Polar bear in Svalbard, Norway

© Dennis Stogsdill/Getty Image

Napping near the North Pole. Polar bear in Svalbard, Norway

If your first scheduled activity of the day has ever involved intentionally jumping into an icy lake or a frigid bay, then you understand the relevance of today's image from the Svalbard islands of Norway. Polar bear plunges, as these swims have come to be known, take place all over the world, often on New Year’s Day. Whether people take the plunge for charity, penance, or shock value, there's no better way to put an exclamation point on the first day of the year. Of course, for actual polar bears, ice cold plunges are an everyday occurrence and won’t elicit much more than a yawn.