Monday Essentials: City Offices Close for Christmas and Kwanzaa Celebrated

Here are five things Diamond Bar and Walnut residents need to know this week.

1. 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.

2. City offices are closed in Diamond Bar on Tuesday and Wednesday in observance of the Christmas holiday, reopening on Thursday.

3. In Walnut, city offices will be closed Wednesday and Thursday in observance of the Christmas holiday, and Friday, it's regular day to close.

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.