Not everyone celebrates Christmas, and not everyone celebrates Christmas on December 25. If you aren’t already celebrating with friends or family and you’re not required to work (thank you to law enforcement, medical professionals, firefighters, correctional officers, reporters, travel industry workers, utilities employees, freight personnel and everyone else who works holidays to keep us safe and on schedule), here are a few ways to spend Christmas Day:
• See a movie. There are some excellent new movies being released December 24, like Unbroken.
• Hit the slopes. Afton Alps in Hastings is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Buck Hill in Burnsville is open from noon to 8 p.m. (tubing and skiing/boarding). Trollhaugen in Dresser, Wis. (about 50 minutes north of Minneapolis) is open from noon to 7 p.m., and Wild Mountain, near Taylors Falls, is open from noon to 10 p.m. You can check out current ski reports and snow conditions at onthesnow.com.
• Visit Como Park Zoo & Conservatory in St. Paul. There’s a Holiday Flower Show in the Conservatory at 10 a.m., a Polar Bear program at 10:30 a.m., a zoo keeper talk at 11 a.m. (meet the zoo keepers!), story time at noon, a gardener talk in the conservatory at 1 p.m., and a gorilla program at 2 p.m. The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is free (although a voluntary donation of $3 per adult and $2 per child is suggested).
• Go ice skating at The Depot. The indoor rink is open from noon to 9 p.m. on Christmas Day.
• Enjoy a cocktail and/or a hot meal prepared by someone other than you. Here’s a list of Twin Cities restaurants open on Christmas Day.
