Four Lattes and One Treasury Note? Make That Last One to Go.

Treasury Secretary John Snow Christmas shops at Borders on 14th Street. At left is U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral. (Michel Ducille For The Washington Post)

Let it Snow! We couldn't pass up the invitation to go holiday shopping with Treasury Secretary John Snow and U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral. At promptly 2 p.m. yesterday, Snow emerged from the Treasury Building coatless and brimming with good cheer. "I hope what you learn is that retailing is a very important part of the economy," Snow told the dozen reporters, five aides and two security guys in the entourage. "We're hoping to see a good retail season."

First stop: Borders, where the plan was to shop for four grandchildren, ages 1 to 11. Snow and company trooped down to the children's section, where he scooped up a boxed set of "The Chronicles of Narnia" for the eldest, then surveyed a shelf of read-along books for the 4-year-old. He turned to an aide. " 'Go Dog Go' was one of my favorites when I was little," the aide said. Snow added it to the pile, along with two Babar tomes. "You never go wrong with Babar," Snow declared.

He grabbed CDs by Bob Dylan and Billy Gilmore , a DVD of "Bend It Like Beckham" and four copies of "One Christmas in Washington," the account of the 1941 meetings of Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt.

While waiting in line, Snow bantered about the tax code with the group, then greeted the cashier, Kim, with a big smile. "What's your busiest day here?" he asked.

"It's hard to say, sir."

"Christmas falls on Saturday -- "

"Sunday," she politely corrected him, ringing up a total of $341.26, which went on Snow's Visa card.

Snow carried his own bags up 14th Street before turning into Starbucks, where he bought four lattes and a dozen $10 gift cards for his Secret Service detail ($134.80) before settling in for a little financial chitchat. In a season when department stores and malls are reporting disappointing sales, Snow said the purpose of this excursion was to highlight the good news of the economy. Even high fuel prices have a silver lining: "On the demand side, energy prices are an incentive to conserve."

The other customers looked slightly put out by the news conference in their midst. One guy blew bubbles with his gum. Another placed a note written on a napkin in front of us before slipping out the exit: "Ask him how it feels to be part of an administration that squandered a record surplus -- " Before we could finish reading, public affairs officer Jim Anderson swooped down and snatched it away.

"Thank you!" Snow told reporters. "Merry Christmas, everyone!" We caught up with Anderson to ask for the napkin back. 'The Secret Service had to throw it away," he said.

Merry Christmas to you, too.

Under Repeated Questioning, Bush Cracks

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As President Bush wrapped up a news conference in which he hotly denied charges of "unchecked power" in a secret domestic spying program, reporter April Ryan of American Urban Radio Networks tried to ask two separate questions (about counterterrorism efforts and race relations) in one breath. The president answered the latter, then doubled back.

Bush: The other question was?

Ryan: Sir . . .

Bush: You asked a multiple-part question.

Ryan: Yes, I did.

Bush: Thank you for violating the multiple-part-question rule.

Ryan ( laughing) : I didn't know there was a law on that.

Bush: There's not a law. It's an executive order. [ Laughter from press. ] In this case, not monitored by the Congress -- [ more laughter ] -- nor is there any administrative oversight [ big laugh ].

D.C. Style's Makeover: Now With Less Coverage!

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Washington's magazine war was bound to come to this: In an apparent effort to set itself apart from the other new celebrity-and-fashion glossies, D.C. Style -- which used to run the same kind of pretty-girl-in-a-ball-gown covers as DC and Capitol File -- has given itself a Cosmo-style makeover. Inside the January-February issue, owner Dana Spain- Smith vows it to be "D.C.'s sexiest magazine."

Yeah, well, at least until Atlantic Monthly moves to town!

HEY, ISN'T THAT . . . ?

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Special Redskins-Cowboys edition!

Bob Novak , watching the Redskins victory Sunday from the comfort of Dan Snyder 's box, along with owner's-box habitue Bernard Shaw . Snyder himself was even more vivacious than usual, jumping up and down to cheer each touchdown and running down to the field for the end of the game.

Former Dallas QB Troy Aikman , in town for TV commentary duties, roaming Fashion Centre at Pentagon City Friday night with a dishy blonde matching the description of his wife -- no entourage, no shopping bags, just hangin' at the mall, it seemed.