Philadelphia · 19–27 December 2026

Christmas in West Philly.

Christmas in West Philly at Jabari’s place, with Jabari’s mom. Eight nights, nothing scheduled in them. The cards below are for the days that are not Christmas.

The shape of the week

Two fixed points. The rest is deliberately empty.

Sat 19 Dec
Into Philadelphia
Straight up from Miami after checkout, on a flight not bought yet. The Airport Line runs from every PHL terminal to 30th Street in about twenty minutes, then it is a short ride west. Cheaper than a cab and usually faster at that hour.
Sun 20 to Thu 24
Nothing in particular
Five days with nothing in them. Jabari is working some of it, so these are the days for the cards below, or for none of them.
Fri 25 Dec
Christmas, with Jabari’s mom
The one fixed point in the week. Almost nothing in the city is open, and SEPTA runs a Sunday timetable.
Sat 26 Dec
Everything reopens
Boxing Day is not a holiday in the US, so the 26th is an ordinary Saturday. Anything missed because of Christmas is open again, and busy with it.
Sun 27 Dec
Out
The last morning. Nothing planned into it.

If we leave the house

For the days that are not Christmas. Either, both or neither.

The stone front of John Bartram’s 18th century house behind a path lined with flower beds

Bartram's Garden

Free A couple of hours

Fifty acres on the Schuylkill at the bottom of West Philly, laid out by John Bartram from 1728, which makes it the oldest surviving botanic garden in the country. Free, almost empty in December, and a twenty minute walk or a short ride from the house.

Grounds are free and open daily, dawn to dusk
House tours are seasonal and limited, so worth checking before going
On the river, so it is colder and windier than the street
Bare in December, which makes the river and the skyline easier to see

bartramsgarden.org

A wall covered in mosaic made from bottles, mirrors, tiles and a bicycle wheel

Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

$15 adults, $12 students An hour

Isaiah Zagar spent fourteen years covering half a block of South Street in mosaic made of bottles, bicycle wheels, mirror and broken tile. Half of it is outdoors, so December is cold, but winter light on all that glass is the better version.

Closed Tuesdays, otherwise 11:00 to 18:00
Tickets regularly sell out, so book online rather than turning up
Largely outdoors and unheated
Zagar murals carry on for several blocks around, for free

phillymagicgardens.org

Eating

Three that came recommended.

Toast Cafe 500 S 52nd St

West Philly brunch, open since 2022. Oxtail and grits, fish and grits, praline french toast. Closed Mondays and shuts mid afternoon, so it is a morning plan.
Booker's 5021 Baltimore Ave

Southern-leaning New American on Baltimore Avenue, open since 2017. Lunch 10:00 to 14:30, dinner 17:00 to 22:00, and closed in between.
Umami Steak and Sushi 727 Walnut St

Steaks and sushi in a basement room off Washington Square. Across the river in Center City, so an evening out rather than a walk. Steaks $42 to $65.

What needs a head start

Two things to sort ahead of time. The rest of the week needs no booking.

The flight up from Miami Saturday the 19th, after the 11:00 checkout. Not bought yet.
Magic Gardens Timed tickets that do sell out. Closed Tuesdays, and 22 December is the only Tuesday in the week, so that day is out either way.

Opening hours here were checked in September 2026, and holiday hours are the ones most likely to have moved since. Anything on the 24th, 25th or 26th is worth a phone call rather than a website.