• by Sarah Mahoney , January 6, 2009

Forget about vacuuming up pine needles. It's time to get started on the next retail countdown, with Amazon.com launching a special site for the upcoming presidential inauguration. The site, opening as the capital continues to gear up, is obviously selling Obama-themed paraphernalia, from t-shirts and collectibles to iPods etched in his image and "DeadHeads for Obama" buttons.

But it also links users to party clothes for the dozens of official and unofficial inauguration balls, as well as special deals on everything from adult Uncle Sam costumes to savings on CDs from such artists as Aretha Franklin (she will be performing at the swearing-in ceremony) and Yo-Yo Ma (him, too).

For the 12,000 people marching in the parade, the 240,000 with printed tickets entitling them to get near the stage in front of the Capitol, or the millions who are expected to throng the city, there are links to such inauguration essentials as warm-weather clothing (think fur-trapper hats) and spy-style hardware, like a Secret Service style throat microphones.

"A lot of people will be participating in the upcoming inauguration, whether they are planning to attend or host a party at home," the company says in its release announcing the site. "We want to make it as easy as possible for customers to prepare for the historic event."

At this point, it would be hard to overestimate the magnitude of the Jan. 20 event, with experts forecasting it may be the biggest single gathering of people in America's history. Attendance predictions range from three to five million, surpassing the record set back in 1965, when 1.2 million flocked to see Lyndon B. Johnson's swearing-in. Giant TV screens will be erected around the National Mall, which is expected to be filled with at least 1 million.

Hotels have been booked for months, airlines are adding flights, and cell phone companies are erecting new sites to handle the anticipated flood of calls, texts, pictures and videos attendees will likely send. Bars and restaurants are scheduled to be open around the clock from Jan. 17 to Jan. 21, and allowed to sell booze until 5 a.m.