Hi and non-contact high-five to you!

This year’s summary: January, February, Pandemic … December!

Terms like the “new normal” or “unprecedented” were used in, well … unprecedented ways. The home front became the work-from-home office, gym or even classroom and those changes were far from being seamless. 

Our suits were replaced by pajamas, our kids joined our Zoom meetings and our DIY skills improved by a mile. 

Somehow, we pulled through. 

Yet, besides occasionally going stir crazy, something else happened. Apart from teaching our kids to wash their hands properly, we collectively learned how to count our blessings. 

To reflect on this shared experience, we asked our customers what’s the biggest blessing they’ve received during this pandemic. We collected the answers below and hope you’ll see a little of yourself here. 

👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Families First

Almost all of the people who were asked this question had something to say about their family. 

Family was the glue that held this 2020 show together. 

From dads that used to travel tons for their job that now finally had some more time with their kids, grandparents that made their first video calls in order to stay in touch with grandsons and never miss a bedtime story, to sons-in-law that were there for their mother-in-law in their time of need, families got a new sense of togetherness. 

If anything, this year taught us how quickly our lives can change. That’s the real reason why people started cherishing small, mundane family moments that were once taken for granted. Honestly, I hope this never changed back! 

👋 Friends matter

Whether it was about a new type of celebration for all the corona-birthdays that happened throughout the year, virtual hugs or online happy hours, friends made all the difference in navigating social-distancing without feeling like we’re alone. 

Some folks found out who their friends really were, while others found time to reconnect with people who they haven’t spoken to in a while. 

Allow me to honor neighbors or any other person who bought groceries for others just to leave it on their front door, pets with party hats and our trusted Netflix in this category. Every text, phone call and shared laugh or cry mattered. They all chipped in to make this pandemic bearable.

We ❤️ nature

Never in my lifetime did I miss the beach as hard as I did this year. And hiking. Or just a simple walk through the woods or in the park. (between us, I also miss airports, but that’s another story)

Tello customers shared the same growing desire to reconnect to nature this year. A lot of us turned to the outdoors and moved most of all activities there (yes, even date nights). We took every opportunity there was to leave the city and wander barefoot all weekend long. 

It did wonders for our mental health, it was almost no-cost and low-risk, so we all solemnly promised to keep it up from now on. 

🙌 Blessing in disguise

I’m going to start with a not so obvious one: homeschooling. Working at home while homeschooling your kids is no mean feat. Yet, even so, people have told us they’d enjoyed being their kids’ teachers and found great meaning in it, even if they had no choice after losing their job during the COVID-19 situation. They made the best of it and that is what magic in pandemic times is all about.

Others had a blast working on their long lost or postponed art projects, developing their baking skills, personal side gigs or closet organization (thank you, “The Home Edit”!)

💸 Savings

Last, but not least, savings together with people’s creative ways of making them happen were on the list of top lessons learned during the pandemic. When it comes to our budget one word summarizes 2020 like no other: PIVOT!

via GIPHY

Stretching paychecks, cutting recurrent expenses and having some savings socked away for rainy days was a drill most of us had some troubles at first. Some people went full-on minimalists, while others were already used to living on less and the benefits of a frugal lifestyle. 

The cheapskate gene got activated in so many of us and quite frankly, it helped a lot!

People started to buy in bulk, stopped spending money on gifts and used their inner craftsman to surprise loved ones or got serious about paying off their debt. To save or not save was no longer the question since this pandemic taught us to make smarter money moves and leave the splurging for later. 

At the end of the year, all our lessons, heartaches, worries or joys are underlined by solidarity.

That’s the one thing we can’t get enough of.

Join us in sharing the most important lessons 2020 has brought to your front door in an effort of letting other people know that they’re not alone in this. Stay safe, guys!