A look back at your Favorite Things of 2020

2020 was a difficult and meandering year that seemed to present a new challenge or disaster on a weekly basis. Despite the larger climate of uncertainty, “Favorite Things” proved reliable as a bright spot in the pages of City Pulse. You shared with us the heartfelt stories behind your favorite knick-knacks, electronics, toys, books and whatever else you hold near and dear. Here are some highlights from the past 12 months:

Ariel Rogers and her late brother’s T-shirt collection

“I still wear these shirts. It makes feel closer to him. It’s really cool. He was my baby brother and the coolest guy I think I’ll ever know. He was super kind to everybody he met. He never treated anybody poorly and he would always show interest in the things you were interested in. He’d always have something to talk about and he’d be your friend. It makes me sad that his collection won’t be growing, but I will keep it up. If I see a silly, fun shirt — I’ll pick it up and carry on the tradition because I miss him.”

Dedria A. Humphries Barker and her Abraham Lincoln books

“In doing the research on him, it showed me how elections can, and continually, give opportunity for people to be noble. Americans need to remember that now during this era of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter. Stay woke, and more and more examples will be visible every day.”

Ryan Holmes and his Star Wars collection

“Growing up, Star Wars was a fairy tail in my home. We always got to stay up and eat ice cream when it was on. But I’m pretty sure I still engage with it the same way I did when I was 5 years old. I hum the themes (laughs) and there might be the occasional lightsaber sound effect. It definitely hits my kid switch.”

Dan Currie and his comedy notebook

“A good comic makes it look easy. When you’re trying too hard, the audience feels that. They’re like, “Man, whew, this guy cares way too much.” But once you step back and realize that, you start being able to have fun up there again. The beginning of this book is when I was really trying too hard. The end of the book is when I started to have fun again.”

Timothy David and his Ghostbusters proton pack

“It’s been through a lot with me. Even though these days most of my Halloween adventures are spent helping my dad pass out candy at his house, it’s still nice for people to see it and say, “Hey I just started showing my kids these movies!” I like to think that wherever he might be, my grandfather is still really excited that I’m still wearing this thing and people still know what it is and are happy to see it.”

Interviews edited and condensed by Rich Tupica and Skyler Ashley. If you have a suggestion for Favorite Things, please email Skyler@Lansingcitypulse.com