by Selene Ashewood ‘22

Despite a lot of hardships, small businesses got pushed to the forefront this holiday season, specifically the database of sellers on Etsy. While they couldn’t surpass Amazon, heartfelt advertising and a recognized work ethic boomed with share prices recently reaching up to $195.67. The company put out a few holiday commercials with high production value and messages of inclusivity and acceptance. It of course angered some of their closed minded users, but catapulted a slew of new demographics. I never thought I’d see a day where friends my age and I would procrastinate school work to browse the website and yet here we are.

Taylor Swift, like some kind of Santa Claus, quietly snuck in during the night to gift everybody with the album “Evermore,” a completely new project she crafted at the speed of light yet still managed to make cohesive. Memes pertaining to how quick she is and the emotional impact of her songs ensued immediately. Critics haven’t differed from the fans, as “Evermore” racks more and more positive reviews each day. This definitely seems like the point to take a break, though it’s unclear and unlikely that Swift could be slowing down anytime soon.

Streaming has become the norm, causing this evolution of TV to oversaturate and regress right back to cable. Most networks tried launching their own Netflix, and from that the public witnessed a few handfuls of failures. However, failure is what HBO should have experienced because who in their right minds releases three different platforms? But somehow, from the rubble rose HBOMax, a new contender for success. They pulled crowds of people starting free trials to watch their new single installment of “Euphoria,” but kept them there by working with the theater. Similar to Disney+, fresh out of the gate movies are available for viewing (with a price, of course) on HBO’s service. Subscribers can check HBOMax on Christmas day to watch “Wonder Woman 1984” if they’re smart enough to not see it in theaters.