The days are getting colder, and winter coats are being pulled out of the closet. It can only mean one thing: the holiday season is upon us. While it’s not likely we will have a white Christmas in San Diego, there are plenty of ways to feel festive for the holidays.

Below we have some holiday pop-up bars and restaurants offering festive bites:

🎅Dine like Santa

Christmas Brunch at Provisional Kitchen
Dec. 25 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Pendry Hotel
Join Provisional Kitchen for a festive pre-fixe brunch menu featuring sweet and savory corners, carving and dessert stations, a chocolate fountain, choice of entrée and live music. Brunch cocktails and bottomless bubbles are also available.

Christmas Dinner at Provisional Kitchen
Dec. 25 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Pendry Hotel
Celebrate the holiday with friends and family over a special three-course menu curated by Executive Chef Brandon Sloan. Menu highlights include Scallop Crudo, Honeynut Squash Arancini, Roasted Duck Breast, Filet Mignon and a Chocolate Raspberry Tart.

Winter Lodge at the Cutwater Tasting Room
Nov. 20- Dec. 31| Cutwater, 9750 Distribution Ave
The Tasting Room & Kitchen is transformed into a cozy Winter Lodge, offering a lineup of cocktails for every taste—warm, frozen, spirit-free, and everything in between

🍹Festive sips

Lafayette Hotel
Nov. 28- Dec. 31, times vary| The Lafayette, 2223 El Cajon Blvd
The historic Lafayette Hotel & Club has transformed into the North Pole with handcrafted seasonal cocktails, festive bites and even photos with Santa Claus.

Winter Wonderland at Draft
Nov. 28 – Jan. 4, times vary| Belmont Park
Christmas-themed cocktail pop-up bar filled with over-the-top holiday décor and handcrafted seasonal cocktails that bring the holidays to life.

Brisa Holiday Pop-Up Christmas Bar
Nov. 20 – Dec. 31, times vary | Brisa, 2101 Kettner Blvd
Brisa has launched its festive Christmas pop-up, now open through the holiday season. The seasonal transformation features an imaginative lineup of holiday cocktails, immersive festive décor and a cozy, celebratory ambiance perfect for holiday gatherings.

Yo Ho Ho-liday Tavern
Nov. 22 – Jan. 2, times vary | Margaritaville Hotel
Escape the ordinary and step into a world where pirate lore meets holiday magic. Twinkling lights, treasure chests and coastal touches transform LandShark into a merry maritime oasis featuring festive holiday nautical-inspired décor, seasonal cocktails and a festive pirate pop-up. Click here to RSVP.

Deck the Halls at Nason’s Beer Hall
Nov. 27 – Jan. 5, times vary | Pendry Hotel
Add a dose of serious spirit to your holidays with a night out at Nason with the jolliest over-the-top holiday décor, including 700 ornaments, 75 jumbo ornaments, 200 feet of tinsel and more. Visit Nason’s for frosty beers, jolly cocktails, seasonal bites and festive merriment.

Lala-Land
Dec. 1 – Dec. 31, times vary | 1919 India St
The holidays are about to get a whole lot brighter. This December, Lala is bringing back its signature holiday pop-up, Lala-Land, transforming the Little Italy hotspot into a whimsical, over-the-top Christmas wonderland. This year, the team is turning up the sparkle with different pop-ups featuring festive décor and photo opportunities that make every visit unique. Expect surprises that will keep guests coming back all month long.

Sippin’ Santa at the Grass Skirt
Until Dec. 31| Grass Skirt, 910 Grand Ave
A tropical, playful, and retro-kitsch Christmas pop-up offering tropical holiday sips and tasty bites.

Great Dicken’s Holiday Pop-Up
Nov. 28- Dec. 30, 4 p.m. to close| Duck Dive, 4650 Mission Blvd.
Guests can indulge in an exceptional selection of holiday cocktails that truly embody the spirit of the season like Berry Christmas, Everyone, The Great Dickens and more.

A man accused of driving a pickup while intoxicated, crashing head-on into a car in rural East County and killing an 8-year-old girl over the weekend, was in the country illegally and had been previously convicted of being the driver in a DUI crash that left a person paralyzed, according to authorities.

Brayan Josue Alva Rodriguez, 25, pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter in connection with Sunday’s crash on county Highway S-2, also known as San Felipe Road, near Ranchita, according to the District Attorney’s Office. He was among several injured in the crash and was arraigned in the hospital this week.

Alva, a Guatemalan national, was arrested by Border Patrol in Calexico in 2018 and released after being served with a notice to appear before an immigration judge, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

While in immigration proceedings, he was charged in connection with a DUI crash in 2020 and later convicted.

An immigration judge ordered him removed from the country in 2023, but he did not leave, ICE said.

“Now an innocent life has been lost in a tragedy that could have been prevented,” ICE’s San Diego office said on social media.

The girl who was killed Sunday was identified in court documents as Aria T. Her full name has not been released.

The crash occurred around 3 p.m. Sunday, when a 2025 Toyota Tacoma, allegedly driven by Alva, crossed over the solid double-yellow line on San Felipe and struck a southbound Toyota Camry head-on, according to the California Highway Patrol. The truck then crashed into the right side of a Ford F-350 pulling a utility trailer ahead of him that was also driving north, officials said.

The Tacoma then rolled over and caught fire. Alva and a 24-year-old passenger were able to get out of the burning truck on their own, according to Cal Fire.

All occupants of the Camry were taken to hospitals: the driver, a 26-year-old man from Yuma; his front passenger, a 28-year-old woman; and three children in the back, a 5-year-old boy, a 4-year-old boy and the girl who died.

A 13-year-old rear passenger in the Ford truck also sustained minor injuries, the CHP said.

Besides murder and gross vehicular manslaughter counts, Alva, an Oceanside resident, also faces two additional charges of driving while intoxicated within 10 years of a DUI conviction.

In the 2020 crash, at least four people, including a child under the age of 5, were injured, according to the complaint. One victim “suffered paralysis of a permanent nature,” the complaint says. Further details about that case, including Alva’s sentence following conviction, were not immediately available.

At this week’s arraignment, a district attorney’s spokesperson said bail was set at $2 million. Alva was expected to be booked into jail upon being released from the hospital. The extent of his injuries was not released. The next court hearing has been set for Jan. 7.

ICE officials said they would be requesting an immigration detainer — which would allow federal agents to take a person into custody before their release from a local jail.

The California Values Act, or Senate Bill 54, limits cooperation between local law enforcement and immigration agencies, although there are exceptions for those who have been convicted of certain serious or violent felonies.

Staff writer Karen Kucher contributed to this report.

San Diego State didn’t magically become the basketball team everyone expected at the start of the season, but the Aztecs did accomplish something they have struggled to do lately.

They won.

“When you lose a couple games,” coach Brian Dutcher said, “you wonder if they’re going to fight through and get a win. They fought through and got a win.”

After dropping three of four and five of seven going back to last season, the Aztecs rediscovered their hard-hat roots and blue-collared their way to a much needed 77-66 victory Wednesday night at Viejas Arena against a Utah Valley team fresh off wins by 22 and 44.

They also discovered that their other true freshman, Tae Simmons, can play, too.

Elzie Harrington started his second straight game, the earliest a true freshman has cracked the SDSU starting lineup in a decade. Simmons, an undersized power forward at 6-foot-6, was fighting for rotation minutes that figured to vanish with the return of 7-foot Magoon Gwath, until he erupted for 15 points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench Wednesday.

It came on a night when leading scorer Reese Dixon-Waters had no points through the first 33 minutes. And Miles Byrd, who sat out Tuesday’s practice with the flu, took two IV bags before tip-off and didn’t score at all. And starting center Miles Heide took a hard fall in the first half, suffered a hip contusion and didn’t return. And backup Pharaoh Compton had two dunk attempts fly off the back rim. And Gwath, also recovering from the flu and bum ankle, was on the bench during crunch time with Byrd.

“That’s where our depth paid off for us,” Dutcher said. “We had the depth to endure injuries, endure illness, and still find a way to come out with a win.”

The Aztecs (4-3) scored 77 points. Fifty-nine came from the bench, including 18 by BJ Davis, 15 by Simmons and 12 by Compton. Utah Valley’s bench managed just 16.

Or look at the plus/minus column on the stat sheet: The starters were +3, +1, -1, -9 and -11. The first five guys off bench were +21 (Sean Newman Jr.), +17, +15, +9, +8.

For Davis, it was his fifth straight game in double figures.

“BJ has obviously been one of our best players, but the spark he provides off the bench, who else is going to do that?” Dutcher said. “He’s been dynamic off the bench. He changes the rhythm of the game when he comes in. Sometimes that’s what it is. I try to tell BJ every day how much I value him. I don’t want him to be sad he’s not starting when he’s playing so well.”

Davis sparked the Aztecs to a 13-point lead in the first half. Simmons was the energizer that got them a 12-point margin in the second.

Both leads, though, quickly evaporated. Utah Valley (5-3) closed the first half with a 12-0 run to pull within a point, then briefly took the lead early in the second half. And it was a three-point game with three minutes to go before Dixon-Waters sliced through the lane for a pair of layups in traffic.

“Reese struggled at the start of the game,” Dutcher said of his senior guard who had missed seven of eight shots. “He got some looks that didn’t go in, but I thought down the stretch he really attacked strong to the basket. With the game on the line, he didn’t settle for jump shots. He got it, caught it on the dribble and went right to the rim and finished it.”

The Aztecs spent the week of practice focusing on regaining their defensive mentality and mojo, then on Utah Valley’s first possession did this:

Got confused on assignments and left Noah Taitz wide open on the right wing for a 3. Swish.

The Wolverines’ next basket came when Isaac Davis was left alone under the basket for an uncontested layup.

Not exactly what Dutcher had in mind.

But all that practice grind finally began reaping dividends, and eight minutes later the Wolverines were stuck on 10 points while shooting 3 of 15 with five turnovers.

It wasn’t a perfect defensive performance; the Wolverines still shot a respectable 42.3%, made 10 3s and had 11 offensive rebounds to offset 18 turnovers.

But it was an improvement over the last four games, when opponents scored 80 or more in each. Over the previous 100 games, they had allowed 80 or more just five times.

“The last few games, we’ve given up way too many points,” Davis said. “Being San Diego State, this is a defensive program. Coach has been harping on us all week about defense, defense, defense. … I think we did OK. That’s nowhere near where we’re going to be in due time.”

Added Dutcher: “We held a team to 66 points, how about that? … We have to get better. We know that. I thought we took a step in the right direction today.”

Notable

The Aztecs now have a week off before hosting Lamar … This was the first all-time meeting against Utah Valley … The Wolverines got 50 of their 66 points from starters, led by 17 from Jackson Holcombe (to go with 10 rebounds and five assists) and 15 from Tyler Hendricks … Dutcher won two video challenges, the first for a block call on Taj DeGourville, the second on an out-of-bounds call … Compton played a career high 22 minutes. No one played more than 25 by Dixon-Waters.