The Daily Five: What's Open, What's Closed, Holiday Travel, and a Chance for a White Christmas

1. Today will be mostly sunny with a high of 41 degrees. If you're dreaming of a white Christmas, you might get lucky tonight. This evening's forecast is predicting showers, possibly snow showers, when temperatures drop to 34 degrees. Merry Christmas!

2. Here's what's open today: 

• East Lyme and Lyme Town Halls will be open until noon today, Old Lyme Town Hall until 2 p.m.
• The U.S. Post Office.
• The New York Stock Exchange
• U.S. Government offices (except for DMV, which is always closed Monday.)
• Banks

All local, state and federal government offices will be closed tomorrow. You'll find a full list of government office hours on the PDF attached to this story. 

3. Ashlawn Farm Cafe in Lyme will be open today from 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. today but then will be closed from Christmas Day until January 2. If you're jonesing for a regular cup of Joe, you'll find that every Dunkin' Donuts is open every day of the year. (I know, it's not the same as Ashlawn Farm's home roasted brew but if you need caffeine ...) 

4. If you're planning to take the train anywhere, Shoreline East will be running two additional special trains today. You'll find the full holiday schedule here. Metro North will be operating on a Saturday schedule today with extra service in the peak morning and afternoon travel times. Tomorrow, the trains will run on a holiday schedule. (See a special Holiday Timetable on the schedules page.)

5. If you're driving to visit family, please be extra careful on the roads and be prepared for sobriety checks. State Police have launched Operation S.A.N.T.A. (Stop Another Needless Tragic Accident), which includes sobriety checks and additional roving DUI patrols through the holiday season. 

Here's wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday!