Jack klugman has passed away. He is best known for playing the odd couple. Chuck pagano returned to his team as he continues to battle leukemia. I asked bruce to take over. You had to win nine games . All that matters. First Lady Michelle obama answers calls on the santa tracking program. On the third day of christmas my true love gave to me. That stupid hat. Merry christmas and welcome to Merry Christmas, welcome to cbs this morning. Merry christmas to you and you. Our first christmas together. Our first christmas together. Yeah. Great place to be. Looking forward to a healthy and happy new year as well. So am i. Santa was good to you . Well, im going to see when i get home. He wasnt there when i left. Since we get here so early, ill check in when i get home. Exactly. All right. Before we get started though, lets go to Rebecca Jarvis for a quick check of the headlines. Thanks im Rebecca Jarvis. From the midwest to the southeast, millions of americans are bracing for a Christmas Day storm. Its snowing in maryland and pennsylvania and blizzard conditions expected in oklahoma and arkansas, and theyre under a winter storm warning. But the real trouble looks to be the potential for tornadoes in the southeast and meteorologist Jeff Berardelli of wfor has more. Good morning, jeff. Good morning, rebecca. Already getting active out there, especially in parts of texas and louisiana. Severe thunderstorm warnings are ongoing. The reason for it is right now we have a lot of energy in the atmosphere and what thats causing is the potential for a widespread Severe Weather outbreak. Winds out of the southeast and winds out of the southwest and that causes spinning in the atmosphere or wind sheer. This is a powerful system. A lot of the thunderstorms are going to become rotating super cell thunderstorms. We expect probably a lot of tornadoes and some of them could be on the strong side during the day today. All right, jeff, Merry Christmas. Thanks so much. Christians around the world are celebrating the birth of jesus. Pope benedict delivered his annual Christmas Day message talking about what he called the slaughter in syria. Earlier he talked about the need for god in a technologydriven world. And crowds packed manger square in bethlehem. Authorities in western new york still dont know why an excon set fire to his house and then shot firefighters as they arrived two died in the ambush and two others were wounded. Jim axelrod reports. Reporter as the four firemen arrived to fight the fire, they were met with gunshots. We are being shot at. Multiple firemen shot. I am shot. Reporter two of the men died instantly. Two were wounded. Be advised im snuck the lower leg, the knee area and the lower left back. Reporter the gunshots prevented the First Responders from putting out the fire. Seven homes were consumed by the flames. It is still an active investigation, but at first blush it appears that it was a trap. Reporter the Webster Police chief said that William Spengler likely set the fire intentionally and waited to ambush the First Responders. Spengler spent 17 years in prison for beating his grandmother to death with a hammer in 1980. When police surrounded his position monday, he shot himself. The flag at the Webster Fire Department will now stay lowered for the firemen lost. Michael theyre always there for you. You take them for granted. You have dont know reporter the two wounded ones are expected to live as another town tries to come together to deal with a holiday tragedy. For cbs this morning, im jim axelrod in new york. Tvs beloved every man jack klugman has died. He played the sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison on the odd couple and the gruff medical examiner in q were looking back this morn at some of the favorite stories of 2012. David letterman put on a unique show last week at ball state university. As jeff glor reports, the late show interviewed another tv legend Oprah Winfrey. When i look out at this audience i have the same thought each time, we really should charge for tickets. Reporter David Letterman opened with a joke but this was no comedy show. For an hour and 40 minutes, letterman and Oprah Winfrey discussed everything from race to the abuse winfrey abused as a child. Race continually continuously sexually molested from 10 to 14. Reporter winfrey talked about these issues before but never for a man for 16 years she refused to talk to at all. Oprah and i have spent one night together, 16 years ago. 16 years ago. She hasnt spoken to me since. [ laughter ] that is my history with women in a nutshell. Reporter from 1989 to 2005 winfrey locked letterman out. I found out that oprah hated me. Reporter he said two years ago its because he stuck winfrey with an old lunch bill. Backstage, oprah told us it was something else. Much has been made of this socalled feud. Reporter iciness. How do we refer to that . I dont know what distancing, lets call it a distancing. I have done a show of his and during and the process of the show, people started yelling bad things and i thought that he should have taken control of the situation or he didnt take control of the situation. It was such an uncomfortable experience for me. Number one reporter after a decade and a half of off and on prodding from letterman seven years ago the ice breaker. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Oprah Winfrey. [ applause ] reporter that was followed by a brief super bowl ad. Now, dave be nice. Reporter letterman finally appearing on the Oprah Winfrey show. I thought you would have picked up the phone. I wanted to be asked, oprah. [ laughter ] reporter but there was nothing like this. You said you never had therapy. No. Reporter it sounded like we were watching therapy. Like dave is giving me therapy. Im thinking is this a full circle moment or what . I am sitting on stage in a real conversation with Dave Letterman whos asking me you know thing, i hadnt thought about for years. We love you reporter the conversation at ball state where students camped out waiting for tickets traced winfreys path from mississippi to media titan. So much to cover, the universitys president thought she was supposed to wrap it up. May we help you . [ laughter ] were talking here. Were talking here. Reporter letterman and winfrey kept rolling 45 minutes past the scheduled end time. I am again, i hate to invoke the word stunned. You and i have lived much different lives. I mean, i think thats you are a white man. [ laughter ] reporter when youre up there like that, do you miss the show . I do not miss the show. I dont miss the show. I thought about it for a very long time. I knew that it would be very important that when you let it go, you really can let it go. What i do now all those years i never looked at my own ratings but now when the rating sheet comes in for everybody elses, i look at the whole list of the people all fighting it it out for a couple of rating points. Reporter as winfrey navigates her next move her Cable Network trying to seek its own ratings growth she put one rough patch behind her, mostly. I said to him, dave maybe if we cant call ourselves friends maybe at least we can say were friendly. Were friends right now. Reporter thats the way to refer to him . Friendly friends. Were friendly friends. You cant say youre a friend until you sat at somebodys table, you have experienced something with them, you have experienced some challenging event or you have been able to be there and support them. Thats when you know if youre a friend. Thats why i dont throw that word around. But you know that, you know, we have opened a door. Reporter thanksgiving dinner next year . Maybe not that friendly. You know, i happen to be there that day, because we were headed to south africa after the interview. It was great to see them together because it was a mutual admiration and respect for each other. I do think they have bonded. I really do believe that. David seems to be talking more about himself these days. He is. He is. Oprah had done an interview for her network that will air later and im seated next to regina his wife. She asked about the problems on his show affair with his staffer and regina was sitting next to me and he was so candid and open about i. Youre right, charlie, when you say hes more open. You have found that too . Yeah, i interviewed him do you think its fatherhood . I think fatherhood has changed him significantly. Everybody tells you it will be this way, and you dont believe and it happens and youre true. Youre taking out the baby pictures, hey, here is my son. One of those. And in a speech last month, nfl commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the increase in brain injuries. We talked about that and more in a wide ranging interview which happened just before a controversial ruling that struck down four players suspension in the bounty scandal. Has the nfl done enough to stop concussions and to recognize when they happen . Well i dont think youve ever done enough. What we talked about yesterday was a comprehensive approach to tell people what we have done, but we still believe we have more work to do. That very speech suggest you were worried about the Public Perception of the nfl . No, we believe as leaders in the sports that part of our responsibility is to bring recognition to the injury. An injury that we think happens in other sports football its one of the major challenges and we want to show people what were doing in football to make not only football safer, but i think well make all sports safer. This is what else you said in the speech. A cultural shift was needed to change the warrior mentality of players unwilling to disclose when they are hurt. Well, i told the story in that speech, charlie about a 15yearold girl Playing Field hockey. It was a friend of our family. And she fell on the turf, passed out momentarily, got up and continued to play. Thats warrior mentality in a 15yearold girl. We need to make sure when players are injured, no matter the sport or who they are, they need to seek medical attention so they can get the proper care. Warrior mentality also is bounty for taking out players. Aaron rodgers said the other night said the other day, to scott pelley, he assumes he is being the subject of that kind of effort to take him out of the game. Well, we took a very strong position on bounties. For three years we had had charges that it was happening in new orleans. We finally got the information. We took a very strong position. Its clear that it happens its been admitted to that it happened. I think what we need to do is make sure not only in the nfl, but in every level of football and every sport, that that kind of thing is inappropriate. You do not have a reward for injuring an opponent. Thats not what sports are all about. I talked to drew brees recently. Heres what he said. Id say despite the injustices at the League Office and commissioner goodell have committed against our team and against sean payton specifically, i think id ask himself what would sean want us to do and he wants us to focus on winning the football games. He feels the league is unfair. Well they have their appeals and thats going in front of the former commissioner. We have to enforce our rules and make sure that when we see violations of our rules particularly in the case of bounty that can be dangerous to other players that were enforcing those properly. Im not going to in any way compromise on that. Now, you have also raised an awareness about growth hormones being part of this. Whats that . Well, we have had performanceenhancing drug program, that being steroids. We agreed to hgh testing program. It would take hgh hopefully out of the game. We think this is wrong for players safety and for the integrity of the game. We hope to reach that agreement with our Players Association because it needs to get out of the game. It needs to get out of sports in general. What did you learn from the referee bargaining . You never want to have those type of disputes going on. Thats something that we apologize to our fans. I apologize to the fans. We dont want those kind of things to happen. But the reality is theyre part of making sure that the longterm good of the game is handled properly. What we have now are changes in our program that will help make officiating better. We are still making mistakes on the field of officiating. Thats part of officiating. Its an imperfect science. We think we have the best but we need to continue to improve. Nfl football is one of the most attractive sports in terms of television and everything else. Its american americans love football. Do you think it can expand beyond america . Well, we had Great Success over in the u. K. Next year well expand it to two games and were playing in toronto. We have had Great Success in other markets like mexico and the far east. I believe our future is very bright overseas. The game is very popular. Our fans on a global basis want more and more football. Thats what were doing. Were responding to that interest. You talked about the culture. Football players in the nfl are role models and in the nba as well and in other professional sports. How do you make sure that the players appreciate that by their personal conduct . Well, we have a personal conduct policy which was put together with the players. And its very important because they are role models and theyre held to a higher standard. I think all of us in the nfl are held to a higher standard. When we dont reflect well on what i call the nfl or ourselves, then were going to be held accountable. We have a program thats focused on education. Its on discipline. And when people dont meet the standard of the nfl, were going to take action. There are consequences for that. What do you worry about the most . I worry about Player Health and safety. Thats the number one challenge and focus. We want to keep our athletes safe and also athletes not just football or in the nfl, but every level. And efvery other sport. Television coverage makes it attractive to watch at home rather than the stadium. Is it a problem for the owners . Its a challenge for us. Watching it in highdefinition super slowmo is a great experience. Thats gotting to change. Our challenge is how do we make sure that that same kind of experience happens in the stadium, so were bringing technology into the stadium. Were working harder to making sure that the fans feel safe. They have to have a great experience. You wrote a famous letter which i have talked to you about before. Written to your father. And you said two thing, i want to make you proud of me and secondly, i want to be the commissioner of the nfl. You have clearly made your father proud of you and you clearly have been the commissioner of the nfl. Having served for a long time at the nfl. How long will you continue to serve as commissioner . I will tell you ill do it as long as i can make a difference. If i can make the game better, make it more popular and safer for the athletes then ill continue to do it. But at some point ill move on and do something else. Thank you, Roger Goodell. Good to see you. Good to be with you, charlie. Since we have done that interview, he was on the cover of Time Magazine suggesting that the questions coming and he is the focus and the guy whos in charge of the nfl. I thought it was fascinating he said we need to lose the warrior mentality that he worries about health and safety and you shouldnt play if youre not if your health is in jeopardy. But as an athlete, do you think men athletes in particular will say, well, im not going to play because im injured . It seems like they get out there and thats what they want to do. Play through the pain. One of the reasons that they initiated this thing, so somebody will check with you on the sidelines of the game to see if you had a concussion. We have the Kennedy Center honors tomorrow night here on cbs. Well sit down with one of the honorees, a ballerina kreldcredited with the way we look at dance. You can learn Amazing Things from sharks if you dont mind going close. Well follow this great white shark. Thats ahead on cbs this morning. [ woman ] dear cat, your hair mixes with pollen and dust. I get congested. But now, with zyrtecd® i have the proven allergy relief of zyrtec® plus a powerful decongestant. Zyrtecd® lets me breath freer so i can love the air. [ male announcer ] zyrtecd®. Behind the pharmacy counter. No prescription needed. [ female announcer ] unlike other sour creams, daisy is 100 pure with nothing else added. Meals are simply better with a dollop of daisy. Do a dollop do, do a dollop of daisy [ male announcer ] its that time of year again. Time for citi price rewind. Because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. And you really dont want to pay more than you have to. Only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. And if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. Just use your citi card and register your purchase online. Have a super sparkly day ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. Citi price rewind. Start saving at citi. Com pricerewind. [ hudson ] at Weight Watchers when we look back at what our members have accomplished in the past 50 years its pretty amazing. I feel like im on top of the world right now on top of the world right now introducing a Weight Loss Program 50 years in the making. And i feel like im standing 10 ft. Tall built on the power of the human spirit. Built for human nature, so you can expect amazing. Introducing the new Weight Watchers 360 program. Join for free and expect amazing. Because it works. [ nyquil bottle ] you know i relieve coughs sneezing, fevers. [ tylenol bottle ] me too and nasal congestion. [ tissue box ] he said nasal congestion. Yeah. I heard him. [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multisymptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. Nyquil® cold and flu doesnt. And Merry Christmas everyone. Its 7 26. Im frank mallicoat. Some bay area headlines now theyre looking for the cause of a three alarm fire in campbell. It started before 5 00 this morning on dell avenue. Flames consumed the back of the building. Theyre getting ready for more high water in East Palo Alto in the creek. There was some flooding in area on sunday and now crews are working to shore up the levees in that area. And hundreds of volunteers are serving up breakfast to the homeless at the glide Memorial Church in San Francisco right now. A lot of ham a lot of turkey being carved up. Theyll start dishing up christmas dinner at 9 00 this morning. Got the traffic and weather coming up on this Christmas Day right after the break. Stay right in. Merry christmas, we have storm clouds rolling into the bay area. Nicedy to stay inside and enjoy the family as the rain will be picking up it looks like. A very big storm system sliding in again canting heavy rain and some gusty winds in the afternoon. Our cbs 5 hidef Doppler Radar has been showing us some showers making their way across the bay area mainly to the north but theyll be on the increase especially middle of the day and the afternoon. Highs only in the low to about the mid 50s a cool day as well. Next couple of days the showers continuing. Then thursday well catch a break in the Stormy Weather but another storm roll in on friday. Lets check out the traffic now. Okay thanks lawrence. And yeah not much traffic out there to speak of. Well show you a couple of live looks, northbound 880 the nimitz. Cruising past the oakland coliseum. The broadway off ramp remains shut down due to nnc welcome back to this special christmas edition of cbs this morning. Were looking back fondly today at some of our favorite moments of the past year the stories that stuck in our minds, and the personalities who really stood out. For 35 years, the Kennedy Center honors have recognized performers of the greatest influence on American Culture through the arts. And one of this years honorees actually began her career in another country, on the other side of the cold war. Reporter the seeds of natalias success are rooted in the tradition of russian ballet. Her steps flawless. Reporter her passion the key to the soul of her characters. Reporter from giselle to swan lake. Sometimes i think its the most difficult ballet for ballerina to achieve not perfection come close to perfection. Reporter how did you end up in Ballet School . By chance. Reporter by chance . Yeah. I think it is like a ruse in my life. Every important thing in my life happened by chance. Reporter natalias journey began at 13 at the Prestigious School in leningrad, a calling she almost missioned after auditioning. They were impressed. And then director asked me for my telephone number home telephone number. And being absentminded i gave the wrong number. Then i was reporter gave the wrong phone number . Yeah. But they found me in a month or two months later they find me. I dont know how they find me otherwise. Reporter in 1959 she joined the famed kirov ballet. Reporter for ten years was the pride of the nation. [ applause ] reporter at the height of her career natalia had to make a choice between who she was and what she would become. Why did i defect . To achieve something i was hungry for. Dancing to more working with different choreographers. Reporter while on tour in london, friends urged her to seek political asylum. And i closed my eyes and i really started to cry and cry and cry. Kind of hysterically. And i said okay, im ready, you can call the police. Reporter and your life changed. Start new life. Reporter at the american ballet theater in new york city natalia found a freedom of expression she had never known. Reporter with the best choreographers of the 20th century. And her russian contemporaries. You danced with barishnikov, you said it was russian madness, why . Because we are both russian and passionate. You see it on our face. She is a huge factor in many ways of me being here and who i am and what if i achieved anything. Without her i wouldnt have been who i am, and i wouldnt be here. [ applause ] reporter at 72 natalia has had a celebrated career. One now honored by the Kennedy Center for her commitment to her art. You feel like one, not two reporter but natalia never forgot her roots. She choreographs the lost russian classic for audiences around the world. Its selfexpression. I want to enlarge the horizon to challenge myself probably. Reporter and in 1989 in the twilight of her illustrious career, she returned to where it all began. The first artistic compile exile allowed to return to perform with the ballet company. What was it like . Terribly intense. Its like emotional roller coaster. I was going to reunite with my mother, with my family with my friends. Who i didnt see for 19 years. Reporter her country embraced her. And as the curtain fell natalia took her final bow. The audience was really incredible. This amount of love this emotion. You know these true feelings. Theres no words to describe really. I couldnt go this year, but i know you two were both there. Well get to see it tomorrow. I cant wait to see. What did you like . I love the Kennedy Center honors. Me, too. What culture, dustin hoffman, led zeppelin David Letterman. Theres really no other event. Its great that its broadcast on cbs. Its great to be there because the president s up in the balcony. Yeah. Yeah. With the honorees. Yes. And then they do a presentation by you know they do a presentation that signals and gets it off to a nice touch, and then they have a film. You get up everybody gets up and turns to where the honorees are and gives them a nice appreciation. It turns into a really good party. And i keep thinking every year when you go turns into a great party. Every year i think they cant possibly come up with another class as they call it, and every year they come up with somebody. Incredible artists. You can see the Kennedy Center honors tomorrow at 9 00 8 00 central here on cbs. And this past summer massachusetts had its first great white shark attack since 1936. You know, scientists dont know that much about the everyday habits of sharks. And jeff glor went along on a mission to see what makes them tick. If youre living with moderate to severe crohns disease, and it feels like your life revolves around your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. Humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohns disease. In clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission. 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[ giggling ] [ elizabeth ] i like to drink orange juice but the acidic levels in some foods can cause acid erosion. The enamel starts to wear down, and you cant grow your enamel back. My dentist recommended that i use pronamel because it helps to strengthen the enamel. And i believe its doing a good job. [ penelope ] i found the best cafe in the world. Nespresso. Where i never have to compromise on anything. Where just one touch creates the perfect coffee. Where every cappuccino and latte is only made with fresh milk. And where the staff is exceptionally friendly. Nespresso. What else . [ hudson ] were human. We fall down. We gain weight. And we get back up. Strength and determination are human too. So are dinner dates and birthday cake. Introducing the new Weight Watchers 360 program. Built for human nature so you can expect amazing. I feel like im on top of the world right now on top of the world right now yeah i feel like im standing 10 ft. Tall [ hudson ] the new Weight Watchers 360 program. Join for free and expect amazing. Because it works. [ woman ] dear cat, your hair mixes with pollen and dust. I get congested. But now, with zyrtecd® i have the proven allergy relief of zyrtec® plus a powerful decongestant. Zyrtecd® lets me breath freer so i can love the air. [ male announcer ] zyrtecd®. Behind the pharmacy counter. No prescription needed. Over the summer we reported on a series of great white shark encounters off the coast of cape cod, massachusetts. After that an Unprecedented Mission to learn what these scary creatures do in the ocean. Jeff glor went to sea with a group of scientists playing tag with the oceans top predators. Good morning. Nora good morning to you. The public has been fascinated with sharks for thousands of years, long before jaws. For all the interest theres been a stunning lack of information. We spent time with the people who say theyre trying to put facts behind the fear. About a 15foot shark. Greg mcbride has has 2 great white sharks on board before. This time is different. Different from anything ive caught for sure. It was like until that thing was released, everybody was you could see it in their eyes so focused. Reporter focused because what happened on september 13 catching, spot tagging, and releasing a white shark, was a first in the waters of the north atlantic. How many sharks are there off the coast of new england . I think hundreds a lot. Reporter a lot . There are supposed to be. Theyre their are supposed to be a lot of sharks in the ocean. Theyre the balance keeper they keep everything moderated everything in the water. If we put the future of sharks in jeopardy, we put the future of the whole ocean in jeopardy. Reporter chris fisher started a nonprofit called osearch with the goal of bringing together the best fishermen and scientists. We dont know where they breed. We dont know where they feed. We dont know where they give birth. Until we figure that out, we cant put policy in place to protect them and make sure they have a future. Back in the day when scientists wanted to learn about white sharks, they would go out and kill them all. Great job, fellows and sample. Now at least we have a system where we let them go alive. Whoa whoa reporter fishers aggressive system involves fixing those satellite enabled tags to the dorsal fin. Once released, they can be tracked in real time for anniversaries anywhere in the world. Mcbride is responsible for guiding the shark on to the lift, then inexerting hoses into its mouth so it can breathe. His hands directly in front of 3,000 serrated teeth. You know, really its not as dangerous as it looks, you know. Reporter come on im not a thrillseeker. I really am i. I i really am not. I got to go home to a wife and kids. One less arm would not be good. Reporter he partners with the Massachusetts Division of marine fisheries. After a summer of increased shark sightings, he was hoping for answers. Is how is it possible we dont know anything about them . We spend a lot of time trying to figure out why they occasionally bite people and not how they live. Reporter on day one of the expedition, we boarded the main ship as the crew began chumming the waters. The conditions right now are conditions right now are perfect. The temperature of the water is perfect for white sharks to just show up now. Reporter but as we learned after three days and no whites fishings a study in patience. This trip tested everyones. Why is this so tricky . Well largely because weve never done this before frankly. We know it works in other parts of the world, we just dont know if it works here. Reporter then, two hours later got it. Got it. Reporter just as the sun was setting the buoy reporter they found out. Nice, nice shark. We have a visual. Whoa whoa secondary. Watch yourself. Move. Reporter now that the shark is on the lift this is when the scientists do their work. Blood and other samples, an accelerometer to measure speed. And of course the spot tag to pinpoint location. [ applause ] get him in the water. Everybody off. Go girl yeah can you believe it . I cant. Reporter why does it mean so much to you . You know, i dont know. I just feel like the oceans getting hammered. Doesnt have a lot of time left. Its one place where i find like real clarity and peace. And if we dont do it then who . Theres no one behind us. Hes a cool guy. A cool guy. And true adventurers. What have we learned . Well after they caught jeannie and released jeannie, they found mary lee five days later. Almost twice as large a 3,500pound white shark off the coast of cape cod. And mary lee was tagged as well, and released. So whats interesting here is that where they traveled, mary lee and Jeannie Jeannie hung out around cape cod it appears for a while and then went south. Mary lee made a b line to the coast of florida, it seems. As many people do during the winter. Get away from the boat. The great white a collaboration. They come together. They seem to be in cahoots together good morning and Merry Christmas. Weve got storm clouds moving in again and it looks like it is going to be a rather fierce afternoon as the storm going to bring the possibility of some heavy rainfall maybe even some thunderstorms. The temperatures are going to stay cool as well. Plan on highs only in about the low to the mid 50s. The storm moving in toward the middle of the day and the afternoon hours, and showers continuing into wednesday. Dry weather expected on thursday. More storms as we head toward the weekend. As the daughter of a president and niece two of senators, Caroline Kennedy is a living reminder of her familys political legacy and its great sacrifices. Well have her revealing conversation in our next halfhour. Youre watching cbs this morning. 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Hey marry whatever it takes, get to sears after christmas sale get 60 off coats, fleece, sweaters, and sleepwear up to 40 off all nordictrack treadmills and ellipticals and up to 50 off all mechanics tool sets and wrenches this is how to gift yourself. This is sears. Mr. Potato head has been a favorite Christmas Gift for six decades. Well take you through the history of the big spud and mark an important milestone when cbs this morning returns. I can get. Thats why i like nutella. Mom, whats the capital of West Virginia . Charleston. Nutella is a delicious hazelnut spread my whole family loves. Mom, have you seen my backpack . Nutella goes great on wholewheat toast or wholegrain waffles. And its great taste comes from a unique combination of simple ingredients like hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of cocoa. Yeah, bye. Have you seen my yes. And. Thank you. [ male announcer ] nutella. Breakfast never tasted this good. I have a cold, and i took nyquil, but im still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesnt unstuff your nose. What . [ male announcer ] alkaseltzer plus liquid gels speeds relief to your worst cold symptoms plus has a decongestant for your stuffy nose. Thanks. Thats the cold truth were all having such a great year in the gulf weve decided to put aside our rivalry. cause all our states are great. And now is when the gulf gets even better. The beaches and waters couldnt be more beautiful. Take a boat ride or just lay in the sun. Enjoy the wildlife and natural beauty. And dont forget our amazing seafood. So come to the gulf, youll have a great time. Especially in alabama. You mean mississippi. Thats florida. Say louisiana or theres no dessert. Brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. music playing music playing music playing music playing music playing music playing it seems our angels have been busy building a new stronger angel soft®. Its built with two softshield™ layers. Stronger, holds up better, and still a value you love. New angel soft®. Now stronger than ever. Its so important to make someone happy when you give a child a toy, it has to work. Make just one someone happy and when its a toys for tots child well, what could be more important . So this year, every hasbro toy donated to toys for tots will be powered by duracell. Happy holidays. Duracell with duralock. Trusted everywhere. Investigators are of this morning good morning, it is 7 56. Im elizabeth wenger, investigators are looking into a cause this morning of a three alarm fire. It happened in campbell. It started just before 5 00 this morning at the Engineering Building on dell avenue. At division street. Fire says it started at the back of the building. Well, theres some uncertainty in East Palo Alto this Christmas Day with crews scrambling to repair a rev lee ahead of the next storm. Sunday heavy rain caused the creek to spill over the levee. Crews are sandbagging and making emergency repairs as even more rain is expected later this afternoon. With more on your weather forecast, plus a check of traffic coming up in just a moment. [ laughter ] [ girl ] wow you guys have it easy. I wish i had uverse when i was your age. In my day, we didnt have these fancy wireless receivers. Blah blah blah. If i had a sleepover i couldnt just move the tv into the playroom. No. We had to watch movies in the den because thats where the tv outlet was. And if dad was snoring on the couch, we muscled through it. Is she for real . Your generation has it made. [ male announcer ] the wireless receiver only from at t uverse. Get uverse tv for 29 a month for six months. Rethink possible. Good morning, and Merry Christmas to everyone. Clouds rolling across our skies, some showers have already begun to show up at least in parts of the north bay. That will continue and intensify to the middle of the day and the afternoon. In fact our cbs 5 hidef Doppler Radars been showing some showers already. Most of that rolling in though toward the middle of the day with some gusty winds a possibility and only isolated thunderstorms. Showers continuing tomorrow and dry day on thursday. More rain possibly on friday into the weekend. Were going to check out the time saver traffic now with elizabeth. It is pretty quiet in all the bay area roadways. Superquiet on this Christmas Morning crossing the golden goat gauge. This is a live look and traffic coming into San Francisco. If you plan on using mass transit a lot of systems on a holiday schedule. A. Train no service. Have a great day. Hark the herald angels sing glory to the newborn king peace on earth and mercy mild it is 8 00 a. M. Merry christmas and welcome back to cbs this morning. Im charlie rose along with gayle kick and norah odonnell. One of the reasons i love christmas i get to wear my nice red tie. I dont know all of your wardrobe. Something to be desired. But ive never seen that before so this is perfect for Christmas Morning. For saint pats day. Merry christmas to both of you. So far so good. On this Christmas Morning were going to take a look back at some of the most memorable stories and interesting personalities of the past year. Including our conversation with Caroline Kennedy. Before we get to that heres Rebecca Jarvis with a check of this mornings headlines. Norah, good morning and Merry Christmas. Its going to be a stormy christmas for millions of americans. Meteorologist Jeff Berardelli has the details. Good morning to you, jeff. Good morning, rebecca. Good morning, everybody. What we have is a strong storm diving south from the rockies, into texas. We already have severe thunderstorms ongoing in places like texas, and also in louisiana. We expect that continue during the day today. And heres the reason why. We have a moist southeasterly surface flow of very strong jet stream in the upper levels. I think were going to see a lot of severe thunderstorms all across the southeast. Some of them will produce strong tornadoes. Now on the northern side of the system, its snowfall and theres going to be a ton of it during the day today, places like Oklahoma City little rock southeastern portions of missouri. And then on wednesday and thursday, as much as 1 to 2 feet of snow in interior portions of the northeast. Thats going to cause major travel problems in the ohio valley great lakes, and northeast on wednesday and thursday. All right. Jeff berardelli, thanks so much. A Christmas Eve tragedy in a small town outside of rochester, new york. Police say an excon named William Spangler ambushed some volunteer firefighters after setting fire to his house and car monday. He killed two and wounded two others. A Police Officer was also wounded. And spangler killed himself. His sister who lived with him is still missing. Christmas celebrations are under way around the world this morning. Here in new york thousands packed st. Patricks cathedral for midnight mass. Overseas a similar scene in bethlehem, where the faithful gathered in the town where tradition says jesus was born. Manger square was packed with lights and decorations. In afghanistan, the trust between u. S. And Afghan Forces has been marred by socalled insider attacks. Kitty logan spent time with a small group of American Military volunteers trying to repair that damage. Reporter these are special deliveries for operation outreach. Its a u. S. Military charity which offers help and hope to afghan families touched by war. American troops volunteer their time alongside local civilians. The captain runs the project. We solicit donations from back home. People send stuff in the mail. We organize and then send it out to the community we take missions ourselves to the community. Reporter the teams visit to a Daycare Center creates a rush of excitement. You didnt get one . Reporter a chance, too, for americans to play a positive role in the local community. If were out there and talking to the people and helping them, and were making even a minor difference in their lives, you know, theyre going to remember that. Reporter the schoolbooks and toys which these children have received are a luxury for them. The Daycare Center normally doesnt have the resources to buy them and their families back home may also be too poor to provide them. Its not just new toys, there are new friends, too. There we go. Reporter at a time when trust between afghans and americans is fading, its a positive step. For cbs this morning, kitty logan, kabul. Charles durning, the socalled king of character actors, has died. The twotime oscar nominee played everything from a song and dance man to the pope. Charles durning was 89. 50 years ago, president kennedy asked the cia to install taping devices in the oval office. Many of his conversations with cabinet members and heads of state appear for the first time in a new book. Listening in the secret white house recordings of john f. Kennedy has a forward by the president s daughter, caroline. We recently talked about the tapes and listened to some of them including a letter that kennedy dictated to his wife jackie about their little girl. Dearest jackie im dividing this letter into two parts. One typewritten and the other handwritten. Typewritten part to give you the news of my visit to newport. I went up there last friday afternoon, and caroline looks beautiful. She was a Great Success on the beach and seemed to love the water. What goes through your mind knowing that its a father talking about his love for his daughter . Oh, its great. The scene that he is describing is really familiar, so its really nice to be able to place both of us in that scene. What did you learn about your dad listening in . Well, i think i got, first of all, i got a much greater appreciation for him at work. I think his no kid knows what their parents do all day. For me, this was really in that way incredibly moving. I mean, i feel so lucky that there are so many recordings of him and all of that that give me a way to learn about and connect with him. You said something interesting, its true, no kid really knows what their parents do. Here you are at the time of his death, 5 going on 6. What did you think he did . When did you know that he was president of the United States, or did you ever know that . I dont know. I guess he became president when i was 3. It was just, you know, whatever, where we lived, what i did. I remember dancing. He would clap his hands, and my brother and i would dance. And i remember, you know, it was a big treat to go over and see him in his office. Very serious things happened in the oval office, of course. One of them was the cuban missile crisis. Very possible the russians will fire at them as they board, and wed have to fire back and have quite a slaughter. I would think wed want two or three things. First, i think wed want some control over the cameras aboard these boats so that we dont have people shooting a lot of pictures which in the press might be embarrassing to us. Yeah, were going to control all the picture taking on the boats. Second i dont know enough about the ships, but where they ought to fire or whether they ought to go through three or four steps, ask them to stop. If they dont stop ask the crew to come above the deck so we have this record made. Were you surprised at how detailed he was . I think that really came through in so many of these conversations, his attention to detail. That was something that i had always heard about from my mother. I mean, he was really paying attention to every bit of a lot of things. What did your mom say to you about his attention to detail . He just had a incredible memory, incredible curiosity. You know, really always wanted to know everything about whatever was going on. You know, one thing that really struck me was his involvement in the civil rights. I look at the country today. Theres so many people that dont know the history, have no clue about the history of civil rights. And here is your father speaking very passionately about a young black student who had been admitted to the university of mississippi. They were protesting on the grounds. They do not want James Meredith there. And your father was talking to the governor about that. Weve got to get order up there and thats what we thought we were going to have. Mr. President , please, why dont you give an order to remove him. How can i remove him, governor, when theres a riot in the street and he may step out of that building and something happen to him . I cant remove him under those conditions. Lets get order, then we can do something about meredith. Weve got to get somebody up there now to get order and stop the firing and the shooting. Then you and i will talk on the phone about meredith. First weve got to get order. Hes really mad. I know that sound of voice from my aunts and uncles. I think that you know civil rights really went from being an important but not heated issue at the very beginning of his presidency, to the major domestic crisis of the 20th century, and the moral issue of our times. What do you think he would have thought of barack obama . Well, i think one of the things that i think both of them shared was just bringing in a whole new generation to the democratic process. And i think that thats really a significant accomplishment and legacy. We dont even know what all the people that barack obama inspired are going to contribute yet. Are you ever overwhelmed by your legacy . Because you know, when people think of kennedy, they think of camelot, they think of your mom, they think of your dad, they think of your brother. And now, you know, of course we have you. Were you ever overwhelmed by now of course we have you. We do. You know what i mean, caroline. We do. I know. Are you ever overwhelmed by the legacy of that, or do you go through thinking, you know, it just isnt fair . Well, im really proud of my family and my i mean, my parents. I cant imagine having better parents and a more wonderful brother. So i feel really fortunate that those are my family. And you know, i wish they were here, but of course. My own family, my children, my husband, are really my real family and so we dont really think of you dont really think of larger kennedys . Right, no. No . Were just us. Were just us . Right. She may think were just us, but everybody else when she walks in goes, theres Caroline Kennedy. Now her son, jack, is 20. They both went to the democratic convention. He was doing a couple of interviews. And i said to her, he seems a little interested in politics. She said if he is he is and thats okay. Interesting. Although Jackie Kennedy did not want her son to go into politics. Yes. Right. Sorry, didnt want him to go into acting but hoped he would go into politics or business. Inyesterday ill interview. Very interesting to hear care ien kennedy what a pressure to have those tapes. To get to hear your dad and history. All right from that now to this story. Mr. Potato head. Make a transition with that. Exactly. You know when mr. Potato head first went on sale you had to buy a potato to go with hit. Well, hes come a long way since then. All the way to hollywood. Mo rocca looks at his lasting appeal next on cbs this morning. It takes, get to sears after christmas sale get 60 off coats, fleece, sweaters, and sleepwear up to 40 off all nordictrack treadmills and ellipticals and up to 50 off all mechanics tool sets and wrenches this is how to gift yourself. This is sears. for those nights when its more than a bad dream, be ready. For the days when you get a sudden call from the school, be ready. For the times you need to doublecheck the temperature on the thermometer be ready. When you have childrens motrin on hand youre ready. For high fever nothing works faster or lasts longer than childrens motrin. Be ready with childrens motrin. Mr. Potato head, that classic mix and match toy celebrated a milestone birthday this year. He turned 60, and he still looks the same. Over the last six decades, more than 100 million mr. And mrs. Potato heads have been sold in 30 different countries. And as mo rock ka explains excuse the pun, thats no small potatoes. Reporter employees of the toy giant hasbro gathered at their rhode island headquarters not to toast the strong Earnings Report or to introduce a new product. Happy birthday to you reporter but to celebrate the 60th birthday of a man who served them very well. Mr. Potato head. 60 years old. Congratulations. Reporter and jerry perez oversees the mr. Potato head brand. What were looking at here is the original mr. Potato head. The parts. Just parts and of course with the real potato. Reporter in the beginning, mr. Potato head was just a collection of pushpin eyes ears, nose and lips for kids to attach to real fruits and vegetables. A unique toy and the first marketed directly to kids. Mr. And mrs. Potato head. Its the first toy advertised on tv, is that right . It was. The minute he came out he was advertised on television which was pretty breakthrough at that time. You can make the funniest looking people in the world. Reporter it was kind of a brandnew way to tell the public about your toy. And it really caught on. Reporter caught on so quickly, in fact, the toy tater made more than 4 million in its first year alone. Less than a year later, on valentines day, 1953, the spud met his spouse. When mr. Potato head was courting the future mrs. Potato head, did he send her a mash note . Im sure he did. Somewhere along the line, im sure he did. But you know what . Thats between those two. Reporter in 1964, responding to parents complaining about rotting potatoes, the two birds got plasticors sews which doubled in size ten years later. Along the way, they collected a lot more accessories. How many different parts are there . There are 365 different parts for the potato head that weve got going on right now. Reporter no wonder he needs that tater tush compartment. Yes, thats what its called. According to mathematicians at columbia university, those hundreds of parts allow for over 500 billion, septillion possible configurations. No matter what generation it was, there was always something about his funny personality and kind of the mix and match parts aspect of it that appealed to everybody. Im picasso. In 1995 this portly pair went hollywood, alongside woody and buzz lightyear in the blockbuster film toy story. Oh, my hero. The success of that franchise breeds new life into the toy inspiring other movie inspired characters like spider spud and darth tater. One of our bestsellers of all time. So why has this potato remained so hot for so long . Child Development Expert shannon ice says its recipe for success is pretty simple. The toy is for a child to play in open ended ways to use their creativity and imagination and thats what makes it a classic. Its why in an age of ever more sophisticated video games stores around the world still find space on their shelves for a plastic potato. No batteries required. For cbs this morning mo rocca, pawtucket, rhode island. You can find a story out of anything. I love that darth tater. Just when you thought that mr. And mrs. Potato head were going out of style, they were in toy story which i think really helped revive the toy again. I forgot about that. Without giving anything away will your children be getting a potato head or do you not want to say . They will not be getting mr. And mrs. Potato head. Yeah. Its fun when youre little. Fun when youre little. Exactly. Pastor rick warrens book the purpose driven life is available in 50 languages. We spent some time with him recently hearing his own thoughts on everything from religion to weight loss. That conversation is coming up on this Christmas Day, and youre watching cbs this morning. One day george got an important letter. Hes built a rocket ship to travel into space. Google, how far is earth to the moon . The moon is 238,900 miles. The great moment had come. 3, 2, 1. Youre watching cbs this dale earn hart jr. Is the son of a nascar legend and pretty good driver himself. We asked him to give advice to his 16yearold sale. 16yearold self. And we had a lot to say. Well reveal it ahead on cbs this morning. Five headlines. Investigators in campbell are trying to figure out what caused a hi everyone, its 8 26. Im frank mallicoat. Some cbs 5 headlines hon this Christmas Day. Investigators in am bell are trying to figure out what caused a initial building to give up commercial building to up if flames. It started before 5 00 on dell avenue a business and a car in the back of the structure were damaged. And Salvation Army volunteers here in San Francisco are in the process of delivering more than 4,000 Christmas Meals on this holiday. Those meals are for seniors and people with illnesses that cant get out of their house. Volunteers arent just dropping off the meals too. Theyre going to spend some time with those folks on the holiday as well. Got your weather and your traffic on Christmas Day coming up right after the break. Merry chris has. Weve got storm clouds rolling into the bay area. A nice day to stay inside and enjoy your family as it looks like the line will be picking up. A very big storm system sliding in again expecting heavy rain and gusty winds as we head toward the afternoon. Our cbs 5 hidef Doppler Radar has been showing you some showers making their way across the bay area mainly to our north but theyll be on the increase especially toward the middle of the day and the afternoon. Highs will only be in the low to about the mid 50s a cool day as well. Next couple of days the showers continuing then thursday well catch a break in the Stormy Weather but another storm roll in on friday to keep shower at least into the first part of the weekend. Lets check out the traffic now. Okay, thank you lawrence. And i just checked in with chp. There are no big accidents out there anywhere this morning. So if you are doing any traveling visiting family or friends, well show you the live traffic cameras, this is a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. Its pretty much looked like this all morning. No metering lights obviously so no delays if you are heading into San Francisco. The nimitz the live look at the east bay 880 in oakland. The Oakland Airport and you can see northbound and southbound both moving fine extra light volume. Riding mass transit a lot of different systems are on a holiday schedule. Ace train theres no service. Everything so far on time. And checking some drive times across the east bay, were in the green in the clear on the nimitz. 580 the east shore freeway and 24. Have a great christmas. Welcome back to this very special christmas edition of cbs this morning. Were taking a look back at some of our favorite guests and stories of 2012. Hopefully yours, too. Rick warren is considered one of the most influential voices in american life. Hes a pastor philanthropist global strategist and bestselling author. And he just released his signature book the purpose driven life, on his 10th anniversary. We spoke with the pastor recently about his life and philosophy. So you talk about the purpose driven life what on earth am i here for . We were joking that charlie says that to me every morning. You believe god has a purpose for me dont you . Absolutely, charlie, even you. Even you. [ laughter ] you do say in the book its not about you. Right. Who is it about . Well, it is all about god and his plan for us. The bible says god is love, not that he has love, he is love. So its really all about learning how to love. Learning how to love god. Learning how to love each other. You know im most worried about this 20something generation that is right n without work. I talked to three people on the plane who said, you know, i went to college four years, cant get a job. And now im told that my education really didnt matter that much. Whats my purpose . Uhhuh. So i thought that you know, it was time t rerelease this for a new generation. As you said, about 20 of america read the book ten years ago. But a girl who was 12 years old is now 22. Yeah. That brings me to politics beyond religion. On november 4 before the election, you posted on facebook, why would anyone jobless today vote to maintain the status quo instead of change . Unemployment is still higher than four years ago. What are your thoughts on president obamas reelection, i would say to you . Were you saying to people if you are jobless today the president has failinged you and you should vote against him and vote for change in the presidency . Well, what i was saying was the old recovery mantra, to do the same thing over and over and over and expect different change is called insanity. We spent 2 billion on an election that nothing changed. Same congress, same senate same president. So should we expect change . Im not that sure. Therefore the reelection of president obama was a good thing or bad thing you think . Well, i dont ever get into politics as you know, charlie. Ive always said im not right wing or left wing, im for the whole bird. Evidently, god wanted president obama, he had a purpose for him, to be reelected. Do i follow that . Whats the disconnect between those thoughts . God has a purpose we dont know gods purpose in a lot of events. I mean, i was at the notre dame usc game on saturday night. People were praying for both sides to win. I dont think god has an opinion. God didnt care . God didnt have an opinion in that. But god does have an opinion in your life gods more interested in your character than your career. Youre not taking your career to heaven. You are taking your character. So really what you do is not nearly as important as who youve become. And i would say god is extremely interested in who Barack Obamas becoming or who mitt romneys becoming or who you or i or nora are becoming because thats the character issue thats going to outlast our career. Ive listened to people on Television Talk about a worry that were becoming more secular. On the other hand youre expanding yeah. Are you worried about where we are as a society and our relationship to religion . Well, you know one of the big reports thats been reported over and over and over nine months ago newsweek had a cover, the decline and fall of christian america. In december, newsweek, declines and falls. Christianity is going to go on for another 2,000 years. These predictions of the churchs demise are highly exaggerated. Kingdoms come and gone. Wheres the syrian empire wheres the nozazi regime . Things come and go. Theres misinterpreting of data. There was a result that came out that said the number of protestants in america i think it was a pugh study, dropped precipitously. Of course it does. Nobody calls themselves a protestant anymore. I dont know a single person. Im an evangelical, im a what do you call yourself . Im an evangelical. Theres pentecostals charismatics. People dont use the term. It would be like saying the number of pilgrims have dropped precipitously in america. Nobody calls it a pilgrim. You can make it a question, say the wrong thing. Is Church Attendance down . Church attendance has stayed level since the 1950s. Its neither higher nor lower. This week, more people will go to church on one weekend than attend all professional sporting events in one year. Lets put that in perspective. More people will go to a synagogue, church on one weekend than professional sports all year . Why is faith important in so many peoples lives, not just the United States but around the world, and religion becomes the heart of so many problems around the world . In conflict . Absolutely. There are a lot of things that have been done in the name of god that god would disavow. I feel no responsibility to defend those things. What what we need not is religion but a relationship. A relationship to god. The purpose driven life is about that. Its not about a religion, its about how do i have a relationship. One day jesus was walking down the street somebody asked, whats the most important thing in the bible . He says, im going to sum it up in two sentences. This is it cliffs notes. The whole bible. Love god with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself. The vertical vertical and the horizontal. And purpose driven life talks about how do i do both of those. How do i learn to love god with all my heart, and how do i learn to love my neighbor as myself . Speaking of Love Thy Neighbor as thyself i want to talk about gay marriage samesex marriage civil unions. Someone tweeted when you were coming on, said ask him about his opposition to samesex marriage. Why do you oppose samesex marriage . First let me ask you you consider yourself to be a will to ran person . I do. Yeah. You would be respectful of people who disagree with you no matter what . Agreed. Thats a very, very personal question. And people want to make an incendiary issue over it. I just i have biblical views of what i think marriage is about. I am in favor of not redefining marriage. Im not. Its not illegal to have a boy to relationship to have a gay relationship in america. Its not a big issue to me. Let me ask you, its interesting. A pollster, bill mcintyre, his firm was mitt romneys pollster. He has talked about theres not been one issue where theres been so much change so quickly is on the issue of samesex marriage. Now, we saw the majority of americans support samesex marriage. How do you how do you mix those two things which is a personal opposition that might be founded in religious faith based on what is Public Opinion that is shifting so dramatically on that issue . How do you merge those two things . Well, as a pastor, i believe in both the good news that i believe jesus is who he said he was, the son of god. And i also believe in the common good. And we were in a democracy where nobody wins all the time. Okay. For instance i happen to believe life begins at conception. But thats not the law. Okay . And if other people dont believe that, youre tolerant of their views . Right . And the point is nobodys leaving the country. We have a wide spectrum in america, and we have to work for the common good. And that means sometimes what i mean being cobelligerent. For instance i dont agree with everything that the National Organization of women supports. But when they are opposing abortion not abortion but pornography that objectifies a body im going to go belligerent with them. So i dont happen to agree with everything that my gay friends believe, but when they end to end aids im a cobelligerent. Weve given millions to fight aids around the world. And we work with both gays straights, i can work with an atheist, a mormon i can work with a muslim a baptist, buddhist, joy, thats one of the issues that we have to work on. The work on what can the important thing is going to be what you said earlier in terms of samesex marriage. You have to be tolerant of other peoples views. So if they differ with you with respect to christianity yeah with respect to some of the things you say, youre tolerant and accepting that they came to their beliefs in a genuine way and have to be respected for that. The problem is that tolerance has changed its meaning. Tolerant used to mean i may disagree with you completely but im going to treat you with respect. Thats what tolerant means. Right. Today some people tolerant means you must approve of everything i do. Thats not tolerance, thats approval. Theres a difference between acceptance and approval. Jesus accepted everybody no matter who they were. He doesnt approve of everything i do or you do or anybody else does either. So you can be accepting without being approving. Thats an important point. Let me change this to a different note because in reading about you and having known lots of people who you consider to be good friends of yours yeah. You also went through a much publicized battle against weight. Yeah. Sure did. How did did you win that . Thats hilarious. Well, ive lost 50 pounds. Ive got about 40 more to go. Its a really funny story. I was baptizing one day. And at saddleback we do it the oldfashioned way, we put people in the water. On this day i was baptizing 876 people. Wow. Along with that about 500, i had a not spiritual thought. I thought, were all overweight. And so the next sunday i got up i said, folks, i cant ask you to get in shape unless i do. And i said, ive only gained two or three pounds a year but ive been your paster 32 years. I need to lost 90 pounds. I brought in three doctors, we started a thing called the daniel plan. In the last year our church has lost 267,000 pounds. Theres support in numbers. Yeah. Yeah. In fact, several National Organizations we want to study you. Your test group. You know what kudos to you and your parishioners for doing that and being a leader in that regard. And thank you, rick warren, for being here. Thank you. Such a great way to phrase a question did you win for those people who are always struggling with weight as i am, to say have you won the battle against the weight . That allows them to say, yeah, im fine, or no, i have more to do. Its not really a win lose is it . Its a continuous main maintenance is just as hard as losing. Just as hard. 90 pounds. Hes halfway there. Halfway there. Weve heard some Amazing Things this year in our series we call it note to self. This morning, Dale Earnhardt jr. Shares i are revealing thought hed like his 16yearold self our sears note to self is based on this idea if you could offer insights and advice to a younger you what would you say . Earlier this year popular nascar driver Dale Earnhardt jr. Wrote about his relationship with his legendary dad and his own racing career. To a 16yearold dale jr. Im writing this letters to you to force me to think deeply about my life. And you know thinking deeply was never one of your favorite activities. You always did and always will shoot for the c on your report card. Anything more than that is always going to be a surprise to you, right . You just got your drivers license, your heart belongs to no one, and youre going to spend a lot of nights laying in the bed of your s10 pickup in the field staring up at stars worry being your future. I want to be a race car driver someday. Its a great sport. I love it. Your fathers accomplishments on the race track already cast a pretty heavy shadow over your existence. And hes going to accomplish more in the years to come. And your fear of living anonymously and forgotten are just going grow. Now you dont have much of a connection with your mother. And your efforts in that regard are disappointing. In the future shes going to become a consistent prominent figure if your life. But you shouldnt waste the years in between because her love is the truly unconditional kind you shouldnt take for granted. Living under your fathers roof doesnt bridge this incredible gap between you two guys. But in due time you will enjoy the most incredible relationship with him. One afternoon after you crash your car, youre going to go home thinking your careers over. And then busting through the door comes your dad wondering why youre sitting on your tail feeling sorry for yourself. You and him are going bag out on the back steps. And for the next two hours, youre going to have the most influential conversation youve ever had with him. Hes going to finally assure you of what lies ahead. Youll share laughs and triumphs and insight. It will be in your best interests that when those times come that you get everything out of them you possibly can. I mean when its you and him in that moment in that moment live it to the fullest. Weve lost Dale Earnhardt. You want to be a race car driver, so lets talk about racing. When i look at your career from the start of gocarts all the way up, its going to feel lucky and impromptu impromptu, and its going to be lacking in successes, but earnhardt for the lead. Fortunately for you, every weaned there will be another race. Now with that said, youre going to be so deathly frightened of potential failure that youre not going to realize how much fun youre having. Youre going to win a lot of races. As painfully shy as you are, youll accomplish and overcome in arenas not just limited to driving cars. Youre going to meet the president. Youre going to guest on late night shows. And its incredible but its true. And thats not too bad for a guy that changes oil for a living. Yes, youre going to change oil for a couple of years. Its not as bad as it sounds. Overall, you just need to be more sure of yourself. Youre going to do great things man. Youre going to have an awesome life. You have a great heart, and its going to stay with you throughout. Dont be so timid and worry so much about the future so much so that you cant enjoy the present. Youre there worried about me here. You just need to go have some fun, man. Jump in that s10 and go down the concord and cruise the strip because youre going to be here soon enough. Wow. That reminds me that the birth of eloquence is authenticity. So true. Yeah. And i love that hes saying dont be so timid. Enjoy the moment. Which is a nice note to self. And the way his dad lived. Yeah. And to have fun. Im amazed at how much thought people put in the note to self. That was one of my favorite ones. Absolutely. Nicely done Dale Earnhardt jr. , special salute to you. Well be right back, youre watching cbs this morning. Christmas day. My memories of christmas are most of all when i lived during the formative years in a small town of 100 people. The constant search for where my Christmas Presents were. In North Carolina . Yes, North Carolina. We had a wonderful, wonderful, and im pleased with the opportunity to shout out her name, woman who lived with us named mary lizzie. And she they used to keep the presents in her room. And he knows where they hide. You know, at the end of the day, its not really about the presents that you get, as exciting as it is. It really boils down to spending time with people you love and who love you. I think thats always the best thing that you can do on this Christmas Day. My fondest Christmas Memories are my first christmass with my babies. And i can remember dressing my twins in little santa outfits with little hats that said my first christmas. Absolutely adorable. Your Christmas Present to me is having to work with both of you. Thank you very much. Likewise. Youre welcome. I feel the same about you, charlie rose. We get another year to do it. Im excited. Well come back for another christmas. I will be back. A big gift wearing red and green. Yes. That does it for us Merry Christmas to you, and have a fabulous, wonderful, fantastic holiday. Take it easy. Thanks. Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com headlines. E looking into good morning everyone, a Merry Christmas. 8 56 your time. Im frank mallicoat. Get you call up with the cbs 5 headlines now here in the by area. Investigators are looking into the cause of this mornings three alarm fire in campbell. Started just before 5 00 this morning at the Engineering Building thats on dell avenue at division street. Santa clara county fire says it started at the back of the building and nobody was injured. Crews are scrambling to repair a levee ahead of the next storm in East Palo Alto. Sunday all that heavy rain caused a creek near the Four Seasons Hotel to spill over the levee there. Workers are busy sandbagging and making emergency repairs as more rain is expected on this christmas afternoon. And hundreds of volunteers are getting ready to serve christmas dinner at glide Memorial Church here in San Francisco. The volunteers have been busy since early early this morning serving breakfast to the homeless. Dinner starts in about five minutes and apparently turkey is on the menu. How about some weather on this Christmas Day . Heres lawrence with more on that. Merry christmas. Nice day to stay inside and enjoy the family as it looks like the rain will be picking up a very impressive storm system leading in again expected some heavy rain and some gusty winds as we head toward the afternoon. Our cbs 5 hidef Doppler Radar has been showing you some showers making their way across the bay area mainly to the north. But theyll be on the increase especially toward the mid obviously the day and the afternoon. Middle of the day can the afternoon. Highs only in the low to mid 50s a cool day as well. Next couple of days the showers continuing then thursday well catch a break in the Stormy Weather but we could see another storm roll in on friday. To keep showers at least into the first part of the weekend. Lets check out the traffic now. Look at you guys with your fancyschmancy uverse high Speed Internet. You know, in my day you couldnt just start streaming six ways to sunday. Youd get knocked off. And sometimes, it took a minute to download a song. Thats sixty seconds, for crying out loud. We know how long a minute is sitting, waiting for an album to download. I still have back problems. Youre only 14 and a half. He doesnt have back problems. You kids have got it too good if you ask me. [ male announcer ] now uverse high Speed Internet has more speed options, reliability and ways to connect. Rethink possible. Good morning, if youre doing any traveling on bay area roads to visit this christmas manage this is what youll encounter. If youre crossing the bridge even though the roads already look a little slick heading to San Francisco from marin county. Elsewhere a couple more live cameras. Extra light volume. Leaving there heading to san jose. And a little further north this is the nimitz 880 through oakland passing the cool sue yes, maam quick ride to downtown. Have a great coliseum. Quick ride to downtown. Have a great christmas. Today, do you want to try some turkey . Heck yes i do. We are counting down the top 3 ways. Boom. Boom. Boom. That america loves to cook a turkey. This is how you grill a turkey, rachael. Call me spread the word. We are revealing the 1 bird. So moist. And whats better than that . In front of you are 5 plates, we are going to blindfold you. Which i normally charge for. [ laughter ] whitney cummings, battling to win the gobble game. [ laughter ] [ applause ] [ applause ] whoa [ crowd cheering ] [ applause ]