AUSTIN, Texas — It's Christmas every day at Lala's Little Nugget in Austin. The pandemic has not stopped the neighborhood bar from keeping spirits high during a very tough time.

"We are a Christmas bar," explained general manager Sunny Allen. "I feel like Christmas should be a good, happy place. And everyone should be greeted as if it was the holiday and they were your family."

Although COVID-19 tried to dull their sparkle, Allen's team still managed to shine during the pandemic.

"Really sad when we had to close on Saint Patrick's Day," Allen said. "That was hard for us to stay relevant without being able to communicate with these people every day. We started Facebook groups. We called our regulars. We FaceTimed. We did little fundraisers for the staff."

When their doors opened again, Allen says they did everything they could to keep their customers safe.

"We had to step up our game on the cleaning," Allen said. "We put in dividers. Which it, you know, it breaks your heart to have to separate yourself from these people that you know and care about, to protect them."

Their holly-jolly days continue, bringing holiday cheer to customers like Daniel Logan. 

"I love the holidays. I'm a holiday nut. It's my first time here and probably one of the coolest places in Austin," Logan said.

Hearing that simple satisfaction is what keeps Allen going. 

"You come here one time and you're family," Allen said. "And it's always that way. And it's always been that way for 49 years now."