No matter how you cut it, today’s Dallas Groupon for Luxe Boutique in Snider Plaza is an awesome deal.

Have at it!

Chris Canellos, Steve Canellos, University Park Mayor Dick Davis, Angelo Chantilis Jr., and Scott Vickers raise a milkshake toast in honor of the Burger House 60th anniversary. (Staff photo by Christina Barany)

I just returned from Burger House, where Bradford Pearson and I each enjoyed two burgers because A) they were 60 cents and B) in Brad’s words, “we’re growing boys.” To make us feel even worse about ourselves, we spotted University Park city manager Bob Livingston jogging on Hillcrest as we drove back to the office. Perhaps Bob was just trying to shed a few pounds before consuming a few burgers. Wish I’d thought of that. Read more about the Burger House anniversary celebration in this week’s edition of Park Cities People.

'Served by the Belles,' the Highland Park drill team's inaugural cookbook, is now available at Christy M Boutique.

So Christy M Boutique — subject of a Park Cities People feature back in February, and a Snider Plaza store I literally cannot visit without buying something, dangit, even when I’m on the clock — is throwing a four-year anniversary party from 5 to 7:30 p.m. tonight.

I’m told Christy Mesec and her employees will be offering up wine, cheese, discounts, party favors, and the whole lot. They’re also selling copies of Served by the Belles, the Highland Belles’ new cookbook, alongside the store’s collection of clothes and accessories. You can find the book here, too, and at Kid Biz in Preston Center.

The promotional materials for the Nov. 20 tree lighting ceremony in Snider Plaza included the phrase “holiday tree,” and I can understand why. Given their commercial interests, the shopping center’s merchants were trying to appeal to all customers. The same goes for Highland Park Village, which hosted “A Village Holiday” on Friday.

The town of Highland Park, on the other hand, is less motivated to attract all comers. I find it refreshing that Mayor Bill Seay and company will be lighting a Christmas tree on Thursday evening. And that’s coming from a guy who’s been bar mitzvahed.

So. Snider Plaza’s annual tree-lighting is Sunday, and your friendly neighborhood news team will be working a booth with Laguna coffee, games for kids, and (I sense) some other surprises. Publisher Karen Mordecai and managing editor Dan Koller are even going to introduce Santa himself, if you can imagine, so we hope you’ll drop by and say hello.

The Plaza website has event details.

So it’s now been one year since University Park voters overwhelmingly approved sweeping changes to the city’s alcohol laws.

In today’s paper, we chatted with a few businessy folks this affected, but didn’t talk to any average Joes on the street. Here’s your chance.

Good, bad, indifferent? Happy to grab a six-pack on your way home? Think the city’s slouching towards Gomorrah? Spill it.

That’s the word from our friend/Sith overlord Nancy Nichols at Side Dish. She gives a brief history of the restaurant, but says she can’t get anyone on the phone to tell her why they closed.

Any insight, Parkies?

UPDATE: Not closed, just moved. See below. Thanks to our departed production director Kate Mitchell’s sister for the pic.

Chef and owner of Snider Plaza’s Dive Coastal Cuisine restaurant, Francesca Nor, will host a cooking class at Duo tomorrow. The menu, which is influenced by Nor’s Miami background with a few seasonal touches, features mussels with champagne and chorizo, seared halibut with butternut squash hash, and Bosc pear and blackberry crisp for dessert. Expect light, healthy fare with plenty of flavor without all the fat.

The class is $65 and starts at 6:30. For more information, contact Duo at 214-884-2979.

Let’s face it, back-to-school shopping is meant for girls because, for the most part, boys really don’t care what they’re wearing. I asked my 8-year-old son what he’d like for school clothes this year. After a long blank stare, he mumbled, “I guess I’ll take a few Burger House and Kuby’s T-shirts if I have to get something new.”

And then the thing took on a life of its own. Now he has declared he’ll wear a shirt advertising something every day for the whole school year. We’ve got Burger House, Kuby’s, Highland Park Pharmacy, Wild About Harry’s, and JD’s Chippery. But if this is going to be an everyday deal, we’ll need some suggestions to increase the wardrobe.

Fuqua, the kid wants to know why Plaza Health Foods doesn’t have tees.

1. Do you like fishing? Do you own a fishing rod and bait? Are you a young child? —  I’ll assume you’re not. You might know one, though, who’s game to take part University Park’s annual Children’s Fishing Derby this Saturday. Read the fine print here.

2. It’s official: Paulette Martsolf, owner of Snider Plaza boutique Allie-Coosh (where’s she’s also the designer and primary print model) has launched her own jewelry line —  complete with eye-catchers like feathers, amber, and dinosaur bones/fossils. I’m serious, by the way, about the latter; Martsolf’s husband Rick is a retired paleontologist, and she’s always loved rocks and nature. Pick up next Friday’s paper for more dirt.

3. Need some stress reduction? Tai Chi classes begin 8:15 a.m. Sunday at First Unitarian Church of Dallas.