On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me ... Oprah Winfrey as the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Thanks to President-elect Barack Obama's Chicago ties, many prominent locals pop up in the Obama advent calendar.

The limited-edition calendars are reusable, said spokesman Chris Whitehead. "There's no particular time limit. We're crossing our fingers he'll be in the White House again next term," he said.

Besides talk-show queen Winfrey (Dec. 1), Mayor Daley makes a cameo as the wine-chugging Ghost of Christmas Present (Dec. 4). Other familiar faces in itty-bitty windows include Gov. Rod Blagojevich ("Tiny Tim"), radical-turned-crony Bill Ayers ("Frosty the Weatherman"), and the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright ("The Grinch").

The Yule novelty -- one of the first to capitalize on Obama's Windy City ties -- comes courtesy of Four Cats, a Chicago collaborative led by Whitehead. The cover was illustrated by Rick Tuma, the caricatures by political cartoonist Chris Britt.

Winfrey is famously fussy about the use of her image, but Four Cats has yet to hear complaints about her frizzy-haired caricature.

"We hope she likes it," Whitehead said. "It's a nice little cartoon."

The Obama Family White House Christmas calendar is $18, limited to 5,000 copies, and available at select stationery and book stores including 57th Street Books in Hyde Park, the Obama family's favorite bookstore. Order online at ObamaAdventCalendar.com. The next president and First Lady, of course, appear as Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. John McCain shows up as a "very grim" Scrooge, Whitehead said.

Ouch

Even parking meters aren't recession-proof. Under Mayor Daley's plans to privatize downtown parking, city meters that cost 25 cents an hour will cost $1 an hour starting Jan. 1. That's a 300 percent increase. As for those already pricey Loop meters, those $3 spots will increase to $3.50 next year and $6.50 by 2013.

Ouch again

Not to be outdone, the Chicago Public Library is doubling its late fee to 20 cents per book per day.

Riveting

Sharp-eyed locals will spy a Chicago landmark in a new music video. Denver piano rock band The Fray filmed scenes for new single "You Found Me" (complete with baby grand piano) amid the girders of the Michigan Avenue Bridge. ABC debuted the video with new "Lost" footage Nov. 20 as a promo for the show's fifth season. The network tapped the band's title track from first album "How to Save a Life" for the medical drama "Grey's Anatomy."

Fancy that

Jessica Simpson unveils new perfume "Fancy" at noon Saturday at Macy's State Street store. "I wanted to create a pretty fragrance, one that I could be just as comfortable wearing on the red carpet or every day with my favorite jeans," bubbles Simpson, whose previous line of food-inspired scents were a hit (well, with tweens). The first 300 fans to buy "Fancy" ( a small bottle is $59) get to meet the bombshell and take home an autograph.