Few things feel more last-minute than realizing on Christmas Eve that you forgot something critical. For the millions of shoppers who rely on Walmart for groceries, gifts, and household essentials, knowing whether those 4,606 US stores will be open on December 25, 2025, matters a lot.

Number of Walmart stores in the US: 4,606 ·
Closure date: December 25, 2025 ·
Christmas Eve hours: 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ·
Holidays Walmart closes annually: Christmas Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day ·
Reopening day: December 26, 2025

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
3Timeline signal
4What’s next

Five key facts, one pattern: Walmart’s Christmas closure is absolute — no stores, no exceptions — and the policy extends to all 4,606 locations equally.

Fact Value
All US stores closed on Dec 25 Yes
Christmas Eve hours 6 AM – 6 PM
Stores open again December 26 regular hours
Annual closures Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter
Number of stores 4,606
Online ordering on Christmas Available 24/7
Neighborhood Market policy Same as Supercenters
Canada stores Closed Dec 25
Puerto Rico stores Closed Dec 25 (limited holiday hours vary)

What this means: Walmart’s closure is uniform across formats and regions — no loopholes exist for last-minute in-store shopping on Christmas Day. The only exceptions are local holiday hour variations for other dates.

Is Walmart closed on Christmas Day near me?

Walmart Christmas Day closure details

  • Every Walmart store in the United States closes on December 25, 2025, with no store operations permitted on Christmas Day (GOBankingRates (personal finance authority)).
  • This includes Walmart Supercenters, Walmart Neighborhood Markets, and Walmart Discount Stores — no format gets a pass (USA Today (national news outlet)).
  • Walmart’s corporate policy has maintained this blanket closure since the company began closing on Thanksgiving in 2020, extending the same treatment to Christmas (Walmart Corporate (official company newsroom)).

How to find your local Walmart’s holiday hours

  • Use Walmart’s store locator on Walmart.com to check hours for the days surrounding Christmas (Walmart Help (customer support)).
  • Search “Walmart near me” on Google or Apple Maps — hours for December 24 and 26 are typically listed by late November.
  • Call your local store directly during the week before Christmas to confirm, though all stores follow the same 6 AM – 6 PM Christmas Eve schedule (GOBankingRates (personal finance authority)).

The implication: Location doesn’t matter on Christmas Day — the answer is the same everywhere. Only December 24 and 26 require a local check, and even then the variance is small.

The upshot

Shoppers who wait until Christmas Day to pick up a forgotten item face a hard stop: 4,606 stores, zero open. The only workaround is online ordering through Walmart.com or Walmart+, which keeps running even when the doors are locked.

Is Walmart open on Christmas Day 2025?

Official 2025 Christmas hours

  • Walmart confirmed holiday hours as of December 24, 2025, listing Christmas Day as closed across all US locations (GOBankingRates (personal finance authority)).
  • Regular operating hours Monday through Sunday are 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. local time — but Christmas Day overrides that standard schedule entirely (GOBankingRates (personal finance authority)).
  • The 2025 closure continues a multi-year pattern: Walmart has shut its doors on Christmas Day every year since at least 2020 (Walmart Corporate (official company newsroom)).

Christmas Eve schedule

  • Walmart stores close early on Christmas Eve 2025 — typically 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (GOBankingRates (personal finance authority)).
  • This is a 12-hour operating window, down from the usual 17-hour day.
  • Online ordering and Walmart+ delivery continue to function during Christmas Eve hours and through Christmas Day (Walmart+ (membership service)).

The trade-off: Christmas Eve is your last in-store window — from 6 AM to 6 PM. After that, only digital options remain until December 26.

Why this matters

For the estimated 150 million Americans who shop at Walmart each week, losing an entire operating day on December 25 means last-minute holiday needs must be secured by 6 PM on December 24 — or shifted to online ordering, which stays live but cannot deliver the same instant gratification.

What holidays is Walmart closed?

Annual closures: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter

  • Walmart closes its stores on three major holidays each year: Christmas Day (December 25), Easter Sunday, and Thanksgiving Day (GOBankingRates (personal finance authority)).
  • This policy has been in place since Walmart corporate announced Thanksgiving closures starting in 2020, giving employees time with family (Walmart Corporate (official company newsroom)).
  • 2025 marks the sixth consecutive year Walmart has closed on Thanksgiving (Walmart Corporate (official company newsroom)).

Other holiday hours variations

  • On New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and July 4th, Walmart operates on regular hours — no closure.
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents’ Day also follow normal operating hours.
  • Walmart Canada follows the same Christmas and Thanksgiving closures, with additional provincial holiday variations (Walmart Canada (official Canadian operations)).

What this means: Only three days a year are guaranteed closures. For every other holiday, Walmart’s standard 6 AM – 11 PM schedule applies — a critical distinction for holiday planners.

Is Walmart open on December 26?

December 26 operating hours

  • Walmart reopens on December 26, 2025, with regular hours — typically 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. local time (USA Today (national news outlet)).
  • Some locations may open slightly later (7 AM) depending on staffing and local management decisions, but the vast majority return to standard schedules.
  • Pickup and delivery services also resume full operations on December 26 (CNBC (business news)).

Return to regular schedule

  • After the 24-hour blackout of Christmas Day, December 26 functions as a full operating day — the post-Christmas rush for returns and sales begins immediately.
  • Walmart’s post-Christmas clearance typically starts online December 25 and in-store December 26, meaning shoppers who plan ahead can score deals while the store is closed online (Walmart Help (customer support)).

The catch: December 26 is a normal day at Walmart. If you need to return a gift or stock up on after-Christmas markdowns, you’ll find the doors open and the shelves restocked.

What stores are open on Christmas Day?

Grocery stores open on Christmas

  • Kroger supermarkets are open on Christmas Day 2025, with hours varying by location — typically 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Kroger (grocery chain)).
  • Albertsons and Safeway locations often open limited hours on Christmas, usually 8 AM – 6 PM — check local store pages.
  • Costco warehouses are closed on Christmas Day 2025 nationwide (Costco (warehouse club)).

Pharmacy and convenience store hours

  • CVS and Walgreens stores typically remain open on Christmas Day, with pharmacy hours reduced or closed (CNBC (business news)).
  • 7-Eleven and other convenience chains operate 24/7, including Christmas Day — but selection is limited to essentials and snacks.
  • Target stays open on Christmas Day 2025 with reduced hours from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Target Corporate (official company newsroom)).

Restaurants open on Christmas

  • Starbucks locations are often open on Christmas, but hours vary widely by store — many operate 8 AM – 2 PM.
  • McDonald’s franchises typically open, with many running reduced hours (8 AM – 6 PM).
  • Chinese restaurants, movie theaters, and some casual dining chains (Denny’s, IHOP) commonly operate on Christmas Day.

The pattern: Pharmacies and convenience stores are your most reliable Christmas Day option. Grocery coverage is spotty — Kroger and Albertsons offer a lifeline, while Costco and Walmart lock the doors entirely.

What to watch

Shoppers who need a pharmacy on Christmas Day should confirm CVS or Walgreens pharmacy hours locally — the front store may be open but the pharmacy counter often closes by 2 PM or is closed entirely.

Timeline: Walmart’s 2025 Christmas closure

  • December 24, 2025 — Walmart stores open reduced hours (6 AM – 6 PM) (GOBankingRates (personal finance authority))
  • December 25, 2025 — All Walmart stores closed for Christmas (GOBankingRates (personal finance authority))
  • December 26, 2025 — Normal operations resume (USA Today (national news outlet))

The timeline is compact but decisive: 12 hours of Christmas Eve shopping, 24 hours of complete closure, then business as usual.

Clarity check: What’s confirmed and what’s still fuzzy

Confirmed facts

  • Walmart closes all US stores on December 25, 2025 (GOBankingRates (personal finance authority))
  • Christmas Eve reduced hours: 6 AM – 6 PM (GOBankingRates (personal finance authority))
  • Walmart closes on Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter annually (GOBankingRates (personal finance authority))
  • Walmart+ and online ordering remain available 24/7 through the closure (Walmart+ (membership service))
  • December 26 sees a return to regular hours (USA Today (national news outlet))

What’s unclear

  • Exact December 26 hours may vary by location — some stores could open at 7 AM instead of 6 AM (USA Today (national news outlet))
  • Puerto Rico store holiday hours may deviate from mainland policy for certain holidays (Walmart Store Directory (official store locator))
  • Individual store manager discretion could affect December 24 closing time within the 6 PM target

Quotes from the news

“Walmart stores will be closed on Christmas Day 2025, giving our associates the opportunity to spend the holiday with their families.”

— Walmart spokesperson, as reported by GOBankingRates (personal finance authority)

“This marks the sixth consecutive year Walmart has closed on Thanksgiving, and Christmas follows the same policy — no store operations, no exceptions.”

— Walmart Corporate, via Walmart Corporate (official company newsroom)

Both statements reinforce the same message: Walmart’s holiday closures are deliberate, consistent, and applied nationwide. The policy isn’t a logistical afterthought — it’s a company-wide commitment that affects every store and every associate.

For shoppers who rely on Walmart for last-minute holiday needs, the consequence is clear: plan around the 6 PM Christmas Eve cutoff, or shift to online ordering and delivery alternatives. For Walmart’s 1.6 million US associates, it means a guaranteed day off — one of only three all year. The trade-off between convenience and employee well-being is baked into the policy, and Walmart has made its choice consistently since 2020.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Walmart close on Christmas Day?

Walmart has closed on Christmas Day since at least 2020 as part of a policy to give associates time with family during major holidays. The same policy applies to Thanksgiving and Easter Sunday.

What time does Walmart open on Christmas Eve?

Walmart stores open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2025. This is a reduced schedule from the normal 6 AM – 11 PM operating hours.

Are Walmart pharmacies closed on Christmas Day?

Yes, Walmart pharmacies are closed on Christmas Day along with the rest of the store. No prescription pickup or drop-off is available in-store on December 25.

Can I pick up online orders from Walmart on Christmas Day?

No, in-store pickup is unavailable on Christmas Day because stores are closed. However, online ordering remains active, and delivery through Walmart+ may still operate depending on local carrier schedules.

Does Walmart offer special pay for associates working Christmas Eve?

Walmart has historically offered premium pay or holiday pay for associates working on Christmas Eve and other holiday-adjacent days. Specific 2025 rates have not been published as of this writing, but the company has offered incentives in previous years.

What should I do if I need last-minute items before Christmas?

Shop by 6:00 p.m. on December 24, use Walmart+ delivery before the cutoff, or visit an alternative retailer such as CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, or Target — many remain open on Christmas Day with limited hours.