and we had sushi!
The festive season looks a little different this year.
Hey guys,
I’ve always been someone who likes tradition. I like doing things in a certain way and then replicating that forever. And, of course, that does not always make sense, and the world almost always interrupts my routine. Which maybe kinda makes me used to being inconvenienced, I guess.
2020 was definitely tricky, but I thought that I was able to handle it better than most. I was lucky that I had moved back home and I was in lockdown with my family, and I’m naturally introverted so staying at home isn’t exactly a challenge. But I struggled this year. I struggled to do anything more than be on autopilot, struggled to hope for more, struggled to believe in a lot of the ideals that I held close to me.
So I really wasn’t looking forward to Christmas. I love Christmas so much: the smell of the tree, singing ‘O Holy Night’ at midnight mass, having my extended family around me, listening to Mariah Carey and Celine Dion (with some Bing and Nat too) on rotation. I thought that a COVID Christmas would mean that Christmas won’t be special, because we wouldn’t be doing the things that I associate with Christmas.
But COVID put a different swing on things. I got to watch the midnight mass in overalls and barefoot in the lounge with my parents which put a lot less emphasis on what I was wearing to the service and who was attending and let me focus on the message. Because no one was coming to visit, the decor of the house seemed more what we were feeling than what we thought other people would like. And the fact that we didn’t have a huge lunch to prepare for meant that we got to have more fun with the day. It was okay that my dessert flopped. We laughed A LOT, we had less passive-aggressiveness. And we had SUSHI!
So what I’m trying to say was that by having a very unconventional Christmas, I might have had the best Christmas of all. Yes, I miss my extended family, and I can’t wait to sing ‘O Holy Night’ with everyone again, but if the spirit of Christmas really truly is love and family, then I might have truly experienced it for the first time. And I know that if my days are short, or it long, I will treasure the memory of this Christmas for all of it.
2020 has been a difficult year, and there is no indication that 2021 won’t be hard as well. It does not help to compare it to previous years, we are living through extraordinary times, nothing could have prepared us for a global pandemic. But now that it is here, and without being vaccinated we need to do what we can to adjust our lives and our plans around it. The only thing we can do is try to make the most out of every situation we are in, albeit restricted.
So I wish you a happy and safe festive season, and that you and your loved ones are protected. 2021 will bring its own surprises, and I hope that we will all be there to revel in it.
Let us eat sushi!
How was your festive season during the pandemic?
other things that are on my mind this week:
Film: Mank - For those who are fans of classic Hollywood and Citizen Kane, David Fincher’s new film about the screenwriter of Kane, Howard Mankowitz is currently on Netflix. Notably an excellent performance by Amanda Seyfried as Marian Davies. You can read my review on Channel24.
Film: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom - Based on the August Wilson play of the same time, it tells the story of a day in the recording studio of legendary blues singer, Ma Rainey. With spectacular performances (notably Chadwick Boseman) and stunning monologues, it’s a beautiful piece of art. You can watch it on Netflix and read my review for Channel24 here.
Series: Bridgerton - In my early 20s I was obsessed with the Bridgerton book series, I love a good regency romance and these have a good sense of pulp and wittiness. The series produced by Shonda Rhimes is addictive, sexy and a lot of fun. You can watch it on Netflix and read my review on Channel24.
Film: Sylvie’s Love - You know I love a good period romance and this one is set in the 1950s/60s and follows a saxophonist and aspiring TV producer who fall in love but are both following their own dreams. Starring Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha it’s a black romance that is just about two people on the journey of love where racism is not a main character (I mean, it is there as it always is). It is a lovely story with amazing costumes and cinematography. You can watch it on Amazon Prime.
Series: Dash & Lily - Because Christmas was unconventional this year, I went into midnight watching the series Dash & Lily. It was exactly what I was looking for - sweet, cute, and light. Based on the YA novels, it stars Austin Abrams (looking like a 90s Ethan Hawke) and Midori Francis as they fall in love through a scavenger hunt through New York on Christmas. It’s adorable AF. You can watch it on Netflix here.
what’s ign crushing on:
We were joined on the podcast by musician Dani Bagel and we spoke about her new single ‘Testing’, her inspirations for her debut EP, ‘Magic In Her Hair’, releasing her music independently, and what being sturvy means to her. You can listen to the episode here.
For our Christmas episode, we were joined by my mom (Val) and my sister (Vanessa) to chat about funny Christmas memories like my cheap gifts and terrible Christmas ornaments, Val’s obsession with TLC shows, and why Vanessa loves Christmas so much, as well as what the spirit of Christmas really means. You can listen to the episode here.
For this our final episode of 2020, we went back and recapped some of our favourite moments from our interviews, answered some of your questions, heard from our guests about their top moments in pop culture this year, and gave our top lists of 2020. You can listen to the episode here.
