For Chinese food carry-out restaurants, the number of orders expected varies each night but for Christmas night, there is an uptick for some reason. Are people exhausted from a month of rushing around, parties and feasts? Have guests overstayed their welcome? The family dog chewed a few of the wrapped gifts so last-minute shopping was essential? Could be all of these and more, so a call to the local carry out is not out of the question.

“I’m busy every day, even Christmas day,” said the owner of China One in Mount Vernon. Chin’s Kitchen in the Huntington area is open too and gets a lot of Christmas business.

At Peking Chef in Burke they get double the number calls as a normal night. “Really busy,” the chef said, who recommends ordering early, he said.

The Chinese restaurant rush began on the east side of Manhattan when Chinese and other immigrants lived side by side, and since often these immigrants didn’t celebrate Christmas, the night was a lot like all the other nights. The Chinese food also appealed to Jewish families not celebrating Christmas, so out of convenience, the tradition grew. 

Flash forward to the 1980s and in the "The Christmas Story," movie, the family goes to eat Chinese after the neighbor’s dog ate their turkey. Eating Chinese on Christmas night got an additional bump after that.

Musician Brandon Walker has a song called "Chinese Food on Christmas," which is his food of choice since he is Jewish, a point he makes in the song. Walker lives in Annapolis and wrote the song after a college professor challenged him to write the next Christmas hit. "Chinese Food on Christmas," went viral, earning him international press, an exhibit in the Jewish Museum of Maryland, and even a few marriage proposals, his website said.

Rabbi Raps talked about a similar history on a video clip but has a message too for the Jewish people eating Chinese on Christmas night. Sure, have the Chinese food but be careful to adhere to Kosher rules. “No pork on your fork,” he said.

Jeremy & The Harlequins have a music video called, "A Chinese Restaurant on Christmas," that's set (spoiler alert) in a Chinese restaurant. "Here I am spending it with General Tso," says one line.

Not every place is open though. Over at Family Fortune in the Mount Vernon Shopping Center, they are closed that night for the holiday. “It’s family time,” said the host.