For the first time in three years, the Evanston History Center hosted its annual holiday open house welcoming the community to learn about the history of Evanston and enjoy holiday festivities. The Evanston History Center, located in the Charles Gates Dawes House, hosts an extensive collection of Evanston history available to the public through tours, exhibits and community events. On Sunday, Dec. 4, the Dawes House was open for visitors to learn about Evanston history, listen to holiday music and enjoy the festive ambiance of the space. 

 “The holiday open house has been going on a really long time, at least 30 years. And the premise is just an opportunity to welcome the public to the house for the holidays.” said Eden Juron Pearlman, the executive director of the Evanston History Center. 

Pearlman said her favorite part of the open house is “the people [for whom] this is their holiday party. And they refer back to it every year… so that’s really special.” 

“This is our first return after three years. And we used to have food and drink and crafts and music… We’ve obviously scaled it back. We didn’t know what it was gonna be like as the first big event back,” said Pearlman.

Despite its three-year pause due to COVID-19, the holiday open house made a lively comeback with many guests new and returning eagerly to join the Evanston History Center in kickstarting holiday festivities, learning about Evanston history and gathering as a community.