Christmas is coming, and the signs are abundant.
The bows around campus, garlands hanging from everything that can hold their fresh, pleasantly prickly weight, various light strands surrounding the Busch Student Center and the upcoming events being organized by Saint Louis University Museum of Art all serve as reminders of the upcoming holiday season.
The seasonal events kick off Tuesday, Nov. 13 with “Effusive Lights Meets Effusive Sound” at 7:00 p.m. The event, which should last approximately an hour, will combine the museum’s current exhibit, “Elusive Light Michael Eastman Retrospective,” with a performance by select members from the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Cuban dance tunes, American folk songs and a mixture of bow and string instrumentals will accompany the photography, harmonizing light with the camera lens.
“The type of music that the symphony has chosen will compliment the photos in the gallery,” said University Museums and Galleries Marketing Coordinator Mary Marshall. “For instance, they will play some salsa music with the Cuban images; things like that.”
The following night, at 5:30, marks the fourth annual lighting of the Samuel Cupples House Christmas Tree. The event will also mark the unveiling of “Portrait of Maurice McNamee, S.J.” in honor of the late priest, who restored Cupples and helped prevent its impending demolition.
The ceremony will also feature the Christmas music stylings of jazz band The Silk Trio. Mary Bruemmer, former dean of student affairs and a University volunteer, will light the tree.
For those traditionaliststhat want to wait until after the Thanksgiving holiday to start celebrating, plenty of events are packed into the two-week span between turkey day and the end of the semester when we leave to spend over a month under the watchful eyes of mom and dad.
The lighting of the 1st, outdoor Cupples House Christmas Tree will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 5, at 5 p.m. KMOV-TV news personality Vickie Newton will perform the lighting ceremony, which will be followed by a reception and a sneak peek at the “Holiday Rooms in Bloom” exhibit.
“We’ll have some songs with the tree lighting, possibly some lit candles for people to hold . it’s going to be a very nice inauguration for the outdoor tree lighting ceremony,” Marshall said.
The “Holiday Rooms in Bloom” exhibit will run Dec. 5 through Dec. 9 at Cupples House. The exhibit will feature various floral works of art throughout the Cupples House.
Poinsettias, evergreens, snow-covered areas and other images from the season will deck the halls-as well as the entire first two floors of the mansion-in a special exhibit, courtesy of the St. Louis Florists’ Network.
“We had an event like the in the spring, and it was so popular that we wanted to bring it back for the holidays,” Marshall said.
All events are free of charge for Saint Louis University students, but everyone is welcome to enjoy the festivities. People visiting the Cupples House on Thursday, Dec. 6, are encouraged to donate an item of clothing to benefit the St. Francis Xavier parish help center.
Halloween is over, coats are making a comeback, Christmas music has started to flood the airwaves, Santa’s belly is getting ready to shake like a bowl full of jelly and the holiday season, with the help of SLUMA and Cupples House, has officially arrived.
