Café la Fortuna owner is first of four shoppers to help paper highlight gift ideas in town
Angela Lavelli found this cute dress for one of her three daughters at Alixandra Collect-ions on her shopping trip through town last week. (Jim Slonoff photos)
This blazer from Kelsey Resale Boutique will be a perfect choice for work for another one of her daughters.
Angela Lavelli had been at work for several hours before she embarked on a 10 a.m. shopping excursion Friday.
As owner of Café la Fortuna in Hinsdale, she gets an early start - and her coffee shop is the first stop of the day for many of her customers. She warmly greets them by name as they walk through her doors.
Two of her co-workers will celebrate the holidays with her.
Daughter Alejandra and son-in-law Miguel also work at her shop. The celebration will begin with a big turkey dinner Dec. 24.
"Our Christmas Eve is our Thanksgiving," she said, noting that our American holiday is not celebrated in her native Mexico. "We all just go to sleep and wait for Santa to come," she said.
Christmas morning, it's time for brunch and opening presents, many of which Lavelli acquires right here in Hinsdale.
"I don't shop a lot for Christmas, but I shop local," she said.
Lavelli is the first shopper in The Hinsdalean's annual four-part gift guide series, which will continue through Dec. 19.
She visited a dozen stores in town to identify items that might make great Christmas gifts for family members and friends.
• She found her first pick right in her own shop - a "Hinsdale" mug designed by artist Ashley Ann.
"I'm going to use this for some customers and some friends," she said. $26.40, Café la Fortuna
• the turkey for Christmas Eve dinner is a 5-pound Rosebud Farm bone-in turkey breast. Kramer Foods, $21.94
• the Panier Des Sens rose hand cream will make a great stocking stuffer for her daughters, Alejandra, Sofia and Marianna. $17, Yves Delorme
• her son-in-law's parents will appreciate a pair of boxed, hand-blown glass ornaments made by Hinsdale's own Bennett Grimm. $35 each, Celestial Art Curation Gallery
• daughter Alejandra will love waking up Christmas morning in these cute and comfy Mary Square pajamas with vintage Santa faces and pink stripes. $69, Vintage Charm
• a gorgeous triple-stemmed red poinsettia in a basket will make the perfect hostess gift this season. $89, Phillip's Flowers and Gifts
• son Sebastian will get plenty of use out of the Cloudsurfer Trail waterproof shoe by On while he's out hiking and fishing.
"He loves the outside," Lavelli said. $180, Peak Lifestyle
• smart attire, like an Altuzarra black blazer with silver grommets and black lacing is perfect for daughter Sofia to wear to work at a law firm in the city. $299, Kelsey Resale Boutique
• this tasty crab spread is perfect to bring to a potluck or to pull out of the fridge when unexpected guests drop in. $10.95 a pound, Burhop's Seafood
• daughter Marianna will look so festive at parties in a teal sparkly long-sleeved holiday dress with a ruffle by Current Air. $112, Alixandra Collections
• this water-repellent coat in a tan plaid will keep Lavelli's golden doodle, named Sammy, warm, dry and looking stylish this winter. $44.99 Velvet Touch
• a silver 18-inch chain with a baptism disk is the perfect gift to mark this special occasion for Lavelli's 10-week old grandson, Daniel. $60, Jocelyn D. Jewelry
