B.J. Ryan's in Norwalk opens bar early for Christmas morning
Beyond the decorations, Christmas movies on TV, and music on the speakers, everybody there seemed to be in the holiday spirit.
Since 2022, B.J. Ryan's in Norwalk has started its own Christmas tradition, opening up the bar at 9:30am, along with a complimentary table of bagels, donuts and Danishes.
"Have a drink and start the day off the right way with a little Christmas cheer from Dawn," laughed Eric Johnson, one of B.J. Ryan's regulars, who made sure to stop in.
Dawn Rodriguez, the bar manager, came up with the idea back in 2022.
"I love Christmas myself, so I figured, let's share the joy," Rodriguez said. "I just say 'merry Christmas, and 'are you ready to have fun?'"
While Rodriguez says she always knew people would show up, owner BJ Lawless admits he was skeptical at first.
"(But) after we kind of walked through it, there's so many people going to so many places, some people have to have two, three, four, five stops, so it just made sense," Lawless said.
It turns out, Rodriguez and Lawless were right, with regulars like Johnson saying they made it a part of their Christmas morning tradition from year one.
"Everyone knows everybody, and everyone's very welcoming here also," Johnson said. "You see a new face at the bar, it's like 'hi.'”
"I think it's just a good place, when nobody else is open, to stop in and say hello to friends," said Lawless.
As time has gone on and word has gotten out, families have started coming by also, including Norwalk resident Charles Bjernestad, who stopped in with his wife and kids after opening presents.
"My wife saw that they were doing this breakfast event, and so we decided we wanted to try a new Christmas tradition," Bjernestad said.
Beyond the decorations, Christmas movies on TV, and music on the speakers, everybody there seemed to be in the holiday spirit, with Johnson even buying a round for the whole bar.
"It's actually very festive," said Lawless, "because everybody that's here is in a wonderful mood, they're happy, they're cheery."
"When I leave here, I'm happy," agreed Rodriguez. "This is my Christmas present, being here."
