What's open and closed on Christmas Day in Minnesota?

Merry Christmas, Minnesota! Most businesses are closed for the holiday, but there are a few places open if you need a bite to eat. 

Banks

All branches of Bremer, TCF, Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank in Minnesota will be closed, including those in grocery stores.

Post offices

Closed, with no regular mail service.

If you need to ship something urgently on Christmas Day, UPS offers extremely limited services, mostly reserved for businesses, and expect it to cost a small fortune. The majority of FedEx services are unavailable.

Transportation

Generally running in the Twin Cities, but on a reduced schedule. Metro Transit buses and light rail will be observing a holiday schedule on Christmas Day. 

Minnesota Valley Transit Authority routes won't be operating, except for the Red Line/495, which will be operating weekend service. More here. 

Other transit providers, such as Plymouth Metrolink and SouthWest Transit, will not be operating.

Public buildings and schools

State, local and federal offices are closed on Christmas Day. School buildings will also be closed on Christmas Day, and most will remain so due to COVID-19. Elementary schools have the option to open for in-person instruction starting Jan. 18, if they follow certain protocol. 

Stores and malls

Most malls are closed. Major retailers like Target, Best Buy, and Walmart will also be closed.

Police and emergency services

Unaffected by this – or any – holiday.

Convenience stores and gas stations

Generally open, but when in doubt, just call ahead to confirm.

Liquor stores

All Minnesota liquor stores are required to close on Christmas Day – it's the law.

Restaurants

Most restaurants will be closed on Christmas Day, but there are a few options for takeout and delivery. Yelp has a list of ten restaurants open on Christmas Day in Minneapolis. 

Pharmacies

Some CVS Pharmacy stores will be open. Go here to find one near you.

Walgreen's will be open. Its 24-hour locations don't change their hours on Christmas Day, while its non-24 hour stores will be open as late as midnight. Find stores here.

Movie theaters

Movie theaters will be closed in accordance with the state's COVID-19 restrictions. 

Libraries

Most are closed. 

Grocery stores

Most major supermarkets will be closed, including Hy-Vee, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Lunds and Byerlys, Kowalski's Markets, and Cub Foods.

Costco and Sam's Club will also be closed.

Garbage and recycling pickup

Most follow this rule: If your garbage and recycling pickup falls on or follows a holiday, your service will be picked up one day late.

Parking meters

The City of Minneapolis will not enforce parking meters on Christmas Day. Neither will the City of St. Paul.

But not all metered spaces in Minneapolis are operated by the city. Minneapolis Parks and Recreation, the University of Minnesota, and private organizations like Fairview/University Hospital operate their own meters and their holiday schedule may vary. Check the meter before parking.