“’Tis the Season to Celebrate Standards!” Huh?

It is good when we have things to be thankful for this season. We give thanks for the health of our families, our jobs – even a nice holiday meal. But just in case you’re having a hard time thinking of things of your own to be happy about, The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is here to help.

ANSI wants to remind us of all the wonderful standards in place this year. We have standards for just about everything, they say, including our Christmas lights, holiday air travel and chimney that Santa arrives through. All of these things must meet standards for safety, performance, and interoperability.

Yes, be thankful for interoperability!

To make sure that standards are very much on our minds, ANSI has produced a two-minute musical animation, with the catchy title: “Standards Make the Holidays Sparkly and Safe.” You can find it on the ANSI website, or on YouTube.

Why not take some time out from this busy holiday season, gather the family ‘round, and discuss standards? If there are elders present, they can scare the kids with tales of ungrounded electric blankets, chainsaws without safety brakes — and millions of people driving around without seatbelts! (Oh, and there was smoking on airplanes, too, and no bicycle helmets.)

When you’re through scaring the kids with these stories, it will be time for egg nog, then it’s off to bed. Just be sure to douse the fire before you retire for the night. Your chimney might have standards, but Santa still needs a cool landing spot.