If you’ve ever wondered about the evolution of the Christmas tree, visit The Campbell House Museum (1508 Locust, 314-421-0325, campbellhousemuseum.org), built for fur trader Robert Campbell in 1851. “Christmas changed a lot between the time the Campbells moved here and the time the last of the Campbells died here,” says Andrew Hahn, the museum’s executive director. “The Christmas tree was very new at the beginning of that period, and by the end, the tree had become larger. We represent both—the earlier and the later.” The former is on a tabletop in the third-floor library; the latter is above. The museum’s holiday decorating is overseen by Sam Clark, one-time head of May Co.’s display department and father of the famed Famous-Barr windows downtown.
“He has a lot of experience doing this sort of thing,” Hahn says. “He makes it look special.”
