The deadline looms (it is Christmas Eve) for contributing your rhapsodies about this city to the Like Canberra nominations.

This ACT government centenary-minded project has invited Canberrans to openly rejoice about the things they like most about Canberra - up to five of them.

Since the campaign was launched in October, people visiting the Like Canberra website have nominated more than 12,000 reasons why they like Canberra.

Chief Minister Katy Gallagher says "the nominations reveal a broad range of reasons for liking our city like the trees; our open, intelligent and engaged society; the culture of growing vegetables in the back yard; and that you can't see the air - which I think is a reference to our lack of pollution. The pork knuckles and beer at the Harmonie German Club have been nominated, as have the 'casual cows' at Lanyon Homestead seen from the outdoor cafe. The pace of life here is another theme of the responses, which is related to the comfortable size of our city, being not too big and not too small.''

This nomination stage is the first in the Like Canberra local engagement campaign.

In the second stage, from January 14 to February 14, people will be able to vote on the top 100 things to like about Canberra.

There is a Like Canberra T-shirt available from the Tourist Information Centre for $15. All proceeds will go to the Dollars for Dili cause.

Staff of the BitterSweet cafe in Kingston, getting behind the Like Canberra campaign, is sporting them to help generate some positive Canberra vibes.