4:03 a.m. - Christmas and New Year's provides a time for families to gather. To give families time to spend together, schools and many offices will close. Here are some of the closings.

Schools

Today is the last day of school for a majority of Bismarck and Mandan students, while some are already enjoying time off.

Bismarck and Mandan public schools go on holiday break after today. Martin Luther Elementary School and Shiloh Christian School finished classes on Tuesday. Classes resume on Jan. 3. St. Mary's High School and area Catholic elementary schools started their break Monday and will be off through Jan. 2.

College students get a little longer break from classes. University of Mary students finished finals Thursday and won't return to the classroom until Jan. 5. Bismarck State College started winter break Monday. Day classes start again Jan. 11, with evening classes -- 4 p.m. and later -- beginning Jan. 10.

City and county government

Friday and Dec. 29 will be a quiet days for local city and county governments, as Bismarck, Mandan, Burleigh and Morton employees are given the day off with Christmas and New Year's falling on Saturday.

Bismarck garbage, which is scheduled for Friday pickup on Friday and Dec. 29 will be picked up on Dec. 28 and Jan. 3.

The Mandan Community Center will close at 4 p.m. on Friday and will remain closed on Christmas Day. The center will close at 6 p.m. on Jan. 31 and remain closed on New Year's Day.

The Bismarck Parks and Recreation District reports all facilities will be closed Christmas Day and many will close early Christmas Eve.

State government hours

In addition to being closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, state government offices also will be closed all day on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

Post office hours

Post offices in Bismarck and Mandan will be closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day, but will be open normal hours on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

Federal offices

Federal offices will be closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Federal courts also will be closed on Thursday.

Financial institutions

Although the Christmas holiday falls on Saturday, most banks are expected to close early on Friday, then remain closed on Christmas.

"They will post their hours, usually 10 days out," said Rebecca Ternes, vice president of the North Dakota Bankers Association.

Many credit unions also are planning to close early on Christmas Eve.

For the New Year's holiday, expect business as usual.

Restaurants open on Christmas Day

Restaurants usually close for Christmas, but a few do open. The Tribune found five restaurants in the Bismarck-Mandan area that will be open on Christmas Day.

Four are in Bismarck:

The Oasis Restaurant, 3938 E. Divide Ave. -- open 24 hours a day and part of a truckstop facility just south of Interstate 94 -- is offering an $8.99 Christmas buffet, which includes turkey, pork roast and ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade stuffing, baked beans, complete soup and salad bar, pumpkin pie and other desserts. In addition, the restaurant will have a limited selection of other entrees for those who want to order off of the menu.

The International Restaurant, just south of I-94 on Highway 83, will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and has traditional American items as well as a made-in-front-of-you Asian stir-fry.

The Asian Buffet, 2700 N. State St., in Gateway Mall, will be open from noon to 4 p.m. and China Garden Restaurant, 1929 N. Washington St., will be open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and then open again from 4:30 to 9 p.m.

In Mandan, the Rice Bowl, 609 W. Main St., will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

(Compiled by reporters Sheena Dooley, Virginia Grantier, Gordon Weixel, Tom Rafferty and Rick Hinton.)