Hi everyone,

Each year, I’ve written a post to mark the turn of the New Year, containing a bit of reflection with the year that’s gone. It’s difficult to know where to begin with 2020: an unanticipated and overwhelming time, undoubtedly filled with less joy than may have overall been desirable. This post is different from previous New Year’s ones; it’s the first time where every single individual in the world, irrespective of age or location, has undergone a shared major experience: coping with a pandemic and its effects. I will never forget the chills that ran down my spine in March as the British Prime Minister spoke the words: “you must stay at home”, and the subsequent emptiness of doing so.

For many, there’ll be a range of experiences throughout it; perhaps emptiness over successive lockdowns, maybe, sadly, bitter suffering. But I hope that the year has held some moments of joy for everyone. For me, personally, I’ve been very fortunate in a year filled with suffering for such a huge number of people, but there have been countless empty days and difficult nights, and I’m hoping that the year ahead is a little easier.

It’s a bit of a tradition for me to reveal the statistics for the year, and I’ll do so with 2020, but I’d like to firstly say this. Although I’ll always be immensely grateful for the support represented through these numbers, there’s something stronger and more powerful about this community exposed this year that no figure or statistic can convey: the way that we’ve all helped each other. I hope that amid all the challenges of the year, this blog has provided some assistance, relief, and perhaps even joy, whether it be at one of the in-game events or just being a source of routine.

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Club Penguin Mountains events in 2020

There are many fond memories which this blog has given me throughout 2020. Some that come to mind are more humorous ones, like seeing the confusion over the Animal Crossing April Fools prank, to more emotive ones, like reading the countless kind comments, including a particularly sweet email from a parent and lovely messages following the “Living in Lockdown” post. I hope that I’ve been able to contribute, in any way, to brightening your year, because you’ve all helped brighten mine. I recognise that beyond in-real-life events, 2020 has been a difficult year in the community too: the uncertainty in May, complications and resignations, frustrations and disappointing situations.

But in the Club Penguin community, there’s a lot to look forward to: the transition to the new HTML5 technology may mark a bittersweet end after years of Flash, but it also provides a variety of opportunities for new experiences. It’s my sincere hope that same spirit of optimism can quickly be justified for the real world too.

From the bottom of my heart, I’d like to thank everyone deeply for their support this year. I feel very blessed to be able to write content that so many people across the globe have enjoyed.

Best wishes,

-Torres 126