Jolly old Saint Nick bearing gifts might eventually give way to Uncle Sam hitting you up for tax money.

As tickets for the inauguration of the nation's first African-American president have been high in demand nationwide, requests have even piled up in heavily Republican Texas, officials said.

Of the 250,000 tickets to watch President-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in outside of the Capitol, senators are expected to receive 350 while state representatives will receive 198 in addition to the tickets given to Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden, officials said.

Requests at the office of Congressman Mike Conaway, R-Texas, exceeded 350 within a week of the election, according to staffers.

Open seats on influential committees will be grabbing much of the attention at the House Republican Conference reorganization meeting that starts on Wednesday.

Before the election, some congressional observers were predicting a slew of challengers to vie for House GOP leadership positions. And while there are a couple of leadership races under way, they have lacked much intrigue.

It looks like not even the best car salesman could persuade Big Country lawmakers to back a federal bailout for automakers.

Mike Conaway is getting back to his normal routine. First up on Wednesday morning a visit to Gonzales Elementary School to talk to students, but despite his big win on Tuesday night, Barack Obama's victory is weighing on him.

"Life goes on, yesterday was a huge day, a lot of disappointment but a lot of excitement," Mike Conaway, U.S. Rep. Dist. 11, said.

And with excitement is how Conaway plans to battle in Washington D.C.