Well, the year that I thought would never end finally came to a close. "Another year older, another year wiser", so the old adage goes. I can't help but mention all of the important people we collectively lost during this year. We lost a candyman, a Potions professor, a Starman, a science officer aboard the USS Enterprise, a princess, a staple in Hollywood royalty, and a version of me. But, instead of talking about how much I miss them or whatnot, I figure I can start 2017 by doing what all of these inspirational people taught me to do in 2016, because of their passing.

Willy Wonka. I remember my earliest memories of Gene Wilder was on an old VHS tape at my grandparent's house. I spent many happy childhood hours curled up on my grandparent's shag floors enthralled in the world of the Wonka factory. Gene taught me never to give up dreaming. I was severely bullied all through school and I remember a line from one of the songs in that movie. "Cheer up, Charlie/Just be glad you're you". Just be glad you're you in 2017. If there's one thing I, as an almost college graduate, must always keep with me, is that the world is full of dreamers and inventors, and I can continue to be those at no matter what age. With the topic of characters gone, let's talk about the Brit that had a giant impact on a chubby cheeked kid from Portland. That Brit, would be Alan Rickman. Professor Snape. Hans Gruber. The jackass that cheated on Emma Thompson in "Love Actually". What made this loss particularly difficult is that even when Rickman was at his most evil, he was charming. He had such a way with language and such a love of it that it showed in every role. I could listen, even now, to Alan Rickman read the phone book and be enthralled from the very first minute. I truly believe that if Heaven exists, and I get up there, God's gonna say that Alan Rickman will be leading storytime and there's seats in the front. Alan, thank you for teaching me to love language and to speak eloquently. Thank you for teaching me that even the meanest of characters can have the most love, empathy, and compassion. Your career was, and will forever be, a master class.

Don McLean said, in the classic karaoke standard "American Pie" that "something touched (him) deep inside/The day the music died". I believe that 2016 was a hard year for music. One could even say it was the year that music died. Or at least took a big ol' beating. Bowie was a loss that I still have trouble racking my brain around, even as I write this article. Bowie was one-of-a-kind. Hell, he was once-in-a-lifetime. He was unapologetically himself and he never wavered, even in the face of adversity. He is every bullied kid's dream. How could one person stand up to a whole slew of people looking for him to fail at any moment? The answer was to do what he loved and never stop. Thank you, David, for teaching me that it's okay to be me, no matter what cards I'm dealt. Same goes for you, Prince. From "Starfish and Coffee" to "Purple Rain" to "When Doves Cry", your music told a story. Thank you for reminding me that everyone has a story to tell and that the best stories are told proudly and boldly.

Debbie and Carrie. A Hollywood queen and a Galactic princess. With lives that were anything but ordinary, thank you both for reminding me how important the bond of family is. Carrie, thank you. Thank you for being unsinkable (like your mother) in your approach to life. Nothing brought you down, and even when you were at bottom, you figured out a way to get back to the top. Thank you forever for giving me the gift of resilience. Debbie, thank you for teaching me the quote to end all quotes, spoken by you as Aggie Cromwell: being normal is vastly overrated. Boy, ain't that the truth. Thank the both of you for being my lucky stars. I can't tell you how fortunate I am to take comfort in that.

Even though 2016 ended the way that most post-apocalyptic novels seem to end nowadays, we have to count all our blessings and be thankful that even in the darkest times, there are going to be Willy Wonkas and Princess Leias and Professor Snapes in this world to remind us that we're human and we can make it through. 2016 was a cold and broken hallelujah, but we will get through 2017 guns a blazing and with hearts full of pure imagination.