2020 started out with all the hope and promise of a new year. And 2020 is a leap year, an extra day, hooray! We heard some rumblings about a deadly virus, but mostly it was being joked about at our Super Bowl and Oscar parties, and life carried on as normal.
Then March hit, and like most things in life, times changed. We quarantined, social distanced, learned to bake bread, and watched all the guilty pleasures Netflix could provide. We thanked essential workers, and learned to appreciate FaceTime a lot more.
Here are 31 cookies that sum up 2020, all from local bakeries (because let’s support small businesses please!). These bakeries decided to make creative cookies that reflect what was happening in 2020, and we think they nailed it. Scroll on to see all of the cookies that sum up this wild and crazy year!
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2020 YEAR IN COOKIES
We started out the new year with high hopes, excited about the possibilities. We loved that it was 2020 – what a great number! At the start of the year, we made jokes about the long running TV news program, 20/20, and Barbara Walters memes were abound!
CORONA COOKIES
Then, we started hearing about a virus named Corona. Well, bring on the beer jokes! Everyone thought things would be fine – let’s have a beer! We didn’t imagine that a Corona virus would affect us much.
HAND WASHING COOKIES
We learned how to properly wash our hands! Early on this year, it seemed like many people needed a refresher course in hand-washing. The news, talk shows, and PSAs told us we needed to lather for at least 20 seconds. They even gave us tips, like singing the Happy Birthday song twice while we are washing. All great reminders, but it makes us wonder, how were people washing their hands before all of this?
STATE FARM COOKIES
We learned a new term for not being close to others: social distancing. We were told to social distance and stay 6 feet apart from people. Stores put stickers on the floor to let us know how far away we should stand. We stopped going anywhere that was typically crowded, and some businesses had to limit the number of people that were allowed in at one time. Lines formed at grocery stores, but we took it all in stride.
TOILET PAPER COOKIES
At first, people thought the answer was toilet paper. Having a full stockpile of toilet paper would help with whatever might happen! We needed to stock up on toilet paper, but when we went to look for it, there was none. The Doomsday Preppers and practical hoarders got to it first. Isles at the stores were empty, and we didn’t know when the toilet paper demand would be met.
LYSOL SHORTAGE COOKIES
And it wasn’t only toilet paper that was in short supply. Lysol and Clorox wipes were also nowhere to be found. We thought, ok, hoarding this makes a little more sense than hoarding toilet paper for a contagious virus. We used our germ-killing wipes sparingly and checked Amazon daily to find more.
HAND SANITIZER COOKIES
Another thing in short supply was hand sanitizer. In case you couldn’t get to a sink in public, we needed a convenient way to become free of germs. Since it was difficult to find a bottle of Purell, we tried homemade recipes, like this one. Between all the hand washing and hand sanitizing, Bath and Body Works is making a killing this year!
ZOOM SCHOOL
Ok, ok everyone is freaking out over nothing, right? It isn’t that bad, unless they close the schools. Well, that happened and we all had to become both parents and teachers, all while trying to work from home. There were certainly some kinks that needed to be worked out (remember Zoom bombing?). But now it seems like kids and teachers have somewhat refined the remote learning experience and got into a groove.
ALEXA, HELP! COOKIES
It was fun for a little while, but then we started thinking, “when are we getting a break from these kids?” This cookie making video features a great idea – maybe Alexa can do it. She can do so much! Let’s ask her. “Alexa, can you please homeschool the kids? And clean the 24-hour cafeteria that used to be my kitchen? Thanks!”
THIS IS A DUMPSTER FIRE COOKIES
After about a month or two, we quickly realized this year was looking more like a dumpster fire. These cookies hilariously represent all the emotions we have had at one point or another throughout this year.
FLATTEN THE CURVE COOKIES
Another new term entered the 2020 lexicon. We all heard about cities and states having to “flatten the curve” so that we didn’t overwhelm the hospitals. Some states had stay at home orders, some restaurants and other non-essential businesses had to temporarily close. We realized that life at home might be longer than we expected.
DRINKING COOKIES
Since we didn’t have to go anywhere, why not have some cocktails. Kids bothering you at 10am? We might have had some wine and drank our way through the first leg of quarantine. I mean, who can blame us? We are all stuck inside the house with our families, all day, every day! Pop open a bottle! Liquor stores are essential businesses, right?
TIGER KING COOKIES
Hmm…no where to go, nothing to do. Let’s find something to binge-watch! Browsing through Netflix, we found the perfect escape from our realities: Tiger King. We couldn’t take our eyes off of Joe Exotic, the Tiger King, his animals, and his rivalry with Carole Baskin. Did she kill her husband? We had no idea that the exotic animal zoos existed, let alone that they had so much drama.
SCHITT’S CREEK COOKIES
After all the Tiger King drama, we just wanted to laugh and be happy. If we weren’t watching it already, we all escaped to Schitt’s Creek and laughed along with the Rose family. We learned how to “fold in the cheese” and couldn’t wait to see what wig Moira was wearing. We were stuck in quarantine with our own families, and it helped to watch how the Rose family comically handled their situation too.
AMAZON COOKIES
We didn’t think it was possible, but we started getting even more Amazon packages than before. Everything you need, delivered in a day or two. Since we can’t leave the house, what a perfect way to shop for a new blender (the kids want smoothies all the time!) or some comfy new lounge wear. We still try to hide packages from our husbands, but it becomes more difficult since they are at home too.
BLOWING OUT THE CANDLES COOKIES
As quarantine continued, we realized we needed to find new ways to celebrate things like birthdays! Yes, we were baking up a storm already, but can you believe we used to eat a cake after someone blew on it? Well we certainly aren’t doing that anymore! We are removing the candle and making a wish away from the desserts! Maybe this is a good practice we can take from 2020 that should continue on, even after the pandemic comes to an end.
GRAD COOKIES
The end of the 2019/2020 school year was certainly different, and no one felt that more than students who were graduating. There were no proms, elaborate ceremonies, large parties, or other celebrations. We had drive-by diploma pick-ups and congratulated them while social distancing. It was a unique situation that they won’t forget.
POSTPONED WEDDING COOKIES
Other events that were completely different in 2020: weddings. People who had large events booked had to postpone them a year or two. But people still got married! Some just changed up their plans and did a small event where friends and family watched virtually on their screens. It was still a wedding, and there can be plans for a party to celebrate or a vow renewal in the future.
BABY BOOM COOKIES
And with the quarantine and spending all that time at home, comes a baby boom! Couples forced to spend time together quickly realized that there was only so much bread baking and Netflix watching that could be done in a day. And with the addition of sporting events being stopped, it was the perfect storm for a pregnancy boom that will have many babies arriving in 2021.
ESSENTIAL WORKER COOKIES
We thanked essential workers like healthcare, education and delivery workers. Some places celebrated them every night at 7pm with music and pots and pans to say thank you for working through the pandemic. Working in tough conditions day and night to help people, teach our kids and deliver us what we need, we are still thanking them into 2021.
PROTEST COOKIES
George Floyd became the breaking point for many when a video of his death went viral. The video really struck a chord with people around the world. Protests were organized in cities all over the country to bring awareness to issues and demand justice.
KAREN COOKIES
A video of a woman in Central Park went viral, and being called a “Karen” was suddenly a bad thing and became a meme. If you are acting entitled, inserting yourself in situations that are none of your business or using your privilege to demand your own way, you might be a Karen. We don’t exactly know why the Kate Goslin hair got added to this meme, but it just seems to fit.
RBG COOKIES
As if we didn’t have enough to deal with, we lost a huge female icon this year, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She became even more of an icon in recent years, due to popular movies and documentaries about her life. And there was Notorious RBG merchandise everywhere! She will be remembered for championing equal rights under the law, something we still fight for today.
ELECTION COOKIES
As if there wasn’t enough going on, 2020 is a presidential election year! Democratic party primaries started off the year, but gatherings and get out the vote efforts looked a little different for everyone. People had more outdoor events. Both sides took a stance on the severity of the virus and how to have political rallies. But we all heard one message loud and clear – we needed to vote!
HOLIDAY COOKIES
This fall and winter, we started to realize that the holidays are going to be different. We might have to ship more presents, do a FaceTime Christmas dinner, and photoshop our kids on Santa’s lap.
MASKED HOLIDAY COOKIES
Holiday cookies were no exception to mask wearing. Check out these beautiful snowmen wearing masks, to remind us that this is 2020, and we still need to be safe during the holidays.
Or these creative ninja gingerbread man cookies, who will hopefully kick the crap out of 2020!
2020, NOT RECOMMENDED COOKIES
The reviews are in, and since we rate everything now, we rate 2020 with 1 star. The year wasn’t all bad, but it was pretty bad. We would leave no stars, but there is never an option for that when we need it. Hopefully 2021 will be better for us!
It has definitely been a prickly year, and this bakery made succulent cookies that say it well. Plus, we love a cactus with holiday lights!
A lot happened this year, and it’s hard to remember it all. Sometimes we couldn’t remember if we were watching a TV show or on a Zoom call with our boss. So, this bakery decided to make cookies with little reminders of everything 2020.
Basically, this cookie sums up how we all feel about 2020. As Alexis says constantly on Schitt’s Creek, “Ew, David!” And we all collectively can say, “Ew, 2020.” Cheers to 2021!
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