Accuracy and precision are probably not the words that you expected to comprise part of the introductory sentence to a blog about penguin holiday cards, but they are at the heart of an inherent controversy over such Holiday cards. At first blush, penguins seem like a great, non-controversial addition to any holiday card. They are loving, exotic, impeccably dressed animals who typically reside in very cold weather environments. So, they should fit right in the North Pole scenes that commonly adorn holiday cards. But there’s one pesky, miniscule, infinitesimal problem that threatens to ruin the joy of the season for persnickety and discerning connoisseurs of all things holiday. Our penguin friends live on the other side of the world, which would either render these North Pole penguin scenes inaccurate or make for the world’s worst commute for those penguins.
Some will contend this inaccurate depiction of penguins residing and working at the North Pole is a foolish oversight by the cards’ conceivers. Despite the innate irony of such an assertion, a negative view of penguin holiday cards based on veracity misses the point of the season. Holiday cards are not historical documents, legal precedents, or binding contracts. They are meant purely for joy, and imagination, creativity, and wonder are all directly at the heart of joy. A factually incorrect holiday card that brings joy – send me one anytime.