Celebrating Christmas: On July 25, because of the pandemic
One Alle-Kiski Valley family hasn’t let covid stand in the way of celebrating Christmas.
When the pandemic forced a cancellation of their usual Christmas Day family gathering in Tarentum last year, Kathy Kemp of the Cabot section of Winfield Township, Butler County, got creative.
“My mom was not happy with me,” said Kemp of the decision to nix their Christmas Day festivities in 2020. “I promised her I would host a Christmas in July, and she held me to it.”
Four generations of Paceks gathered Sunday at the Kemps’ rural home in Cabot.
Ted and Nancy Pacek, 87 and 86 respectively, were beaming, and Ted even shed a few tears.
“I’m choked up,” he said. “I’m really happy to have this.”
“It’s different,” Nancy said. “There’s room for the kids to run around.”
The Paceks have been married for 65 years and have resided in Tarentum for 66 years.
They raised their six children in Tarentum, and Sunday was the first time the family of eight gathered in person in three years.
The couple have 13 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, with another grandchild due in November.
Son Ed Pacek traveled from New Hampshire for the celebration, and said he’s not on social media, so he doesn’t see online posts from various family members.
“I’ve been looking forward to this for months,” Ed Pacek said.
Kemp, decked out in a red Santa T-shirt, decorated her backyard with holiday-themed decorations that included a Christmas Tree, Christmas party favors, Christmas cookies and a multitude of wrapped gifts.
“I’m just trying to get my parents to smile,” Kemp said of the unorthodox but creative compromise.
Activities included two Christmas-themed pinatas — one for the adults, one for the kiddos — and unwrapping presents.
A traditional Christmas dinner, complete with a ham, was on the menu, along with hot dogs and hamburgers.
In a nod to the family’s Slovak heritage, the family enjoyed a traditional pot of sauerkraut soup, called kaputsnica, with their meal.
The Kemp family pool was at the ready for guests, a definite departure from the usual Christmas-time activities.
Nancy said she’d been shopping for months for Christmas gifts, and she always hosts a numbered gift-exchange.
The Paceks hope to reunite again this December in Tarentum to celebrate Christmas again.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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