Olympic Mittens - the hottest and hardest thing to find in Canada

Take one part Olympic fever, one part the realities of a Canadian winter, one part philanthropy and one part Canadian patriotism all rolled up in red wool and what do you get? Canada's obsession with the Canadian 2010 Olympic mittens.

The red Olympic mittens are a fundraisers for the Canadian Olympic Foundation's Own The Podium campaign. The initiative strives to help Canadian athletes to be the best they can be, if I may steal a phrase from our southerly neighbours. A noble ambition if I do say so, but one that needs funds to get it there.

There is perhaps no easier time to get public attention toward sports funding than during an Olympic year, except maybe when it's an Olympic year and you are playing host. This particular campaign appears to be quite the success. Everywhere I turn people are talking about these mittens. They love them! They want them! They are cheap! They can't find them!

Oops. Yes, it seems that maybe they are suffering from a bit too much popularity. They are the season's must-have winter accessory - even the royals have them. (Though I suspect will not be wearing them much now that they are home.) The mittens are available in stores from coast to coast...if you can find them. They keep flying off the shelves, in part because people are not just buying a pair for themselves but they are buying them for all their family too. I have a hunch they are going to show up in many a Christmas stocking this year.

Jaime at Embracing Balance missed seeing the Olympic relay because of a conference call (is that a bummer or what?) but to add insult to injury she still can't find any mittens.

Sue not only has the mittens but a whole outfit...because she's a torch bearer. Go Sue! Actually I've heard that the official torch bearer mittens are slightly different. Supposedly the maple leaf on them is grippy, which makes sense. I mean, you wouldn't want someone to drop the torch because the mitten made it slippery.

While I'm not clamoring for a pair of the mittens (though I do think the leaf right where you'd give a high five is cute) I think I understand their vast popularity. You see, our official Olympic wear? It's well, fugly. We've come a long way from the famous poor boy caps our Olympians wore in 1998. We were really hoping the Beijing Olympic gear was an anomaly and that we'd redeem ourselves. Instead we have a look that has been (rather politely) described as "hoser meets heritage". Yes hoser like Bob and Doug MacKenzie on SCTV. Oh I know, I know. Everyone should want stag heads right over their boobs but for those that don't, the mittens are a good choice. Inexpensive, small, functional and they fit inside our uncle's Christmas stocking. What more could we ask for?

Contributing Editor Sassymonkey also blogs at Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.