Penguins? At Christmas?
Posted in Modern Life Is Rubbish at 19:45 on 11 December 2012
Reindeer, yes. Lappland, where Father Christmas is said to live, is famous for them.
Polar bears, yes. Also Arctic creatures.
I’d give you elves at a pinch, as they’re as mythic (oops, spoiler) as Santa Claus himself.
But penguins?
No. They are generally southern hemisphere animals; most often associated with the Antarctic.
So why are there illuminated penguins for sale as Christmas decorations and cluttering up the gardens of those who like that sort of thing at this time of year?
Just because they’re normally found in a cold climate doesn’t mean they’re anything to do with others who live in similar conditions. (Not to mention anything that might have happened about 2,000 years ago.) In fact they’re a whole world away.
Penguins at Christmas?
Bah humbug!
Tags: Antarctic, Arctic, Christmas, elves, Father Christmas, penguins, polar bears, reindeer, Santa Claus
Keith Avery
16 December 2012 at 00:00
Christmas has nothing specifically to do with the North Polar regions either.
Christ wasn’t born ‘up there’ any more than he was born ‘down there’ so on that basis, penguins have an equally legitimate claim to represent Christmas as polar bears do. (I am committed to standing up for penguin rights.)
In that case, why don’t we get Christmas cards with koala bears on? Or pangolins? Or dholes? All are equally legitimate.
Finally, may I propose sheep as representatives of Christmas – not because of the shepherd link, but because they go around all day saying “Myrrh, Myrrh, Myrrh”.
jackdeighton
16 December 2012 at 17:08
Thanks, Keith.
I do like penguins and am not against their rights. What I am against is people thinking that they are normally found alongside polar bears.
Australians could quite legitimately put koalas on their Christmas cards; it occurs during their summer after all, so why not?.