December 28th I'll be arriving AMS at 6:00 and departing @ 1300. Is there train or taxi service such that I can go somewhere shopping or whatever? Do I have the time to go anywhere? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

You can catch the train from Schiphol to Centraal Station. Takes about 15-20 minutes to get to the city centre.

I don't know how much will be open that early in the morning.

I know that the train from Schipol operates as early as 5am, so I don't think there is any prob getting to the cetnre of Amsterdam.

You have enough time to go to Amsterdam and spend at least 2 hours there and come back to Schipol but the shops are not open until 10 or 11am.

28 December is a Sunday. Most shops in town will be closed (unless things have changed very recently).

There is certainly enough time to go into Amsterdam and have a look around to kill the time, but if shopping is what you're after then you may be better off staying at the airport.

Recently, I did a lot of shopping at Food Village which is in an area of the airport outside of security. It's by the train station where there are lots of stores. I loved Food Village and took advantage of their "specials" ad. I really enjoyed perusing the new-to-me products.

Another traveler we met had friends in Amsterdam who told him how to walk from the airport to a typical neighborhood that had more shopping opportunities at better prices. He said the name of the area but I can't recall it.

We were there in late November and I went up on the roof top at Schipol to observe. It was chilly up there and I'm a from MN. You could see your breath. So be prepared for the cold if you decide to do the walk.

as stated above, you have time and should go into central AMS IMO. Just to grab a coffee and walk along the canals.

With a scheduled 1310 departure on Sunday December 28: how long should I allow for check-in, boarding, etc. I will only have a carry-on bag.

Thanks. Happy Holidays all.

Depending on what airline(s) you're travelling on you may well be able to use through check-in. If not I suggest you go to a transfer desk when you arrive (i.e., before you wander off into town), it'll be one less thing to worry about.

You should allow five minutes to get through Security, five minutes for outbound passport control (if your destination is outside the Schengen area), and 5-10 minutes to get to your gate (five minutes if it's a "low" number, up to ten if it's a "high" number). Gates now close 15 minutes before departure.

To allow some leeway I would aim to be there 45 minutes before departure (or one hour if you don't have a boarding card). Make sure you check that they're not expecting any problems/delays on the trains!