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Verizon Up members score VIP access at CultureMap's Holiday Pop-Up Shop

Dallasites looking for a festive time recently swung by CultureMap's 2018 Holiday Pop-Up Shop, ready to shop 'til they dropped and prep for all their upcoming present needs.

But 100 Verizon Up members got to enjoy a bonus simply for being part of the carrier's rewards program: early entry and a VIP bag packed with sweet swag from the pop-up shop's vendors.

Competition was fierce among those vying for these desirable bags, which contained everything from jewelry to cookies to gift cards.

About half the recipients received shiny baubles from Lo Lo Jewels while the other half discovered jewelry from Valerie Morgan Designs. A package from Lily Rain turned into a fun surprise, with each Verizon Up member unveiling a different piece of trendy jewelry.

Helpful home items were also well received, such as a festively fragrant 2 oz. candle from Talulah & Hess, a bottle of Poo-Pourri in its original citrus scent, sleek and insulated tumblers from Verizon, and a sample bottle of Tom & Sheri's Iron in a Bottle, which promises to quickly release wrinkles on clothing without any harsh chemicals.

Of course, there was a bellini and mimosa station from Korbel pouring at the pop-up shop, but the Champagne brand slipped a mini bottle of bubbly into the VIP totes for later, along with a striped paper straw for eco-conscious sipping. Also to be enjoyed later was a jar of apple butter from Yims Foods, which won a ribbon at this year's State Fair of Texas, and activated almonds plus sea palm from Brewed + Pressed, a mineral-rich, alkalizing beauty food.

Those seeking a project were all set thanks to Google and The T Shop, the former of which provided a Mason jar brimming with cookie-making ingredients and the latter a paperwhite bulb, which only needs water and rocks, not soil, to grow and thrive.

Especially coveted were the 100 Jon Hart tote organizers donated by KidBiz and The Jon Hart Shop @ TheBiz, which provided free onsite monogramming. Also onsite was Vivian's Boutique Spa, kneading out holiday stress with free chair massages, but those with the Verizon Up bags were delighted to find $50 gift cards to Vivian's for a massage or facial.

So for those who weren't Verizon Up members and were left waiting in line until general admission started, what else were they missing out on? The best rewards for being on the best network. Verizon Up members have access to perks like bonus data, gift cards, and Device Dollars, all for simply paying their wireless bills.

If you're a Verizon customer, make sure you are getting your rewards. If not, you can easily make the switch today.

The first 100 Verizon Up members received early entry and a special swag bag.

Sarabeth Quattlebaum, Kelsey Thompson, CultureMap Holiday Pop-up Shop

Photo by Ashley Gongora

The first 100 Verizon Up members received early entry and a special swag bag.

apps shopping promoted holidays

happy go lucky plano

Dallas neighbor dazzles on new list of happiest cities in America

Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

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A new happiness study has ranked Plano one of the happiest cities in America this year, and it once again landed on top as the happiest city in Texas.

Plano has moved up on the list and ranks as the 16th happiest U.S. city in 2026. Last year, it was 17th.

WalletHub determined the happiest cities in America based on 29 relevant metrics based on "positive-psychology research" across three main categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment. As with most WalletHub studies, it compared the 182 most populous U.S. cities.

Fremont, California claimed the top spot as the happiest city nationwide for another year. Bismark, North Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona, respectfully, rounded out the top three.

Here's how WalletHub ranked Plano across the three key dimensions:

No. 15 – Emotional and physical wellbeing
No. 22 – Community and environment
No. 72 – Income and employment

Plano and its residents have continued improving their city year after year, whether its through opening new bakeries and restaurants, inviting fun pop-ups for locals, or having a strong job market.

Plano's happiness far outshines the rest of North Texas; according to WalletHub, Irving is the 70th happiest city in the country, the third-happiest in Texas, and the second-happiest city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. Garland ranked farther behind as No. 92 nationally, and more DFW cities ranked even lower: Grand Prairie (No. 106), Dallas (No. 111), Fort Worth (No. 113), and Arlington (No. 119).

The report additionally found that Dallasites spend the third-most amount of time at work in the nation. The city ranked No. 180 in the national analysis of U.S. cities with the "fewest work hours."

WalletHub also emphasized that money doesn't buy happiness — after a certain point.

"For decades, researchers have explored the science of happiness and identified several core factors, including mental well-being, physical health, strong social ties, job satisfaction, and financial stability," the report said. "Still, income has its limits — studies show that earning more than $75,000 a year does not lead to greater happiness."

Six-figure earners in Plano aren't necessarily as happy as those who don't make as much, as a separate financial study from SmartAsset revealed these big earners are only taking home about $72,653 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living.

This is how other Texas cities ranked in the report:

No. 39 – Austin
No. 128 – Houston
No. 135 – Lubbock
No. 137 – El Paso
No. 140 – Laredo
No. 143 – Amarillo
No. 150 – Brownsville
No. 154 – San Antonio
No. 155 – Corpus Christi

wallethub plano reports