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.”
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Make your holidays merry and bright with this South Bay & West Side city-by-city guide to Christmas, Chanukah, drive-thru light displays, Nutcrackers and more. (Shutterstock)
REDONDO BEACH, CA The holidays are nearing in Redondo Beach!
Christmas this year falls on a Friday, Dec. 25. Hanukkah is underway, running through Friday, Dec. 18. And Kwanzaa is Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.
Celebrations are markedly different for 2020, to be sure. Many annual community extravaganazas were canceled throughout Redondo Beach and the Greater L.A. region this year due to the pandemic and stay-at-home orders.
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But festivities still abound throughout the area as towns and organizations are getting creative with drive-thrus, virtual and socially distanced events many with limited availablity and required reservations.
Patrons are encouraged to support holiday market’s 35 vendors some which have online stores. Check here for details.
Others that don’t are finding ways to handle the merchandise.
Courtesy of Mairin Petrone
The Peoples Gas Holiday Market Square, Downtown Pittsburgh will close on Dec. 11. One of the vendors, the Pittsburgh Irish Festival Celtic Gift Shop will sell its remaining inventory at its sister store the Irish Design Center in Oakland.
Mairin Petrone is executive director of the Pittsburgh Irish Festival, which has a space at the market. She said she understands the closure. A sister store, the Irish Design Center in Oakland, agreed to take the remaining inventory. She is encouraging people to shop there.
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership announces closings in response to Gov Wolf s orders triblive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from triblive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.