CP Illustration: Abbie Adams
Stating that the holidays look very different from previous years has become a cliché at this point. But for people like Lance Skapura, a professional Santa Claus who has performed in and around Pittsburgh for the last seven years, the rote sentiment still carries a lot of weight.
“Everything is a little bit more somber than it would be in a normal year,” says Skapura when describing being hired for private home visits, where his contract requires that everyone wear a mask and adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines. “Whenever you come into the home, it's not the explosion of anticipation that it has been in past years.”