Get started this weekend on holiday shopping with these gift ideas from Hinsdale stores
Laura Glenn, president of the Hinsdale Auxiliary of the Children's Home + Aid Society, and a longtime Hinsdale resident, found this cute pillow for her bride-to-be daughter on a simulated shopping trip to 13 Hinsdale stores.
This bag of five plush dinosaurs would bring a smile to the face of one 3-year-old future flower girl. (photos by Jim Slonoff)
Next Christmas, the Glenn family will have a new member at the holiday table.
Laura and Matt Glenn's daughter, Taylor, is getting married in July 2022.
The family typically gathers at the Hinsdale home the Glenns have lived in for 26 years. They raised their three children there - Riley, 25, Taylor, 22, and Jack, 21.
"We love our house," Laura Glenn said. "We love our location."
Glenn also has enjoyed the more than a decade she has spent volunteering with the Hinsdale Auxiliary of Children's Home + Aid Society, a group she now serves as president.
She is the first of four local leaders of nonprofits to accompany The Hinsdalean on a fictional shopping trip around town, identifying items that would make great gifts for friends and family.
Next week's shopper is Michelle Riley of Hinsdale Junior Woman's Club.
• Taylor and her fiancé, Peter, will enjoy having a "Mrs. & Mrs., est. 2022" pillow to remind them of the year they married. Vintage Charm, $48
• Friend Jenn, with whom Glenn has played tennis at Hinsdale Racquet Club for more than a decade, loves mega chocolate chip cookies. A dozen will make a delicious holiday gift. Sweet Ali's Gluten Free Bakery, $36
• A family of four small, decorative cardinals - one adult and three babies - will touch the heart of Glenn's mom, Jackie. The family lost Glenn's father, Ron, in April and have taken solace in the cardinals that have visited since. Hinsdale Flower Shop, $46.80 for four
• Taylor's dog, Teddy, just celebrated his third birthday. The puggle will love the stuffed plush Haute Diggity Dog birthday bone toy with polka dots and a special message. Velvet Touch, $19.99
• Glenn loves writing thank you notes - the ones on actual paper that you send in the mail. "You take the extra time to write a note and I think it's so meaningful." These Sugar Paper thank you notes with gold lettering, pink dots and coordinating envelopes (set of 6) have a touch of whimsy and elegance. Sass 'n' Class, $24
• A hand-chiseled swivel granite charcuterie board from Practical Girl Designs will give sister Mary a beautiful way to display a holiday appetizer and a conversation piece all in one. Char Crews, $120
• Spanish landscape artist Ramon Vilanova created an oil on canvass with bright red poppies entitled "La Estima que Siento por ti, no la Marchita la Noche," that reminds Glenn of her favorite vacation to Marbella, Spain, in 2012. Acquisitions of Fine Art, $10,900
• A pound of 10-14 count peeled raw gulf shrimp makes an easy weekday meal on the grill during a busy holiday season. Glenn likes to marinade them in honey, soy sauce, cracked red pepper and garlic before threading them on skewers. Burhop's, $30.95
• A glittered berry faux boxwood in a harlequin vase will make a lovely holiday surprise for a favorite neighbor. Marabella Home, $58.49
• Glenn's oldest daughter, Riley, will get plenty of use out of this practical and attractive MZ Wallace quilted burgundy patent tote bag. Kelsey Resale Shop, $169
• A bag of five stuffed dinosaurs stored in a clear vinyl tote is sure to bring a smile to the face of three-year-old Tenley, who will be the flower girl in Taylor's wedding and happens to be obsessed with dinosaurs. My Sister Kate, $50
• Molton Brown's Flora Luminare liquid hand wash and hand lotion will be a reminder of spring during the long winter for friend Stephanie. Blue Mercury, $65 for the pair
• There's nothing wrong with slipping a special little something under the tree for yourself, like this white gold eternity band encircled with 3.82 carats of oval diamonds. Browning & Sons, $8,800
