Popsugar Living Staying Home Things to Do During the COVID Pandemic in 2020 From At-Home Brazilians to DIY Cheese Purses, Our Editors Embarked on New Territory in 2020 20 December 2020 by Tara Block Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Matthew KellyProduct Credit: Bondir Mask, Sonix In the midst of this most unpredictable year, many of us adapted to the twists and turns in our own unpredictable ways. We found solace in new hobbies, streaming entertainment, and skills, sometimes surprising even ourselves with what we learned, experimented with, and became passionate about in 2020. As our own POPSUGAR editors reflected on this monumental year, it was the things in our lives that we truly didn't see coming that were most memorable. We found ways to stay healthy and happy at home, we celebrated milestones over Zoom, we uncovered hidden talents, and yes, we crafted, we baked, and we puzzled. While we're happy to turn the page on a year that has brought so much pain, stress, and loss, we're also grateful for the unexpected triumphs and moments of joy (and humour) we experienced this year despite it all. From making a purse out of Kraft singles to having our partner give us an at-home Brazilian, we're sharing the one thing each of us did this year that we never thought we'd do. It was a wild ride, ya'll. Thanks for the memories, 2020. Related: Our Editors Became DIY Manicure and Pedicure Pros in 2020, Thanks to These Products Drink a Gallon of Water a Day Image Source: Getty / draganab "Get in the habit of drinking a gallon of water a day. (I have always sucked at drinking water.)" — Sarah Wasilak, editor, fashion 1 / 27 Regular Cardio Image Source: Getty / Drazen Zigic "Cardio is something I never thought I'd do voluntarily, but here I am jump roping three times a week!" — Stephanie Nguyen, senior editor, branded content 2 / 27 Join a Virtual Choir Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Matthew Kelly "I joined a virtual adult choir through Brooklyn Music School, and it was one of my favourite hours each week! Hopefully my neighbours didn't mind too much . . ." — Lisa Peterson, senior manager, social media 3 / 27 Make Sourdough Bread Image Source: Unsplash / veronezcaroline "I finally got around to making sourdough! It was something I had watched on YouTube for years, and back in June I finally bit the bullet and began my starter. His name is Bubbles, and he gives me two gorgeous loaves every week! I really can never eat store-bought bread again." — Charisandra Perez, coordinator, social and partnerships 4 / 27 Graduate From College and Start a Job Virtually Image Source: Unsplash / creativechristians "On a serious note, graduate from college virtually and start a job from home! On a lighter note, I never thought I would read so many books in a single year. It's been a New Year's resolution of mine for years, but I have never dedicated the time to achieving it. This January, I set a goal of one book a month. I hadn't finished one book at the start of March, but by I finished 18 by the end of September." — Allison Ingrum, editorial operations support associate 5 / 27 Celebrate a Birthday Over Zoom Image Source: Unsplash / wesleycaribe "Celebrate my birthday over Zoom with my family. Learn how to make arepas over Zoom with my friends who live in different cities." — Victoria Messina, associate editor, trending and viral features 6 / 27 Let My Partner Give Me a Brazilian Wax Image Source: Unsplash / thecreative_exchange "I never, ever, ever, thought I would let my partner give me a Brazilian wax. Yet, I politely asked her because I was desperate . . ." — Kelsey Castañon, director, beauty 7 / 27 Spray-Colour My Hair Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Maggie Panos "I did spray-colour my hair! (RIP my shower floor.)" — Maggie Panos, senior editor, voices 8 / 27 Discover a Love of Baking Image Source: Unsplash / themephotos "I never thought I would get so into baking! I used to bake with my grandma during the holiday season, but I never really enjoyed it just because of how tedious and time-consuming it was. This year that all changed. I loved finding new recipes, getting the ingredients, spending time in the kitchen, and giving my baked goods to close friends to enjoy. Now I get the hype!" — Lauren Harano, editorial assistant, growth and strategic features 9 / 27 Crafting With Clay Image Source: Getty / Viktoriia Hnatiuk "Crafting with polymer clay and reading for pleasure." — Jenny Sugar, staff writer, fitness 10 / 27 Binge-Watch Entire TV Shows Image Source: Getty / Christina Reichl Photography "This might sound lukewarm, but I don't enjoy or watch a lot of movies or TV, and spending so much time inside has given me the opportunity to watch around 12 TV shows from beginning to end! (My favourites: The West Wing, Community, and Veronica Mars.)" — Madeleine Fournier, senior social coordinator 11 / 27 Bleach and Dye My Hair Image Source: Unsplash / lerakogan_art "Bleach and dye my hair at home! Well, I had a friend help with the bleach, but I always swore up and down I'd leave it to the professionals." — Riyana Straetker, voices editor, family and pets 12 / 27 Bake Sourdough Bread Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Tara Block "Bake sourdough bread (from my own sourdough starter) and really just baking in general. Before this year, I could barely boil water properly, and most of my meals were frozen, takeout, or at a restaurant. Baking bread has been the perfect distraction during this crazy year. It's relaxing, it's hands on (can't scroll on my phone with my hands wrist-deep in sticky dough), it's practical, and it gives me a great sense of accomplishment. Plus, it's so fun sharing the delicious fruits of my labour with friends and family!" — Tara Block, director, growth and strategic features 13 / 27 Cross Stitch Image Source: Unsplash / clothandtwig "Cross stitching. I actually failed a cross-stitching assignment when I was in elementary school, so it's shocking to me I picked it up even after that." — Alessandra Foresto, deputy editor 14 / 27 Make Beaded Bracelets Image Source: Getty / Dusica Ristivojevic / EyeEm "Make beaded bracelets." — Haley Lyndes, editorial assistant, growth and strategic features 15 / 27 Take an Online Meditation Class Image Source: Getty / Fiordaliso "I took an online meditation class from Chorus Meditation with Luigi. I cried and it was a great release. It would be great for anyone really looking to clear their head and get emotions out!" — Lisa Sugar, president, POPSUGAR 16 / 27 Dye My Mom's Hair Image Source: Unsplash / ashwinv11 "Dyed my mom's roots." — Perri Konecky, editor, trending and viral features 17 / 27 Start Cooking Image Source: Unsplash / conscious_design "Start cooking! I used to eat salad out for lunch, go out to dinner, order take-out, or just snack (unhealthy habits), the list goes on. But one thing I never did was cook. This year, I finally started, and as a result, I feel so much healthier eating well-balanced and thought-out meals." — Krista Jones, associate editor, shop 18 / 27 Bake Banana Bread Image Source: Unsplash / leighskomal "Bake like 10 loaves of banana bread." — Christina Stiehl, senior editor, fitness 19 / 27 Make a Purse Out of Cheese @howdynora can’t wait to bust this bad boy out #fyp #zyxcba #diy #crafts #cheese ♬ original sound - nora "Made a purse out of Kraft singles." — Nora, senior social media and partnerships coordinator 20 / 27 Wax My Eyebrows Image Source: Unsplash / soroushkarimi "Wax my own eyebrows." — Karenna Meredith, associate editor, trending and viral features 21 / 27 Live With My In-Laws Image Source: Getty / Maskot "Lived with my in-laws for three months." — Hannah, director, fashion 22 / 27 Take Language Classes Image Source: Unsplash / vesnikproleca "Take language classes." — Cynthia Puleo, copy editor 23 / 27 Bake Elaborate Things Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Caitlin Gallagher "Bake really elaborate things! I love baking and always want to try new recipes, but with the extra time at home I actually pushed myself to bake things that I always only thought I would but kept putting off, like a roll cake." — Caitlin Gallagher, senior editor, living 24 / 27 Homeschool Image Source: Unsplash / eugenechystiakov "Homeschool my kids, do a cross-country camping road trip with my family . . ." — Kate Schweitzer, senior editor, family 25 / 27 Puzzle Image Source: Unsplash / biancablah "I worked on a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle with my husband and was shocked by how engrossed I was in the process. Pre-pandemic, I wouldn't have had the patience or interest, and I definitely wouldn't have believed I could keep track of 1,000 tiny pieces with a young toddler and four-year-old running around. For the record, we ended up being three pieces short, but I didn't care. In the end, it was the process, not the finished product that mattered." — Angela Elias, director, family 26 / 27 Make Horchata Image Source: Getty / Sheena Bates "Learn how to make horchata, which is surprisingly very easy." — Tamara Pridgett, associate editor, fitness 27 / 27 Staying HomeBest Of 2020WellnessLife HacksEditor's Pick