Christmas-themed bars return to Raleigh and Durham

• Most stick with traditional decor, like gift-wrapped walls, evergreen garlands and red and green ornaments.
• A handful spring for a tropical theme instead, with tiki mugs, jellyfish lights and neon pool floaties.

Zoom in: The drink list at each bar features a Snowball Fashioned (rye whiskey, gingerbread, bitters, orange essences and a snowball for ice).

• Most of the tropical cocktails involve rum, like the Sugar Plum Mai Tai, which incorporates cinnamon syrup and plum mix.
• A nice shot is brandy, strawberry and grapefruit. A naughty shot is tequila, habanero, ginger and hibiscus.

Locations across the Triangle are kicking off the Christmas season in mid-November. Among them:

Raleigh

• The Haymaker downtown on Fayetteville Street, Nov. 20-Dec. 31
• Killjoy Cocktail in Glenwood South, Nov. 20-Dec. 31
• Wye Hill in the Warehouse District, Nov. 14-Dec. 28 (tropical)

Durham

• Coupe & Stein Champagne Bar in Golden Belt, Nov. 19-Dec. 31

Elsewhere in North Carolina:

• Asheville: The Golden Pineapple, Nov. 21-Dec. 31
• Asheville: The Tiki Easy Bar, Nov. 19-Dec. 30 (tropical)
• Charlotte: BackStage Lounge, Nov. 19-Dec. 28
• Charlotte: The Royal Tot, Nov. 17-Dec. 31 (tropical)
• Chimney Rock Smokehouse, Nov. 28-Jan. 4
• Denver: Latitudes Bar & Grill, Nov. 18-Dec. 31
• Hickory: No Entry Cocktail Lounge, Nov. 13-Dec. 31