally have time to open OUR presents. And it suuuuucks. Everyone is tired, usually cranky and just plain presented out. My mom and I got in a huge fight over this last week where she was just screaming and screaming at me and it's like, really?! We eventually decided to go over to my parents house on Eve, have dinner and Christmas with them and my grandparents and then after gparents leave, we will do OUR Christmas with MY parents. So, that means I don't get to see my parents on Christmas Day? And my dad, who has NO ONE besides me as his one kid and my kids as his only 2 grandkids and my mom, doesn't get to see us? He "gets" to spend the day with his in-laws who he isn't very fond of? It seriously breaks my heart and I just can't take it anymore. Thanksgiving is hard enough, house hopping. Seriously ready to just rent a cabin in the mountains every Christmas, LOL. My little family of 4 is VERY close to my parents, and DH's parents, and my grandparents so I don't see what all the drama is about. We see everyone at least once a week.

Then I found out, well my cousin can't make it to Christmas Eve *** he works and lives in the Bay (exact same town DH works!) and it would be too late for him to come down after work. This is the cousin that lives an hour away and I haven't seen since my wedding in 1996 and my grandparents have seen MAYBE twice since 1996. We have to make concessions for someone who is too busy for us any other year, just wants to be around family FINALLY because he cheated on his wife of less than a year and they are getting divorced? No thanks! I'm so over it. And I feel bad, because after scream match with my mom I said "I am so over Christmas, it sucks" and my DD6 heard me and is all upset that I said Christmas sucks. LOL

Sigh. Guess I will call our favorite Chinese place and see if they are open. Or maybe BJs Brewery...

 

[HeatherBelle614]

We were supposed to go to the ILs on Christmas Eve, but after a long horror story like yours, we will not be going there.

I'm going to start cooking for DH that night, instead. (We don't have kids yet.)

Do you mind me asking why you don't cook a meal at home and want to do take-out/eat-out instead? You could always find a non-traditional meal (if you don't want to go that route) to start doing together on the holidays with your family.

DH loves this brisket that I make, but I don't do it often because it takes a whole day to cook. So, he requested that (with some homemade sides). He has to work that day, but he'll help me with what he can in the morning and then we'll eat dinner together that night and open our stockings to each other. (We'll open main gifts from each other on Christmas Day at my parent's house).

I know in our area, Friday's will be opening at some point. (I got an email about it a couple of days ago.) But like I said, why not make your own tradition at home? Have your kids and DH help you prepare a meal - make cookies together, etc.

Hope you have a great Christmas no matter what you decide to do!

 

[CrAzY4DL]

I don't mind cooking at home, but since I do it every day was kind of hoping for something a little out of the norm. The 4 of us are sushi and Chinese food nuts, but we ALWAYS do sushi for New Years so I didn't want to go that route. Maybe I will see if our local teppanyaki is open. Just hate the idea of calling around, lol. Called BJs and they sounded like they thought I was crazy for asking if they were open on Christmas Day.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I don't mind cooking at home, but since I do it every day was kind of hoping for something a little out of the norm. The 4 of us are sushi and Chinese food nuts, but we ALWAYS do sushi for New Years so I didn't want to go that route. Maybe I will see if our local teppanyaki is open. Just hate the idea of calling around, lol. Called BJs and they sounded like they thought I was crazy for asking if they were open on Christmas Day.

Does your family do Indian food? Maybe that's a thought! (I'm taking my own suggestion and calling our local Indian place, lol)

 

[elgerber]

TGI Fridays usually opens around 3 or 4 on Christmas day.

I was going to mention this. They are e-mailing out coupons for a free appetizer too on Christmas Day.
We ate out last year, and had to drive around quite a bit to find someplace. Denny's and Perkins were both closed, oddly enough. Burger King was open, YUCK, but other fast food places were closed. We found a local sports bar and had a great dinner, and they were playing Wall-E while we ate!

 

[ktlm]

Check your local entertainment paper and check with the nice hotels around town. Most decent size towns have at least one nice hotel that has a fancy Christmas buffet. We ran across this issue when we planned to go to another state for Christmas with DH's family. We were taking DH's Grandmother down with us as well as my Mom because my Dad had passed away earlier that year. Christmas dinner was being held at DH's sister and BIL's house (just a couple of miles from his parents) . They invited DH's Mom and Dad, but told us that the rest of us (including DH's grandmother) were not invited because it was too many people and they were supposed to be doing it for BIL's side of the family. In other words, DH, his Grandma, my Mom, and I were apparently supposed to all sit at his parents' house by ourselves while his Mom and Dad went to his sisters for Christmas dinner. Well, obviously that didn't work for us. They told us this about a week before Christmas too. I went on an emergency search for Christmas dinner mostly for my Mom, who was already having a hard time, and DH's Grandma. I found a Christmas buffet at a nice hotel that decorates beautifully for Christmas. DH's parents weren't happy we were being left out, so they decided to come with us instead of going to their daughters' house. Everyone had such a good time, that we decided to make it a tradition and we have done it for several years now. This irritates BIL to no end, because he refuses to allow his family to come with us, and when they invite everyone over for Christmas dinner we all say "no thanks" .

 

[CoolDisneyKitten]

We have Thai food every Christmas night and then go to the movies.

Another place open on Christmas day is some Starbucks. The big one here is open 7 - 5.