Well, that was brutal. But believe it or not, 2020 wasn’t all bad.
Halfway through this downer of a year, we published a list of 100 positive things that had happened so far, despite a raging worldwide pandemic, a country upended by a fight for racial equality, a divisive election and the loss of beloved celebrities.
Sadly, the second half of the year did not provide relief. In fact, COVID-19 cases skyrocketed, forcing Americans to make tough decisions around holiday gatherings. The fight for racial equality continued. More celebrities died.
It still does not feel like a moment to see the glass as half full or make lemonade out of lemons. But we tried.
This is not meant to minimize the harsh reality of an incredibly difficult year. Many lost loved ones. Many are struggling. Many feel sad, scared, frustrated and broken.
But while this year seemed especially hard, there were silver linings. Out of coronavirus came creativity. Out of quarantine came bonus time with family. Out of activism came changes for the better.
One thing we can try to do is to remember the good. Maybe this list will help. From small acts of kindness to new albums that got us dancing, here are 100 good things that happened in 2020, compiled by USA TODAY’s Life staff, in no particular order:
Vaccines! Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines were approved by the FDA and are being distributed to the most vulnerable populations. Celebrities like Ian McKellen, 81, and “Great British Baking Show” judge Prue Leith, 80, have already received their first dose.
This 91-year-old British grandpa got the vaccine and reminded us, “There’s no point in dying now.”
Not to be outdone, this 103-year-old grandma beat COVID-19 and celebrated with a Bud Light.
Drive-in movie theaters made a comeback.
Drive-in concerts became a thing (which is great news for those missing live music, or those who don’t like crowds anyway).
Football greats Tom Brady and Peyton Manning played golf with golf greats Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods in “The Match” for COVID-19 relief and it was amazing.
Restaurants shared their secret recipes so we could make them at home.
John Krasinski made good news go viral with “Some Good News.”
Restaurants got awesomely creative to enforce social distancing with pool noodle hats, bumper boats and dapper mannequin guests.
This opera company performed to a beautiful audience of houseplants and then donated the plants to health care workers.
People around the country brushed up on their sewing skills, making masks for people who need them most.
“Tiger King” somehow connected us. These other true-crime documentaries were pretty great, too.
Lady Gaga gave us a new album for sweaty dance-floor fun – in our living rooms.
Dua Lipa single-handedly saved pop music.
Then Carly Rae Jepsen did it again with her new album.
The Chicks returned after 14 years with “Gaslighter” and reignited our love of twangy empowerment songs.
Demi Lovato returned with her Grammy performance, followed by a flawless delivery of the national anthem at the Super Bowl.
Mariah Carey blessed us with a Christmas TV special (and simultaneous whistle tones with Ariana Grande).
In fact, it was the women in music who helped us manage seemingly endless bad news with their dance tracks, moving ballads and fierce messages about love and equality. Leave it to women to save the day.
DJ D-Nice gave everyone Club Quarantine with his free live sets. We got to party with Oprah, Snoop Dogg and Michelle Obama.
BTS had a “Dynamite” year, with the K-pop super group releasing its first song entirely in English, which earned a Grammy nomination, and being named Time magazine’s 2020 Entertainer of the Year.
People got creative about reimagined vacations, including our own staff.
Americans rushed to adopt and foster pets in need amid the pandemic. And then we got to spend more time with our precious pets while we worked from home.
Sure, we might have gained a little weight, but we rediscovered our love for old hobbies like cooking and gardening.
And when it comes to baking, we got really creative by turning tiny pancakes into cereal and so much more.
We also had time to read again and we seized the moment to educate ourselves: Books like Robin DiAngelo’s “White Fragility” and Ibram X. Kendi’s “How to Be an Antiracist” topped USA TODAY’s best-selling books list for weeks.
Lots of other great new novels hit the shelves this year, too. These 13 books earned perfect four-star reviews from USA TODAY critics.
Puzzles and board games became cool again and offered a much-needed break from our screens.
Even chess boards returned in droves to dining room tables, thanks to “The Queen’s Gambit,” one of the best shows of 2020.
Disney Channel stars from childhood had major glo-up moments after overcoming challenges.
TikTok blew up and our boredom was cured. (Well, at least some of our time during quarantine was filled learning dances from these short videos.)
The video-sharing app gave us Tabitha Brown, who soothed us with her calming voice and motivational speeches. These Black creators brought joy, too.
TikTok also gave us this heartwarming video of a guy skateboarding to “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac and it got Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood to join the platform.
Netflix’s elaborate “Floor Is Lava” competition brought us back to the imaginary game of our childhoods. Reality TV games offered mindless entertainment – a distraction from the serious and an outlet for silliness.
Distilleries around the country used their resources to produce badly needed hand sanitizer.
Brad Paisley bought beer for these two friends who encouraged their community, “Black or white, relax and have a beer.”
Stanley Tucci made a Negroni in an inexplicably soothing video and we just really needed it.
Ina Garten made a cocktail, too, and we related to its massive size.
Major companies such as 3M and Apple pooled resources or shifted production to make millions of masks to help keep people safe.
Ford, GM, Tesla and other automakers were able to make ventilators and other medical devices to help with the pandemic.
The Life is Good brand kept optimism thriving in a difficult time. Through social distancing and staggered shifts, the company kept its distribution center up and running. The brand’s catchy pandemic T-shirts flew off the shelves with messages like “Wash your paws” and “Stay calm, stay cool, stay home.”
Crayola launched a box of crayons with diverse skin colors for children to “accurately color themselves into the world.”
We learned that homeschooling is HARD and finally recognized teachers for the heroes that they are.
Health care workers and essential workers: Also heroes.
NASA named its Washington headquarters after Mary W. Jackson, its first Black female engineer.
Bird-watching: We did it. Peaceful, right?
Sales of bikes, helmets and other accessories soared as people sought socially distant activities and entertainment outside. And let’s be honest, we all needed the fresh air and exercise.
Zoom flubs brought comedic relief, like this ABC reporter who forgot to put on pants.
Banksy resurfaced!
We came up with creative ways to celebrate big milestones like drive-by birthdays and Zoom parties.
Twelve-year-old Keedron Bryant went viral with his powerful song about being a young Black man in America. He got a record deal.
A 6-year-old boy saved his little sister from an attacking dog and was hailed as a superhero.
For the first time, the best picture Oscar went to an international feature film: “Parasite.”
Mickey Guyton sang a powerful rendition of “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?” at the Academy of Country Music Awards, the first Black female country artist to perform on that stage. She also made history by becoming the first Black female solo artist to earn a Grammy nod in a country music category.
Brad Pitt charmed us with jokes during awards season. He also won his first acting Oscar and made a hunky Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Laura Dern won her first Oscar.
Billie Eilish swept the Grammys.
Grammys host Alicia Keys gave us a much-needed moment of comfort following the death of Kobe Bryant.
Then Keys did it again as host of Nickelodeon’s “Kids, Race and Unity,” helping us have important conversations with children about racism and police brutality.
A “Friends” reunion, finally! (It’s delayed because of coronavirus, but you can still rewatch all of the sitcom on HBO Max until then.)
A “Bachelor” for seniors is in the works and we are SO HERE FOR IT.
Love still blossomed amid quarantine thanks to drones, digital dinners and an inflatable plastic bubble.
Love blossomed for celebrities, too! Star engagements and marriages showed us love is still going strong even in a challenging year.
After 40 seasons of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” ABC finally cast its first Black male lead, Matt James.
Major entertainment organizations such as The Academy, The Recording Academy and TV networks made commitments to improve diversity.
Magazine covers grew more inclusive, both on the page and behind the scenes. See our gallery of groundbreaking covers.
Elliot Page spoke his truth and came out as transgender.
Kate McKinnon and Elizabeth Warren flipped the switch and it was amazing.
Cast reunions – like “The West Wing” and “Goonies” – helped us remember the good ol’ days.
Celebrities surprised graduates at virtual commencement ceremonies.
Celebrity kindness didn’t stop there. There were many heartwarming stories but we especially loved when Jason Momoa surprised a young “Aquaman” fan battling cancer and when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Krasinski teamed up to help a widowed father give his kids a special Christmas.
Beyoncé dropped some fierce surprises, like her Juneteenth track “Black Parade” and visual album “Black Is King” on Disney+.
Taylor Swift dropped not one, but TWO surprise albums. They tied for USA TODAY’s best of 2020.
Dolly Parton. She helped fund Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine research, gave us a Christmas album and TV special, and saved her young co-star. She is a national treasure.
Ashley Graham, Jenna Dewan, Anderson Cooper and more stars welcomed the most adorable babies.
Eminem celebrated 12 years of sobriety and released two surprise albums.
Miley Cyrus is working on her sobriety, too.
Dax Shepard relapsed but then recovered thanks to unconditional love from his friends and family. He shared his journey to help others struggling with addiction.
Smaller movies and hidden gems were suddenly at our fingertips (streaming!). Bigger movies, too. Warner Bros. announced it will release all of its 2021 movies on HBO Max. It could be a blow to theaters, but it’s a win for consumers.
NBC saved joyful TV show “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” renewing it for another season just as our readers wanted per USA TODAY’s annual “Save Our Shows” survey.
“Hamilton” the movie. It lived up to the hype.
Virtual wine tastings! Because we can’t all afford to visit California or Italy, even if we weren’t in a pandemic.
We embraced our gray hair. Well, at least our books editor did.
At-home hairstyles brought us much-needed laughs, like Ryan Reynolds’ tiny ponytail.
We realized how much we love and need sports and its ability to unite us.
With toilet paper out of stock, bidets are booming, which is good news for our behinds and less wasteful.
Disney Family Singalongs entertained our kids for more than five minutes. OK, we are actually happy about the extra time with them.
Musicians took to social media to give us personal concerts from home.
Late-night talk show hosts continued to bring the funny from their homes, with adorable special guests – their kids.
Wearing sweatpants and tees became acceptable fashion choices all day, every day.
Weddings still happened over Zoom and it was beautiful.
We got a lot of new Christmas music and we’re not mad about it.
While coronavirus pushed many museums to close, it opened up their collections to audiences virtually. Sure, it’s still better to see art in person, but it’s not a bad way to spend your lunch break. Smithsonian, anyone?
You can also now virtually explore national parks, zoos, even Mars!
We took road trips! Our reporter learned to RV and then shared all the glorious details of how to do it with us.
Despite production shutdowns and theaters closing, we still got some really good movies in 2020 and ones that told diverse stories. Our 10 best movies of the year takes in an inclusive musical about gay teens and several movies about the Black experience.
TV made the year bearable. Our TV critic rewatched old favorites like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “The Office” and relaxed with “The Great British Baking Show” and “Schitt’s Creek.”
Through it all, we’ve kept our sense of humor, as evidenced by the holiday cards we sent out.
There were still PUPPY PICTURES!
The best news of all: 2020 is nearly over, and we are taking its painful but necessary lessons with us into the new year. Practice gratitude, hug your friends and family when you can and don’t wait to live your best life.
