Holiday Happiness

Uptown Dallas’ West Village corners the market on holiday cheer

Uptown Dallas' West Village at the holidays

West Village is giving stuff away for 12 days this holiday season.

Photo by Joseph Haubert @whateveryouare

West Village, Uptown Dallas’ premier shopping and entertainment destination, has a lock on holiday cheer, starting with 12 days of giveaways, December 7-18. There is some serious swag up for grabs: Enter to win by following @westvillage_dallas on Instagram, and tagging three friends on posts.

Here’s the schedule of giveaways:

December 7: Avalon Salon and Spa $50 gift card plus hand and foot scrub.
December 8: Brewed + Pressed $50 gift card plus chocolate truffles.
December 9: Two giveaways: Eureka! Dallas $50 gift card plus swag basket and y&i clothing boutique $50 gift card plus other goodies.
December 10: Kendra Scott set (earrings and necklace) plus two nail lacquer colors, a $200 value.
December 11: Abi Ferrin $75 gift card
December 12: Cru Wine Bar gift basket, including a magnum of champagne.
December 13: MiniLuxe $125 gift card and face mask.
December 14: Q Custom Clothier $100 gift card.
December 15: Brooks Brothers shirt and tie combination, a $100 value.
December 16: Sweet As Sugar $200 gift card.
December 17: L. Bartlett $160 fur vest.
December 18: Park Place Mercedes-Benz weekend giveaway plus prize basket.

Winners will be announced via Instagram.

That’s not the only way West Village is spreading holiday cheer. On December 10 and 17 from 1-3 pm, carolers sing your favorite holiday tunes near the big Christmas tree and throughout West Village. While you’re there, grab a cup of hot cocoa from Sablon Chocolate Lounge or Starbucks.

Show the love for Buddy with a screening of Elf on December 14. Live music starts at 4:30 pm; the movie starts at 6:30. Cru Wine Bar provides a s’mores station while supplies last, and Armstead Band will perform live. Check the West Village website for more information.

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Turkey Day news

Dallas eats up top-5 rank on list of best cities for Thanksgiving

Photo courtesy of Razzoo's

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Dallas is sitting at the head of the table as one of the best places in the country to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, a new study has revealed.

Dallas ranked No. 5 out of 100 of the largest U.S. cities in WalletHub's annual "Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving" report, published November 12. The city made a huge leap over its 2023 ranking as No. 17, and remains the highest-ranking Texas city.

The study analyzed each city based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The category that Dallas ranked the highest in was the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 2), and the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 9), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 82). Other categories that determined Dallas' overall ranking were affordability (No. 60), and a "giving thanks" rank (No. 26).

Dallas restaurants are getting prepared for their big Turkey Day feasts, and CultureMap has rounded up a thorough list of all of the local restaurants hosting holiday feasts, from brunch to dinner.

"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

By Thanksgiving on November 28, Dallas will be fully decked for the December holidays. Dallasites who will have extended family in town during Thanksgiving weekend can take in of all the marvelous Christmas lights brightening the city. Dallas-Fort Worth goes all out for the most wonderful time of year.

Across North Texas, three Dallas-area cities also made big improvements from their 2023 rankings. Irving moved up 10 spots to claim No. 19 this year, and Garland jumped up 21 spots on the list as No. 34. Arlington made the biggest improvement in the region, moving from No. 78 last year to No. 55 this year.

Meanwhile, Plano and Fort Worth slipped in the rankings, falling into No. 44 and No. 45 in 2024, respectively. Plano previously ranked No. 38 in 2023, and Fort Worth was No. 36.

San Diego, California (No. 1) topped the overall list of best places to go for Thanksgiving this year, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Francisco (No. 3) and San Jose (No. 4). Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2) rounds out the top five.

dallas fort worth thanksgiving wallethub rankings