It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Aruba’s Christmas Spirit is Here

It’s that time of year: the month of December is here. For many it’s the most wonderful time of the year and at Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Even though we lack the cold winter temperatures and the only thing that colors snow white is our beach, we fully embrace the Christmas spirit and warmly welcome the Holiday Season. In this blog you will read all about our Christmas traditions, offerings and suggestions to give back in the season of giving. 

A Christmas tree with personality 

What returns to our Lobby each year as soon as the calendar shows ‘December’ is Connie the Conifer, our sustainable Christmas tree with personality. When we reopened as Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba after an expansion in 2019, our main focus was to keep the unique feature of our property intact: a lush garden and a link to our tropical history as a former coconut plantation. To maintain our lushness some 2,300 new trees and plants, many of them local and indigenous, were added in the gardens of our expanded terrain. After the additional trees were planted the idea was born to source a Christmas tree from our own gardens. We selected a modest conifer and named her Connie, and so a new and sustainable Christmas tradition was born. 

Multi-functional gardens 

In our lush gardens lots of butterflies, bees and birds find their daily nurture and nests, our guests find their shade, privacy and tranquility, and various trees produce fresh fruits that find their way into seasonal dishes from our restaurant and bar, The Coco Café. In these multi-functional gardens, one particular tree makes a little trip each year: Connie the Conifer. Each Christmas Connie bids farewell to her lush neighbors and the radiant warmth of the sun and takes her position next to the Front Desk in our air-conditioned Lobby. After the Christmas festivities in Aruba come to an end, she is lovingly replanted back into our garden where she continues to thrive all year until the holiday season comes along again. And if we many say so: she’s never looked more stunning. 

Christmas ornaments with purpose 

Upon Connie’s return to the lobby each year she is decorated in style with a little help from the Boardwalk team. And who knew sustainability could look this festive! Our Christmas tree Connie is decorated with local artworks such as the hand-painted coconut ornaments by local artist Marlies Don of Coconut Bowl Aruba. Marlies transforms locally sourced coconuts into true art pieces with various purposes: from decorative bowls to Christmas ornaments. Broken coconuts and left over materials are also repurposed and given a second life as funky Aruba-themed key chains. Marlies donates part of the proceeds of Coconut Bowl Aruba to Animal Rescue organization Sgt Peppers Aruba. Want to bring some of these Christmas ornaments with a purpose back home with you? Make sure to stop and shop in our Lobby Store where the hand-painted coconut ornaments and other locally made Christmas gifts and Aruba souvenirs are available for purchase.