AND OUT FROM THE DARK ...

It wasn’t all bad. The year had moments of virus-inspired kindness: Musicians staged porch concerts, animal shelters saw more dog and cat adoptions. There was invention: With movies and TV shows stalled for a time, costumers sewed face masks. And there was silliness: Brad Pitt as Dr. Anthony Fauci on “Saturday Night Live.” It was the year an 85-year-old man, forced to leave USC a few units shy of graduation because of financial trouble, was able to complete his degree 64 years late. In Highland Park, patrons of a beloved elotero — a corn vendor — flocked to say farewell when word spread that he was returning to Mexico to marry his school sweetheart. The always financially struggling Homeboy Industries, which has helped so many leave the gang life, received $2.5 million from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Manna from heaven, indeed.

And who could have guessed our delight with MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki and CNN’s John King, who dazzled us with their command of charts showing election results? A new word was born too: chartthrobs.

Smiles have been few, but we’ve had some. This month a family in Australia came home to discover a koala perched in their plastic Christmas tree. A viral, skateboarding TikTok star tripled sales of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.”

And from the natural world came a reminder that life goes on. Israeli researchers celebrated the harvest of dates produced by palms grown from seeds recovered from archeological sites. The seeds were more than 2,000 years old. The dates were likened in taste to honey.

Even in 2020, something sweet.

Gary Coronado Los Angeles Times CUSTOMERS could barely wait for Andres Santos to set up at his Highland Park spot so they could buy his corn. Now they’re having to say goodbye: After more than 20 years, he’s returning to Mexico to start over.

Irfan Khan Los Angeles Times JESUS CARRILLO loads basketballs to be distributed with meal bags to children at an L.A. Unified School District procurement services center in Pico Rivera.

MELISSA ACEDERA, Mariah Tauger Los Angeles Times founder of the mobile Polo’s Pantry in Los Angeles, delivers meals and supplies to Harvey at the tent where he lives on Olvera Street.

Dania Maxwell Los Angeles Times LAPD OFFICER Nick Ferara, center, with Officer Dan Brown, gets Victoria Taboada a donated game for her 3-year-old daughter, Victoria, in San Pedro.

Carolyn Cole Los Angeles Times NAMIKO ISHII-DANGANAN, center, and daughters Miya, left, and Ami Ishii stepped up to foster Sky, a year-old pit bull, at their home in Downey.

Allen J. Schaben Los Angeles Times DARRYL MAPP, left, and Joe Cardinal take their act on the road — parked in front of a restaurant on Main Street in Seal Beach — via a 1978 Datsun pickup.