Children snacked on candy canes and waved glowsticks, parents sipped on complimentary hot chocolate and Santa Claus gave out hugs at the annual Evanston Christmas tree lighting Thursday evening.
The holiday event, which featured Mayor Lorraine H. Morton and Santa Claus, was held at Fountain Square on the corner of Davis Street and Orrington Avenue. More than 200 people showed up to listen to performances from the Evanston Children’s Choir and watch the tree lighting.
“We’ve done this the past four years,” said resident Renee Finucane, who brought her two grandchildren, Madeleine and Anthony Fassett. “It’s so beautiful — all the trees are strung with little Italian lights and when the Christmas tree is lit, it’s just a magical setting.”
The event, hosted by EvMark, an organization that promotes downtown business, began at 5 p.m. with a performance by members of the Evanston Children’s Choir. The choir sang a number of Christmas carols, including “Jingle Bells” and “Deck the Halls.”
Dressed in a bright red vest, green skirt and a headband in the shape of a Christmas tree, emcee Maggie Gautier passed out miniature candy canes and glowsticks to children during the event.
“Have yourself a great holiday no matter what you celebrate,” she said to the audience.
To help pass the time before the arrival of Santa Claus and the mayor, Gautier led the crowd through “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”
As the song ended, sirens blared and a red fire engine carrying Santa Claus and Morton pulled up to the square to be greeted by the cheers of the crowd.
Santa Claus was quickly surrounded by children who mobbed him with hugs. He passed out candy canes before giving a quick speech, which he finished by asking, “Has everyone been good this year?”
Morton, dressed in red and green, followed with a short speech. She wished everyone happy holidays and encouraged the crowd to shop in Evanston stores during the holiday season.
“The holidays that we celebrate here are traditional, and I think (lighting the tree is) a great tradition to maintain,” Morton said before the event. “It’s a unifying symbol. We hope it will inspire people to come and shop in our downtown.”
At 5:30 p.m. the crowd gathered around the tree as Gautier counted down until the lighting. As the colored lights of the tree flashed to life after three sets of countdowns, the crowd cheered.
“My favorite part was the singing and the tree lighting,” said Eric Pettinato, 9. “I really enjoy singing and I think the tree lighting is quite pretty.”
Pettinato, a fourth-grader who came to the event from Chicago with his parents, said his favorite part of the holidays is “the happiness.”
“Everyone’s happy during Christmas,” he said, “and that doesn’t happen often.”
