With the new year just weeks away, the color experts at Pantone have declared 2026's official Color of the Year is "Cloud Dancer." Cloud Dancer is "a billowy, balanced white imbued with a feeling of serenity," a color that's designed to both soothe us and inspire us to make a fresh new start, the company said Dec. 4.

Pantone says the color is calming and relaxing. Critics say it's a reflection of the current political climate.

In an era when every color is in all the time, where do you even go next? Pantone has a suggestion. Since Pantone began naming its Color of the Year in 2000, we’ve seen two flavors of both brown and yellow,