DALLAS — A forewarning, Texans: Plan ahead if you're looking to pick up liquor for Christmas and New Year's.
Texas state law prohibits liquor stores from being open on Christmas Day and New Year's Day (and Thanksgiving, too). It also requires liquor stores to remain closed on Sundays.
Since Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 fall on Mondays this year, that means liquor stores in Texas will also be closed on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
We saw a similar scenario last year, when the two holidays each fell on a Sunday and liquor stores had to close the day-of, then the Monday after.
This year, it's the same two-day shutdown, just the day before each holiday instead of the day after.
Why is this the case?
You can thank the Texan Liquor Control Act, which places various restrictions on the sale of alcohol and liquor in the state.
The liquor control act banning Sunday sales goes back to 1935, when it was passed following the end of Prohibition. The state added Christmas Day to the prohibited list in 1967 and Thanksgiving and New Year's Day in 1979.
And like we saw in 2022, if Christmas and New Year's Day fall on a Sunday, the liquor ban extends to the following day. No two birds, one stone scenario here.
Texas' Sunday restrictions, also known as "blue laws," date back to 1935, too. The ban wasn't limited to just booze.
For years, you couldn't buy pots, pans and washing machines on Sundays — at least, not until 1985. And many other states still ban the sales of cars on Sundays.
