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He said it was all about \"making people smile\" and reminding people of \"how important the arts are to our world.\"

\"We never think of them as important, but try to imagine 2020 without being able to read those books or watch that show or watch those films, or have art inform your life when you have to be home or when you've had a hard day?\" Miranda said. \"We look to it for catharsis and for relief, and it's been an incredible reminder of the power of art because we've really needed to lean on it this year.\"

Miranda called 2020 \"revelatory\" for all the strengths and weaknesses it exposed within the U.S.

\"One of the lasting legacies of 2020 is that we really learned who's essential,\" he said. \"Not just our front-line workers, but those small businesses, those delivery men, those postal workers, UPS delivery, FedEx delivery guys -- the folks who keep the world moving, even when we have to stay home. They've got to go out and often, they're the more vulnerable among us.\"

\"PHOTO:
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: Nurse Sherron Lovelady checks her face shield before entering the COVID unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, May 6, 2020.
>

\"And so, I hope that we go into 2021 with a reminder that those folks kept us moving when we couldn't move, and they deserve every resource possible because in many instances, they saved us and kept our country running,\" he added.

He also commended health care workers on the front lines, who he said have gone through the \"impossible\" and \"unimaginable\" with \"incredible resilience.\"

\"Tragically, there were so many places with limited supplies and scant resources. … I think the best thing we can do in addition to staying safe is paying them a living wage and give them the resources they need to keep us [safe].\"

He said a silver lining of the strain placed on essential workers was seeing the number of everyday people rallying around them.

\"I know that at 7 o'clock [at night] every day in New York City, most of the year, we've been cheering our essential workers, our front-line workers,\" he said.

\"PHOTO:
John Lamparski/Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: A thank you sign adressed to health care workers is propped next to a bench in New York, April 6, 2020.
>

The best way to continue honoring them is to \"continue to observe what is scientifically proven to keep us safe: wear masks when you enter a place of business or crowded area. Stay home when you can,\" he said.

Miranda also encouraged people not to be too hard on themselves as the year comes to a close. Many people might've pressure to accomplish projects big or small while staying home. Miranda said he turned to his keyboard and started writing new music when the lockdown began, but it was hard for him, too.

\"I don't want it to seem like, 'Oh, I had this incredibly productive time,'\" he said. \"Like, you're allowed to process the fact that the world has changed and is changing. That brings a whole range of emotions … a whole range of adjustments. If you didn't write 'King Lear,' it's OK. I didn't.\"

\"I did what I could once I wrapped my head around the new normal,\" he added. \"But it's also important to allow for your mental health. It's important to allow for the many changes that this year has brought, and tending to those things before you beat yourself up.\"

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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