It’s no secret that this year wasn’t... the best, but even with the global pandemic looming over all our lives, there were some pretty great things to come out of 2020. Here are our Top 5!
1. Appreciation for In-Person Socialization
We’ve gotten pretty invested in our phones over the past few years, with older generations poking fun at the younger generations for “not being able to be present in the moment without their phones.” This year showed them how important phones are in our everyday lives, especially when they became the only form of close contact we can get with another person, but it also reminded us how important that in-person human connection is.
2. New Music
The music industry struggled as much as any other, but our favorite artists didn’t let us down. Even without live concerts, musicians powered through with livestream shows, new singles, new albums, and more for us to enjoy. Taylor Swift’s two surprise albums and Halsey’s book of poetry were definitely among the top musical releases to keep us going this year.
3. TikTok
TikTok has been around for some time, and I (like many other older Zoomers and Millennials) was not a fan at first. I never thought I would be on TikTok, but after months in isolation, those videos became impossible to ignore (or resist), and even harder to resist making! A major part of the appeal of TikTok comes from the type of content presented - fun dances, making transformations, outfit transformations, animals doing cute things, and cute relationship content.
4. Coming Together
This year we’ve come together over various issues, but the biggest one of all is the Black Lives Matter movement. Together members of the community marched in defense of their loved ones, stood in harsh conditions, and took care of each other.
5. New Hobbies
This year has been rough, with many let off from work, switching to a remote working position, or remote learning. With all of this time spent at home, we have had plenty of time to learn new things and pick up new hobbies. Those who had been struggling to find the time to finish that book were able to finish it and start even more. People learned how to do fun crafts such as working with resin and polymer clay, knitting, and more. People were able to hone in on their cooking and baking skills. This time in isolation gave us the ability to do those things we’ve wanted to but could never find the time to before.
But even if you weren’t able to do any of these things, whether you were still too busy or struggling to get through this tough situation, you made it to the end of the year, and that is the top moment of it all. Happy New Year!