Holiday cheer. A very merry new day starts right now. And wonders of his eye and wonders and wonders of his love repeat the sounding joy good morning. Welcome to new day. Its december 25th, 6 00 in the east. A warm welcome to all of you on this Christmas Morning. In the spirit of the season were joined by the wonderful young peoples chorus of new york city. Theyll be singing carols as you just heard. Hope you get in the holiday mood. They sound amazing. Its going to be great. Also what does today really mean to billions around the world you ask . Its not just about presents or family, friends and food, even though thats a great part of it, its a matter of faith. Well talk about that with our own group of wise men and women. Kate, you talked about the food. We all have our holiday favorites, somebodys pie, sweet potato pie, corn bread. Stuffing yourself at the table isnt the best idea on any day. What . Im the bearer of bad news. Its especially hard to void it today. What can we do to keep our christmas cheerful not only for the family but for your body . Well talk about that coming up. Top advice, take care of it tomorrow. First here this morning, well get a check of the headlines, whats making news this morning. Lets head over to the newsdesk. Good morning. Im Miguel Marquez. A Christmas Day rocket attack on the u. S. Embassy in kabul, afghanistan. Embassy Officials Say two rockets struck the Embassy Compound just before dawn. Diplomats and workers had to scramble into bunkers in the aftermath. No reports of death or injuries at the embassy. Officials are calling this strike indirect fire in assessing the damage. The taliban is claiming responsibility. Live pictures now from the vatican where pope francis is marking the holy day, delivering his first christmas orb i et ori speech. He preached about acceptance and humility saying if you let your brothers and sisters you walk in the light. If your heart is closed, darkness falls. Now to south sudan where a civil war is growing more violent. Theres growing evidence of atrocities there and more International Forces are now arriving, including u. S. Marines. Arwa damon has the latest from nearby uganda. Reporter miguel, the u. S. Stationed 50 marines here in uganda, just down the road from where we are right now, should the situation in south sudan deteriorate even further. The u. N. Voting unanimously to send in 5,000 troops to help protect the civilian population. There have been various reports of killings along ethnic lines, mass graves being reported as well, and widespread fear if the violence isnt brought under control, we could see killings on the scale of the rwanda genocide. You may still get a chance to sign up for obamacare. The Obamacare Administration has agreed people more time to complete applications if they can show they were delayed because of the problems with the healthcare. Gov website. Its no the clear how many people would be affected. The website says it saw heavy traffic the last few days and people rushed to beat the deadline for Health Coverage to take effect january 1st. Gay marriages will continue in utah. A federal Appeals Court declined to step in and halt the nuptials. That after a judge ruled last week that the states ban on samesex marriage unconstitutional. The Attorney Generals Office is planning to good to the scour for an emergency stay. Licenses are now on their way to some 350 prospective marijuana operations in colorado. Many are for stores that will legally sell pot but some will go to facilities that will grow marijuana, make potrelated products or test the drug. The businesses will have to get local approval before they can open. Tarring set warning customers be on lookout for suspicious emails claiming to be about the theft of millions and million of credit and debit card accounts. It will post official news on its website so you can verify what you received in your inbox. Your Christmas Morning forecast looks nice for most of the country. A few flurries in the great lakes, showers in parts of texas and florida but for the most part, the country should see sunny skies, partly sunny and cloudy, whatever way you want to call it. Temperatures will also be cool, not out of the ordinary for january. Im Miguel Marquez. Those are your headlines. Merry christmas. The tree, the presents, the food, so many traditions mark christmas, right . For many of us the day centers on faith. Our own group of wise people are here with their take of the spiritual side of the holiday. Please help me introduce cnn faith and religion commentator, father edward beck, pastor Michael Faulkner of harlems New Horizon Church of new york and christine lee, assistant recter for all angels church. Merry christmas to you. Good holy people, help me with this. We have a young family, we left the struggle that all of you hear about all the time. My kids with the gifts, how do i keep christ in christmas . How do i make it spiritual when everything seems to be pulling me away from that . Start by telling the story. What is it really about . Its about a homeless, pregnant teenager and that god chooses to be born in that simple experience, thats the basic truth of christmas. I have a friend, whos really a cousin, he has two kids, ten toys each. Thats all they get. The ten toys. When they get a new one, they have to decide which one they give away. They know now, what one am i going to give away and to whom am i going to give it . Hes trained them this way, thats what it about. You cant have too much when other people have nothing. I think its an important value. Christmas is a time and you can remind people of that value. The giving were more important than the receiving. We say it but hard to practice in such an inquisitive society. Its all about the quest for more. Sometimes its also a matter of recognizing our desire for more is this neverending well. We always just want more. And that idea of being able to be thankful for what you have, i remember i was listening to an interview with renee brown, the sociologist. She was talking about when a loved one dies, for example, its not the big things that you remember. Its the every day small things that matter the most. Either you miss hearing your kids fighting in the background. You miss the way that your spouse snored. In the middle of the night, keeping you awake. I think theres something about when youre able to remember those simple Little Things that that desire for like oh, i need this to be happy or that to be happy becomes less important. You are pressing me to want to remember things, notably, the kids screaming and the spouse snoring that i cannot imagine being nostalgic about. Ill take your word for it. But michael, the central component is the commercialization of christmas, the gifts dominate, the tradition, who brings what food, who puts the best spread out at the table. You cant just reject it. Its about making a bigger tapestry here, isnt it . In some ways it is. You really truly cant take christ out of christmas. Its in the name. Its in the meaning of the holiday. Its in the expressions and for those people who choose to go to the commercialization, who only want to look at the certain aspects of it, they miss out. They dont get the message. As father beck said earlier, it really is about god choosing to be born in a stable which was actually a carved out like a rock, a cave, you know . And to be laid in a manger, a feeding trough for the domesticated farm animals because there was no room for him in the inn. There was no room for jesus in the inn, in the commercialization we edge jesus out of our lives, of our daily lives. Weve got to get back to the basics of what it really means. Getting back to the basics, fair supposition, do you feel you are losing ground on christmas . Where do you think we are in the culture wars, father . Do you think were keeping the christ in christmas or do you think were getting pushed more and more, secularization all the time . I think we are losing it but maybe its pope francis reinvigorating the church, ive seen it with him, when he can critique global capitalism like he did, but his point is you cannot have a world where so many people have so much and others have so little. Its not about stuff. We have gifts we think are important, they are power, prestige and possessions. Christmas says none of those are important. Its not about power, prestige or possessions. Its about simple love and how its given away. You say a maumpger. How is he in that manker . The baby is like this. Its giving the love away in the manger. Thats why hes come. I think if we can keep reminding ourselves and others about that message, thats what matters about christmas. I dont think so much were losing ground as we become who we really are and we forget that god came to save us from who we really are. And so we need to understand. We get back to it. I love this time of year. Though its stressful in ministry, its the most stressful time of year. Pastors need a vacation in january. You know . But it really is i love telling the story over and over and over again, because it reminds me of what im doing and why im doing what im doing. In truth, the themes are largely secular anyway. If you take the story of christ out of it, the ideas about what youre supposed to be fueled by this season are good regardless whether you belong to a specific religion. Let me ask you one question. The pope, technically you dont work for him. We love him. Hes a passionist under the pope. What does the pope mean to the two of you. Has he helped, christine . Yes, i think he has helped, a lot. I think a lot of times when you talk to the average person on the street and you ask them what do you think of when you think of church or christians, they say things like hypocritical, judgmental, homophobic. The pope is saying im one of you, i struggle just like one of you, pray for me. That puts an entirely different face on what it means to be a christian and a follower of jesus. He is the most visible christian leader in the world. And rightfully so. And so his messages do resonate around the world. I love them. I think he is a humble servant of god that is doing an amazing job of reminding people of what god has said and the kind of lives that we ought to live. Im very, very proud to be able to celebrate the things that hes doing and saying. Dont you think the message that hes preaching really is the message of christmas . Hes saying that our hearts are only going to be filled by something deeper. You mentioned the manger as the feeding trough. Do we remember thats a symbol of christmas, this baby is placed in a feeding trough . We are going to remember, he feeds our hungry hearts. Its a feeding trough, were hungry, this child is going to feed us if we get the message. Manger, doesnt it come from a french word. To eat. Exactly. Very sophisticated. Glad you remember that. I pretend not to listen to what you say. But i am. Its the journalist in me. Thank you for sharing the message of christmas, i appreciate it. Youre very welcome. Its great to hear on any day. Can i say Merry Christmas to my mother . Please. Merry christmas, mom. I love you. Big points for that. Yes, yes. Not to be outdone. Mom, you know who loves you. I love you. Merry christmas. Kate, indra, i love you, too. Everyone, three, two, one. Hi, mom. Merry christmas. Coming up next, are you enjoying the holiday treats . I hope so. Well, there are ways to do it without packing on the pounds, maybe not. But well try to find a way. Well tell you how to make your happy holiday a healthy one. The three of us sitting here look like we should be a musical group. Those are the real deal, a real holiday treat for you. All your carol favorites from the young peoples chorus of new york city, theyll take us to break. Lord jesus lay down your sweet head the stars in the bright sky look down where he lay hey there, i just got my bill, and i see that it includes my fico® credit score. Yup, you get it free each month to help you avoid surprises with your credit. Good. I hate surprises. Surprise at discover, we treat you like youd treat you. Get the it card and see your fico® credit score. How do you explain the feeling of this place . Of driving into beautiful. Running hard down roads of your own making. And declaring, i. Am. Alive. You dont explain it. You just experience it. Los cabos. Live it to believe it. [ male announcer ] the parking lot helps by letting us know whos coming. The carts keep everyone on the right track. The power tools introduce themselves. All the bits and bulbs keep themselves stocked. And the doors even handle the checkout so we can work on that thing thats stuck in the thing. [ female announcer ] today, cisco is connecting the internet of everything. So everyone goes home happy. Afghanistan in 2009. On the u. S. S. Saratoga in 1982. [ male announcer ] once its earned, usaa Auto Insurance is often handed down from generation to generation because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaas commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. Begin your legacy. Get an Auto Insurance quote. Usaa. We know what it means to serve. Welcome back to this very special edition of new day. For so many of us its nearly impossible to make it through the season without packing on extra pounds. One of our favorite doctors is here to help us try to beat the bulge this year. Dr. Jennifer coddle, very tough assignment. Holiday and nutrition, two things that do not go together. Right . What are the things we should be watching out for as we begin our holiday feasting. I have four tips for people. The first thing is dont go hungry to the holiday party. Okay . Great tip. Its like going hungry to the grocery store. Bad idea. Always a bad idea. Never go hungry to the holiday party. Eat a Healthy Snack before you head out. Second rule is spend your calories wisely. Right . Eat things you know wisely . Its a party come on, doc. Eat things you know you really love. Dont nibble on the stuff you dont care about. Make healthy choices. This is not the time to just eat cakes and cookies all day, still eat your proteins, futures and veggies and portion control. You have to still exercise. You cant sit on the couch and eat bonbones a bonbons all da. Lets get information to motivate your tips. I think part of the problem, only part, i dont think it is a problem but ill play along, is that we dont know whats in the food were eating around the holidays. Give us a list of what we like to take in and what we are actually taking in. Or not. There are things that i found out recently about egg nog. One cup of egg nog can run over 300 calories. 351. Its just not the egg nog. You can pack on lots of calories that way. Fruit cake, one slice can have 410 calories in it. Dont forget things like the candied yams, the cranberry sauce, were talking 400 calories per serving potentially. Really . How many cranberry sauce are you putting on your plate . And candied yams. Theyre deceiving because you think youll be getting some of the good stuff. Its a yam and it must be healthy. The marshmallow. Lets just get down here for a second. You were talking about the egg nog, the problem is the rum, the brandy. Right. When you add alcohol, the egg nog becomes more, not less . People are going to have a cocktail or two or three. Depending on how stressful your Family Gathering is. A lot of people like to enjoy a cocktail. Alcohol only in moderation and never drink and drive. Dont forget the amount of calories that can come with alcoholic drinks we have. Those fruity, fun, festive martinis can have hundreds of calories in them. A little vodka, a little wine . What do you think . Sometimes things like vodka as well, we start mixing things and we get the fruity and street and sugar. If you drink vodka and wine youre already in trouble. Dont matter what the calories are. Okay. Your best advise as we finish this up. My best advice people want to have fun. They do, they do, were talking family, friends, festivities and food. I think its okay to indulge. Moderate portion control and size. Still exercise, eat the healthy stuff you normally eat. Michaela, i see your face. Hold on one second. I have to say, those of you out there that have salt restrictions or things like that, still follow doctors orders. I think a little bit of holiday is okay. Whats your stance brussels sprouts . Depends on what you do with them. Add bacon. You heard the doctor, have fun, just not so much. Dr. Jennifer coddle, always great to see you. Coming up next on new day, the year in politics, both naughty and nice. Whos the big winners in the Nations Capital . And whos going to get a lump of coal this year . Its our political gut check, coming up next. Tell us, how are you spending your christmas . Family, friends, maybe trading gifts . Things are different overseas. Well take a look, coming up. S ] ive got a big date, but my sinuses are acting up. Its time for advil cold and sinus. [ male announcer ] truth is that wont relieve all your symptoms. New alka seltzer plusd relieves more symptoms than any other behind the counter liquid gel. Oh what a relief it is. Progressive direct and other Car Insurance companies . Yes. But youre progressive, and theyre them. Yes. But theyre here. Yes. Are you. . There . Yes. No. Are you them . Im me. But those rates are for. Them. So them are here. Yes you want to run through it again . No, im good. You got it . Yes. Rates for us and them now thats progressive. Call or click today. Jingle jingle jingle dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh bells on bob tails ring making spirits bright what fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way o what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way o what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh welcome back to the news. We want to get back to the newsdesk to are a check of the headlines making news this morning. An a very good morning to you and a Merry Christmas to you and yours. Developing news this morning from kabul, afghanistan where the u. S. Embassy has been hit by taliban rocket fire. A pair of rockets struck part of the compound just before dawn. Embassy say the rockets caused no deaths or injuries there but three policemen were hurt by rockets that fell elsewhere in the city. A judge says the california girl who had complications following tonsil sur