Congo Falls, the San Antonio Zoo's long-awaited gorilla habitat, opens tomorrow.

Why it matters: It's been more than 30 years since western lowland gorillas — or any gorillas, for that matter — lived at the zoo, which is working to protect the critically endangered species.

Driving the news: Congo Falls is home to seven western lowland gorillas — a family group of three females and a male and a bachelor troop of three males.

Zoom in: In the family group are females Andi, Merry and Anaka, who came from Zoo Atlanta, and a male named Ajari, from the Houston Zoo.

• The bachelors are Shana, B'wenzi and Juba, all from the Dallas Zoo.
• The enclosure's setup mirrors how gorillas organize themselves in the wild — rotating habitats separately. The family group was paired for breeding, while the bachelors are non-breeding, reflecting the different social roles gorillas assume in the wild.

State of play: The new 2-acre Congo Falls habitat features a 30-foot waterfall with play zones and the Mays Family Silverback Peak, which is a 70-foot tower that anchors the exhibit.

• It has three distinct areas: the Lowland Basin, the Kim Lewis Family Foundation Rainforest Oasis and Gorilla Gorge.

The intrigue: The tower is meant to encourage gorillas' natural behavior of climbing trees to overlook canopies, zoo spokesperson Hope Roth tells Axios.

• "One [of the bachelor gorillas] ran straight to the tower and went right up. So we know they're going to absolutely love it," she says.

Threat level: Western lowland gorillas are considered critically endangered, meaning a species is one level away from disappearing from the wild and two levels from total extinction.

• The San Antonio Zoo is participating in a national effort to protect endangered animals and keep their populations healthy.

What's next: The zoo will debut gorilla-themed drone shows tonight and tomorrow at 8pm to celebrate the opening.

• The shows, viewable throughout zoo grounds, will be 15 minutes and include 400 drones.

👋 Hey, it's Madalyn! I'm a sucker for adorably garnished cocktails, so holiday pop-up bars are something I look forward to every December.

Catch up quick: Several bars are sleighing the game with full holiday takeovers complete with themed decor and festive sips.

Here are a few I've popped into.

🎄 Miracle on Arciniega

Anaqua, the Plaza Hotel's garden bar, transformed into a spacious holiday wonderland with plenty of photo-ops, hourly "snowfall" and bites such as tamales and pan dulce.

• Standouts include the Rum-Pa-Pum-Pum and Sleigh All Day (tequila), served in tropical Santa and Christmas tree glassware ($17 each).
• Bonus: The heaters make you forget you're outdoors.
• Runs through Dec. 28.

🔥 Blitzen's

El Colegio at Omni La Mansión del Rio offers a cozy fireside escape from holiday chaos called Blitzen's.

• It's dimly lit with a crackling fireplace as you sip drinks like the Frost Bite ($18), a rum-based cocktail topped with coconut shavings for a snowy finish.
• The Gilded Grinch ($10) — a decadent Dubai hot chocolate with pistachio whipped cream and more — really sweetened the deal.
• Runs through Jan. 4.

🧝‍♂️ Elf Bar

Artisan Distillery & Craft Bar's immersive experience includes elf-led games, socializing, cocktails and photo-ops during scheduled showtimes.

• Ticket prices and times vary.
• Runs through Dec. 24.

Worthy of your time: Howdy Sore Loser, Pink Shark, Esquire and Elsewhere also have themed cocktail experiences this season.

🛒 Royal Blue, the Austin-based neighborhood grocer and coffee shop, will open its long-anticipated Dignowity Hill store today. (CultureMap SA)

📚 KIPP Texas Public Schools, a charter school network, will close seven campuses in Austin and San Antonio next school year, including Un Mundo Primary and Camino Academy. (CBS Austin)

⚖️ Pabst Brewing laid off 60 to 70 San Antonio employees this month. A former worker sued the company, alleging it didn't provide proper notice under federal law.

• A Pabst spokesperson said the company has not yet been served with the lawsuit and cannot comment on its details. (SA Business Journal 🔑)

Hanukkah starts at sundown Sunday, with Monday as the first full day of the holiday this year.

What's happening: Hanukkah 2025 begins on a different day on the Gregorian calendar than it did last year (and will next year), but it's on the same date annually on the lunisolar Hebrew calendar.

Between the lines: Hanukkah starts on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar.

• The Hebrew calendar — also called the Jewish calendar — is timed according to the moon, with a "leap" month added seven times in every 19-year cycle.
• It works out that Jewish holidays are around the same time every year — like Hanukkah always being in the winter — and there's a full moon on the 15th of the month and a new moon at the start of the month.

👋 Madalyn again! As long as the weather keeps calling for soup, I'm answering — this time with Kung Fu Noodle.

The vibe: This relaxed Chinese soup spot near USAA was new to me, but judging by the crowd, I'm late to the party.

• As busy as it was, my group was able to get a table pretty quickly.

What to try: The beef noodle soup ($11.28). It's perfectly slurpable, the beef is fall-apart tender and the broth is full-bodied in flavor.

• You can pick your ideal spice level. I landed on level 2 after a recommendation from staff, and it hit the perfect balance.

The bottom line: It's fast, unfussy and exactly the kind of comfort food chilly days call for.