Snow, flooding and thunderstorms. According to flight ware. Com, more than 13,000 flights had been delayed, and more than 1200 Flights Canceled nationwide this week alone. So how did last minute travelers fare . Heres nbcs chris pollone. Reporter at new Yorks Laguardia airport Christmas Eve, santa and his elves tried to keep holiday spirits bright, serenading travelers with christmas carollers, perhaps distracting them from dreary weather causing flight delays and cancellations. It was windy and wet from maine to florida. By midday, 200 flights across the country had been canceled, more than 1,000 delayed. Travelers in new york seem to be taking everything in stride. So far its been great. No problems for us. Were hoping it will continue to be this way. Reporter delays were a bit more prevalent in philadelphia where heavy fog slowed takeoffs and landings. Less crowded than i expected. I was expecting it to be packed. Reporter forecasters fear chicagos Ohare Airport could see significant snow, which could snarl air travel across the country. It appears the bulk of the system is heading east of the windy city. In the northwest and rockies, snow is expected to fall on Christmas Day. With any luck, most christmas travelers will be with family and friends by then, even if the journey took longer than they hoped. Chris pollone, nbc news, boston. A new ebola scare at the centers for Disease Control and prevention in atlanta. According to the cdc, a mistake inside a secure laboratory may have exposed a technician to the virus. That person is being monitored this morning. Other Staff Members who may have had contact with that lab will be screened for exposure. Nbcs Gabe Gutierrez has the latest. Reporter an internal investigation is under way at the centers for Disease Control to find out how one of their workers and possibly more could have been exposed to the deadly ebola virus. The exposure took place monday when scientists researching the virus mistakenly sent a sample from a highlevel security lab to a lower level lab at the cdc. The technician has no symptoms and is being monitored for 21 days. You have to get ebola into your body to be infected. Its likely that the risk to the technician was very low. Reporter this year the cdc has been under fire. In june more than 80 workers were potentially exposed to anthrax by mistake. The head of that Bioterrorism Lab later resigned. Then u. S. Hospitals said agencies recommended protocols for dealing with the ebola virus were unclear, and in congressional hearings cdc director tom frieden admitted the agency made mistakes. In response to the potential ebola exposure, frieden says i am troubled by this incident and i have directed that there be a full review of every aspect of the incident and that the cdc take all necessary measures. Dr. Frieden has come under a lot of criticism for the way hes handled the ebola crisis. Some critics have said he came across as too confident that ebola wouldnt spread in the United States and it did. Reporter the worst Ebola Outbreak on record has devastated west africa, killing more than 7500 people. The cdc say it is risk from the latest mistake is low and there is no public threat. The st. Louis area is on edge, two days after another black teen was shot and killed by a police officer. Last night, dozens of protesters stopped traffic on a highway and some clashed with Police Officers trying to end their demonstrations. Earlier in the evening, the teens mother joined a candlelight vigil at the gas station where her 18yearold son was killed. Crowds continue to gather there to protest the fatal shooting, but officials in berkeley say this shooting is no ferguson. Nbcs john yang has the latest. Reporter officials were quick to release security view of the incident. A Berkeley Police officer investigating a shoplifting report encounters two men. Less than a minute later, one of them, 18yearold antonio martin, raises his arm, pointing a gun Officials Say at the officer who quickly backs up. The officer produced his Service Weapon and fired what we think at this point is three shots. Reporter one struck martin, killing him. Police say they recovered a loaded 9 millimeter gun at the scene and martin had a criminal record. As social media spread word of the shooting, a crowd gathered. A fire cracker was thrown. There were four arrests. Hes gone. Reporter martins girlfriend and his mother were there. Trying to get his life back together, trying to get back in school. Reporter berkeley mayor Theodore Hoskins stated emphatically this is not ferguson. Here in berkeley, if you review the video youll see that the aggressor was not the police, it was the victim. Reporter other officials agree the two cases are very different, but acknowledge there may be anger and skepticism. Im angry, too. But i have to tell the truth. In this situation there is a young man who illegally possessed a gun. Reporter marcus nevilles works at a restaurant across the street and doesnt expect large fergusonlike protests. One thing we get to find out what really happened, it will be done and over with. That was nbcs john yang reporting. Sony pictures says it wasnt giving in to hackers over the release of the interview. Now it is doubling down on that promise. Hundreds of movie groeimoviegoe West Hollywood theater were among the first to see it. Some 200 theaters will screen it. This, just one day after sony made it available for a fee through google play, youtube, xbox and a separate sony website. The Christmas Spirit can be felt all around the world this morning. Celebrations both large and small are taking place including at the vatican and in the palestinian city of bethlehem. Nbcs jim maceda has our report. Reporter at the vatican, a solemn midnight mass. Pope francis ushering in the holiday that marks the birth of christ for more than 2 billion worshippers worldwide. Many in conflict zones. U. S. Troops in afghanistan singing by candlelight, and pilgrims to christs birthplace, bethlehem in the west bank. Merry christmas. Reporter american david bogery came from iowa. To proclaim the name of jesus, not to talk politics. Reporter but there are tensions here even at christmas. Palestinians in santa costumes protested Israeli Occupation and scuffled with police. Elsewhere, santas were making friends and spreading joy. We brought a little bit of christmas to thailand. Reporter in bagdad, bringing presents to christian children who fled isis with their families. In france, scene of recent attacks by suspected islamist militants, police tightened security. So has the vatican. At christmas time there is perhaps no more symbolic target for islamist militants than here at st. Peters square. Security is on a heightened state of alert given that pope francis himself has been specifically threatened by isis. Reporter but the pope gave no sign of that. His Christmas Eve message was one of hope, joy and peace. Jim maceda, nbc news, the vatican. Just this past hour, pope francis delivered his annual Christmas Day message at the basilica. He urged people not to be indifferent to the suffering of so many around the world. Meteorologist Domenica Davis is here with your Christmas Day forecast. Good morning, domenica. Good morning, Merry Christmas. Merry christmas. Not a bad morning out there if you like the snow. To the west, thats where you have a lot of snow coming in from the cascades, right into the rocky mountains. Still dealing with rain from seattle, portland, down through medford. The rain we saw yesterday in san francisco, that has ended. Is will be a dryer day today. We do have Winter Weather warnings and advisories that are posted that stretch from montana all the way down into nevada and new mexico. So we are looking at an additional 4 to 6 inches of snow in some cases. Good skiing weather. 42 for the high today in medford. Still dealing with the rain again from oregon all the way up through washington. Dryer, though, through california today. Salt lake city gets the snow, 34 degrees. It will be 39 in denver with plenty of snow. And then more of the same tomorrow, well start to see that snow taper off. Degrees. And 23 in billings. And thats a look at your Christmas Day forecast. Back to you. Very promising in some areas. Still ahead, an emotional tribute from the families of the two slain nypd officers. Plus, how 2 million was accidentally up for grabs in hong kong. Youre watching early today. At panera bread, our hearty allnatural turkey chili is back in season. Slowcooked with turkey raised thout antibiotics, tart tomatillos, chilies, carrots, edamame and more. The savory spice of the chili pairs perfectly with the black bean hummus and the fresh crunch of napa cabbage blend in our southwestern chicken flatbread. And it all comes together in a you pick two made just for you. Only at panera bread. But the fire is so delightful [ male announcer ] nothing melts away the cold like a hot delicious bowl of chicken noodle soup from campbells. Let it snow, let it snow of chicken noodle soup from campbells. Is a really big deal. U with aches, fever and chills theres no such thing as a little flu. So why treat it like its a little cold . Theres something that works differently than overthecounter remedies. Attack the flu virus at its source with prescription tamiflu. And call your doctor right away. Tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people 2 weeks and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. Before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if youre pregnant, nursing, have Serious Health conditions, or take other medicines. If you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. Children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion or abnormal behavior. The most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. Ask your doctor about tamiflu and attack the flu virus at its source. Stories making news this morning. An emotional scene at the memorial for the two slain new york city Police Officers. Both families visited for the First Time Since saturdays shooting. Take a listen to this heartfelt tribute the eldest son of officer rafael ramos gave to his late father. Knowing that my father was a universally loved man has made the healing process a bit easier for our family. My father was an incredible man, he was a hero. He was an incredible husband to my mother, and he was a really dedicated officer. He truly cared about the people of new york city. Former president george h. W. Bush remains in a houston hospital this morning for another day of monitoring. He was admitted tuesday night after experiencing shortness of breath. You can call it an unintended Christmas Gift on a hong kong street yesterday. 2 million spilled out of the security van and dozens of people made a mad dash to get their hands on it. About a dozen of them have since come forward to return close to 500,000. Still 1. 5 million missing. Officials say a broken back door on the van is to blame for all that. It is the end of a 24hour scary ordeal for bao bao, the giant panda cub at Washingtons National zoo. This began on tuesday afternoon when she touched a hot wire. That scared her so much, she climbed to the top of the tree and wouldnt come down. Zoo Officials Say she eventually did come back down on her own, and is now back with her mom. Santa is back home in the north pole after delivering all the gifts. First Lady Michelle obama helped track his trip last night. The white house released this picture showing her answering calls from children as part of the norad program. Just ahead, broncos fans will have something to celebrate during the holidays. A star player announces his intentions to return next season. Plus, a football fan gets a surprise gift from an nfl player after a chance encounter. Sports is next. Walgreens knows the holidays are full of surprises. Thats why, whenever the need arises. Walgreens is always right around the corner, so you can get in and out in no time. And help keep the magic in your holidays. At the corner of happy and healthy. Most stores open Christmas Day. Dave, im sorry to interrupt. I gotta take a sick day tomorrow. Dads dont take sick days, dads take nyquil. The nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep with a cold, medicine. Am i forgetting something . No holidays complete without campbells green bean casserole. Wish you were here. [ doorbell ] [ gasps ] [ gong ] [ wisest kid ] mm mm good choosing is half the fun. Because theres a Little Something delicious. For everyone. Hersheys miniatures, choose your own delicious. This morning on today, meet bowen toomey, a very active 5yearold boy born without arms and legs. Now his adoptive family wants to inspire others to adopt special needs children. Their amazing story is later on today. Right now to sports action. The inaugural bahamas bowl was a downtothewire thriller. A recordsetting day for Central Michigan quarterback cooper rush. He threw for seven touchdowns. The chippewas rallied in the fourth after trailing western kentucky by 35 points. After a failed twopoint conversion on the last play of the game, western kentucky wins 4948. In the honolulu bowl rice took on fresno state. Rice with a generous lead late in the fourth quarter. They put their smallest player in the ball game, 49 running back jay carter who weighs just 140 pounds. He only got one carry, but made it count. Rice wins it, 306. Tcus Gary Patterson has been named the Associated PressCollege Football coach of the year, the second time hes won that honor. 38yearold star quarterback Peyton Manning squashed potential retirement rumors yesterday telling reporters he plans to be back with the broncos next season. I have not thought about those circumstances at all. So i certainly plan on being back if the broncos will have me. One seahawks fan received a special gift from robert turbin. After meeting turbins girlfriend when the seahawks played in kansas city, she promised the fan a meetandgreet that never happened but found a way to make up for it. Read it. It says, hi alex. Im sorry you werent able to meet rob back in november. To make up for it, rob was generous enough to get the team to autograph this seahawks helmet. A heart warming gift there. Might be hard for the family and friends to top, though. Just ahead, find out how some celebrities are celebrating the holiday. Plus, trimming the tree, not with ornaments out of a box, but with the communitys fondest wishes. Youre watching early today. No matter who you are, if you have type 2 diabetes, you know it can be a struggle to keep your a1c down. So imagine. What if there was a new class of medicine that works differently to lower blood sugar . Imagine loving your numbers. Introducing oncedaily invokana®. Its the first of a new kind of prescription medicine thats used along with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. Invokana® is a oncedaily pill that works around the clock to help lower a1c. Heres how the kidneys allow sugar to be absorbed back into the body. Invokana® reduces the amount of sugar allowed back in. And sends some sugar out through the process of urination. And while its not for weight loss, it may help you lose some weight. Invokana® can cause important side effects, including dehydration, which may cause some people to have loss of body water and salt. This may also cause you to feel dizzy, faint, lightheaded, or weak especially when you stand up. Other side effects may include kidney problems, genital yeast infections, urinary tract infections, changes in urination, high potassium in the blood, or increases in cholesterol. Do not take invokana® if you have severe kidney problems or are on dialysis or if allergic to invokana® or its ingredients. Symptoms of allergic reaction may include rash, swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing. If you experience any of these symptoms, stop taking invokana® and call your doctor right away or go to the nearest hospital. Tell your doctor about any medical conditions, medications you are taking, and if you have kidney or liver problems. Using invokana® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase risk of low blood sugar. Its time. Lower your blood sugar with invokana®. Imagine loving your numbers. Ask your doctor about invokana®. Dave, im sorry to interrupt. I gotta take a sick day tomorrow. Dads dont take sick days, dads take nyquil. The nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep with a cold, medicine. Why do i cook for the to share with family to carry on traditions to come together, even when were apart in stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and more, swanson® makes holiday dishes delicious Merry Christmas and welcome back to early today. Were talking snow out to the west, still dealing with Winter Weather warnings and advisories that are posted through the cascades and into the rockies. So 4 to 6 inches of snow. That will be on tap for christmas. And the snow certainly is already coming down. Salt lake city a high today of 34. Theyre definitely in the snow zone through tomorrow as well. If you try down to the south, we are picking up on a little bit of rain through san diego. One place is going to be dry is los angeles. Plenty of sunshine with temperatures staying in the 60s. Nice, warm christmas for them. Wouldnt that be nice to be there . You know, snow in some parts, sun in other parts, the perfect christmas, right . Yes. Now for entertainment news. Here is how some of our favorite celebrities are celebrating the holidays. Neal Patrick Harris took to twitter last night to write merry Christmas Eve he said. Hope your night is filled with love, whether it be by romance, friendship or random circumstance. tis the season. Singer taylor swift tweeted, my dad gave me ten lint rollers for christmas, not for lint, but because you always have glitter all over you. Hunger games actress Jennifer Lawrence spent Christmas Eve at a Childrens Hospital in her hometown of louisville, kentucky. She tweeted this photo meeting several young patients. E news host Giuliana Rancic instagramed this photo of herself shopping in chicago on Christmas Eve. And katie couric with santa in aspen, colorado, last night. And president obama tweeted this picture of the first family meeting a group of young elves. The president wrote, say hello to friends you know and everyone you meet. What did you tweet . I havent tweeted anything. It has been a quiet day for me in the Christmas Eve spirit. What about you . No, i didnt tweet either. Were terrible. Yeah, well get on it today. Im ayman mohyeldin. This is early today. We hope it is your first stop of the day here on nbc news. Is a really big deal. U with aches, fever and chills theres no such thing as a little flu. So why treat it like its a little cold . Theres something that works differently than overthecounter remedies. Attack the flu virus at its source with prescription tamiflu. And call your doctor right away. Tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people 2 weeks and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. Before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if youre pregnant, nursing, have Serious Health conditions, or take other medicines. If you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. Children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion or abnormal behavior. The most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. Ask your doctor about tamiflu and attack the flu virus at its source. Welcome back on this christmas morning. There was a tree that grows in san francisco, and on it this time of year the branches are filled with the hopes and dreams of those who pay it a visit. Those hopes are often not about the gifts that we pressure ourselves to purchase for one another. Many of them are about the things money cannot buy. The story now from nbcs harry smith. Reporter theres not much to it really, yet every day after school, kids stop by to fill out tags and read the ones left behind. This one says i wish for food for everyone. Reporter its a wishing tree, started four years ago by. Vanessa sabarese because, quite frankly, the holidays were getting her down. I wanted to do something around this time of year that changed how i felt, because it wasnt something i looked forward to. Reporter now the whole neighborhood looks forward to december. The act of writing down a wish is kind of liberating. There are no secrets on a wishing tree. I wish for lavender because it smells nice. I wish for people to have a roof over their head and food to eat. I wish for a real puppy. Reporter wishing doesnt cost a thing, except, perhaps, your skepticism. A lot of times in life you dont get everything you wish to for, so maybe the lesson is its okay to wish. I guess thats a really cool lesson. Even if youre old. Yeah. Reporter as the days grow shorter, the victorian box tree gets loaded with more and more wishes. And sometimes people like leslie deanahan stop by. Saw the wishing tree. Perfect timing, our dog is having surgery. Reporter lesley and her husband feared their dog kobe had cancer. Hes the one we made our wish true. That wish came true. Oh, i i remember reporter in the evening breeze the wishes dangle and spin. It makes you think Something Special is going on here. I get hope. I get inspiration, and i get love. Reporter inspiration, hope, love, more than most of us would ever wish for. But if we did, it makes you wonder. Harry smith, nbc news, san francisco. What a beautiful scene there. Celebrating birthdays on this Christmas Day, singer annie lennox turns 60 today. Academy Award Winning actress sissy spacek is 65. And Jimmy Buffett is 68. Hopefully hes having a cheeseburger in paradise. Im ayman mohyeldin. Thanks for watching early today. Have a terrific holiday, everyone. A fire, and not the first time the firefighters have been at this house. And a look at the people giving of themselves to make the holiday special for thousands of the bays special. Lets take a live look at look Feller Center in new york, all lit up as the crowd is ready to come out and celebrate this national holiday. It is thursday, december 25th, christmas. Youre watching today in the bay