Monday Essentials: Last Days for Christmas Shopping Come and Kwanzaa Celebrated

Here are five things Monrovia residents need to know this week.

1. Looking for local stores in town where you can find unique Christmas gifts? Click here to check out a list.

2. Tuesday is the last day for Christmas shopping, and many national chains plan to stay open late on Christmas Eve. Toys R Us stores will be open round-the-clock until 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and most Walmart stores will be open until 8 p.m.

3. City offices will be closed Dec. 25 in observance of the holiday.

4. If you’re planning to be on the freeways during the holiday, be careful. The CHP plans maximum enforcement from 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve to midnight on Christmas Day. Officers will be on heightened alert for drivers who speed, fail to buckle-up, or are driving under the influence.

5. Thursday is the first day of the week-long Kwanzaa celebration, which honors African heritage in African-American culture. It was established in 1966 by activist and scholar Maulana Karenga, who is currently chair of the Africana Studies department at Cal State University Long Beach.