Close-up portrait of a polar bear's face showing its distinctive black nose and white fur against a light background.

That was the message Marvene and I put inside our 2025 Christmas cards with this polar bear on the front. I took this picture when James and I joined Backcountry Journeys for a photo trip inside the Arctic Circle. We were at Latitude 82.4 which is about 400 miles from the North Pole. It was an exciting adventure.