ATLANTA — It's always nice to add a little bit to the Christmas cheer with some eggnog or a good Irish coffee -- provided you can actually make one.
Contrary to popular belief, Christmas Day isn't quite a total shutdown. But what if your liquor cabinet suddenly runs dry? Do you have any options?
The short answer is that it depends, but generally speaking yes, in Georgia liquor sales are allowed on Christmas Day.
Let's look at the details a bit further.
Will liquor stores be open on Christmas in Georgia?
Under Georgia law, they can be. O.C.G.A. § 3-3-20 covers the sale of alcoholic beverages on Sundays, election days and Christmas day. The relevant part of the law concerning Christmas reads as follows:
The governing authority of any county or municipality may, by ordinance or resolution, prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages on Christmas Day.
So that means yes - as a default, liquor stores are allowed to be open on Christmas Day, which certainly means that at least some will open up. Obviously, it just depends if your nearest local liquor store decides to open up. For that, you'll have to give them a call or stop by and see how things look.
However, as the law notes - a county or city can, by law, ban alcohol sales on Christmas Day if they so choose. 11Alive's sister station in Macon, WMAZ, reported back in 2021 that this was in fact the case in Milledgeville.
So if you live in a county or city where there might be a doubt - check your local ordinances or city/county website for details.
Otherwise, if you need to re-stock on Christmas Day you should be able to find a reasonable accommodation in Georgia.