Christmas crunch: Stores prepare for last-minute London shoppers

With just three days to go until the man in red makes his yearly appearance, are you ready?

If not, don’t fret, Masonville Mall, White Oaks Mall and Westmount Shopping Centre are all open for their regular hours Friday and Saturday. On Sunday — Christmas Eve — the malls are opening a little earlier than usual — Masonville will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., White Oaks will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while Westmount will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

As for Christmas Day, all malls will be closed, but will all open at 8 a.m. on Dec. 26.

For those hosting Christmas dinners, most grocery stores will have extended hours on Dec. 24. Sobey’s, along with The Great Canadian Superstore, will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Farm Boy will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., while Metro will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

All grocery stores are closed on Christmas. Farm Boy will also be closed Boxing Day, while The Superstore will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sobey’s from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Metro’s hours vary depending on the store. You can find Metro’s Boxing Day hours here.

The Middlesex-London Health Unit will be closed from 12 p.m. Friday, Dec. 22 to Jan. 2. If you need to access health services over the holidays, you can click here to find out which services are available in your area.

Meanwhile, the LTC will be operating on a special schedule on Christmas and Boxing Day. Click below for details.

Christmas Day Schedules

Boxing Day Schedules

Environment Canada is calling for seasonal temperatures over the weekend but says unseasonably cold arctic air will move into the area on Dec. 25. The national weather reporting agency says they expect that cold air to carry us into 2018.