Sometimes, the best way to get into the Christmas spirit is to get into Christmas spirits.

Bars around the Sacramento region embraced the holiday season with redesigns and pop-ups that go well beyond a few string lights. Christmas has taken over a few area watering holes, while one committed to Hanukkah for the week.

Here are some of the most festive spots around the regions for holiday drinking. Check each bar’s website or social media pages for details such as hours or when the pop-ups will end.

Bottle & Barlow (1120 R St., Sacramento): This R Street Corridor bar/barber shop has leaned hard into various holiday themes throughout the year. That continued with the current “Gremlin Christmas” decor and cocktails.

Coin-Op Game Room (908 K St., Sacramento): You won’t want to wake from the “Nightmare Before Christmas” at downtown Sacramento’s beloved barcade, where barback Norman Ayles has painted cutouts from Tim Burton’s cult classic movie.

Crawdads on the River (1375 Garden Highway, Sacramento): Drink specials such as the “mistletoe margarita” or a boozy hot chocolate called “Santa’s helper” will help tide this 36-year-old riverside bar over until warmer days.

The Iron Door (212 W. Main St., Grass Valley): Miracle Pop Up Bar has engulfed the 157-year-old Holbrooke Hotel’s cellar tavern, once a brothel and speakeasy that now serves shots in glasses made to look like a toe with missile fins (get it? Missile-toe?).

Owl Club (109 Church St., Roseville): An inflatable Santa greets customers from an outdoor balcony as they walk into this Historic Roseville bar. Owl Club normally advertises its 20+ beers on tap and 40 whiskeys, but themed cocktails in stocking mugs are the thing to get at the seasonal “Jingle Bar.”

The Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar (2718 J St., Sacramento): Another Miracle Pop Up, The Red Rabbit has a broad range of Christmas drinks ranging from tiki refreshers to the warming agents of hot buttered rum.

Smic’s Bar (1200 K St., Suite 8, Sacramento): Menorahs aren’t the only ones getting lit at this downtown cocktail-and-small-plates lounge, which takes on a Hanukkah theme during the eight-night Jewish holiday. Avocado challah toast with your olive oil martini, anyone?

What I’m Eating

After years of head-scratching mediocrity, Davis is in the midst of a Chinese restaurant boom. A dumpling spot and a Hunan-focused restaurant that opened in September, a Hong Kongese cafe in October, a bao shop in November — all have pushed the college town’s dining scene over the last year.

MT BBQ House helped lead that charge as perhaps the most visible of the newbies, occupying a highly trafficked downtown unit at 229 G St. Opened in January 2022 by Wei Fang and Xiaowen Mi, it brought a new model to the Sacramento region: Chinese flavors and cuts of meat, skewered and cooked by customers over tabletop gas grills (professionals can also do it for you in the kitchen, if you prefer).

Most skewers are just a couple of dollars, so the best move is to try a bunch and figure out what you like. Some of my top picks included fishy tofu ($2.75), gamey lamb ($2.05), pork belly wrapped around a quail egg ($4.25), and delicious chicken hearts ($1.85).

My favorite, though, was the chicken skin ($1.85), which swirled around its metal rod like a spiral staircase. It looked sort of like a Mexican chicharrón but had much more meat than I expected along with a layer of still-soft fat, creating warm, tasty insulation past the immediate crunch.

The kitchen prepares a few non-skewered items as well, including super-garlicky grilled Japanese eggplant ($5.45) and braised brisket noodle soup ($15.45). But MT BBQ House stands out for its DIY tabletop grilling, common in Korean barbecue restaurants but a trendsetter among Chinese spots. Light the beam, and light the flame.

Address: 229 G St., Davis.

Hours: 6 p.m.-midnight Monday, closed Tuesday, noon to midnight Wednesday-Saturday.

Phone: (530) 746-2018.

Website: https://www.mtbbqhouse.com

Drinks: Bottled beers, soda and imported teas.

Animal-free options: A few, though not the focus.

Accessibility: Certain tables are designated as particularly wheelchair-friendly. No immediate parking out front, as street is closed off to vehicle traffic.

Noise level: Medium-low.

Openings & Closings

• A new Vietnamese restaurant opened on Stockton Boulevard: Phố Cổ Ba Saigon, near the 47th Avenue intersection. Look for familiar noodles soups and rice bowls, plus rarer items such as vịt kho gừng (braised duck with ginger).

• Taiwanese boba tea chain Presotea opened its first Northern California location Saturday at 6616 Laguna Blvd., Suite 120 in Elk Grove. It has drink flavors such as crème brûlée, taro and lychee strawberry, plus snackable bubble waffles.

• Fans of Lupita’s Mexican Restaurant in Orangevale better get out there while they can. The Michoacán-inspired restaurant will shut down for good when its lease expires in June 2023, it announced via Facebook last Wednesday.