Red Rooster Bar & Grill
3100 N. Walker Ave.
redroosterokc.com
525-7631
Stop by the Red Rooster Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for some holiday cheer. The bar opens both days each year to provide refuge for those who need a holiday beer or two. On Christmas Day, the Rooster hosts an informal potluck with its regulars and anyone who shows up. Make a dish of your favorite holiday food and come on down. Better yet, theres no charge whether you bring food or not. The bar opens at 3 p.m. Christmas Day and stays open until 2 a.m.
Porthole Club
3630 NW 39th St.
942-7011
The Porthole is open 365 days a year, and on Thanksgiving and Christmas, owner John Ross prepares a traditional meal. This year is no exception. The bar is open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day until 2 a.m. On Christmas Day, turkey, ham and all the fixings are served starting at about 1:30 p.m. at no charge. In years past, weather has had a say in the size of the crowd, but there have been as few as 10 and as many as 75.
Grandads Bar
317 NW 23rd St.
grandadsbar.com
604-0992
Owner Greg Seal wants his staff to be at home to enjoy Christmas with their families, but on Christmas Eve, the place will be hopping. For those who need one last drink before facing the relatives or those with relatives who will revel in a smoke-free honky tonk, Grandads is the answer to a prayer. Seal is still working out the specifics but wants customers to come by for some sort of holiday-themed drink special and, of course, some of the best live music in town.
VZDs
4200 N. Western Ave.
vzds.com
524-4203
For 24 years, VZDs has opened on Christmas Day with live music. It will be open until 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and so will the kitchen, for those who need a last cheeseburger before gorging on turkey. On Christmas Day, the kitchen is closed, but VZDs will open at 8 p.m. A DJ will perform before Grown Ups goes on in the upstairs seating area. Come enjoy some drinks at the neighborhood bar that owner Chad Bleakley calls the cheapest place to drink with windows.
The Library Bar & Grill
607 W. Boyd St., Norman
thegoodlifeok.com/library
366-7465
Those in Norman, and University of Oklahoma students who didnt make it home for the holidays, should stop in at The Library. It will be open from 11 p.m. until 2 a.m. on Christmas Eve and will reopen at 5 p.m. on Christmas Day and stay open until 2 a.m. On Christmas Eve, like every other day, pizzas and nachos are half-price from 3 to 6 p.m. That special will be available from 5 to 6 p.m. on Christmas Day in addition to the full menu.
The Bar at 10 North
10 N. Broadway Ave.
228-8000
If youre downtown for Downtown in December or just kicking around the central business district on Christmas and need a place to belly up for a drink, stop in at The Bar at 10 North inside the Renaissance Hotel. Enjoy drinks in the open-air lobby or find a seat tucked inside. Its open 2 p.m.-midnight Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Across the lobby, the 10 North Grille is open both days from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner.
Hilo club
1221 NW 50th St.
hiloclub.net
843-1722
For a good time and some great food, stop in at the HiLo Club for holiday revelry. Its open from noon to 2 a.m. Christmas Eve, and opens 3p.m. Christmas Day. It will provide free food on Christmas at 4 p.m. Those who havent had enough turkey and ham can load up on a traditional, homestyle buffet. The club sees its regulars those days, in addition to out-of-towners who used to frequent the place when they lived here and return to wax nostalgic.
by Kelley Chambers, photos by Mark Hancock