Stores Open on Christmas Day 2026: What's Open and What's Closed

Very few stores are open on Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, 2026. The national chains you can generally count on are Walgreens and CVS drugstores and convenience stores such as 7-Eleven, Wawa, Sheetz, QuikTrip and Circle K, plus a small number of supermarkets. Walmart, Target, Costco, Sam's Club, Home Depot, Lowe's, Best Buy, Kohl's, Macy's, Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar are closed.

That summary rests on company policy and on what each retailer confirmed for Christmas 2025. As of mid-October 2026 none of the big chains has posted this year's holiday hours; most do so between mid-November and mid-December. Nothing in the last several years suggests a change is coming – no major retailer altered its Christmas Day policy in 2025 – but we label every figure below with its year and will update the page when 2026 hours are announced.

Stores open on Christmas Day

If what you need is food, go straight to our list of grocery stores open on Christmas. If it is medicine, read pharmacies open on Christmas first, because an open drugstore does not always mean an open pharmacy counter.

Is Walmart open on Christmas Day?

No. Walmart closes all of its U.S. stores on Christmas Day, and it is one of only two days a year – the other is Thanksgiving – when it does. A company spokesperson confirmed the closure to USA Today for 2025. Walmart stores closed at 6 p.m. local time on Christmas Eve last year and reopened at 6 a.m. on December 26.

The closure covers Walmart Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, the pharmacy, the vision center and the auto care center. Fuel pumps at Walmart stations that accept cards at the pump may still work, but there is no attendant. You can place an order on Walmart's website or app on Christmas Day; it will not be picked or delivered until stores reopen. For last year's Christmas Eve, Walmart said same-day pickup and delivery orders had to be placed by noon local time, and express delivery orders by 5 p.m. in the markets that offered it.

Is Target open on Christmas Day?

No. Target's holiday fact sheet for 2025 listed all stores as closed on Christmas Day, with no Drive Up, Order Pickup or same-day delivery until after the holiday. Stores were open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve and reopened at 7 a.m. on December 26. The CVS pharmacies and Starbucks cafes inside Target stores are behind the same locked doors.

Is Costco open on Christmas Day?

No, and this one is written policy rather than a year-by-year decision. Costco's customer service site lists seven holidays on which its U.S. warehouses close: New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. On Christmas Eve 2025, most warehouses were open from 10 a.m. (9 a.m. for Executive members) to 5 p.m.

Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale Club follow the same pattern: closed on December 25, short hours on December 24. Last year Sam's Club closed at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, as did BJ's.

Are Walgreens and CVS open on Christmas Day?

Yes, with caveats. Walgreens' holiday schedule for 2025 read "Stores open; pharmacy hours may vary" for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and the Associated Press reported that all 24-hour Walgreens locations stayed open. Do not confuse this with Thanksgiving, when Walgreens has closed most of its stores for three years running. CVS said its stores would be open on Christmas Day 2025 with reduced hours at some locations. Between them the two chains have roughly 17,000 stores – CVS says it has more than 9,000 locations and Walgreens describes a network of approximately 8,000 – which is why a drugstore is usually the nearest open door on December 25.

On the holiday they function as small general stores: greeting cards, gift cards, toys, cosmetics gift sets, phone accessories, batteries, snacks, soft drinks, some refrigerated groceries and photo printing. Hours are shorter than usual, so go in the morning.

Closed on Christmas Day: the full retail list

All of the following were closed on December 25, 2025. "Company" means the retailer confirmed it directly to USA Today or on its own site; the rest were reported by Today.com, Axios, the Associated Press or local Nexstar stations.

Is Dollar General open on Christmas? No. A Dollar General spokesperson confirmed that stores were closed on Christmas Day 2025, and Dollar Tree and Family Dollar were listed as closed as well. All three keep long hours on Christmas Eve, which makes them a good last stop for wrapping paper, tape, candy and stocking stuffers. Is Home Depot or Lowe's open on Christmas? No; both confirmed closures last year, so buy the extension cord, the tree stand or the replacement bulbs by Christmas Eve afternoon.

What you can actually buy on Christmas Day

With the big chains shut, it helps to think in terms of what you need rather than which store you like.

Online stores never close, and digital goods arrive instantly: gift cards, streaming subscriptions, e-books, game credit and tickets can all be bought and delivered by email on Christmas morning. Physical orders are another matter. Amazon said that last year it offered same-day delivery on millions of items through Christmas Eve in more than 9,000 U.S. cities and towns, and advised ordering early in the day; we found no official statement about deliveries on Christmas Day itself. If you want a printable card to go with a digital gift, our free card maker takes a couple of minutes.

Are liquor stores open on Christmas Day?

It depends on where you live, because alcohol sales are governed by state law, and Christmas is the day those laws bite hardest.

• State-run stores close. Pennsylvania's Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores have already posted their 2026 schedule: closing by 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 24, and closed on Friday, December 25. Virginia ABC stores close on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter and closed at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve last year. North Carolina's ABC Commission says ABC stores may not open or sell alcohol on Sundays, Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day.
• Some states ban retail sales for the day. Connecticut's consumer protection agency reminds residents each year that package stores must close on Christmas and that grocery stores may not sell beer that day. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission lists liquor stores as closed on Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. In Massachusetts, state law (General Laws chapter 138, section 33) says package-store licensees may not sell or deliver alcoholic beverages on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day.
• Elsewhere, it is the owner's choice. New York changed its law so that liquor and wine stores may open on Christmas Day if they wish. In states such as California and Nevada, where supermarkets and convenience stores sell alcohol, the practical limit is whether the store itself is open.

Among private chains, Total Wine's hours vary by state, and Spec's and ABC Fine Wine & Spirits were reported closed last Christmas. The safe plan everywhere is to buy by Christmas Eve afternoon, since even ordinary liquor stores tend to close early that day.

Pet stores, bookstores, malls and gyms

PetSmart and Petco both confirmed closures last Christmas; their in-store grooming salons and veterinary clinics close with them, so find your nearest 24-hour emergency animal hospital ahead of time if you have an elderly or sick pet. Barnes & Noble is closed. Shopping malls close, although mall restaurants with their own entrances may open; for a mall cinema, check that theater's showtimes, since the big theater chains have not published a Christmas Day policy we could find. Planet Fitness says holiday hours vary by franchise, and each YMCA sets its own. U-Haul closes its stores on Christmas – the only day of the year it does – while leaving app-based truck pickup available.

What time do stores open on December 26?

The day after Christmas is a Saturday in 2026 and one of the busiest shopping days of the year, driven by returns, gift cards and clearance sales. Last year Walmart reopened at 6 a.m. and Target at 7 a.m. on December 26, and most other chains returned to regular hours. December 26 is not a federal holiday, so mail is delivered and the returns line starts early. A few things make that day easier:

• Keep gift receipts together and check each retailer's holiday return window; many extend it into January for purchases made in November and December.
• Start a return in the retailer's app where possible. Several chains let you hand over an item at the service desk or curbside with a code.
• Seasonal decorations, wrapping paper and cards are typically marked down sharply from December 26, and the best of it goes in the first day or two.

Last-minute shopping checklist

Since so little is open on the day, the real work happens on December 23 and 24. A short checklist:

1. Batteries. Check the box of every toy and gadget for the size it needs. AA and AAA sell out first.
2. Kitchen basics. Butter, eggs, cream, stock, foil, parchment, coffee and ice. If you are roasting a bird, the timing tables in how long to cook a turkey will tell you when to start.
3. Medicine cabinet. Children's fever reducer, antacids, cold medicine, bandages – and refill any prescription that runs out before Monday, December 28.
4. Car. Fill the tank and top up washer fluid if you are driving on the holiday.
5. Tools and assembly. Open large toy boxes early to see whether you need a screwdriver, a hex key or a pump.
6. Cash. Bank branches are closed from Thursday afternoon until Monday; ATMs work, but tips and church collections go more smoothly with small bills.
7. Closing times. Know when your stores close on Christmas Eve. Our guide to Christmas Eve hours lists last year's times for every large chain.

For restaurants, mail, banks and everything else, the main guide to what is open on Christmas Day pulls it all together, and our sister page covers stores open on Thanksgiving.