I think it's safe to say that 2020 was the year that all of our wildest nightmares came true. There was a global pandemic, a stressful election, protests for racial justice, and life-threatening wildfires on the West Coast, to name a few events that marked the year.
To put it simply, for most people, 2020 was a really difficult year. On a smaller scale, a lot of us have been cooped up inside our homes and separated from our other friends and family. All in all, most of us are more than ready to let the entire year go. We summed up 20 things that made this whirlwind of a year difficult and sad. We hope 2021 looks up.
The COVID-19 Pandemic
The year 2020 really belonged to COVID-19. Many of our plans were upended due to the global pandemic and we were all forced to live an entirely different life than the one we were used to — or hoped for. We started wearing masks, social distancing, and spending holidays at home alone. Hopefully, we can move on in 2021.
Kobe Bryant & Daughter Gianna's Deaths
Two deaths that made 2020 a really difficult year were basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. The untimely deaths occurred in late January, due to a tragic helicopter crash.
Toilet Paper Hoarding
Remember back in the spring when people were panic-buying all the toilet paper? We hope that toilet paper hoarding and a scarcity of this necessity never happens again.
Murder Hornets
In May 2020, Asian giant hornets, which kill up to 50 people a year in Japan, were spotted for the first time in the United States. They're pretty terrifying creatures, with horizontal snapper-like jaws.
Chadwick Boseman's Death
The hearts of Black Panther fans were broken when news of Chadwick Boseman's death broke. He died in August after quietly having colon cancer for years. Rest in power!
Fires Ravaged the West Coast
From Oregon to California, the West Coast of the US suffered from extremely dangerous wildfires this year. Over 4 million acres burned down, including people's homes and businesses. This would be bad enough in a normal year, but compounded with the pandemic, it was devastating.
We Lost Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The September 18 death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a pioneer for gender equality and other civil rights, was absolutely heartbreaking. But we will never forget the important legacy she left behind.
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Step Down as Royals
In January 2020, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stepped down from their duties as senior royals, which was pretty shocking to the world. This means the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will work to become financially independent and live in the US. For many royal fans, this was sad news.
A Stressful US Presidential Election
Not only did we have to deal with a global pandemic this year, but 2020 was also a presidential election year. What ensued was a long, stressful election period. Even though Election Day was on Tuesday, November 3, it wasn't until that Saturday that the US learned who the new president-elect was — and even that was contested until mid-December and beyond.
Not Being Able To See Our Elderly Loved Ones
To be as safe as possible, it was advised to not see any elderly people. For many families, not seeing grandparents or other elderly loved ones was really tough. We hope this changes in 2021.
'Tiger King'
Yes, we collectively binge-watched the wild mini docuseries Tiger King in early quarantine, but let's leave Joe Exotic and the poor treatment of big cats behind. Honestly, it was just too sad.
Stress Baking
Now don't get us wrong, we love sourdough and banana bread as much as the next person, but we definitely hit our limit on stress baking during 2020. Remember when we couldn't find flour at the grocery store? Yeah, let's leave that in 2020.
Spending the Holidays Alone
With travel restrictions and trying to be as safe as possible, many of us are not spending the holidays with our loved ones this year. At best, we might celebrate virtually, but it's pretty sad when we think about it!
Zoom Fatigue
At first, Zoom meetings and Zoom happy hours and parties were fun, and tolerable at worst. But after a while, socializing only through a screen began to feel like a total burden. We can't wait to never be in another Zoom room again.
Distance Learning
Call it remote schooling or distance learning, but teaching students through a computer screen has been tough on the teachers, students, and parents. We can't wait until our kids can get back in the classroom safely.
Working From Home
At first, we loved not having to commute to the office. But now, oh, what we would do to have watercooler conversations! Between having our kids distance learning at the kitchen table and back-to-back Zoom meetings, our work-life balance has become a total blur in 2020.
Dalgona Coffee
Did anyone actually make this? OK, scratch that. Did anyone actually find that much joy in this? Dalgona coffee might have existed before 2020, but it really blew up, thanks to TikTok and the need for entertainment in quarantine. We can just leave that behind.
Growing Green Onions
Let's set the record straight: Herb gardens are great. It's not so much growing green onions that we want to leave behind in 2020 but the fact that everyone decided to regrow their green onions bulbs to try to gain a sense of control in this wild year.
Wearing Only Sweatpants
Sweatpants are great and comfy, but our regular clothes miss us. Remember what it was like to dress up and go somewhere? And, like, wear pants with buttons and maybe even a bra? Can we go somewhere in 2021, please?
Maskne
As some of us learned the hard way, wearing a mask can cause breakouts around the lower half of our face. Is it the stress? Is it the mask's material? Is it not washing our masks enough? Is it all of the above? Either way, maskne was a big bummer of 2020.
