Happy Day No. 11 in Cathy’s 12 Days Before Christmas Countdown. Let’s face it, as mom and CCO — chief Christmas officer — of your family, things are a bit hectic right now. So pour a cup of coffee, take a break and help Michelle Obama decide what to wear for the inauguration balls. Well, not really. But at http://www.zentrend.com/mobama-style1.html you can vote for your favorite among 12 designer sketches for Obama’s inaugural gowns. A couple of them even include designs for the First Daughters — adorable! Slip on your cyber stylista shoes and have some fun before it’s back to baking and decorating 15 dozen Rudolph sugar cookies. Just like you did last year. Tomorrow in the 10th Day Before Christmas Countdown: A super shopping tip to save you money and time.

And speaking of Washington, D.C. style, did you see the photo of Linda Johnson Rice, of Chicago — president and CEO of the company that publishes Ebony and Jet magazines and friend of the Obamas — on the first page of Sunday’s New York Times’ Style section? Here’s the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/fashion/14secretary.html And here’s the thing: I have almost exactly the same dress. At least, I think it is. I’m pretty sure it is. The neckline and straps are a bit different but the pattern’s exactly the same. Don’t you think? It’s a Weston Wear dress I bought this past summer in Birmingham, Alabama, to wear to a wedding — and here it shows up in the New York Times Styles section. On a publishing magnate. On a friend of the President-elect. A dress that I personally have in my closet. I mean, this woman is smart and gorgeous and rich and powerful and knows the upcoming First Family and could presumably wear anything she wanted to and she and I picked out the same dress!!!! I am absolutely stunned. Does this mean I have somehow acquired a sense of adult style? Can world domination be far behind??? And as a side note, this only further solidifies my belief that we Americans finally and with much wishy-washiness have chosen a good team.