Home Theater

My worst investment of 2020? A popcorn perks membership at our local movie theatre. We saw Onward in January and haven’t been back since.

When the lockdown happened in March, my husband the film major took it upon himself to make movie nights happen again. Production quality guaranteed. He bought a projector and screen, we modified our sitting room and he’s been conjuring up his former Regal Cinemas employee popcorn-making skills to recreate the magic of the movies at home. And it’s become one of my favorite nights of the week.

Snuggling with the boys on the sofa, they lit up in excitement to watch new releases like Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog. We started showing classics like Star Wars and E.T. We dove into the Disney archives to introduce them to The Lion King and Aladdin, although we went a little too far backwards in showing the original Peter Pan, and have since put a pre-screening requirement on anything Disney prior to 1970.

One of the best things about being a parent is experiencing moments for the first time all over again through a child’s eyes. With the weather getting cooler in the desert, we turned our backyard into a cozy campfire cinema. Our circle of Adirondack chairs with the screen mounted on our back wall and s’mores roasting over our fire pit. I think it’s my new favorite room in the house.

We may be missing out on that membership, but we’re not missing the magic of the movies. I’d argue it’s become even better.