Lala’s Little Nugget

In the Brentwood neighborhood of Austin, there’s a place where you can find the Christmas spirit even in the sweltering heat of a Texas summer. Since Lala’s Little Nugget opened in 1972, this dive bar has been serving up cheap drinks and Yuletide cheer all year round.

You’ll know you’re at the right place when you see the bar with reindeer carting a sleigh up on the rooftop. Inside, ornaments, tinsel, and twinkling string lights adorn the walls, and a small faux evergreen sits in a corner next to a green velvet throne fit for jolly old Saint Nick.

So what’s the reason for the neverending season? There are rumors, but it’s something of a mystery. Some said the woman who once owned the bar was left by her husband on Christmas. Others said that she had refused to take the decorations down until her son came back from the Vietnam War, and since he never returned the ornaments stayed up. Some said she just liked how they made the space feel.

When KUT News looked into the truth behind Lala’s permanent holiday decor, they identified the woman behind the Christmas curtain. Frances Lala owned and ran Lala’s from its opening until her retirement in 2015. Long-time regulars said you could almost always find her behind the bar and that she loved a tall tale. While the truth behind Lala’s everlasting holiday decor is out there, it remains a tightly guarded secret.