While every year has its ups and down, plenty of people have come to the conclusion that 2016 was a particularly horrible year. Losing legends like David Bowie, Prince, Alan Rickman, Doris Roberts and Mohamed Ali have made this year mournful, to say the very least. As of recently, both Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds passed within 48 hours of each other, having this year end on a grim note. This isn’t even a full list of people that have passed this year, also excluding unfortunate events that came about as the year progressed. During times like these, it can be difficult to hang onto anything positive with grief and misery in our heads. But I’d like to think that it’s with a positive attitude that we can move into the New Year on a good note. So, with that, I’d like to reflect back on what went well this past year.

For any football fans, the NFL celebrated the golden anniversary with Super Bowl 50, following an eventful season. The Panthers finished off the season, 15-1, with a spectacular offense in their games, only to be stopped by the Broncos at the very end. Despite a rough start for the Broncos, they pulled through with a glorious victory right before Peyton Manning’s retirement, which commenced a month after. Santa Clara, California sure saw a lot of spirit that night.

Up next, is arguably the biggest theatrical release this year; Star Wars: Rogue One. Ever since the recent revamp of Star Wars with The Force Awakens of last year, its popularity has revitalized and I, for one, have been ecstatic about the franchise enjoyed by a wide audience once again. Being rated 85% by Rotten Tomatoes and receiving critical acclaim from NYTimes and Variety Magazine, this was nothing short of what could be expected from a new Star Wars film.

Following the theatrical hype, for anyone big on the Call of Duty franchise, we also got hype mostly stemming from Modern Warfare: Remastered. While their new title, Infinite Warfare, still has a decent percentage of the fanbase playing, Activision has started to market nostalgia with the revamped Modern Warfare, the groundbreaking title that was released in 2007 that redefined FPS games. Not only was it a smart business move for Activision to market the revamped shooter juggernaut with the new release, it was also a great way to accommodate the divided fanbase. Not everyone is fond of the way Call of Duty is moving, stemming into a futuristic setting, and starting to feel more like Halo and Titanfall. However, some people are enjoying the increased skill gap and faster paced gameplay. But this year, Activision released the two games that are sure to satisfy most, if not all of their fanbase this year.

While there have been great strides this past year, we can certainly make more, as we jump into 2017. Sure, we may have lost many great people this past year, alongside more than a few events this year that we’d rather forget. But life isn’t over for those of us that have made it through 2016. Be sure to exercise your optimism by treating yourself to something you love. Engage in a hobby to thin out your stress, stop to enjoy life for a second, because you might be missing something amazing in the midst of apparent despair. And of course, spend plenty of time with those you love. I hope you all have a great start to a new year.