Holiday Hustle: The Twin Cities Businesses That Stay Open On Christmas Day

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The vast majority of businesses are closed today.

It's the one day of the year, when no one's around. But while most doors are closed, others are open, like the doors at St. Anthony Main Theatre.

Christina Mintz showed up for the 1 p.m. show, "We're gonna see 'Aquaman.'"

And David Weinberg and his grandsons chose "Mary Poppins" at St. Anthony Main, "We actually went to another theater.  All the 'Mary Poppins' are sold out."

For Shelia and Michael Metz of St. Paul, it wasn't just about having something to do, it was about not having something to do.

"Our kids all grew up and went away, so now they have in-laws and out-laws and we're free, we're free."

And at Cecil's Deli in St. Paul, these people were free of cooking duties. Shelia Leventhal and her husband own Cecil's Deli, "People want to come and get corned beef and pastrami when they're not eating the big meal."

Owner Shelia Leventhal says they were slammed with customers of different faiths -- and different palates. Susan Reid says she's a regular, "A good Reuben sandwich, the pickles on the table, the matzo ball soup, which is my husband's favorite. You can't get it anywhere else, it's so good. So every year we come to Cecil's for our Christmas dinner."

From corned beef and Reuben's to pancakes and omelets, the folks at Mickey's in St. Paul are feeling the holiday hustle too.

It was an extra tight squeeze inside the rail car 24-7 St. Paul landmark. Vanessa Amanor of St. Paul said, "Well you're just home and you don't really want to cook cause it's a holiday, so having someone make your food is just great."

It seems for some businesses, holidays don't always mean time off.

Walgreen's and some CVS stores are open today as well as several restaurants like Bucca di Beppo and Manny's.