Things We Are Grateful For In 2020

2020 has had more than its fair share of disappointments. It started with so much hope with Halloween on a Saturday and on Daylight Saving Time, Cinco De Mayo fell on Taco Tuesday, and Christmas falls on a Friday. A global pandemic was not on the list of things we were looking forward to, murder hornets were not on my BINGO card, and many people going on a required lockdown to help flatten the curve was not our idea of fun. But all is not lost! We’ve put together the moments we are grateful for to show you it wasn’t all doom and gloom.

“In January, prior to the pandemic hitting full force, my family went on a Star Wars Disney cruise and I armored up in my clone trooper cosplay for one of the days at sea. And after four years of being an online student, my son started to keep track of his schoolwork and stayed on track with his assignments without my help.” – GeekMom Dakster Sullivan

“People driving and flying less has led to fewer emissions and a positive climate impact.” – GeekDad Greg Howley

“People are playing more board games and tabletop RPGs.” – GeekDad Ken Denmead

“Pre-COVID, I usually got home as my daughter was getting ready for bed. Now I can take a break from work to eat dinner with the family, and also eat lunch with them. I get to talk to my daughter more (I probably talk to my wife more, but the bulk of our conversation is after the daughter goes to bed, which hasn’t changed).” – GeekDad Derrick Schneider

“My kiddo became a reader, for one thing, he now fills in time with books and comic books, he has already finished Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire and is digging into Harry Potter: The Order Of The Phoenix, and he is nine years old. We also redecorated the kitchen and spent more money in craft courses than movies.” – GeekMom Mariana Ruiz

“My husband works from home with me most days now so I see a lot more of him and we have each other around if we need to vent about something. My sister & I used to go months between phone calls but now call each other once or twice a week to game together over our PlayStations. We’ve also saved so much money through not eating meals out/going on day trips/not using the car that we’ve been able to redecorate all our downstairs without tapping into credit.” – GeekMom Sophie Brown

“We’ve saved so much in gas. I’ve also learned with more detail where my stress limits lie, and learning to practice self-care more often and more effectively.” – GeekMom Jenny Bristol

“We are saving quite a bit of money from not having traveled at all since February.” – GeekMom Patricia Vollmer

“I’ve spent less on bar tabs this year than any other in the last two decades. We’ve eaten out twice in the last two months, and only at uncrowded places with outdoor seating.” – GeekDad Anton Olson

“I picked up a hobby I had shelved for nearly a decade. My kids do put a little more time into crafting activities especially since remote learning has them done earlier in the day. My kids have also gotten a bit into yoga. With the lack of morning commute to school, they don’t need to get up as early and can do martial arts practice and reading before the school day starts. Also, our insurance company is covering my telehealth therapy appointments 100% while the state still has us in a pandemic state. Thanks to Animal Crossing, the game of pandemic comfort, I have reconnected more with a few friends I didn’t see as often pre-COVID. One lives across the country from me.” – GeekMom Elizabeth MacAndrew

“During lockdown, we implemented family reading time which was lovely and my 11 year old finally understood why we love to read for pleasure.” – GeekDad Robin Brooks

“I earned my Ph.D. And I defended over Zoom, which saved me a flight, not to mention that I didn’t need to mail a physical bound copy that had to be signed by my full committee and officially received by the dean’s office. I think that Luddite tradition may have completely ended.” – GeekMom Mariah Karch

“My son got his license. My family is safe and healthy. I sold my house (and moved into a new, cozier one). I can wear sweats while working. I can wear pajamas while I work (I don’t, but I could). I have an excuse not to go to parties. I did a virtual reading of my play.” – GeekMom Nivi Engineer

“I have saved a ton of money on childcare!” – GeekMom Ariane Coffin

“The biggest positive was getting married (with masks and socially distanced with only a handful of people). I think the other biggest thing, in summary, is that despite some of the negatives around being trapped inside with nobody but our family, we’ve gotten to spend a lot more quality time together than before including more home-prepared family meals, a weekly family game night, and just being more engaged with our kids’ schoolwork and hobbies.” – GeekDad Will James

“I was fairly isolated before the pandemic because of my kid’s age and where we live. Now that just about everything is virtual, I can socialize more.” – GeekMom A.J. O’Connell

“It’s hard to believe Mando and The Child have already been in our lives for almost a year: Here’s to another season of adventure – This Is The Way!” – GeekDad John Booth

“I got a new job and I love it.” – GeekDad Chris Wickersham

“Baking bread. Learning about yeast, and growing wheat to learn the process end-to-end. I’m through threshing and winnowing, need to mill the berries now.” – GeekDad Ryan Hiller