Once a year, Tourism Calgary presents the Calgary White Hat Awards – a celebration of hospitality in our city. This is a chance to pay tribute to the unsung heroes that make your day a little brighter and a little nicer. Apparently, it is one of the most fun events of the year. Larger hotels get dressed up as a group, to go cheer on their nominated employees and everyone gets really into the event. This year, To help you think of the perfect Calgarian to nominate, I’ve started a list of people that you might know:

5. You stop at the same place for coffee every day and the barista there knows exactly how you like your latte. Always ready with a smile for your morning (or a helpful tip when you’ve got lipstick on your teeth and your hair is sticking up), this person helps set your day up for success.

4. You have a favourite restaurant where the waiter feels more like an old friend. You chat about your weekend plans, the waiter is aware of your hatred of green beans and dining there beats cooking at home.

3. You consistently lose your dry cleaning tag and the dry cleaner still lets you pick up your clothes. Buttons are sewn back on and hems are fixed without you even asking.

2. You look well put together thanks to your favourite local men’s or women’s wear store. When you walk into the store, they know your size, remember your favourite colour and aren’t afraid to tell you when something isn’t flattering or you need to go up a size. You owe this person immeasurably for helping you create a good first impression.

1. You volunteer somewhere and each week, you see the same volunteer reading to blind children, cleaning the bathrooms and knitting hats for the homeless. Um, yeah…this person should be thanked by the entire community. Help us figure out who those people are.

I’d be surprised if there isn’t someone in the service industry that doesn’t brighten your day every time you see them. Take a moment to say thanks and ensure they get included when Calgary recognizes those who help make this city a great place to be. 

I went to hear Handel's Messiah on the weekend (at the delightful Ohio Theater, it's a gem) and for some reason, it got me thinking about contemporary artists performing not-so-popular music. Here's the top 5 I've thought of so far:

5. Fleet Foxes singing Christmas Choral Music. If anything I bet it would make you cry.

4. Compilation CD - bands, hip-hop artists and pop-culture icons covering any short, classical piece of music. Whether they sing it, play it, rap it, beatbox it or slay it, I'd just like to hear what different people do with classical music when given the opportunity.

3. Bon Iver interpreting the crooning hits of The Rat Pack

2. The Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Willow Smith in The Sound of Music. Box office gold. 

1. The Black Eyed Peas rendition of Carmina Burana. I'm imagine singing, dancing and a whole pile of fun. Come on, you know you love the idea.

Alternate title: Winning at Social Media by putting the effort in. I wanted to mention Greg Hounslow's West Jet efforts to do some blogger outreach before West Jet's website launch (it's easier to use, btw, check it out). Here's what I thought West Jet got right when they invited in bloggers to preview the launch:

5. Greg invited a small group  of people. This wasn't a big media event, it felt like a small group of friends. We spent the whole morning at West Jet and by the end, I felt like I'd made a few new online buddies. I know I'm not actually a big deal, but it certainly is nice to feel special. Don't discount that when you are considering how to get some Internet kids on your side.

4. The whole event wasn't a pitch. Of course, there was a pitch, since that's why we were there, but Greg also made sure there was something in it for us. I've always wanted to check out the West Jet campus and we got a full tour. It's good to think about what you can offer people in return for them sitting through your canned, "Look how great we are" pitch. Only downside to this: I wish I could work in a building like that :(

3. West Jetters love West Jet. I've never seen a group of people so excited about the company they work for. The enthusiasm is sincere and it makes writing about the company less arduous. 

2. Greg made it easy for us to write about the website launch. He gave us USB sticks with images for us to use. He also gave us a one-pager with info about the company we could pull from (all written in third person, you'd be surprised how many people write "we" and "our" which makes it annoying for bloggers to cut/paste...WE ARE A LAZY PEOPLE).

1. We got treated like we were part of the team. There's wasn't any fancy show, West Jet was really looking for feedback on what they are doing. We got a inside look at where they plan to go next and an invitation to come back with suggestions. 

Greg also thanked us for our time both in person and over the Internet. A little thanks goes a long way. 

I used to think that Canadians were shy about showing their pride for their country. I now think we just go about it in different ways. While our neighbors to the south love to show off their flag, we love to show off our country and our people. 

5. I can joke about lumberjack shirts, maple syrup, mounties, constant winter and Anne Murray but the truth is, I really like them. I joke about them because I'm not good at bragging about my country and think the self-deprecating thing is the way to go. This doesn't mean I'm not proud of Canada or that I would prefer to live somewhere else. I can't imagine being anything than Canadian.

4. I'm proud of (most of) the political decisions my country makes. Hello, Mayor Nenshi! I know we don't have everything figured out, but as far as I know, no possible candidate for Prime Minister has a daughter on Dancing with the Stars. I want to keep this great feeling we currently have in Calgary around community and politics going and I want to celebrate what it means to live in this country that isn't even 150 years old yet! 

3. I play the "he's Canadian" game. Every time I see someone Canadian, I have to tell people that he or she is Canadian. I get teased about this, but it's really just me being proud of my countrymen!

2. I am proud of the pioneers that came across Canada. Yes, we probably all descend from a line of vagrants and ne'er-do-wells that got kicked out of Europe, but all of those new Canadians survived Canadian Winters. With pretty much nothing but the clothes on their backs and some serious sweat equity. We come from hearty stock, there's no doubt about it!

1. I am so proud of living in a country that is this incredibly beautiful. I love Travel Alberta's website dedicated to sharing you "Goosebumps Moment" in Alberta. I know I have two: Rowing on Lake Louise and seeing Lake O'Hara for the first time. Americans get choked up when they see monuments to their founding fathers, we get choked up at a beautiful sunrise over the mountains, or fall leaves surrounding a lake. 

I really didn't do any research on how Canadians are uniquely patriotic, this is just how I feel. If you disagree, or have something else you are proud of, please share!

I told the bartender to pour me a double fast
Then light me a smoke so i can sing some jazz

Really? Really?! That is the most amazing line I think I've ever heard in a song. Raphael Saadiq is such a good singer and the video for this is so much fun. Trust me, you'll want to buy the whole album. Grab it from iTunes here: http://cpwr.me/cgojfB

Props to DC for both introducing me to this song and dancing around the living room to it.