Five stories that have North Texas talking: Astronauts are celebrating Turkey Day in space; there are dedicated stores in D-FW for ugly Christmas sweaters; an Argyle woman trained her horses to eat Thanksgiving at the table; and more.
How much are you willing or able to spend on the holidays? Your answer might correspond to where you live in Texas. According to a study from WalletHub, the biggest average holiday budgets are found in Houston suburbs. The personal finance website compared 570 U.S. cities, and four Houston-area towns rank in the top 10:
- No. 2 League City ($2,362)
- No. 3 Sugar Land ($2,334)
- No. 5 Pearland ($2,080)
- No. 6 Missouri City ($1,985).
For comparison, Texas’ largest cities didn’t come close. Austin had an average of $714, Fort Worth: $626, San Antonio: $598, Houston: $547 and Dallas: $514. The Texas city with the lowest holiday budget — or maybe the best handmade gifts in the state — was College Station. The home of Texas A&M ranked at No. 523 with an average budget of $369. Read more on the methodology of the study. [WalletHub]
- It’s going to a be normal Thanksgiving for NASA astronauts, just without gravity. Shane Kimbrough, the international space station's commander is cooking classic dishes for the six-person crew on Thursday, The Associated Press reports. It will be the second Thanksgiving in space for Kimbrough, who's one month into a four-month mission, and the third for American Peggy Whitson, who arrived at the orbiting lab Saturday for a six-month stay, according to the AP. Here’s the NASA recipe for "out of this world" cornbread dressing. [The Associated Press]
- There are stores in D-FW dedicated to helping you find the perfect ugly Christmas sweater. Jeremy Turner, who opened the Ugly Christmas Sweater Shop in East Dallas last year, is expanding to Frisco and Fort Worth this holiday season, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. The The Dallas and Frisco locations are open already, and Turner tells the Star-Telegram he plans to open the Fort Worth store by Black Friday. All three will be selling hideous threads until Dec. 24. [Fort Worth Star-Telegram]
- It will be cheaper to drive to your Thanksgiving destination this year with a nationwide decline in gas prices. AAA Texas on Tuesday reported the average price at the pump in Texas was down a nickel to settle at $1.92 per gallon. The national average slipped 3 cents to reach $2.13 per gallon. In Texas, Amarillo has the cheapest gas this week at an average $1.79 per gallon, and drivers in El Paso have the most expensive pump price at $1.94. [The Associated Press]
- Remember the woman who sold her house-trained bison, Bullet? Now, Karen Schoeve of Argyle is teaching her horses to eat at the table in time for Thanksgiving. The Dallas Morning News reports: “After the story of her indoor bison went viral, Schoeve said she noticed two of her horses — Deuteronomy and Jigsaw — were comfortable in the home as well. She brought the other two, BamBam and Blackjack, inside with the help of trainer Alley Penshorn.” [The Dallas Morning News]
Watch the horses enjoy an unconventional meal, courtesy of the Morning News below.