Celebrate christmas. Pope francis celebration of Midnight Mass was first as his as leader of the catholic church. In the holy land thousands of revelers packed bethlehems manger square. And two rockets struck the u. S. Compound in afghanistan. No injuries. Cruise ship passengers are stuck in the ice and awaiting rescue on their way to antarctica. Astronauts made a risky spacewalk to replace a faulty pump in a cooling line. Merry christmas to everybody. It took a couple of licks to get her done but we got it. More than 300,000 people still without power following storms over the weekend. Christmas cant be cancelled. All that. Ups is so busy they werent able to deliver all of their packages. Their system was overloaded. And all that matters. What would you do if you found 300,000 in cash . Las vegas cab driver gerardo turned it in. I dont get this money. Im still happy, because i did a good thing. On cbs evening news this morning, the greatest gift one mother from new jersey could possibly get from her son serving in the military in afghanistan. He gave her a surprise she will never forget. This mornings eye opener presented by toyota. Lets go places. Merry christmas and welcome to cbs this morning. Did santa come . He did. Im going to go home did santa leave you anything . The kids are probably waiting until you get back home. You about i love presents, you know that. Everybody does. Everybody does, indeed. All right. Before we get started, lets head to the news desk for a check of the mornings headlines. Good morning and Merry Christmas. In the news this morning the American Embassy in kabul, afghanistan, came under fire this morning. Hundreds of diplomats and other officials had to take cover. Holly williams is in london with the story. Holly, good morning. Reporter good morning. This attack came early this morning kabul time. The u. S. Embassy compound was hit by two rockets, and the taliban quickly claimed responsibility. An Embassy Official told cbs news there were no injuries, and all americans who were inside the compound are accounted for. Staff inside the embassy were not evacuated but were taken to a safe room. They were given the all clear around two hours later. Afghan police said they have arrested a suspect in relation to the attack. Two other locations were also hit by rockets this morning. One of them did not explode on impact and four policemen were injured as they tried to diffuse it. A taliban spokesman posted a message on twitter claiming the Embassy Attack had inflicted heavy casualties. Holly williams in london, thank you. In iraq two or more bombs exploded this morning in christian areas of baghdad. At least 37 people were killed. One car bomb went off outside a church as christmas worshippers were leaving. So far no one has claimed responsibility. And at the Vatican Pope Francis is celebrating his first christmas as leader of the Roman Catholic church. He greeted the faithful gathered in st. Peters square this morning and delivered the traditional christmas message. Bonjourno. The pope called on catholics to pray for peace and keep their hearts open. Meanwhile, manger square in bethlehem is filled with christmas pilgrims, the crowds are the largest in several years. Almost 500,000 homes and businesses in the u. S. And canada have no electricity on a cold Christmas Morning. Repair crews are working around the clock from maine to michigan to restore power knocked out by a weekend ice storm. Some families are staying in emergency shelters. At least 24 deaths are now blamed on the storm. Forecasters expect more snow today in the great lakes and the midwest. And dozens of cruise passengers will spend christmas waiting for rescue. The ship is trapped in the ice. More than 1,500 miles south of hobart, australia on the edge of antarctica. Officials say the 74 passengers and crew members are not in danger. Australia sent ice breakers to free the ship, but it will take a couple of days to reach an area that is so remote. And its a Merry Christmas on board the International Space station. U. S. Astronauts Rick Mastraccio and mike hopkins went on a rare Christmas Eve spacewalk. They successfully installed a 780pound pump to fix the stations cooling system. Nasa says all the equipment should be up and running by this weekend. And a christmas lump of coal from the postal service. On january 26th the price of a first class stamp will jump three cents to 49 cents. Regulators say the rate hike will only last two years, just long enough to recover almost 3 billion in losses. The time, the pope has called christmas an encounter with the lord. The pope is asking not just catholics but the great human family to journey together towards hope, peace and justice. We invited new Yorks Cardinal Timothy Dolan to help us celebrate christmas and share its meaning. Cardinal dolan, welcome. A blessed christmas to all of you and good to be with you. Merry christmas. A good way to spend Christmas Morning. We can open up gifts afterwards. And pass around the egg nog. So early, we cant open up gifts. What kind of gift would you like to open and you go wow, i always wanted this. What would be in that box . The payoff of the bill at st. Patricks cathedral. For the repair. There you go. We called on you to help us understand and translate and figure out throughout the year, since the conclave where we watched and witnessed this new pope. Sure. What does he mean when he talks about christmas as an encountner. For one, i would like to suggest that pope francis is a Christmas Gift to the whole world, and i think the world is believing that. And, of course, what hes reminding us is that jesus is the Christmas Gift of god the father, our lord and savior jesus christ and to the world on Christmas Morning. As everybody knows, theres nothing, nothing that changes a life like a baby. Literally babies, the arrival of a baby changes identities, right . A husband becomes a dad. A wife becomes a mom, and their whole lives are changed because they are centered on that baby, and what pope francis is saying lets center our lives on this baby. This baby represents love, reconciliation, forgiveness, mercy, tenderness, gods outreach and embrace of us. Lets center on them and lets welcome this baby with this message. Charlie, you just quoted it, of justice and peace. Lets welcome that baby into our lives. We take up a newborn baby and hold that baby close to our heart. What francis is saying is lets pick up this christ child, and lets let this baby, this holy infant, transform our lives. I think thats what hes getting at, and hes doing it pretty well. There is something remarkable about this pope. Everyone has noticed it, and it seems like hes trying to draw attention to what many people know is the positive aspects of the catholic church. You got it. And refocus on the poor and those who need the most compassion in this society. You got it, nora. And that was the message of the season, wasnt it . Yeah. How do you think then that the whole church changes as well because of this pope . I think what pope francis is saying is the church has got to become like bethlehem. Now, when you think about it, how simple, how do you know to earth can you get, that the only begotten son of god, our lord and savior, is born in a stable, there with him were his mother and foster father joseph surrounded by animals. You cant get much more down to earth. You cant get much more natural than a stable, number more simple and sincere. Its almost like god, the father, saying im not only becoming one of you, im becoming one of you in the most humb humble, downtoearth simple situations you can conceive of, and hes asking the church to do that. I think hes asking us to do that. I think its so interesting because the pope is talking about how materialistic weve all become at a time when christmas is about materialism and giving gifts. He warns us about consumerism and puts it in beautiful and philosophical language and heres the danger of consumerism in that we seek our worth in what we own. Heres whats happening. We gage our importance by what weve got rather than who we are. Christmas teaches us that were all children of god, made in his image and likeness and he loves us so much that he became one of us, the message of christmas that for us were all like the baby. God the father loves us and holds us to himself and coos us and francis says dont be lulled into that temporary temptation who would reduce who with reas a treasure to what we own. He also said its a start to restart and renew. For many people listening there is someone saying i need to change my life. I need to do something. What do you advise them to do . How do they start that process . Well, first of all, i would say thank god for that sense that i need some change. I need some renewal. This is very interesting when were talking about pope francis. People usually center on the external. Oh, hes asking the church to change, the vatican to change, he is doing that, but what hes most asking is that we change inside where it really counts. Well, youre not going to be surprised, gayle, to know if you want to change, for me as a christian the best way to do it is to let jesus christ be reborn this your heart and soul. Thats what christmas is for a believer. We dont know the exact date of christs birth. This isnt so much a celebration of his historical birth, you bet it is that, its a celebration of the rebirth that god wants to happen in every one of our lives through his son jesus. When this pope talks about the pastoral role and talks about it, as nora suggested, we have to be looking towards the poor more and be less materialistic, is he simply reflecting the words and the whole message of jesus . You bet it is, who seemed to be two of the most important people in his life. Obviously jesus christ and st. Francis of assisi. He chose the name of st. Francis. These are two people who became poor. Jesus left heaven, left divinity to become one of us, and francis, of course, was a very wealthy sob of an aristocrat, a merchant in assisi who left all of that and became poor. Francis is saying we need to get more simple. We need to get more to kind of shed some of these all this possessions. All this stuff in our life. You bet we need some. The church also has a lot of stuff. Yeah. And it has a lot of faith. Yeah. Is he by the way, i want that red sweater. Right now . Thats the stuff i want. All right. Is the church changing, not the message, not the pope, the church . It is, yes, it is. I think he wants it leaner. He wants it simpler. Hes saying lets not stress the superficiality. Lets not get caught up in the purple churchiness about bishops and honors and all this fancy stuff. Lets get back to that gospel and the baby in the crib. Let get back to the message of jesus. Thats what the church saul about. There are people in the church who like it. And im one of them. Hes serving as an examination of conscience for me. Dolan, all this is fine if it helps you serve the poor better. It was revealed a couple weeks ago that he was a bouncer. Did that surprise you . Did you crack up . He almost threw me out of his office. So i knew its interesting though, gayle, if you talk to priests like you often do, bishops, youll find most of us come from colorful backgrounds. Whats your colorful background . None of your business. Smacked down by cardinal dolan, and Merry Christmas to you, too, sir. Cardinal dolan, thank you. Thank you. A blessed christmas, everyone. Good to be with you. Im taking back my gift. Good to see you. For 125 Years National geographic has used the power of photography to capture the world around us. In celebration nat geo teamed up with Wallace Annenberg for a Photo Exhibit in los angeles and she gave her First Ever National tv interview with cbs this morning. She sat down with bill whitaker. Reporter Opening Night for the Annenberg Arts Center and here to celebrate the theater nicknamed the wallace and its benefactor Wallace Annenberg. Such an incredible supporter of the arts in every way in los angeles. Just so many different kinds of things that she wants to do for the people of los angeles. Were all very lucky to have her. Reporter a rock star in the world of fundraising, annenberg has given more money to the arts in l. A. Than any other woman, more than just about anybody else, in fact. Yet she shuns the spotlight. How do you see yourself . As a person that likes to sit in a very comfortable chair with a martini and watch a good football game. Reporter and give your money away . To use it wisely. Not give it away. I dont like that term at all. Lets open the doors. Reporter she has widened the use of 4. 2 billion to fund museums, hospitals, beaches. She recently gave 50 million for a new hall at Uscs Annenberg school and caught up with her at the school of photography. Its a space i love. Reporter National Geographic used this space to celebrate 125 years of photography. I remember as a child feeling those pictures, the texture of them and being transported to other world and continents. Reporter she was a child of privilege, growing up in a world of movie stars and president s. Her father, walter antenberg, was u. S. Ambassador to britain and the media mogul behind tv guide and seventeen magazine, a philanthropist and gave half a billion to public education, funded two University Schools of communication. He passed his foundation and philosophy on to wallace. Ive always been aware of the privilege that i had financially. At the same time i knew it wasnt going to fill me up. I cant keep it unless i can give it away. It was going to be a twoway street. Reporter one with a steep lurng cur learning curve. Reporter to date the foundation has distributed more than 10,000 grants. How did you know how to run more than a 1 billion foundation . Mean its not hard. I have great judgment when it comes to people. And its probably the most valuable gift i inherited from walter annenberg. The ability to size up the human being, thats my genius. Reporter you must be hit up all the time . Absolutely, but i love it. Isnt it wonderful to be invited to everything and not to have to go . Reporter do you know if the invitation is for you or for your money . Of course money is part of the agenda. I take that for granted. Reporter she doesnt see it as investing in art or education. Shes building community. She put 27 million into a Santa Monica Beach club. Its free to the public and sits right next to an expensive exclusive club. She built this Wheelchair Accessible treehouse. Shes known to drop in on her project with no fanfare. They say you go down there sometimes incognito. I dont arrive like Lady Bountiful getting out of a limousine saying aha, your benefactor, no. Reporter but nobody would be upset if you showed up like Lady Bountiful. Thats not who i am. Youre making it sound like i have some sort of false modesty. I dont. Ill go to the beach club in santa monica and look over there and see kids and young mothers, thats far more valuable to me than any piece of jewelry. Reporter why . Seeing the people whose lives ive maybe made this much of a dent snow say a dent. A dent. Reporter i think the people of l. A. Would say a difference. Thats fine, too. Reporter for cbs this morning, bill whitaker, los angeles. Perfect story on thissi Christmas Day, dont you think . God love her. A comfortable chair and a good martini. On a day like this its what presents did i get but also the thought of what goes into the gift . Indeed. Herbie hancock gives nora the piano lesson of a lifetime. Im really nervous. Wait. Play something by yourself first. Find out how she did and what the candidate and honoree is working on next. And charlie goes looking for l. A. Dolce vida on a vespa in rome. The biggest mountain in rome and one of the biggest in europe. Probably the most famous fountain in the world. And you dont have to go to a concert hall to see a great symphony in action. Winton marsalis talks to new England Patriots quarterback tom brady. How hitting the right note can be as much for a quarterback as it is for a conductor. Thats when we return here on cbs this morning. In brookside chocolate, a world of remarkable tastes comes together. Rich, dark chocolate meets sweetened soft centers flavored with exotic fruit juices, like pomegranate, goji with raspberry, and acai with blueberry. Its chocolate like youve never experienced it before. And it comes from a place called brookside. Discover brookside. [ coughing ] [ crying ] sorry. [ male announcer ] new robitussin dm max nighttime. Fast, powerful cough relief that helps you sleep like a baby. Robitussin nighttime. Dont suffer the coughequences. [ male announcer ] cant believe you can pronounce everything in it . Believe. 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