15 Products And TV Shows Our Editors Loved In 2020

If you didn’t get too emotionally attached to a simple joy in 2020, you’re clearly built different from the rest of us. In a year that’s given us so much grief, many of our everyday items and favourite forms of media became domestic godsends.

In the last several months, we made a habit of sharing anything that made our routines a little better or our downtime that much more enjoyable. The finer things in life weren’t necessarily the products with the biggest price-tags; they were distant memories of dance floors, odes to geniuses like Michaela Coel , go-to comfort recipes, and newfound self-care essentials .

Here’s the ultimate list of the best things that HuffPost Canada’s editors appreciated in 2020:

All product choices are made independently by our editors. HuffPost Canada may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.

Walmart Canada

BIA Cordon Bleu pour over filter

A coffee dripper = mini-vacay

I put a BIA Cordon Bleu pour over filter in my wife’s stocking last Christmas. It only cost a few dollars at a well-known Hamilton, Ont. kitchen supply store, but the five-minute vacation from work, a wild toddler and a friggin’ pandemic? Priceless. — Nicholas Mizera, Perspectives editor

Swoveralls

Swoveralls in party red.

WFH fashion FTW

This year I discovered the perfect work-from-home outfit: sweatpant overalls. — Mel Woods, associate editor

A crackling fire pit

This fire pit will be what gets us through winter 2020. It is very easy to light a fire inside the drum, just using twigs, dry leaves, fir cones and, um, online shopping boxes and to keep it burning strong. There’s a system of air holes that acts like bellows on the flames. It’s my new favourite thing. — Valerie Howes, Parents editor

Manitobah Mukluks

Manitobah Mukluks Mitts

... And other things that kept us cosy

All of my finer things are very motivated by the need to stay warm outside. Like these mittens by Manitobah Mukluks , this energy-efficient heat lamp , and this giant thermal mug . — Rebecca Zamon, audience development manager

Tech support from Superman

Henry Cavill popping up in my Instagram feed to show off his latest PC build is the kind of wholesome content my soul needed in 2020. — Tori Floyd, Yahoo Canada senior editor

Indie music goodness

Phoebe Bridgers’s album “Punisher” was the sad, yearning, cathartic inside-kid music we all needed this year. — Mel Woods, associate editor

Amazon Canada

Tiger Ultra Light Stainless Steel Bottle comes in four colours.

The hardest-working thermal bottle

From Tiger, the makers of premium rice cookers, is a thermal bottle that I use every single day. The tea I make in it at 8 A.M. is hot all day. Every week, I burn my tongue at least once because I forget how effective it is. — Zi-Ann Lum, politics reporter

Amazon

Blackberry Bubly was one of Mel Woods' drinks of choice in 2020.

Refreshing bubbles

My roommates and I went through a case of flavoured bubble water a day in the early pandemic — Bubly, La Croix, No Name brand, you name it! — Mel Woods, associate editor

Dying in my favourite video game

“Animal Crossing: New Horizons” was my only source of serotonin in March, but I quickly fell off the laidback gaming bandwagon. That is, until I bought “Hades” by Supergiant Games , after seeing it sweep Game of the Year lists. Its gameplay is action-packed, but what I love the most is its replay value. Dying in fights sucks, but you get rewarded with storylines featuring a lovable cast and an impressive amount of voice acting. — Al Donato, associate editor

An epic season two from “The Mandalorian”

This show gave me something to look forward to on Fridays during the second lockdown in Toronto. — Brian Vinh Trinh, Verizon Canada senior video editor

Alisha Sawhney

Flowers from Queens Fruit Market & Plants.

Flower power

Budding flowers feel exciting. Blooming flowers feel fresh. Dried flowers feel everlasting — which is exactly how I’d describe 2020. Less colourful and fragrant than their former selves, they are, at their very worst, associated with dusty homes. But dry flowers, and their innate sculptural quality, are bewitching. My bouquet — from Queens Fruit Market & Plants — is stylishly arranged by the shop owner herself.

From a practical standpoint, as we endure the next few months of winter, dried flowers are a low-maintenance choice; no water necessary. Pretty fitting given the lack of effort I want to put in anything these days. — Alisha Sawhney, associate editor

An anime site’s extensive catalogue

My Crunchyroll subscription gives my brother and me endless content to talk about when we see each other. — Brian Vinh Trinh, Verizon Canada senior video editor

Saying goodbye to a heart-warming cartoon

The final season of “She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power” was ostensibly for children, but made me cry real gay tears and brought my friend group together in fandom, even if it was virtually. — Mel Woods, associate editor

Foam-rolling with it

If you’re reading this, your back probably hurts. I used to make frequent physiotherapy visits for chronic pain and occasional sports injuries, but this year have managed the old aches solo — well, apart from my one massage clinic visit, which for the therapist must have felt like wrangling a subway rat. I picked up a foam roller from Canadian Tire and so far, it’s worked wonders for my sore back and tense shoulders. — Al Donato, associate editor

Uniqlo Canada

Pile-lined sweatpants

‘Fur’-lined hoodie and sweatpants

In a year when we dispensed with bras and zippered pants with reckless abandon, I cannot recommend Uniqlo’s pile-lined hoodie and sweatpants highly enough. Put them on and they feel like the warm hug you can’t get from your loved ones right now. Just trust me.

— Lisa Yeung, managing editor, LIFE, Perspectives

Also on HuffPost:

A coffee dripper = mini-vacay

WFH fashion FTW

A crackling fire pit

... And other things that kept us cosy

Tech support from Superman

Indie music goodness

The hardest-working thermal bottle

Refreshing bubbles

Dying in my favourite video game

An epic season two from “The Mandalorian”

Flower power

An anime site’s extensive catalogue

Saying goodbye to a heart-warming cartoon

Foam-rolling with it

‘Fur’-lined hoodie and sweatpants

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