What to Do for Christmas When You’re Not Celebrating

Christmas is the most beautiful time of the year, unless you are like me and celebrate. Then you are stuck in a world that is mostly disconnected and seemingly with nothing to do. Fortunately, you have several options, whether you are with your friends or with friends, to make December 25th a fun weekend, whatever your rituals.

This post was originally published on December 24, 2012.

Obvious stuff

Chinese restaurants and cinemas are traditionally open on Christmas Day for those of us with nowhere else to go. In fact, my Christmas plans usually include both, because I like both of them. While this guide will include ways to find other activities, you don’t have to exclude these classic non-Christmas activities. No wonder they are the main products of a non-holiday holiday.

Chinese (and Jewish) restaurants

Finding a Chinese restaurant open for Christmas is easy. Just search Yelp for options open near you. After a few phone calls, you will quickly find the food. If you are in a large city (like New York, Los Angeles, etc.) with a lot of Chinese restaurants (like Chinatown), look in the area as well. Don’t forget to pre-order, even if it’s just a dinner for you or a small party. Popular restaurants sometimes get so many things to do on Christmas that they can’t fit everyone. You may not face a problem, but it’s always best to be prepared.

If you don’t like or don’t like Chinese food, you should check out Jewish restaurants. While some Jewish-owned establishments do close at Christmas because they feel they won’t get enough business to justify the cost of staying open, many are there to provide a place for non-Christians (particularly Jews) to come and eat. …

Cinema

Movies are a traditional choice for your entertainment. Some come out at Christmas because theaters attract both people who celebrate and those who don’t. Google Movies can quickly tell you what’s playing in your area (as you probably already know), and FirstShowing can tell you what’s happening at Christmas.

Since you can buy movie tickets online, it’s easy to make sure you have a seat ahead of time. Just visit Fandango , MovieTickets.com, or buy directly from any theater. If you have a theater where you can allocate seats, I highly recommend going there, even if you have to travel a little further. Christmas at the cinema is very busy and you don’t want to get stuck in the front row or behind someone blocking your view. However, regardless of the designated locations, you should still arrive a little early. Traffic and parking can make you late on a busy day.

Not so obvious things

Chinese restaurants and cinemas aren’t the only establishments open at Christmas. A number of other retailers and even some local stores have limited opening hours for the minority that does not celebrate.

Events

Several attractions remain open during Christmas, especially in the larger cities. As always, call ahead before making plans. Here are your options:

• Pretend to be a tourist : Tourist attractions tend to stay open at Christmas, especially in major cities. This includes places like Madame Tussauds and Ripley’s, believe it or not, as well as zipline and segway tours. Find out what’s happening in your area and chances are they’ll have a special Christmas clock. Of course, many tourist attractions do not have to remain open for you to enjoy. If you go to see a monument or historical site, they will be here at Christmas and will cost you nothing.
• Visit a park or ice rink : It can be cold outside (in some places), but if you wrap yourself up, you can enjoy the park or ice rink. Invite your friends and play snow soccer together. Take a sled with you if your park has a large slide. When you get home, prepare some hot chocolate and enjoy the warmth again.
• Get a room : If you have some money to spare and have nothing to do, get a hotel room. Hotels cannot close at Christmas and offer many amenities. As always, be sure to call ahead and inquire if there are any restrictions for Christmas.
• Volunteer : Doing nothing on Christmas is not really a big problem in life that needs to be addressed. Other people have nowhere to go and nothing to eat. If you have nothing to do, use this time to volunteer and help people in need. Find out about opportunities at local homeless shelters and nonprofit organizations. Take a look at VolunteerMatch if you can’t find anything easily. Your local Craigslist has a volunteer board you can look at as well.
• Use Christmas as a catch-up day : Isn’t everyone in town? Have you neglected household chores, work, your hobbies, hacked your life altogether, or even worked on multiple DIY projects ? While doing things may not be the best choice on a weekend, Christmas day, or another day, you can spend at least part of the day throwing a few things off your to-do list and relaxing the rest of the time. This will give you a break and still feel successful.
• Spend Time with Friends and Family at Home : Just because you don’t celebrate Christmas itself doesn’t mean you can’t spend the day with family and / or friends. Play games, watch a movie, cook together, talk, etc. – anything else that you all enjoy. You don’t have to go outside to have fun, so don’t rule out staying with people you care about.

These are just a few of the options. Several local events and attractions, such as arcades, laser tag, spas and sports clubs, often remain open during Christmas. We cannot list them all here, but called several places to see if they are open. You might be surprised.

Restaurants

Several restaurants remain open during Christmas, so if you are not a fan of Chinese food, you can count on national chains. Keep in mind that franchises often don’t follow the same schedule, so while one Burger King may be open for Christmas, the other may not. Be sure to call and check first. RestaurantNews.com has a list of restaurants open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Eve, including Buca di Beppo, Buffalo Wild Wings, Domino ‘Pizza, IHOP, McCormick & Schmick’s and more.

Although we cannot check local restaurants, many will remain open over Christmas. One of my favorite Mexican restaurants is open this day. Call and ask. You may be surprised at what you find out.

Also, if you don’t feel like going to a restaurant and prefer to eat at home, most grocery stores prepare Christmas dinners. Call your local store for more information if you just want to have a ready-to-eat lunch you can eat at home.

Pharmacies, convenience stores and grocery stores

You won’t find much to celebrate in the store, but many chains traditionally remain open for a short time during Christmas, including Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, and 7-Eleven. Some grocery stores have remained open in the past, but we couldn’t find any that opened this year. (Although, as always, it helps to call and ask!)

Plan for the future

Since there are so few places open at Christmas, you need to make a plan ahead of time. In most cases, this will take no more than 15-20 minutes and will ensure that you don’t run into unwanted frustrations throughout the day. Just follow these steps:

1. Make a list of the places you want to visit.
2. Call nearby establishments to confirm they will be open as not all chains observe corporate holiday hours. It’s always a good idea to know their exact Christmas time.
3. Book a table at any restaurant (s) you plan to visit.
4. Create a basic timeline of the day based on travel times so you don’t lose any bookings, miss a movie, or arrive after store closes.

If you follow these steps, you will be ready to enjoy a very special not Christmas, whether you are going alone or enjoying the day with others.

Photos by abdulsatarid (Chroma), Katarina Kirilova (Shutterstock), Bernard , army.arch Adam , Sam Howzit , Elvert Barnes , and me.

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