Coincidentally, Pantone announces its Color of the Year every year about the same time that Time Magazine announces its Person of the Year. So every year about this time I wonder: which would you rather have in your home – the person or the color?

Time has pronounced Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg as Person of the Year, “for connecting more than half a billion people and mapping the social relations among them, for creating a new system of exchanging information and for changing how we live our lives.” The Pantone Institute has announced Honeysuckle, or Pantone #18-2120 as Color of the Year:

“A color for all seasons – Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a color for every day – with nothing “everyday” about it.

While the 2010 color of the year, PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise, served as an escape for many, Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor.”

Now, normally I tend to side with having the color – rather than the person – of the year in my home. This year however, I honestly think I’d rather entertain Zuckerberg than “reddish pink.” He’s actually created a whole new world out of personal trivia, information sharing and Farmville. At the very least he’d have a definitive answer on how to manage my privacy settings. Reddish pink has the potential to cast a “reddish” pall over other things like checkbooks and credit card statements… likely to make us long for the escape of 2010’s Turquoise #15-5519.

For those with no interest in Zuckerberg, knock yourself out with Pantone’s applications of Honeysuckle in fashion, paint, interior design, wedding apparel, accessories – even a Visa Platinum Rewards Card.