Olympic Mittens - Canada's IT present this year

Yesterday, all accross Canada, hundreds of thousands of people found Canada's IT present under their tree. Olympic Mittens have gone virul in fair Canuckistan. Evert night of the CBC or CTV news there will be video of the Olympic torch relay wending its way around the country. One thing stays the same in every shot, from every area of this far flung nation, those red mittens. The torch bearers are wearing them, the spectators, and probably the TV news crew behind the cameras too.

It's an unusal sight up here in a country most often divided along geographic, linguistic, racial, and political lines. There's the Quebecois, the Maritimers, Alberta, the vast prarie shield, BC, the north, and hated southern Ontario. Each has it's issues, each seems amenable to seperatism from time to time. But this winter, from coast to coast to coast those damn red mittens are uniting canadians like never before in my 40 years up here.

Sure, it's parly to do with the coming 2010 Olymic games during Feburary in the Vancouver area, it's partly that they cost only $10 with half of that going to the 'Own the Podium' program that supports Canada's olympic athletes, but mostly it's an inner desire to be connected, one to each other, one to all, accross the usual divides.

Canadians aren't an overtly patriotic bunch, especially compared to our flag waving southern neighbors, but, snoring quietly in the canadian pschye like a hibernating bear lies a powerful unity. This unity is most often expressed as what we are not. Most commonly you'll hear "we're not Americans" as how Canadians define themselves. But this winter, billionaire Olympic shanagians notwithstanding, the Olympic Mittens have united this huge nation.