It's beginning to look a lot like...oh, crap...

Either the Paul Martin Liberals call an election for January, or face having parliament dissolved immediately, with an election during the holiday season.

This page is somewhat bemused by the concern about Canadians having to go the polls around Xmas. Except for when the Anglican Church successfully lobbied to have Thanksgiving moved back six weeks, separation of Church and State has been a given in Canadian society. I may be going out on a limb here, but I believe that people who don't celebrate Xmas, those who have to work during the holidays, and those who can still be counted on to put down the eggnog and cast a ballot constitute the clear majority in this country. If tens of thousands of Ukrainians could camp outside in downtown Kiev in December to achieve a democratic result, then flipping channels between the Leaders Debate and It's a Wonderful Life isn't asking for much.

This page is also entertained by the opposition's (particularly the Conservatives) desperation for an immediate trip to the polls. Traditionally, there is only one occasion when Leaders demand an election: when they think their party can win it. Is Stephen Harper better off running in December, when church attendance peaks and pastors can be counted on to remind the faithful how same-sex marriage makes Baby Jesus cry? Or is he better off campaigning in January, when Canadians are seething over their home heating bills and Ralph Klein is on the Conservative stump bellowing about the sanctity of Alberta's oil and gas revenues?

Either way, I don't see Stephie Wonder pulling off any Xmas (or a few weeks after) miracles. The only region of the country where the Gomery report is making any serious impact is in Quebec, and Quebecers will be happy continuing to vent their collective spleen through the Bloquistes. In fact, the Conservatives could end up with a few electoral lumps of coal if some voters, particularly in the Lower Mainland, are reminded that strategic Liberal votes against strong NDP candidates produced Conservative MPs coming up the middle.

The one reason why Canadians should be loathe to an Xmas election: Who wants to watch the "special" edition of the Royal Canadian Air Farce where they milk the Xmas election joke to death?