As another year comes to a close, one question remains - where am I going to go to party? I had been under the impression that most major cities held free events on New Year’s, but after some lengthy searches on the internet this morning I’ve discovered that that’s simply not the case. If you live in Southern Ontario though, we’ve got two annual events that are always a ton of fun this time of year. I’ve been to both, so I can vouch for the fun factor personally.

Toronto - Nathan Phillips Square. Free Admission. Featuring performances by Hedley, George, Keshia Chanté and Measha Brueggergosman. Also Featuring: Ed the Sock. More info..

Niagara Falls - Queen Victoria Park. Free Admission. Featuring performances by Foreigner, Colin James and Justin Hines. More info..

Living 20 minutes from Niagara Falls and being a HUGE fan of kitschy 80’s rock, I’m rather ashamed that I won’t be making it out there tonight to see Foreigner. I was looking forward to the delicious irony of watching them perform “Cold As Ice” in unseasonably warm winter weather. Sigh… C’est la vie.

If you know of any free event in your area, please, post a comment here. Your fellow SmartCanucks will thank you.

One of the hottest fashion trends this winter is wearing skinny jeans with boots. ALDO is offering an extra 30% off all reduced boots, your chance to catch up with this fashion craze.

Click here for more details on this ALDO Boots Sale

I came across a very helpful article on the Catwalk Queen blog that explains
How to wear jeans with boots:

Don’t worry! I’m not so condescending that I think you don’t know how to wear a pair of boots under your favourite bootcuts, but I’ve had a few people asking me how to wear their jeans or trousers tucked into knee-high or calf-length boots without ending up with baggy knees and chunky-looking ankles. So I decided to share a few tricks of the trade with you…

Regardless of your size, the most flattering way to try the look is with a slightly slouchy boot with a reasonable heel or wedge. You need the height to stop you looking too short and stumpy, especially if you’re petite. Overall, this look does tend to work best on people who are tall and slim, but it shouldn’t be cast aside by anyone with a few curves. If you’re pear-shaped, balance out the look with a slouchy knit like the one in the middle, and avoid anything cropped or close-fitting on the top half. If you’re conscious of a large bust, try adding an eye-catching belt to draw attention down.

If all your jeans are flared or bootcut and your boots are quite close fitting, it might be best to invest in some skinny jeans. Bulk around the ankle is the surefire way to ruin this look, so go for tight-fitting, slim jeans that won’t sag. This is the only time I’d ever recommend people who are a UK size 14 or up to buy skinny or straight leg jeans, but since they’re going to be tucked into boots, it’s worth it. You could also recycle your Summer cropped jeans, and wear your boots underneath.

If you can’t be doing with buying a new pair of jeans, one trick to reduce the bulk is to fold your jeans in ‘pleats’ around your ankle, and then pulling on some socks or knee-highs to flatten them down. Pleating or folding in more than one place will stop you from having a big bump in one area. If you find that the extra bulk from your jeans makes zipping up normal boots impossible, [plus size shops] will have boots in larger calf widths.

My final tip is this: if all else fails wear a belt! One of the main reasons you get that saggy knee syndrome is because the waist of the jeans is slowly falling down, so hitching it up and pulling the legs down as far as the can go (tuck them into your socks, nobody will see) will help to create a smooth line.

For more useful fashion articles check out the Catwalk Queen blog.

Details on ALDO’s Boot sale here.

GO Transit is offering free transportation on its trains and buses on New Year’s Eve, Sunday, December 31.

“Leave the driving to us,” said GO Chairman Peter Smith. “We encourage people to celebrate responsibly by not drinking and driving that evening.”

People can ride free from 7 p.m. until service ends that night on all GO Trains and GO Buses running on a Sunday, including the Lakeshore East and Lakeshore West train lines.

The last Lakeshore trains going east to Oshawa and west to Oakville leave Union Station at 1:13 a.m. that night. Bus times vary, depending on the route, and passengers should check with GO before riding.

More details here

I had some free time this afternoon and was feeling just a tad patriotic, so I decided to hop on wikipedia and discover some of the groovier things invented by our fellow Canadians. What follows are five of the more surprising things I had come across, complete with wikiquotes and links to the original articles. How many did you know were Canadian?

1. Five-Pin Bowling - Five-pin bowling is a bowling variant which is only played in Canada, where many bowling alleys offer it, either alone or in combination with ten-pin bowling. It was devised in the early twentieth century to offer bowlers the chance to play a game during a half-hour lunch break. This goal was achieved by using smaller balls which travel faster than ten-pin balls and which can be thrown in rapid succession. Five-pin bowling was invented in 1909 by Thomas F. Ryan in Toronto, Ontario.

2. Bloody Caesar - …was invented by bartender Walter Chell at the Owl’s Nest Bar in the Westin Hotel in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1969, to accompany the opening of a new restaurant, “Marco’s”. In its original form, it contained tomato juice and mashed clams; Clamato had only just been released (with the assistance of Chell) by the American Mott’s company that very year, and was not yet widely known or available.

3. The Zipper - was invented in St. Catharines, Ontario by Gideon Sundback, a Swedish-born immigrant to Canada who was in 1913 the top designer at Universal Fastener Company. He made his first “Hookless fastener” in 1913, and designed the complex machinery needed to manufacture it. The patent was issued in 1917 as a “separable fastener.” The B. F. Goodrich Company coined the name Zipper in 1923 for the line of rubber overshoes that it made using the fastener. The name slowly came to be associated with the fastener itself, and eventually acquired generic status.

4. Robertson Screwdriver - A Robertson screwdriver is a type of screwdriver with a square-shaped tip…The drivers are famous for holding onto screws (you can start driving a screw horizontally into the wall, and leave the screwdriver in the screw while you have lunch)…Today Robertson screws are almost unknown in the United Kingdom, scarce in the United States, where they are used mainly in theatrical set construction and account for 10% of screws sold, while being very common in Canada where 85% of the screws sold use the Robertson head.

5. The Electric Stove - Thomas Ahearn invented the electric cooking range in 1892 and installed one in the Windsor Hotel in Montreal. The electric stove was showcased at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, where an electrified model kitchen was shown. But like the gas stove, the electrical stove had a slow start, partly due to the unstable technology, and partly because first cities and town needed to be electrified. By the 1930s, the technology had matured and the electrical stove started to slowly replace the gas stove, especially in domestic kitchens.

Get a free regular fries or onion rings from Pizza Pizza with the purchase of a slice and pop.

Click here to open and print this Pizza Pizza coupon

I came across this fun set of MSN Avatars on Andrew Muir’s blog:

Digital photo prints are on sale at Pharmaprix for 9¢ each and at Shoppers Drug Mart for 15¢ each. Both deals are awesome especially the 9¢ in Quebec. Quebecers get a shopping advantage for a change.

CNNMoney.com has just posted a great little article on a number of ridiculous fees that we’ll all face at one time or another in life, and what we can do to avoid them. A few of them may not apply to Canadians, but ignore those and you’ll find more than 2 dozen great tips and tricks to help you save in airfare, real estate, banking and more.

Read the article 35 Most Outrageous Fees (and how to avoid them) at CNNMoney.com.

My wife and I were watching the old boob tube the other night and were delighted to see one of our favourite ads pop on. I’m sure you’ve all seen it, but just in case you haven’t (or if it’s been as long since you’ve seen it as it was for us) let me bring you what we consider the greatest Canadian ad of all time - The North American House Hippo.

For more info on Concerned Children’s Advertisers, visit their website here.

Thanks Emma for this huge list of deals and boxing day picks

Zellers
- Xbox 360 Premium + 12 month Live Gold Kit with Vision cam + wireless controller - $549.97
- Boxing Day Only: 30 Pack Nestle Pure Life Water - $2.97
- Comforters - $9.99
- Save 40% off All Sony Headphones
- Save 50% on All Value Video Games
- Save 15% off All Wii and PS3 Games
- Combo Storage Cabinet/Wardrobe - $99.97
- Extra 50% off All Clearance Watches and Jewellery
- Save 50% off All Men’s and Kid’s Outerwear (some exclusions apply)

Read Zellers flyer here

The Bay
- Up to 80% off Brand Name Fashions
- 15% off All Electronics
- Men’s London Fog, Dockers, and Pacific Trail Outerwear - $39.99
- Women’s London Fog Outerwear - $49.99
- 50% off All Men’s and Women’s Code Bleu Jeans and Tops
- 50% Men’s Robes, 40% off Men’s Sleepwear
- 45% off Warner’s and Wonderbra Women’s Boxed Bras and Briefs
- 50% off All Men’s, Women’s and Kids’ Winter Boots
- Nine West Circle Around Collection 40% off Handbags
- 70% off 10 Kt. Gold Gemstone & Diamond Jewellery
- 50% off All Cookware Sets and Matching Open Stock
- 40% off Fireplaces
- 55% off All Matress Sets plus Free Local Delivery

Read The Bay flyer here

Sears
- Use your Sears Car or Sears Mastercard and for every $100 you spend, receive a $100 Sears Travel Coupon toward any Sunquest vacation package
- Prima 20” LCD TV w/PC Input - $299.99
- 60% off Christmas trees, lights, cards, etc.
- Use your Sears Mastercard or Sears Card and save an extra 35% off clearance women’s fashion, men’s fasion, footwear, luggage, housewares, jewellery, and more
- 50% off Fall and Winter Sweaters, Knit Tops, Fleece Fasions
- 1/2 Price Pre-Wrapped Gifts
- 50% off Men’s Fall and Winter Outerwear, Accessories, and Gift Boxes
- Kenmore Propane Gas Grill 65,000 BTU’s - $219.99
- 6-Piece Diana Crystal Stemware Sets - $9.99
- Toshiba 50” Projection HDTV - $1299.99

Danier Leather
- Women’s Lamb Leather Jacket - $99
- Her Lamb Leather Coat - $129
- His Lamb Leather Bomber - $119
- Her Belted Lamb Leather Jacket - $119
- His Lamb Leather Coat - $129
- Men’s Casual Leather Bomber - $99

Sport Check
- Convert Shell Jacket Men’s jet Stream - $59.99
- Champion Men’s Crew Neck Fleece Top - $9.99
- Buy one MicroFleece, get one free
- Men’s Air Hurance 2K6 Training Shoe - $69.99
- Top Flite Complete Distance 12 Pack - $9.96
- X Calibur Senior One Piece Composite Stick 2 for $99.98
- Rbk 3K Senior Hockey Skate - $99.99

The Brick
- Mushroom Futon - $148
- Glass L-Shaped Desk - $98
- Hustle Sofa - $398 (In-store only)
- Microfibre Red Accent Char - $99.95
- Bagless Upright Vacuum - $98

Read The Brick flyer here

Shoppers Drug Mart
20X Optimum Points on December 30, 2006 only
- 50% off Seasonal Merchandise
- Dec. 23 - Jan. 5 get $0.15 4×6 digital prints from easypix online
- 25% off Life brand multivitamins and natural health products
- 12 Pack Life Brand Water - $1.49
- Fuji A400 4MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom - $99
- 50% off Selected Life Brand Memory Cards, Film or Batteries
- Turtles - $4.99 each
- 50% off selected Fragrance Gift Sets

Read Shoppers Drug Mart flyer here

London Drugs
- Curtis 7” Portable DVD Player - $79.99
- Klipsch SF-1 Tower Speakers - $299.99
- 1GB Cruzer Micro - $19.99
- AKAI 8.1MP Digital Camera - $169.98
- Video Jockey 2GB Video MP3 Player $99.99
- Sony CyberShot DSCW100B 8.1MP Digital Camera - $299.99
- Olympus Stylus 740 / 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera - $299.99
- Free Second Set of 4×6 Prints - Digital or Film
- Klipsch Promedia Ultra 5.1 Speaker System - $279.99

Read London Drugs flyer here

Walmart
Pg 1:
- RCA 32” LCD HDTV - $799.93 Door Crasher
- 37” LCD HDTV - $899.94 Door Crasher
- Crest Toothpast 170mL - $0.93
- Memorex DVD-R/+R 16X 100 PK - $17.77
- Energizer Multi-Pack Batteries (12AA, 8AAA, 8C, 8D, 4 9V) - $4.97
- 2-Pack Pantene Pro-V Shampoo - $4.73
- Royale 32 Single Roll or 16 Double Roll Bathroom Tissue - $6.47

- DVDs 3/$10, 2/$10, 2/$15, 2/$20
- DVD Boxsets 2/$30, 2/$35
- Gamecube games $18.63 each
- PS2 games $14.63-$34.83
- XBOX 360 games $43.83 each
- 42” Plasma HDTV - $998.83 Door Crasher
- RCA 32” Stereo TV - $259.93 Door Crasher
- RCA HDMI Cable $28.54
- Sanyo 24” TV - $149.94
- RCA 50” DLP HDTV - $1299.83
- SV2000 DVD/VHS Combo $59.42
- Venturer DVD Recorder - $96.64
- 4GB Apple iPod Nano - $208.83
- Uniden 5.8GHz Triple Handset - $69.93
- vTech 5.8GHz Phone - $19.96
- 1-Hour film processing/ 8″x10″ enlargement 50% OFF
- KDS 19” LCD Computer Monitor - $159.93 Door Crasher
- 50% off Christmas cards, wraps, decorations, candles, tableware, etc.
- Kraft Peanut Butter 750g - 1KG - $1.88
- Pringles - $1.27
- Chunky Soup - $1.27

Read Walmart’s flyer here

Future Shop
Page 1:
- 37” Flat-Panel LCD HDTV - $849.99
- Gateway Intel Celeron M 370 Refurb Notebook (512MB, 60GB, Combo Drive) - $399.99
- PNY 2x 1GB SD Cards - $24.99

Page 2:
- Sony 1000 Watt Wireless Multi-Disc DVD Home Theatre System - $599.99
- Daytek Progressive Scan DVD Recorder w/250GB HD - $299.99

Page 3:
- JVC MiniDV Camcorder - $249.99
- Kodak C330 4MP Digital Camera w/3x Optical Zoom - $89.99

Page 4:
- Gateway Mobile AMD Sempron 3100+ Refurb Notebook (512MB, 80GB, DL DVD Burner) - $499.99
- Konica Minolta Refurb Colour Laser Printer - $169.99
- Konica Minolta Refurb Network Colour Laser Printer - $299.99

Page 5:
- Philips 16x DVD-R or DVD+R 100 Pack - $17.99
- Altec Lansing 2-Piece Speaker System - $9.99
- Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse w/Tilt Wheel - $19.99

Page 6:
- Mio C210 Portable Auto GPS Navigation System - $199.99
- Audiovox GMRS Radio Bundle - $19.99

Page 7:
- Kitchen Aid Ultra Power 4.5 Qt. Stand Mixer - $149.99
- Samsung 26 Cu. Ft. Filtered Ice and Water Side-by-Side Refridgerator - $1099.99

Read Future Shop’s flyer here

Real Canadian Superstore Ontario
Page 1:
- CiTech Progressive Scan DVD Player - $9.99
- Kodak C530 Digital Camera - $99.98
- Black Glider Rocker with Ottoman - $89.99

Page 2:
- Citizen 27” HD LCD TV - $599.99
- vTech 5.8GHz Triple Handset Caller ID Phone - $59.98

Page 3:
- SanDisk 512MB SD Card - $9.98
- Kingston 1GB SD Card w/ Reader - $19.98

Page 5:
- Original Nintendo DS - $89.98
- GameCube w/ Super Smash Bros - $89.98

Pages 9-11:
- Select Clothing 50% off
- Fragrance and Make Up Sets 50% off

Page 12:
- Select Table Games (Air hockey, etc) 50% off

Read RCSS flyer

Mexx stores nationwide are having a 50% off sale during boxing week.

Let’s face facts - you dropped the ball. It’s Christmas Eve, and you still have shopping to do. Pretty soon those stores are going to be closed, and you’re going to be up the creek without a paddle. Or are you? Whether you like it or not, there’s one place left. It may smack of desperation, but it’s better than showing up empty-handed (though only slightly so). It’s the gas station.

Winterized Washer Fluid is always a great gift - it says “Stay safe this winter! People care about you! But obviously not me, because I bought you washer fluid.” There’s lots of options here - lottery tickets, Pringles, The Toronto Sun. What’s not to love?

Well tommorow’s Christmas Day, and I can only hope our last minute shopping ideas have provided you with some of the gifts you needed, or at least given you a few laughs. I hope you’ll all enjoy the rest of your holidays, and I’ll see you all on the other side of Happy Ho ho Day!

Chances are that if you’re reading this, you didn’t watch Arrested Development. After all, if you did - or if anyone did for that matter - Arrested Development would still be on the air. It’s a shame, because you don’t know what you were missing. Well now, courtesy of MSN, you can find out.
MSN is putting the entire series online for your enjoyment free of charge. Currently the first nine are available, and they’re adding three more every week until all 53 are available. If you’ve never seen it you owe it to yourself to give it a try. If you’re already a fan, there’s all kinds of new stuff for you to enjoy -like Messenger pics and wallpapers.

This show is a personal favourite, so please, consider my sharing this link my gift to you. Happy Holidays!

Click here to check out Arrested Development.

Want to save $100 on an Xbox 360? There are two great deals starting Boxing Day that you won’t want to miss;

Future Shop will be offering an Xbox 360 Premium Bundle (includes Headset, 20GB Hard Drive and 30 Days of Xbox Live, as well as two games packed in - Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and Live Arcade Unplugged) for $399, and they’ll be throwing in the game The Outfit to sweeten the deal. With the extra free game, this is definitely the better deal of the two - but I think it’s also going to be the harder to find. It’s marked as a “Door Crasher” in their flyer, which suggests to me that this will probably be a Boxing Day only deal. I can’t confirm that though, so don’t be afraid to check on this deal the rest of the week. You might luck out!

Rogers Video is offering the Premium Console (including Ghost Recon and Live Arcade Unplugged) for $399 for the entire week - December 26th thru January 1st. There’s no additional free game, but we can say for sure that this will be on sale the whole week. Also - it seems logical that Rogers Video would run out of stock long after Future Shop. After all, not many people think of going to their local video store to pick up a sweet deal on a gaming console.

[We’re in the last week before Christmas, and everyday until that very last minute we here at SmartCanucks will be bringing you some great but obscure gift ideas for that special someone]

Nothing says I love you like “Ch-ch-ch-Chia!” Chia-Pets, the Clapper, the Ove Glove - anything bought to you by Joseph Enterprises is a worthwhile gift. This close to Christmas, ordering online probably won’t do you a lot of good unless you’re willing to put an IOU in a Christmas card. Luckily you can find most of these products at your local Home Hardware. And seriously, if you can show me someone who wouldn’t smile when unwrapping a ChiaPet, I’ll wear that damned Princess Leia dog costume.

Every great product ever imagined is available online at Joseph Enterprises.

Up to 70% off all merchandise begins December 26, 2006

Winners is having a “Boxing Week Blowout” sale that starts on December 26, 2006.

You get 25% off all clearance items. Some special deals include:

- Apple iPod Nano, 4GB (Black): $179.99 (max 1 per customer)
- Faux fur, faux shearling and downfilled coats: $79.99 and under
- Brand name young men’s denim: $19.99
- Ladies assorted sweaters: $19.99
- 500 thread count sheets: $59.99-$69.99
More details and store locations here

I’ve never really been all that into sports, but as a kid I would’ve sold my soul for a subscription to Sports Illustrated just so I could get my hands on one of these. The Sports Illustrated Sneakerphone is the ultimate in kitsch for anyone who grew up in the late 80’s/early 90’s. Nothing says cool like calling your Grandma on a shoe. And now it’s available without a subscription! You can pick one of these bad boys up at your favourite Canadian electronics liquidator, XS Cargo for only $9.99. If you don’t have an XS Cargo in your neighbourhood, you can also get this on their website.

The Sports Illustrated Sneakerphone is available at XS Cargo.