I believe that building a cabana in your backyard should definitely come with a bit of a warning. Because if you’re going to be extra and build said cabana, when the holidays come… you’ll also be extra and decorate it. At first I was all, “I’m not doing it. Everyone is over glittery-stress-christmas-Ashley. Control yourself.” And then I was all, {say it in the strawberry voice}  “Oh look, a pink Christmas tree!” So, two glittery nutcrackers, a chalkboard that the kids were bemoaning about not being included in our traditional Christmas mantel, and a shameful amount of bottle brush trees later… here we are. I mean, who can resist these striped ceilings paired with sparkle lights? My family likes to roll their eyes at me, but I tell them daily their lives would be so drab in my absence… so there’s that. Without further ado: Christmas in the Cabana. 

It’s been a minute since I actually decorated this space, not re-sharing my past ideas. This summer, the cabana was a fun hangout spot for all the teens, and though the weather has dropped and I’m now in hibernation potato mode, I feel like it might still be if we add a few heaters over the break. And even if not, it still looks pretty spectacular out of my back window each night. Life is short. Do what you want. 

We have had Carl the swordfish forever. {pronounced CORAL, and you have a reference for The Walking Dead. Yes, we built this in 2020 without much human contact; why do you ask?} But he’s a fancy boy now with these star + sparkle lights. 

Our beloved {I had no idea until I relocated it and got a bit of pushback from our teens} chalkboard found a new home in the cabana. The chalkboard art also got a bit of an upgrade. {No longer available at Wayfair, but similar find here in various sizes.} I paired it with this old school {throwback alert} garland.

Because of the overall vintage-classic vibe, I wanted more tinsel and I made this one by cutting these pipe cleaners in half. 

I loved adding the cutest tree this year, since our daughter has permanently taken our original tinsel tree for herself. It comes with these adorable lights that are battery-powered – perfect for tabletop decor. I added these ornaments + tinsel wire in gold + silver {leftover from this project} + I added some paper stars similar to these for a little easy accent. 

Of course, there are these easy, peasy little nutcrackers with an assortment of trees from here. { 1 / 2 / 3 }

Such a happy little space for the holidays! To check out more details on our cabana, be sure to see all the posts here where you can find out construction details + more. 

Just as with design and houses in our full-time jobs, I think that making our homes cozy for the holidays is a process that includes the psychological effects of adding a little cozy joy to our lives. 

I’m here for all the colorful fun it can bring. Especially in creating those remaining childhood memories for our kiddos. Time goes much too fast. 

We hope you enjoyed our little cabana tour today!   

    
What’s something that may be considered “extra” that you’ve taken the time to deck out in holiday joy this season? We’d love to hear. As always, let us know if we can point you in the right direction if you have any questions. Have an inspired day!

{Obligatory disclosure: Some of these little finds are affiliate links, which contain a small compensation so that we may continue the upkeep of this site. Thank you for understanding.😊}