Christmas One Of Two Days It’s Illegal To Sell Liquor In Minnesota

Christmas is fast approaching and with that comes fun times gathering with friends and family to celebrate. If you're in Minnesota and your plans involve drinking alcoholic beverages, you'll want to make sure you plan ahead so you don't run out.

When it comes to off-sale liquor sales, Minnesota has a history of unique liquor rules when compared to other states. For example, for years off-sale liquor sales weren't allowed on Sundays in Minnesota.

That finally changed in 2017 when former Governor Mark Dayton signed into law a bill allowing for the sale of alcohol from stores on Sundays between the hours of 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, July 2, 2017, then became the first Sunday that Minnesotans didn't need to head to a neighboring state for booze.

Get our free mobile app

While that was a landmark day, there are still other times when Minnesota state law prohibits or limits the sale of "intoxicating liquor".

While Minnesota does not prohibit off-sale liquor sales on Christmas Eve, they do restrict it. Normally, off-sale liquor sales are allowed between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, however on Christmas Eve no sales are allowed past 8:00 p.m. Since Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this year, liquor stores will need to close by 6:00 p.m.

There are also two days on the calendar when off-sale liquor sales aren't allowed at all within the state. One of those days is Thanksgiving Day and the other is on Christmas Day. If you're in Minnesota and need a bottle of wine or some brandy for your Tom and Jerry, or a case of beer on either of those days, you'll need to head to Wisconsin where off-sale liquor sales are allowed.

See Now: Sold! Original Hartley Family Mansion In Duluth First Listed At Nearly $1.4 Million

The moral of the story for Minnesotans is to make sure your liquor cabinet is stocked for the holiday season or be prepared to head to Wisconsin or sit at a bar, where the laws are different.

Get our free mobile app