In The Spirit Of The Season — Even In This Dumpster Fire Of A Year — Here’s A Look At 100 Things For Which We Dallasites Can Remain Grateful.

This. Has. Been. A. Year.

Like, seriously.

As if the (still-ongoing) pandemic, a summer of civil unrest and a perceived uptick in area violence weren’t enough, we’ve also lost some real ones in 2020: Dallas stalwarts such as rapper Mo3, Power Trip frontman Riley Gale, rapper/producer FXXXXY, bluesman Lucky Peterson, comedian Clint Werth and Bill’s Records owner Bill Wisener are among the very many we’ve lost throughout this godforsaken year.

Alas, this isn’t the season for mourning or complaining. Rather, this is supposed to be the season for giving thanks.

So that’s what we’re doing with this here post. As we’ve done before in years past, we’re using this year’s Thanksgiving holiday as an excuse to tone down the negativity, to (mostly) ditch the snark and to celebrate all the things that make living in Dallas such a joy.

That’s right: We’re once again going around the proverbial table and sharing of all the Dallas things we’re thankful for this year.

Perhaps especially so in trying times such as these, it just feels like the right thing to do.

  1. Themed Airbnbs for leveled-up staycations.
  2. Fort Worth politics getting with the times.
  3. The motherfucking Ottoman Turks.
  4. Sacha Baron Cohen getting as much a kick out of Dallas as we do.
  5. Deep Ellum finally having a grocery store.
  6. Socially distant hangs — and the patios that host them.
  7. Fashionable Japanese sandwiches.
  8. Luka Doncic putting down roots in Dallas for years to come.
  9. A Dallas Stars sweater for every occasion.
  10. Philanthropic skateboarding icons.
  11. Nimble small business owners.
  12. The future of Dallas film being in good hands with Cooper Raiff.
  13. Dallas finally getting a Michelin-starred restaurant.
  14. The remarkably smooth process that was early voting at the AAC.
  15. Deep Ellum murals that pay proper respects.
  16. Free condom delivery.
  17. Creature comforts.
  18. Frivolous lawsuits involving Brad Pitt.
  19. SMU football’s long-time-coming resurgence.
  20. Subversive local guerilla art.
  21. The Mavericks finally greening back their jerseys.
  22. Mark Cuban doing the most.
  23. Finding humor in partisanship.
  24. The Church of the SubGenius getting its due.
  25. Shit happening.
  26. Looking forward to Wingstop — even when the Dallas Cowboys suck.
  27. The Stars’ thrilling Stanley Cup run.
  28. Anton Khudobin, specifically.
  29. Dallas-themed Zoom backgrounds.
  30. Deep Vellum doing every civic-minded Dallasite a favor and republishing The Accommodation.
  31. Activists without quit.
  32. Great local music — even during these live music-less times.
  33. Kim Finch’s ever-expanding empire.
  34. Cops who, in spite of everything, do seem to get it.
  35. Women taking a stand and taking over the record store game.
  36. Globe Life Field hosting a World Series in its inaugural season.
  37. Chief Hall not letting the door hit her on the way out.
  38. Comedians persisting.
  39. Movie theaters adapting.
  40. Scooters getting the boot.
  41. Kyoto Lo-Fi living up to the hype.
  42. The Old 97’s somehow improving with age.
  43. The ongoing Shelley Luther soap opera.
  44. Journalist Taylor Crumpton helping Dallas hip-hop getthe shine it deserves.
  45. Radio Hall-of-Famer Mike Rhyner sticking around after all.
  46. Barack Obama’s longstanding appreciation of Dallas musicians.
  47. Having the opportunity to literally dunk on racism.
  48. Deep Ellum consistently taking care of its own.
  49. Good-ass protest chants.
  50. Our city finally coming to terms with its problematic past.
  51. The way Dallas always sneaks its way into TV shows.
  52. The beauty of DPD HQ having to exist on Botham Jean Boulevard.
  53. The healing power of Erykah Badu and Marc Rebillet’s new friendship.
  54. To-go margs.
  55. The staying power of Norah Jones.
  56. Protesters with a sense of humor.
  57. The welcome distraction that was the Shredded Cheese Wife Guy saga.
  58. Masks, which you should be wearing pretty much always.
  59. Dumb charges getting dropped.
  60. Confederate statues coming down.
  61. The City of Dallas’ new rainbow flag.
  62. K-pop stans doing the most, and flooding DPD’s protester snitch line.
  63. Takeout.
  64. Erykah Badu’s campaign to become the new voice of Big Tex.
  65. Clay Jenkins’ steady hand.
  66. Michael Rappaport not putting up with a Fort Worth bar’s bullshit.
  67. The goddamn Vandoliers.
  68. Drug dealers.
  69. King of the Hill re-runs.
  70. Terry Black’s BBQ bringing a new flavor to Deep Ellum.
  71. Relief funds.
  72. The future of the quarterback position being groomed right over there in Southlake.
  73. Rent assistance.
  74. Bob Dylan’s JFK assassination obsession.
  75. Being able to tour Dallas from afar via Twitter.
  76. The return of the Dallas sign hacker!
  77. Furry conventions where we can be ourselves.
  78. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis’ bright futures.
  79. The hierarchy of Three Links’ back patio picnic tables.
  80. Trapboy Freddy coming into his own.
  81. The simpler times and humor of the Leaning Tower of Dallas and its incredible run.
  82. The return of the incomparable Dixie Chicks.
  83. Dallas playing a pivotal role in the Democratic Party presidential primary through campaign stops from Bernie Sanders to Pete Buttiieg to, eventually, Joe Biden.
  84. The still-expanding stacks at Josey Records.
  85. The return of Cheaters.
  86. The upstart holiday that is 214 Day.
  87. The unique perspective of visionary Dallas filmmaker David Lowery.
  88. The XFL, kinda.
  89. The throwback stylings and profilings of the Bastards of Soul.
  90. Candles that smell like Erykah Badu’s vagina.
  91. The bold ambitions of Dallas-based Playboy centerfold Chasity Samone.
  92. Radio favorites Ben & Skin finding a new nest to call their own at 97.1 The Eagle.
  93. Dallas-sprung pop starlet Tayla Parx’s emergence as more than just a songwriter.
  94. Corny dog drama!
  95. Dallas wrestling icons The Von Erichs finally getting their due.
  96. Oak Cliff’s incredibly charismatic Chris Sapphire breaking out of The Circle.
  97. Leon Bridges’ always-surprising sonic collaborations.
  98. Frisco’s Flat Earth Conference being… well, everything we thought it’d be.
  99. The Winter Classic once again affirming our belief that the Cotton Bowl remains a gem.
  100. Celebrating our faves whenever possible.
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