More than A Cupples of Flowers

No doubt the Christmas season is considered overrated and overwrought by many, though most people enjoy it -- or outright love it -- nonetheless. All issues of over-commercialization aside, Christmas is a time of bright, cheering color, pageantry and the comfort inherent in durable traditions. It’s also a time to admire some pretty striking examples of the art of floral arrangement, all presented within the setting of a pretty striking example of the art of residential architecture. At Saint Louis University's historic Samuel Cupples House (3673 West Pine Mall; 314-977-2666 or cupples.slu.edu), you can take in the Holiday Rooms in Bloom experience Thursday through Sunday (December 8 through 11). The annual event, for which noted St. Louis florists decorate the rooms of the Cupples mansion with their floral ingenuity, begins at 5 p.m. Thursday, with seasonal music performed by SLU's Music Honor Society. The house is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free, but visitors are encouraged to donate a new or gently used item of winter clothing to benefit the St. Francis Xavier (College) Church parish help center.
Dec. 8-11, 2011