Why Some Restaurants Should Stay Open On Christmas Day

There are a lot of reasons you might be looking for a place to go on Christmas Day. Maybe you don't celebrate Christmas, for religious or other reasons. Maybe you're far from or estranged from family. Maybe you just feel like being alone on the holiday, but not alone in your house. At any rate, there are fortunately some restaurants out there that will stay open for you.

Good Housekeeping compiled this list of fast-food and casual-serve restaurants that will be open on Christmas Day. If you can't get through the morning without your beloved Starbucks, you're in luck. If you want a roast chicken dinner, head to Boston Market; or for pancakes, you can go to IHOP. You might even be able to snag a Big Mac at McDonald's, and of course, Panda Express will be open for that classic combo of Christmas Day and Chinese food. In all cases, though, it's a good idea to call ahead just to be on the safe side that your intended destination will be open before you head out into the cold.

What about the servers, you may be protesting? Yes, for some, it probably sucks that they're working on a holiday (although hopefully shifts are spaced out so that they still can squeeze in a Christmas dinner somewhere if they like). Some may not be celebrating Christmas either. And some may look forward to the more generous tips (at full-service restaurants like Waffle House and Denny's where people would tip). Some places, like McDonald's, won't have tip jars available, but that can in front of the register at Dunkin'? Make sure you put a fiver in there.

The thing about Christmas is that the Target ads and Hallmark commercials and whatnot always make it seem like the best day of the year for everyone. For those who are missing people, or who would rather ignore Christmas altogether, it's really not. So we applaud these establishments for keeping their doors open for those who would like to pay them a visit on December 25, for whatever reason.