The year 2020 was always synonymous with technology, flying cars, teleportation, and robots. As we approached this highly anticipated year, we did advance and create amazing technology and interesting new ideas, but not quite what people anticipated. Instead, with the onset of the global pandemic in March, many people reverted back to the ways of the last century. 

On March 13th, 2020 America was sent into a lockdown and could not proceed with their “regular” activities. Face masks and shields were mandated almost everywhere and hanging out with friends was no longer an option. Schools were closed country-wide and restaurants were forced to only serve “to-go.” Grocery stores began to run out of staples, leaving everyday items a precious commodity. It seemed to many people that the whole world stopped. But in a year where many anticipated advancements, some took on the challenge of making their forced isolation into a creative and inspiring time instead of stressful and worrisome. 

The lack of grocery regulars and everyday staples coupled with a sudden explosion of time sent Americans into a new trend of reverting back to “old” ways. Gardening, cooking, and even raising farm animals began to trend, and with it came the appreciation and satisfaction of getting back to our roots. 

One older pastime that became popular in the pandemic is the trend of making homemade bread, which started on social media platforms such as Tik Tok, Instagram, and Facebook. People all over America began experimenting with their own creative bread recipes and tips. This “trend” has been around for much longer than in 2020. Humans have been making bread at their own homes for over 30,000 years (HISTORY). Breadmaking became just one of the throwbacks to the past that people began enjoying. One student, Katie Ellsworth (9) said “During quarantine, I baked a lot, mostly desserts like cookies and muffins!” 

Along with the stay-at-home orders came a stage of wanting to own more pets. Farm animals started selling like hotcakes all over America! Chickens, horses, ducks, and even goats were hard to find throughout the country. Since eggs were a product that was missing from stores, backyard chicken farming once again became popular. Horseback riding also increased in popularity, with horse sales and prices skyrocketing. It seems that the newfound free time allowed people to pick up new pastimes. 

One of the most popular trends during the lockdown has been the increase in pet adoptions. In fact, during the pandemic, many animal shelters have seen record low numbers of available animals. This trend of animal adoption is one of the greatest things to come out of 2020.

The 2020 year has been a year of firsts and a year of unpredictability. No one could have predicted Americans would be more likely to whip up a batch of bread while they looked out upon their newly built chicken coop than go shopping or out to eat. This year of firsts has been trying but has helped people return to their roots. While flying cars and robots still loom in the future, one thing is for certain: the future looks a whole lot brighter with our homemade goodies and animals as our new pastime.