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The calvacade of awesome continues.

NDP leader Jack Layton, who's party has been hurt in every election ever in time by strategic voting and the ongoing success of the Conservatives and Liberals in convincing voters that it's effectively a two-way race and who's main message in Toronto was "a vote for the NDP is NOT a wasted vote (this time)" made a stop in Saskatchewan yesterday to argue that they should vote strategically.

"Voting Liberal in Saskatchewan in almost every riding across this province does nothing but elect a Stephen Harper Conservative," he said.

Brutal hypocrisy or turnabout being fair play? You make the call.

Meanwhile technical glitches caused call display functions in Manitoba to report that calls asking people to vote Conservative were coming from the U.S Senate. The jokes pretty much write themselves.

As long as I'm harping on the Conservatives (aren't I just PRECIOUS?) check out this choice CBC quotation of an economist on Harper's reduction to the GST: "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid," he said.

According to Dose magazine today, a 2% reduction in the GST would give the average Canadian family $400/year. You know, a cup of coffee a day. What Sally Struthers wants you to pay to help a starving child in Africa.

On Friday Louisa took me and Patrick to the Bay to look at the Christmas decoration display. I'd never heard of this before but I guess it's famous. They take something like a quarter of a floor and divide it into these semi-open rooms connected by red carpet.

I remember looking down the hall and seeing a room full of silver, white and blue decorations.

"There's a colour combination you don't normally see as a decoration theme at Christmas," I said.

"You've never been to Christmas at the Bay," said Louisa.

Each area has a kind of theme. The blue and silver area made of glass icicles, and electric blue plastic jewels. An area deep red and green with gold and nutcrackers and wholesome woven baskets and ribbons like your well-put-together Great Aunt had. A fun area dominated by polar bears with bright red hats and plush snowmen holding brooms with sewn on coal eyes.

My favourite space was a kind of goth-looking scene with all gold and black and deep purple glass ornaments. Velvet ribons with gargoyles and sad stone grey angels. Beautiful and hilarious.

The complaints about Christmas have already started. It's easy to get swept up in the frustration of crowded malls and the irritation of looped Christmas carols (it's NOVEMBER FOR GOD'S SAKE). It's practically instinct to remark on how Christmas is too commercial and make dismissive comments about the poor aesthetic or the panicked shopping drones.

It's easy to forget that I've sworn off being too cool for anything.

Seperated from the group and alone with the electric blue jewels, I remember that I like Christmas. I don't like all of it, but I don't like all of a lot of things, either. The truth is that you can pick and choose and I really like the Christmas that my immediate family, friends and I have picked and chosen.

So this year, I am going to resist the un-hype. I am going to drink cranberry tea with cinammon sticks. I am going to go on walking tours of people's light displays. I am going to wish that I was in Halifax for the carolling and possibly go carolling here. I am going to shut up about the malls and the consumers and the musak xmas song loops (I will sincerely try). I always end up enjoying Christmas anyway, so why not start now?