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Dallas Shoppers Plan To Spend More Than The National Average On Holiday Gifts, Survey Says

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Five stories that have North Texas talking: Crack open the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book; Cowboys will host the 2018 draft; tracking Texas quakes in real time; and more.

Dallas-area residents plan to spend an average of $738 on gifts this year, according to a recent survey by Accenture.

That’s more than residents surveyed in Houston ($668) and Austin ($465) as well as the national average ($632).

 

October isn’t too early for Dallas shoppers to get started. According to Accenture’s survey, seven out of 10 Dallas consumers are buying holidays gifts throughout the year, thanks to big deals online, like Amazon Prime Day.

 

Another takeaway: Half of Dallasites surveyed plan to spend more on experiences as gifts — concerts, cooking classes, trips — than on individual items, like the Funboy Yacht Pool Float you’ll find on Page 73 of the 91st edition of Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. It was published this week.

 

The luxury outlet has experiences to offer, too. For $150,000, you could travel to the Champagne region of France and personalize your own cuvée. D Magazine outlined each of the “Fantasy Gifts.”

 

Funny, the Christmas Book was first published in 1926 with just 16 pages. Simpler times. Here’s a bunch of historical facts about Neiman Marcus. [KERA News, D Magazine]

 

Some links have a pay wall or require a subscription.

  • Big get: The Dallas Cowboys will host the 2018 NFL draft in April in Arlington. It’s the first time the draft will happen in an NFL stadium. Last year, the draft was in Philadelphia and drew 250,000 fans. [The Associated Press]

  • Kids without care: The nonprofit Children At Risk mapped zip codes in Texas with very limited access to certified child care, areas known as "child care deserts." The vast majority — 89 percent — of low-income kids in Dallas County live in one. [KERA News]

  • Did you feel that?: With this new website from TexNet, you can monitor earthquakes in Texas in real time. The data will help inform the connection between increased earthquakes and oil and gas activity in parts of the state. [KUT]

  • Trick or treat: Texas’ favorite Halloween candy is Starburst, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Almond Joy, according to this map. [Candystore.com]

The High Five is KERA’s daily roundup of stories from Dallas-Fort Worth and across the state. Explore our archives here. And sign up for our weekly email for the North Texas news you need to know.