Photo: Christmas Lights (Credit: mattbuck, Wikimedia)

A Merry (as much as you can make it) Christmas, Belmont. While a second year of surging Covid numbers has once again dampened the season’s festive spirit, Dec. 25 is a day of gift giving and reflecting on cheerful times from past years around the dinner table before decamping to watch the latest holiday movie on the Hallmark Channel, a slew of professional sports events – the NHL being the exception – or just relaxing with family and friends.

For those who don’t celebrate the day, several fine Chinese restaurants will be open and, if you want to risk it, some great movies are premiering on the big screen on the 25th – “A Journal for Jordan” (which will make you cry), “American Underdog” about St. Louis Rams QB Kurt Warner, and Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s love letter to 1970s SoCal, “Licorice Pizza.”

And if you have a “need” to get out of the house, here are a few places around town closing early Christmas Eve and open on Christmas.

Christmas Eve early closings:

• Star Market at 535 Trapelo Rd. closes at 6 p.m. The pharmacy closes at 5 p.m.
• CVS: The store at 264 Trapelo Rd. is closing at 10 p.m. (the pharmacy at 6 p.m.) and 60 Leonard St. at 9 p.m. (with the pharmacy shutting its doors at 4 p.m.)
• Starbucks at 110 Trapelo Rd. in Cushing Square will close at 1 p.m.
• Dunkin’ at 353 Trapelo Rd. and 52 Church St. are closing at 9 p.m. The store at 350 Pleasant St. will shut it down at 6 p.m.
• Craft Beer Cellar at 87 Leonard St. in the Center will be open ’til 5 p.m.
• US Post Offices at 405 Concord Ave. and 492 Trapelo Rd. are closed on Christmas Eve.
• MBTA buses and subway lines will run on a Saturday schedule.

Christmas Day

Dunkin’

• The Dunkin’ at 353 Trapelo Rd. proclaims it is “Open on Christmas.” So it’ll be operating from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m.
• The 52 Church St. location in Waverley Square and the operation at 350 Pleasant St. will be closed on Christmas.

Starbucks

• The “Cushing Village” location at 110 Trapelo Rd. will be closed.

CVS Pharmacy

• The store at 264 Trapelo Rd. will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• The operation at 60 Leonard St. in Belmont Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Christmas.
• The pharmacies at both locations will be closed.

Star Market

• Belmont’s supermarket located at 535 Trapelo Rd. is closed for the day.

If you are looking to get around on the MBTA:

• The Fitchburg/South Acton Commuter Line will operate a Sunday schedule while buses that operate in Belmont will also be on a Sunday schedule.