2017 seems to unanimously have been everyone’s least favorite year thus far. From negative government stigma to deaths of beloved celebrities and family members, mass misery has been experienced throughout the year. The end of the year has been awaited supremely since approximately January 2nd. The excitement and anticipation for the new year to ring in is undeniable. Here are ten things we might actually miss from 2017!

1. The Solar Eclipse

On August 21, 2017, we experienced the “Great American Eclipse”. This solar eclipse stretched across a band of 70 miles- from Oregon to South Carolina, and was awaited and witnessed by just about every American Citizen as it passed over their determined spot-of-reference. It was an albeit quick but wonderful and unifying moment for Americans.

2. The Music Industry

It is no secret that music genres now are of great difference compared to genres in the ‘80s. While classic 80’s Rock is something I will always enjoy listening to new artists and genres. 2017 has introduced a number of up-and-coming artists: Cardi B,Devin Dawson, Kane Brown, Camila Cabello (formerly of Fifth Harmony) and Hailee Steinfeld. e have been given a variety of great new music to listen to. Not to forget the already-loved artists who have featured new singles or albums such as Eminem with his album Revival, Machine Gun Kelly with his singles ‘Home’ and ‘The Break Up,’ and once-silenced Ke$ha with her single ‘Praying’.

3. Body Positivity

In 2017 one of the most-focused on topics was arguably body positivity- something we definitely have not experienced enough of. Instead of the normal splurge of skinny,, models of all shapes and sizes were featured in advertisements and commercials this year. From 00 skinny body types to any range of size, the negative stigma surrounding bodies has- while not been eliminated - noticeably taken a drop in topic. The appreciation of all bodies was spread this year, ultimately making for a better, happier year.

4. Stephen King’s Comeback

It could easily be argued that 2017 was the year of Stephen King. Why, you ask? Simple: he is everywhere. Popular and loved horror guru, Stephen King, has been seen on-screen, in bookstores, and in theaters this year. King has had three novellas adapted in television series’ in the past year: Gerald’s Game, 1922 and The Mist. Two of his novels have been adapted into horror films: The Dark Tower (a series featuring eight books in total) also produced by King himself, and the deservingly popular IT. To top off the Year of King he and his son Owen King have published a book together- Sleeping Beauties. Not only was it produced; they featured a country-wide tour to promote it as well. King has also not been one to keep quiet regarding his political stances. On Twitter most prominently King keeps his voice heard and expressed- with the occasional feature of his dog, Molly (the thing of evil). Considering all these remarkable achievements Stephen King can arguably be deemed the King of 2017.

5. #MeToo

The #MeToo movement is a movement started by Tarana Burke to combat sexual abuse and support the victims of it. While #MeToo has aided in awareness of sexual abuse and took a large part in the Women’s March, mass notice was taken to it as the result of an influx of sexual abuse accusations. On October 5th, numerous women came forward with allegations against Harvey Weinstein for sexual harassment, three of them rape. These women started a seeming trend of the coming out with such accusations and stories against a variety of prized television stars and producers. Including Harvey Weinstein, showriter Mark Schwann, Kevin Spacey, Ben Affleck and Russell Simmons, upwards of twenty well-known men in Hollywood or politics have been accused of sexual harassment. The first ‘Silence Breaker’, Ashley Judd was accompanied by an overwhelming amount of women and men in not only support but with other stories of sexual harassment, including Hilarie Burton, Anthony Rapp, Angelina Jolie, Harry Dreyfuss and the arguably most-vocal of them all; Sophia Bush. TIME magazine so honorably named the ‘Silence Breakers’ as the Person of the Year. The ‘Silence Breakers’ have paved the way for those victimized by sexual harassment to speak up and out, as opposed to living in silence and cowardice, as has been done formerly.

6. 2017’s Sports

2017 has been both devastating in sports news as well as critical in sports news. Aside from sexual allegations, beatings, and negative team affiliations it has been a year of immense success. In 2017 we got to watch the New York Yankees build a team of “baby bombers” and come out almost on top. We witnessed the Giants’ head coach Ben McAdoo get fired after benching Eli Manning and starting Geno Smith, ending Manning’s consecutive-starting streak at 210 starts. We sat in awe as the Cleveland Indians held a 22-win streak with three weeks of dominating the game (Aug. 24-Sept.14) the most in baseball history, and second-most in sports history. We watched and read in disbelief that Tennis Queen Serena Williams’ Grand Slam singles’ title was achieved not only in honorable hard work but whilst pregnant to top it off. We got to enjoy the Superbowl between the Falcons and Patriots- only to stare at the television screen as the Patriots came back from a 23-8 deficit to win the title making history in an overtime superbowl game with the largest Super Bowl comeback. We honored Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his year of retirement, after 21 years and 139 wins. We enjoyed an albeit satisfying fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGreggor- watched by nearly the entire country in bars, home televisions, and sports arenas. We welcomed Aaron Boone back to the New York Yankees as GM, enjoying a night-long AMA on twitter with Boone himself. Lastly, we sat in anticipation as Giancarlo Stanton and Shohei Ohtani were traded and made decisions about the teams they’d be going to- the Yankees and Angels, respectively. 2017 was not a bad year to have been a part of in the sports world.

7. The Film Industry

As far as film and television go, 2017 certainly delivered here, as well. Between new series’, recurring series’ seasons, and new movies fans of the film industry were not disappointed. This year we saw the rise of Finn Wolffhard in Stranger Things season two and in the horror-classic adaptation of IT. We got to enjoy Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse in the mysteriously dramatic series Riverdale. Crime-lovers got to bask in the talent of Viola Davis in How To Get Away With Murder’s fourth season. King fans got to relish in the horror of The Mist- a Spike series now on Netflix, and in the Netflix series Gerald’s Game. Ever-loyal Grey’s Anatomy fans experienced the 14th season this year as Meredith Grey continues on in this medical drama. Marvel Fans were not disappointed when Thor:Ragnarok was released in theaters, with the appearance from the Hulk by the side of Avenger-and-friend Thor as they saved Asgard’s citizens. Star Wars: The Last Jedi brought tears and good feelings to our hearts as Kylo Ren tricked us all into believing he had a soft side, while Rey searched for her Jedi intuition with the help of Luke Skywalker. Wonder Woman was overwhelmingly popular amongst women- and not only DC fans, but all women. Gal Gadot gave an astounding performance as such. Wonder touched our hearts, giving us an emotional end to 2017, as we watched August Pullman endure the fifth grade for the first time with facial differences that stirred controversy and the ever-awaited bullies.

8. Roy Moore Defeat

In a year in which political seats and importance seem to be overrun by unfavorable participants, we saw a glimmer of hope in politics in the Alabama Senate election. Doug Jones defeated Roy Moore by 1.5 percent on December 12th for the open seat in Senate, taking over after Jeff Sessions. The election was deemed controversial when sexual abuse allegations against Roy Moore surfaced. Despite Moore being accused of interacting sexually with an underage woman, he still ran for the seat and was allowed to. To see Moore take victory would have been yet another slap in the face for not only women but all victims of sexual harassment. After the #MeToo movement taking charge it was a true relief when the results decreed Doug Jones the new Alabama Senator instead of Roy Moore. While not a *large* victory, still one to hold close in the name of justice.

9. Candy Comebacks

It is no secret for any sweet-tooth that candies were undeniably better before the mid-2000’s. We spend so much time forgetting the goodness that once was as we are overpowered by the popular chocolates and new exciting gummy-form candies. In 2017, a great deal of “old-fashioned” candies and treats were seen re-stocked on shelves in grocery stores. Original gummy worms, Necca Wafers, Charleston Chews, Wax Fangs, and Caramel Squares line the shelves of candy isles again. Next time you stop at Walmart or Wegman’s, look around for Mallo Cups, Candy Buttons or Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum!

10. #HoustonStrong

The hurricane season of 2017 was one which surely wreaked havoc across the states causing approximately $300 billion of damage with ten total depressions. The season’s hurricanes Irma, Maria, Nate, and Ophelia left Puerto Rico without electricity, hindering Florida, Louisiana and Tennessee, severely hurting the humanity of the Florida Keys and SW Florida, and obliterating the Caribbean island of Barbuda. Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas this hurricane season- flooding entire cities, tearing homes to shreds and forcing families out often leaving behind pets and built lives. It was nearly impossible to access Houston, Texas after Harvey with citizens absolutely devastated, homeless and without escape. However, we saw an overwhelming bout of love and compassion as donations came pouring in for Harvey relief. Celebrities including but not limited to JJ Watt, Miley Cyrus, Ellen Degeneres, Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga were accompanied by major corporations such as Walmart and Dell pulled in greater than $500 million of relief before government funding. The mere act of compassion and generosity of those who donated is something to be grateful for in itslelf.

2017 has been almost unequivocally deemed the worst year yet. However, looking back, it was not all bad. A number of positive occurrences, gatherings, and risings were seen throughout the year. From a country supporting one another financially through devastation to the up and coming tracks and films we got to enjoy, the year was not a total loss. Despite the negative stigma of politics and the divisions seen within ourselves, in the end 2017 could have been worse, believe it or not. We were blessed with a multitude of good things, that we should not just forget in the midst of despair.