Unlike Thanksgiving's consistency of always falling on a Thursday, Christmas varies year-to-year. As a federal holiday, most establishments are closed, but depending on when it falls alters what services are available.

Though many businesses in Roxborough and Manayunk consider Dec. 24 the actual holiday for workers, many places are open—or at least offer minimal hours. As Christmas falls on a Saturday, government offices are not affected too greatly. Either way, it's a case-by-case basis.

Below are some options that will remain open Dec. 24 and/or Dec. 25. Look for a list of noteworthy closings Friday.

1. United Artists Theater—The Manayunk movies remain open on both Christmas and Christmas Eve with standard show offerings, in addition to the debut of the "Meet the Parents" series's third installment, featuring Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro.

2. Trash Pickup—Some people are off Christmas Eve, but not the sanitation workers. Those with trash collection on Friday will operate on normal time—the same is true on New Year's Eve.

3. Library Branches—Always closed on Saturdays, both the Andorra and Roxborough branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia maintain regular hours Friday.

4. Wawa—Plum pudding isn't enough for you? The Ridge Avenue Wawa will have its deli open—in addition to everything else—24/7, including Christmas.

5. Acme—Most supermarkets are closed Christmas. But most supermarkets aren't Acme. On Dec. 24 both the Roxborough and Andorra stores are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Dec. 25 both are available from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.—the only supermarkets open in Roxborough. 

6. Intoxx Fitness—Work off those Christmas pounds before they set in, as Intoxx Fitness at Leverington and Umbria streets will be open Dec. 25. 

7. Chinese Restaurants—In the anti-holiday tradition, nearly all Chinese food establishments maintain normal hours Dec. 25, so check out China House, King's Palace or one of the other area eateries for your fix.

8. SEPTA Regional Rail—Though pared back, both SEPTA bus and regional rail service will be operating. Buses on Dec. 24 run on essentially a normal rush hour schedule, with some offerings changed based on need; on Christmas, buses run on a Sunday scheduled.

For the R-6 Regional Rail line, Dec. 24 is a Sunday schedule and Dec. 25 is a special schedule, with trains leaving every 2 hours. View the attached document for the complete R-6 Christmas schedule or visit SEPTA.org.

9. Yunkers—Different from most area bars, which run specials Christmas Eve and are closed Christmas, Yunkers on Main Street is closed Dec. 24 and operates prime time to late night Dec. 25.

And of course...

10. Churches—Christmas is a religious celebration for area congregations. Tomorrow, we'll roll out a comprehensive service schedule for Roxborough and Manayunk churches offering Christmas and Christmas Eve gatherings.