STRANGER THINGS HAVEN'T HAPPENED
Despite all the woes, 2020 did have some highlights
Whew. We finally made it to the end of 2020. Many have spent most of the year focused on the pandemic and the U.S. presidential election, but that's not all that happened.
With so much time spent at home, we read books, wrote critical essays, learned new skills and kept sourdough starters and new plants alive all year.
Just kidding — we spent the whole time watching TV and browsing the internet. And considering we can barely remember what month it is now (it's March 237th, isn't it?), we forgot about some things that made us cringe, laugh, cry or do all three at once:
NATURE IS WILD
We haven't been able to go outside much this year, but the natural world is still there, even if we forgot some of its major storylines. After all, if there's one thing we can rely on Mother Nature for, it's the reminder that the world stops for no one. At least until the inevitable heat death of the universe. But that's a worry for 2021!
AT LEAST WE HAVE ALL THOSE MEMES
Ah yes, the one shining light in this mess: memes. What better interruption between bouts of doom scrolling? We could honestly fill an entire page with just this. Or at least type out variations of “I'm in HYSTERICS,” “HELP” or “!!?@?$?2/3/@#?” while staring at our phones with a straight face.
PLEASE STAND BY FOR THESE FILMS ...
We did get to watch Emma. and The Invisible Man on the big screen this year (and Wonder Woman 1984 in some cities since Dec. 25), but the majority of 2020's most-anticipated features were delayed to 2021. There's plenty to unpack about how the movie industry was hit by the pandemic, but Twitter was more concerned with a very important question: Does this mean Sonic the Hedgehog has a shot at winning a best picture Oscar?
TV SHOW OBSESSIONS
Stop asking me if I'm still watching, Netflix. You know I am. The sagging indent on my couch knows, my “work from home” sweatpants know and my “how to play chess” search history knows. We've racked up more hours watching TV this year than is healthy, but at least we're not pronouncing Emily in Paris like it rhymes.
SPORTBALL!!
Believe it or not, The Weeknd is currently planning his performance for the next Super Bowl halftime show in less than six weeks. Remember when attending sports events in person was a thing? If you need me, I'll be rewatching Beyoncé's 2013 halftime show for the 73rd time.
OUR FAVE GAMES
When lockdowns first started, there were a few things that suddenly became harder to come by: toilet paper, disinfectant wipes and ... Nintendo Switches? (Little did we know the Switch shortage would simply be practice for the launch of the Xbox Series X and Playstation 5.) But with so many people at home, a lot of us suddenly had time to spare, and video games helped distract us.
What a wild ride, 2020. It's been a slog of a year, but hey, at least we're done with the entire concept of time, right? ... No? There's another year? Jeez, how many more of these things are there? Well, no pressure or anything, 2021, but all eyes are on you. Here's to more TV obsessions, games and memes.