Some Kroger Stores Will Be Closing In The Afternoon On Xmas Eve, So Shop *Early*

Despite your best efforts, it's likely you'll have to run to the grocery store on Christmas Eve. Listen, you tried. You researched fun Christmas recipes the day after Thanksgiving, made the list of ingredients needed for your festive dinner weeks in advance, and you checked it twice. But you can't control that your Aunt Linda called you on Christmas Eve morning to ask you if you could pretty please make a pie with a gluten-free crust, which is why you'll be scrambling to figure out what Kroger's Christmas Eve hours are as you assure Linda it's no trouble at all and try to get the kids into the car without having a full fit.

I have good news and bad news for your impending breakdown. The good news: Kroger will be open on Christmas Eve, as reported by Kroger Addict. The bad news: Most locations will have condensed hours, so depending on what time she calls you, Aunt Linda might just be S.O.L. on the gluten-free crust thing. Kroger Addict reports that some Kroger locations might be closing as early as 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve, so I'd look up the holiday hours of your local Kroger sooner rather than later. And if Aunt Linda calls on Christmas day wondering if you could also get some tofu for her since she stopped eating meat months ago and oh hadn't your mom told you?, you're gonna just have to tell her sorry but no. Most Kroger locations will be closed on Christmas day as confirmed by a Kroger rep, along with the majority of grocery stores in America. There's a slim chance your location might have limited Christmas day hours, but I wouldn't count on it. You can go to one of these stores that are open on Christmas if you're desperate, though.

My suggestion for avoiding this kind of fiasco? Make a call to everyone coming to your Christmas shindig on December 23, aka Christmas Eve Eve, to see if there are any late food requests they hadn't thought to call you about yet. Not a text, an actual phone call. Let me explain: By calling, you can ask those pesky relatives some low-key probing questions to see if there's anything at all they forgot to tell you about regarding their dietary needs (they can brush off a text too easily). It might seem time consuming to call everyone, but in actuality, you'll save yourself valuable time you need on Christmas Eve for prepping dinner and presents. And fringe benefit, you'll totally get hostess of the year points for being so courteous.

Worst case scenario, Aunt Linda doesn't get her special pie. So what? You can still host an amazing party, and I'm sure all the food you will make will be delicious. Besides, isn't Christmas supposed to be about the people we're with and all that jazz, not the food or gifts? C'mon, The Grinch is a whole movie about a guy failing to steal Christmas because he can't take away the joy of the holiday season, and if he can't do it, Aunt Linda can't either. So do your best to accommodate those dietary needs, but know that everyone will be fine even if you can't. And to avoid the drama altogether, make your celebration a potluck.

After experiencing a traumatic c-section, this mother sought out a doula to support her through her second child’s delivery. Watch as that doula helps this mom reclaim the birth she felt robbed of with her first child, in Episode Three of Romper's Doula Diaries, Season Two, below. Visit Bustle Digital Group's YouTube page for more episodes, launching Mondays in December.