holiday will shape up. lee goldberg is in for bill evans and his accuweather forecast straight ahead. >> good morning on this christmas morning, i'm lauren glassberg and i'm bill ritter. we're all in for ken, lori, bill and heather. >> we are not a law firm. just sound like one. first we get a check on the accuweather forecast from meteorologist lee goldberg. good morning lee. >> speak for yourself. i have a nice clientele after all these years. merry christmas everyone. great to be in for bill this morning. it's one to remember, our temperatures have been through the roof. if you weren't with us last night, check this out, christmas eve was only 3 degrees cooler than july 4th. pretty unbelievable, and now as of 12:31 this morning, the warmest christmas on record at 66 degrees. pretty amazing. last year was pretty mild too, 66 and a little bit of rain. the george washington bridge, 61 degrees right now at 7:18 in the morning on christmas. chill in the northwest suburbs, sussex 44, 61 in the park. visibilities vary greatly. it's partly cloudy north and west and then dense fog at the coast. there's a fog advisory for long island until 6 in the morning, until 10 in the morning for much of new jersey. look at the thunderstorms we escaped going to the south and east overnight. here's your planner, clouds, some fog this morning, more breaks north and west. i think the best time for breaks will be midday and afternoon. we get in the mid-60s back up to that 66 and there might be some showers that come in tonight. we'll detail the timing on that rain. your seven-day forecast, a lot of ups and downs coming none a few minutes. we have breaking news on long island, a mother and her two daughter badly hurt this morning after they were hit while crossing the record. it happened just before 10:00 last night on old country road and new bridge road. this is in the nassau county hamlet of hicksville. police say the 43-year-old woman, her 4 and 11-year-old daughters they weren't in the crosswalk when they were hit by the driver stayed on the scene and apparently that driver is not charged according to police. the mother and 4-year-old in critical condition. 11-year-old girl seriously hurt. a crew headed to the hospital right now. and a deadly accident in brooklyn. this morning the driver charged, a 77-year-old woman was crossing the street yesterday afternoon in the sheepshead bay section when she was hit by a van. the woman was pronounced dead at the hospital. the driver remained at the scene and was charged are failure to yield. we started off with some sad news of course, two accidents in our area, but this is, of course, christmas morning. we want to get to those christmas celebrations. we're going to begin at st. patrick cathedral, cardinal tim dolan leading a midnight mass last night, in keeping with the open arms policy, some refugees from war-torn syria. mallory hoff kicks off our coverage. than 2,000 people attended that midnight mass here, and we are expecting thousands more throughout the day today. take a look at this video now cardinal dolan welcomed refugees to the service but did not identify them. both families have received help from catholic charities. he welcomed siblings from el salvador, the brothers 17 and 19 fled terror and the threat of retribution. he also welcomed a muslim family, a mother, a father and their three children from ivory coast. >> i think you would unite with me as we celebrate this night when jesus was born away from home into a family that would soon flee as refugees for safety from an oppressing king into egypt, i think you would join me in welcoming those two families. >> again, thousands enjoying that midnight mass, thousands expected to be back here today. the day. live from st. patrick's 7 eyewitness news. cardinal dolan. speaking of cardinal dolan, he also celebrated mass with those who otherwise could not because firefighters. cardinal celebrating in midtown manhattan. one of the firehouses that responds to fires at st. patrick's cathedral. mass as well at the vatican where tens of thousands joined pope francis last night. the pontiff celebrating a late night mass at st. peters basilica. he spoke against what he calls society's intoxication with consumerism and wealth, and we are now taking a live look at the vatican. thousands are expected in st. peters square this morning to hear the pope's christmas day speech. and in bethlehem in the the church of the nativity. it's built at the spot where tradition holds that jesus was born. thousands of people crowded into manger square for christmas eve festivities. they did not stay away because of the recent wave of violence between palestinians and israel. four palestinians died today in attacks across the west bank. this morning we are continuing a christmas day tradition here at eyewitness news since 2001. december after the terror attacks we decided to make this interactive and use e-mail. it wasn't new back then, but it was. >> newish. >> not as ubiquitous as it is now. we got your e-mails and read them. it was very poignant that first year because people were so close to the terror attacks in terms of time and lee and lauren were there then, and we are returning now 15 years in the making we're doing it again. send us your profound e-mail reflections and greetings to are we going to do one right now? celeste, yes, do you want to do one? >> do you have one? >> i have one from uh-oh. >> harutinair. hunterdon county who writes dear bill, lauren, and lee, thanks for reading my letter. all three of you have something i like, bill, his sense of humor, lauren for my looks, thank you, and he loves lee. just about every time lee's forecast is on point honest and makes tweets when necessary. >> just about -- lee's going to go just about? >> he wishes happy kwanzaa, merry christmas, seasons greetings and hopes this holiday brings plenty of kindness, joy, and love which i think most people would echo. >> lee you got something? >> it made my morning. i can finish my year now. i'd like to say happy birthday you're the best mom ever. her name is maria. >> for those not blessed with good health like my beautiful wife who struggles with diabetes, heart problems and depression wishes that we latch on to the essence of christmas abundance joy and love. keep your cards and letters tweet or facebook lauren or lee throughout the morning until 7:00. >> if you tweet, it probably has to be a little on the brief side. >> yes. >> tweet. >> more likely that we will read them. >> good point. >> all right. it is 4:38, and still ahead on eyewitness news this morning, nypd officers pulled over a few drivers on christmas eve, but they weren't actually handing out tickets. we'll check out the surprise police had in tow for a special holiday mission. >> and many children on long island receiving a big dose of generosity. how police and the one store >> if if your holiday gifts didn't make it under the tree on time, what fedex is doing to keep customers happy on christmas day. no way. savor an egg mcmuffin any time you like. a fresh cracked egg, canadian bacon and an english muffin with real butter. santa may prefer hiss sleigh when he's hard at work. in the leisure time he has he'd rather ride the waves. a new world record was set when 648 santas surfed off cocoa beach florida. that's more than twice as many as the previous record set in australia earlier this month. the event raises money for local nonprofit organization. that's awe? probably could have caught a wave off the coast of new york. >> yes, it's certainly warm enough. still needs a wet suit right lee. the water temperature is not that warm right? >> going down, you know, slower still in the 50s right now for our water temperatures. of course you know every year we love to track santa as he wraps up his trip, certainly norad can confirm he visited the tri-state area. we are all good despite the fog we had overnight. and santa last sighted near anchorage alaska. usually by the end of the show he's headed towards hawaii. plenty of lanes open at the toll plaza, 61 degrees. the wind is still -- we have a barometer holding steady. the high is 66. that's good enough for the warmest christmas on record. that's yesterday's record high at 72. the old christmas high is 64 back in 1982. 57 in roslyn. low visibilities especially on the south shore of long island and down the jersey shore. partly cloudy and chilly even, 42 in poughkeepsie, 47 in andover. 8:00 in the morning, sunrise is 7:18. best chance for breaks are north and west in the midday. i think we're dry during the daylight hours but rain and drizzle can start to move in tonight, fairly light and best chance will be south. notice all the clouds down in the south. kind of a complicated weather map this morning. there's a front just off our coastline. to the south of that front we have the dense fog. to the north it's dry and there's patchy breaks. thankfully these thunderstorms are moving away. that front will nudge just for a enough offshore we can all get a little brightening today. if you look at the futurecast during the midday and afternoon, especially north and west, it could look really nice north and west. low clouds are going to hang tough along the coast. the city right in between with clouds and sun. late into the day and tonight we have light rain and drizzle that will continue into the day tomorrow at times. it's a merry, mild christmas today at 66 degrees, record warmth and tomorrow noticeably cooler, compared to what we at 52 degrees. here's your accuweather forecast. record warmth, breaking especially midday. then tonight evening rain or drizzle. not a lot going on much of the night and tomorrow occasional drizzle or rain more likely in the afternoon hours. only a high of 52. then we go back up again. a record high on sunday of 67. probably some rain coming in late in the day or at night. monday 42, finally a day around normal, and if that rain comes in just early enough on tuesday morning north and west, could be an icy mix before it goes around 50 midweek. no question after we get through this extreme warmth we have a lot of ups and downs and winter chill starts peeking its >> really? >> especially the first week of january. >> every once in a while, not -- >> exactly. >> you want to read some more letters? >> absolutely. >> i had brought bagels in for the whole staff. i bought five dozen bag else. these are really good bagels even though they're crummy, they drip a lot. >> you at home can probably smell the onions on the bagels. letters right? >> let me read a tweet that came in from chris page who says merry christmas to my brother first responders, be safe today. merry christmas to all as well. which is nice because obviously first responders working today as they do year round, and they're in our thoughts as well. >> lee. >> merry christmas eyewitness news squad and my buddy bill ritter. lee thanks for the ever amazing tie picks, i want all your ties. bill you have watched me much this year. friendship. that's from brian elliott. >> his father was a first responder, died on 9/11, because of 9/11, and was a woman and is now a man and has gone through it quite publicly. very interested in politics and brian merry christmas. >> happy 2016. >> nice tie today. >> very nice. >> what is that wool. >> he's styling. >> we do have preproduced -- >> early birds. >> let's start with mary aumiller. >> hope four little letters that offer so much, hope for a better year, good health and peace in all of our hearts. >> we have another one. >> one from mary alice jones. >> a simple wish to keep our police officers safe, correction officers safe and our military safe. it's been a difficult year for all of them. >> as we saw this last week we had two people from our area, the international guard. >> killed in a suicide attack. >> killed in afghanistan. we're thinking of their families as well. >> one more troop message to karen. this is renrica writing it, her son karen serving at the usmc at camp so much. best wishes to my brothers and their families, the most wonderful day to everyone. time for family. >> it is indeed. to you. >> this is our family at work. we hope you're spending christmas with your family. keep those e-mails coming in or tweet us, post on facebook to lee, and lauren and i. we'll be reading e-mails throughout the morning. we also have news and we're going to start with the nypd playing santa claus really, a long way from giving out tickets. the cops doing something great for others. >> flashing lights and a rearview mirror is enough to make any heart skip a beat, but festive twist. over? >> no. >> because you're driving with a little girl in back. >> no reindeer and sleigh were needed for these special santa's helpers representing new york's kindest from the 47th precinct in the bronx. as dozens of officers took to the streets handing out a variety of gifts to unsuspecting kids and families. >> you don't drive with a a present. it's the holidays. >> uh-huh. >> do you mind if i give your daughter a present. >> as we've seen throughout the country and the city, you know, there's been issues with police, community, and traction, and this is another way of saying, listen, here's one way the police are helping. >> protecting, serving, and placing priceless smiles on countless kids faces. the toys were actually extra gifts from a recent toy drive at the precinct prompting officers to not only hit the streets but also a few buses to spread holiday cheer. these are some of the candid photos the nypd posted to twitter. >> i thought i was getting a ticket. i don't know. look, i can't even talk. >> it's all right, merry christmas. >> thank you so much. >> merry christmas. >> do you like wrestling? >> yes >> here you go, look at that. merry christmas. >> i'm a. j. ross, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> and christmas came a day early for more than 100 thanks to the generosity of the local police there. >> the nassau county pba and police foundation paid for the children to go on a $100 shopping spree each at mattie's top shop in hewlett yesterday. these children come from families that have fallen on hard times, and certainly that is a nice break for them. >> i've had a really rough year and a half, and, you know, having two kids it's definitely a struggle, and it's been a rough year. this is amazing. this is a christmas miracle. >> it's important to know that the police are there not only when you need help you know what i mean, and sometimes in bad situations but they're also there for good situations. >> not only did mattie's toy shop shut down for the kids, it also covered the difference if they went over the gift certificate amount. >> and hundreds of families in the bronx experienced firsthand the power of giving. the bronx youth empowerment program hosted its tenth annual sharing is caring toy give away chester section. more than 500 children and their families were invited. if the folks at fedex fail to show up with that last minute christmas gift you were alone. fedex said it wasn't able to make all its scheduled christmas deliveries. to try to catch up fedex will deliver packages today and will open its express office. fedex blames the delays on bah weather in parts of the united states and the last minute surge of holiday shopping. so fear not. >> it's on its way. >> yeah. >> maybe they can send you an e- mail, proof of purchase. >> which is exactly why i'm telling the world -- it is now 4:50. coming up on eyewitness news this morning for christmas to gospel from a galaxy far far away, how local churches are drawing a parallel between messages in the bible and a box office hit you might have heard of called star wars. >> also ahead why california's ur tri-state ford dealers thank you for helping protect our children. in today's health alert, a modern habits may be increasing a child's risk of becoming nearsighted. a panel of ophthalmology experts noting the number of americans with myopia has nearly doubled over the last 50 years. that may be due to the use of electronic devices and not much time spent outdoors in natural lights. the experts recommend encouraging kids to take breaks from the screen and play outside. >> what a great idea. in keeping with the movie theme of the season at some local churches, the story of christmas and its connection to the little town in bethlehem this year reimagined as a star wars saga. liquid church in new jersey put a star wars spin on its traditional christmas eve service at the nondenominational service looking at the parallels between the bible and the movie franchise. star wars opened in theaters last week. maybe you heard about it. it's currently breaking box office records. >> star wars is an epic story of the dark side versus the light, and as christians that's our story as christmas. of god overcoming the fear and hatred in a dark world. >> and i am your father, luke, right, the ceremony featured dancing storm troopers and folks there snapped family photos a at star wars themed nativity scene. if i was told, lee that you would love this. >> i like chewy taking a break in the corner. [ laughter ] >> it is time to go with your e- mails. bill.s.ritter @ abc.com. >> this is exciting, regina and dave you have blessed us with the most amazing news that we're going to be grandparents. today the envelope under the tree will be blessed once again with a gender a boy or a girl. we are over the moon whatever it will be love grandma and grandparent. >> that's awesome. >> they are doling out the information, right. it's a boy or a girl. >> that's great. >> i like how some people reveal with a cake. you slice the cake and you find if it's a boy or a girl. you ever heard of that, they're doing it with an envelope. >> some people don't want -- >> i didn't find out. i had a sense that beau was a boy. >> at 2 years old lauren has been a mom for two years. >> that's why i haven't slept in two years. >> but you look great though. i got a tweet and it said bring on summer, and -- >> bring on summer? we're in it. >> this is lee goldberg, summer, please, really, summer please, and then i looked and they just re-tweeted it and it was from april of 2014. about twitter. i thought summer, please, are you not aware that it's sort of summer in december. >> he made it happen. this one is from newton co. the past year going to madison square garden to see pope francis. i was deeply lucky to attend the papal mass and that was a really poignant time for so many new yorkers. >> i was outside. streets just to get a glimpse of him going into the garage. >> sure, and i was at central park when he came through and just people were so excited to get one of those tickets to get to see him. >> i did the papal planner forecast. that's as close as i got. >> people counted on that right. >> it was a beautiful time of year when he was here visiting. >> to my 4-year-old son peyton williams from daddy, merry christmas, son, you are my present. that's what it's all about. >> that is the truth. congratulations to you. >> this is for lauren. >> when are you going to do the indian dish. >> i just did an indian dish a couple of weeks ago. >> this is from ramanda morale. abc.com or tweet all of us at don't even think about it. i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. yeah...but what about mike? he has that dry scratchy thing going on. guess what? it works on his cough too. cough! guess what? it works on his cough too. what? stop! don't pull me! spoiler alert! she doesn't make it! only mucinex dm relieves bothwet and dry coughs for 12 hours with two medicines in one pill. start the relief. ditch the misery. this is new york's number 1 news, channel 7 eyewitness news with lori stokes and ken rosato, heather o'rourke with traffic, and bill evans with the exclusive accuweather forecast. now eyewitness news this morning. good morning. we are following breaking news, a mother and her two young daughters are at a long island hospital this morning after they were struck in the street, but right now the driver is not charged. >> thousands of people welcoming in christmas with a midnight mass, the mass celebrated by cardinal timothy dolan. >> and it's officially the warmest, that's right, the warmest christmas on record. >> ever in the whole world? >> ever. >> in the whole planet? >> ever since they started keeping records. oh, in new york, i'm sorry. i'm sorry. good morning, everyone. >> he hasn't finished his coffee. >> i'm bill ritter. i want started my coffee ye. >> i'm lauren glassberg. ken, lauren and bill are off this morning. >> you don't think they're watching us? >> i hope not. taking the morning off. >> i don't blame them. we however are not. we're continuing a 15-year christmas tradition reading your holiday greetings and profound messages and hopes for the new year. >> that's right, we'll get to moment. first we get a check on the accuweather forecast from meteorologist lee goldberg. back on christmas morning. >> yes, we're making t-shirt, you know, i survived the warmest christmas on record. >> great idea. >> no doubt about it. merry christmas. christmas eve was only 3 degrees cooler than july 4th. it was incredible, and now just after midnight it's 66. record. last year was actually pretty mild and 62. morning look on the west side. it was so bizarre last night to see all the restaurants have their outdoor seating open. everybody was outside. it's still 60 degrees, the sunrise at 7:18. a little holiday chill well north and west, a little bit more clearing there. visibilities still very low on the island. big difference from coast to inland locations and in parts of new jersey, central and southern new jersey until about 10 in the morning. showers moving away. clouds will thin out and it will brighten up at times during the i did. breaks, especially midday and early afternoon, then maybe a evening. seven-day forecast, we're tracking santa. a new location from norad, we'll pass that along and i'll have the seven-day accuweather forecast in just a bit. >> she was so pleased to realize that they could see rudolph on my iphone. saw the red nose. antiquated. >> there you go. >> never lee. we start with breaking news on a mother and her two daughters right now in the hospital. they were hit by a car in nassau county. it happened at old country road and new bridge in the hamlet of hicksville just before 10 last night. two of critical condition. >> reporter: bill, good morning, we just got an update on their conditions. that mom and her 4-year-old condition. that 11-year-old girl is in serious condition this christmas morning. the three were hit by a gray honda accord headed south on new bridge road christmas eve. the victims were apparently crossing near the intersection when the crash happened just before 10 last night. the driver who lives nearby did stop at the scene after that tragic crash and was being interviewed by police. the 43-year-old mom and her two kids were rushed to the hospital. police had the area closed off for several hours. at this time no charges have been filed. accidental and clearly a christmas tragedy. we're live in hicksville, kala rama channel 7 eyewitness news. keep us posted. thank you. it is christmas day, millions of christians around the world celebrating with religious observances, gifts, and of course family time. >> in bethlehem thousands of christians celebrated midnight mass at the church of the nativity that was built on the site where christians believe jesus was born. mallory hoff is in midtown outside st. patrick's cathedral where worshipers were celebrating midnight mass. >> reporter: good morning, they certainly were, 2,000 people came out overnight to enjoy midnight mass. take a look at this video. cardinal dolan welcomed refugees to the service but did not identify them. both families have received help from catholic charities. he welcomed siblings from el salvador, the brothers 17 and 19 fled terror and the threat of retribution. he welcomed a muslim family, a mother and father and their he also discussed the pope's visit to st. pats which was three months ago yesterday. parishioners explained that midnight mass at st. pats is something to be experienced. >> it's magnificent, the music is great and dolan is terrific. >> i was born in brooklyn and we never have been before. >> first time. >> first time. >> it was very special. i've been coming every year with my brother. as a catholic it's been very special for me. >> reporter: and mass will be held here throughout the day. live from st. pats, mallory hoff channel 7 eyewitness news. >> all right, mallory, mallory will be joining us throughout the morning. also joining us throughout the morning are you. we have made this an interactive morning on christmas morning here on eyewitness news since 2001, december when we decided after the terror attacks to give all of you a chance to interact with us and see what you were thinking, and it has continued as a tradition. lee and lauren and i have done it almost every year since then. it's just been really rewarding for us too. profound messages from you. send us your messages on facebook and twit or my e-mail bill.s.ritter @ abc.com. this is from lynn burrman who writes on behalf of yai which is an organization that helps people with disabilities. she wanted to thank us for our support of seeing beyond people with disabilities, seeing people for who they are not just their disabilities and some of the young people who yai benefits instead of writing messages drew pictures. >> so nice. >> that's very sweet. it's probably a little bit hard to see but they're very sweet and a nice thought this time of the year. >> linda's public relation for that organization, and has done it for years and has done a great job with that. >> i have a message from carl cruise hafner. i'm alive and well today, carl's living with hiv and it's due to the nurturing and loving from his husband eddie. he looks forward to a wonderful year weed dee and his two dogs who are barking right now. they want breakfast so he has to go. >> what a transformation since then. we started this, two people of the same gender could not marry and now they can and enjoy christmas as a family. good for you. >> that is a great point. this is from ann keen, and she says good morning and merry christmas to all this holiday season. it's a very difficult one for me because i have nobody and it is hard. my holiday wish is that this will change for the new year. we hope it does, too, ann. anybody who's alone will find somebody to be in their lives. >> ann, we wish you a very happy holiday. >> that's right. >> barbara m. freth writes she's wishing nurses working at v. a. hospitals across the country taking care of our veterans a very merry christmas. >> one quick one lee. >> wishing everyone a joyful, safe and blessed holiday season may 2016 will be a time of renewal and grace for all those you hold near and dear. >> i could use a little renewal. time you see your little boy. that's it. >> we're going to continue to read your e-mails as the show continuing up until 7:00 and good morning america. it is right now 5:08. still ahead on eyewitness news this morning, in addition to our record breaking heat today, weather is also the big story for some bad reasons across much of the country. we'll show you the dangerous storms, even snow creating havoc today. >> also why let someone else have all the fun? the sometimes haphazard, never boring fun. the why can't it smell like this all the time fun. the learning the virtue of sharing fun. why let someone else have all the fun? unleash the power of dough. a 14-year-old is under arrest in a sex assault that took place last week in brooklyn. police say this is an image of the person seen in the surveillance video who was involved, allegedly involved in that assault. it was taken at a subway station the night of december 16th shortly after a 33-year- assaulted and robbed in her east flatbush apartment building. this morning americans across the country dealing with historic weather on this christmas day from record breaking temperatures in the tri-state, you heard lee talk about that, to flash flood watches down south to even snow out west. this is reno nevada. boy, look at that. el nino, thank you very much. abc's kenneth moton keeping tabs on it all from washington. >> holiday weather for the record books. this christmas morning the weather threat continues for parts of the south with heavy rain causing flood watches. >> we woke up to civil defense pounding on our door telling us we had about 20 minutes to leave our homes. >> in georgia and alabama people evacuated their homes to escape flood waters. from the south to the midwest severe weather turned deadly this week. more than a dozen people were killed when 24 tornadoes terrorized seven states including mississippi. it's believed one stretched 150 >> if you look at the damage here, it is as bad as any tornado that we've had and i've been through a lot of them. >> in wisconsin, crews are working overtime to restore power after strong winds wreaked havoc. in other parts of the midwest snow and lots of it. a heavy downfall in omaha nebraska caused a traffic nightmare before christmas. >> it's impossible for me to get there. this is insane. >> along the east coast it's not a white christmas but it's definitely a warm one. record highs from florida to vermont. in new york city 70-degree weather had people in shorts and t-shirts. >> i'm loving it. everyone should have a hot holiday. i don't have to go to california or florida. i'm fine right here. >> those residents here in the northeast should enjoy the warm christmas because temperatures are expected to drop next week. kenneth moton, abc news washington. >> and remember, lee does like 40 shows a day. if you ever miss him you can out there on the web with our free accutrack weather alert for live radar and accuweather alerts go to the itunes or google play store and search abc7ny. on that note, let's just go to lee live. >> you're cueing it up for him like a little tee shot right. so easy. >> it's the guy filling in for him who burns the midnight oil. he's doing every 7 minutes. merry christmas. we're tracking santa. last stop was alaska, and now we hear that he's headed to honolulu. he's going to the warmth that we have right here in new york city and typically this is his last stop of the morning, over 7 billion gifts delivered. check out lower manhattan where the visibility is good here. just a few miles to the east over parts of long island and the jersey shore there's a lot of fog around. this is encouraging to see around new york city. the wind is still calm. we're at an even 60 here at 5:14 in the morning. and 66 was the high just after midnight. that's good enough for the warmest christmas ever. so long island you have a lot of fog, 56 in maric. 55 in roslyn. a lot of fog down the shore as well, dense fog advisories go through the morning hours. the island expires at 6 a.m., jersey shore and central new jersey 10 a.m. chilly, partly cloudy, mid-40s to low 50s in the hudson valley right now. so fog and partly to mostly cloudy at 8 in the morning, best chance of sun midday and early afternoon. clouds thicken late. dry during the daylight hours. mid-60s again. it looks like we'll have some showers coming into tonight. you have clouds around especially north and west. these are high clouds. there's some breaks here, and then you have fog along the cokes. almost looks like it's clear along the coast. a fair amount of fog. thunderstorms we missed off to the south. there's a cold front straddle the area. part of the area is in fog. part of the area has some drying. we all get a little more drying, a little brightening during the day, and then this moisture will come back later drizzle. if you look there's really a gradation across the area. north and west. there's more clouds along the that theme continues throughout the day. best chance for brightening midday into the early afternoon. late day light rain or showers should try to get in across central and southern new jersey. that's the idea through the overnight into the day tomorrow. it's off ask on showers and drizzle. the big difference with tomorrow is how much cooler it is. after a merry mild christmas at 66 this front settles more to the south. we get a cool northeast wind and we're damp and cooler, not that it's a soaker. it's a lot cooler. record warmth, then some breaks, especially midday. late rain coming in south and west. 50 tonight, a little rain or drizzle around, nothing heavy, and that's the same idea tomorrow. better chance of rain just on the afternoon. only 52, though. after all the 60 and 70 it feels a lot colder. by sunday we're back up to record warmth at 67 degrees, probably 64 at kickoff for jeff's patriots. much colder on monday despite sun. a little icy mix north and west before it goes over to rain. into 2016. not that it's going to be bitter cold but the more cooler episodes coming. >> a little more like winter. >> i would expect that at some point. >> two or three days of below freezing might be nice. we are going to take, again, your e-mails and twitters and facebooks. >> i love our yule log by the way. >> isn't that great? look at that. >> rubbing my hands. >> patrick becker has said we're putting a yule log, even though we don't need it because it's 60 degrees. by the way we have just heard from the star of the show here. >> lori stokes. >> she just wanted to let us know that she has been up watching us and cooking. she's been cooking actually. >> lori stokes is cooking? >> at 3 in the morning. lori's a great cook. >> i wouldn't know. >> and she always has a beautiful christmas celebration. she sent us a picture of the chicken she's cooking. >> looks really delicious. >> we wouldn't know this. any of her food. dinner. i think that's a frying pan. >> it's frying pan, yeah. >> what time should i get there lor, tweet me back. >> remember that poster where the two crews on two sides are building railroad track asks they meet together and they're about 4 feet off. this is this. after the last ornament was hung i turn on the tree lights and the 12-foot tree to find this. chrissy leonard. >> you know what, i think it's a look chrissy. it's kind of cool. i wouldn't say you made a police take. i would say it's art and you that's the story. i'm going to go with it. thank you for sending your 12- foot tree in. it's beautiful. >> that's crazy. that's very funny. >> you have something lee or lori. >> do we want to do yvonne nieves has written to us and we have this made into a nice graphic. i wish for no more poverty. there are too many people that have nothing. that's what i wish for, to see less people in the streets with nothing or no one. >> okay. lee. a merry christmas and a very happy and healthy new year. a special shoutout to diana williams and family and to the family of lisa colagrossi. >> been a tough year for us one eye, lisa died in march, and diana had a rough year, her husband had a stem cell transplant and her son was in a terrible motorcycle accident in july and diana has been a rock for us here and her family. >> she's written extensively on facebook. they're so strong and they're going to make it. >> they're all brave and very loving. >> mm-hmm. >> a lot of places to go with that. we're going to say we're thinking about lisa colagrossi's family and diana as well. we'll take more of your messages. i don't want to come up with other messages about that. no way. savor an egg mcmuffin any time you like. with real butter. mcdonald's all day breakfast menu. robert downey junior is getting a christmas present from california's governor, a pardon for his 1996 drug conviction. down knee was convicted of felony drug possession after authorities found heroin, cocaine and a gun in his vehicle. in 1999 he served nearly a year in prison after acknowledging he violated his probation. he has gone on to become one of hollywood's highest paid the big ballpark in the bronx, a big football stadium. yankee stadium hosting the pinstripe bowl. duke will do battle for the trophy. you can watch the game just by coincidence on channel 7 tomorrow afternoon starting at 3. >> it's probably pretty fun to watch a game there. >> you bet it is. we're going to do some more christmas letters is that right? >> yeah, i have one from penny giano from sound beach new york who writes it's marie stewart, her daughter's birthday today. so happy birthday marie. >> it's not easy to forget that birthday. >> can you imagine how many gifts you get to open. >> they probably just get the one thing. >> or you get gypped right. >> and to all those men in the military, police, firefighters who can't be home with their family. working in the studio today his name is ryan mcgriff. we get a letter, happy holidays to my secret crush ryan mcgriff from kyla givens american international college and the whole new york staff i'm so blessed to spend it with friend and family. thank you channel 7 for being part of my daily schedule. kyla, maybe he knows you under a different name perhaps right. ryan was very pleased. >> okay. 5:23. still ahead on eyewitness news this morning, christian worshipers obviously very busy this morning gathered in st. peters basilica for the pope's traditional christmas vigil mass, the focus of pope francis' homily. >> and we want to see spectacular christmas lights in your neighborhood. that is our plea to you, many of you sending in your pictures, a look at some of the hundreds of photos you have use the hashtag abc7ny and then we might like these folks with your name use them on the air. spectacular work everybody. >> yeah, really beautiful. the major retailers want you to get those gifts open and start spending those gift cards asap. >> kendis gibson and marci gonzalez have it morning's business headlines. >> good morning, topping america's money, more shopping ahead, two-thirds of us plan to shop the post christmas sales. >> analysts agree the biggest bargains will be on clothing. that's always true but this year's discounts may be even better because the warmer than expected weather has put a crimp in winter clothing sales. and big money managers are looking ahead to 2016. >> mutual fund managers and analysts say to expect lower returns from stocks in the new year. few economists predicting a recession. >> and finally technology companies top the new forbes list for most successful corporations in 2015. bringing in $145 billion in revenue. >> microsoft is a distant 2nd with 69 billion and google is third with 65 billion. coca-cola and ibm round out the top five and that's america money. >> have a great day. if fedex failed to show up with a last minute christmas gift, you're not alone. fedex said it wasn't able to make all of its scheduled christmas eve deliveries. to try to catch up it will deliver packages today and will open its express office so customers can pick up their packages. they blame the delays on weather in the midwest. >> i'm sure that's what happened to my present. we are taking your e-mails and we're supplying the bagels. stop on by i'll give you a bagel. we're following breaking news as well on long island at 5:28. daughters in critical condition, a terrible christmas morning story after they were another young daughter in now new york's number 1 news channel 7 eyewitness news this morning. >> on this christmas morning we have sad breaking news on long island. we're at the hospital this morning where a mother and her two young daughters are getting treated, two of them in critical condition after they were all hit by a car. >> and we are live at st. patrick's cathedral where 2,000 people were fortunate enough to get tickets to midnight mass celebrated by cardinal timothy dolan. >> and if you like records, not broken records, well, yeah, broken records, this is a broken record,ed warmest christmas ever in new york city. lee goldberg has it all coming up in his accuweather forecast. good morning, everyone. and merry christmas. i'm bill ritter. >> and i'm lauren lauren glassberg. i do like broken records when are it means 66 degrees. >> not when i sound like a broken record. >> you never sound like a broken record. say that then, and that's why i love you lauren. >> work with him every day. >> lee goldberg would not say i don't sound like a broken record. he hears me too many times every day. he is here with the broken record of the warmest christmas ever in new york city and in the tri-state. >> moving on. >> i would never say that. check it out right there, that's the full moon. it's actually the full cold night moon, maybe not this year, though, but full moon on christmas, really beautiful out there as we have some partial clearing over new york city right now. we're at 60 degrees, partly cloudy skies, a warm overnight. it was the warmest christmas eve on record. it was warmer than july 4th. it was 72 yesterday, july 4th was 75. so just 3 degrees cooler actually, and there's the warmest christmas on record. there's the planner as we go through the day. we have fog along the coast. partly cloudy skies in the middle of the day. there might be a shower as we go into the evening hours. we should get back into the middle 60s. recently over hawaii. we've got your seven-day accuweather forecast, everything you need. hope you have a very merry christmas and of course reading your holiday wishes. >> back to you. breaking news on long island, a mother and her two daughters are in a hospital after they were struck by a car in nassau county. it happened in hicksville just before 10 last night. eyewitness news reporter kala rama is at nassau university medical center in east meadow with this story. good morning, kala. >> lauren, good morning to you. that mom and her 4-year-old daughter are here in the hospital in critical condition. her 11-year-old daughter is here in serious condition this christmas morning. we're told the three were crossing old country road when they were hit by a gray honda accord headed south on new bridge road. police say the victims were apparently crossing near the intersection when the crash happened just before 10 last night. the driver who lives nearby did stop at the scene after that tragic crash and was being interviewed by police. the 43-year-old mom and her two police had that area closed off for several hours while they put together that crash scene. at this time no charges have been filed. police are telling us they consider this an accident. we're live in hicksville, kala rama channel 7 eyewitness news. >> keep us posted on that sad story. breaking news in the bronx, a teenager killed on the streets of university heights, police say 16-year-old justin morris was shot at least twice in the back last night. it happened on jerome avenue. it was part of two groups that got into some kind of argument. the young man died at the scene. a 19-year-old recovering from three gunshot wounds during the scuffle. police are searching for the shooter. police say a teenager from westchester is behind a sex assault in brooklyn. detectives say 14-year-old kavante davis is this person in the surveillance video from december 16th charged as an adult. it was taken at a subway station shortly after davis sexually assaulted a woman in davis is also accused of stealing the woman's iphone. millions of christians around the world coming together on this friday morning to celebrate the birth of jesus. >> pope francis celebrated christmas eve mass at st. peters basilica. pope francis' homily focused on the theme of love and mercy. he called on followers of jesus who is believed to have been born into poverty to reject extravagance and wealth and encouraged people to live simply with compassion. in about a half hour from now, tens of thousands of people are expected to flock to st. peters square outside the basilica to hear the pontiff deliver a traditional christmas speech. >> looks like they're already there though. in bethlehem thousands of christians celebrated midnight mass at the church of the nativity built on the site where christians believe jesus was born. mallory hoff outside st. patrick's cathedral in midtown where worshipers in our area celebrated mass at midnight and of course there will be another >> bill, there certainly will be. parishioners telling us that overnight just a really beautiful experience here at st. pats. some come back year after year because they say this is something they look forward to all yearlong. cardinal dolan welcomed refugees to this service but did not identify them. both families have received help from catholic charities. he welcomed siblings from el salvador, the brothers 17 and 19 fled terror and the threat of retribution. he also welcomed a muslim family, a mother, a father, their three children from ivory coast. >> i think you would unite with me as we celebrate this night when jesus was born away from home into a family that would soon flee as refugees for safety from an oppressive king into egypt, i think you would join me in welcoming those two families. ] applause ] the pope's visit here took place exactly three months ago yesterday. throughout the day. live from st. pats, mallory hoff channel 7 eyewitness news. mallory will be with us throughout the morning as well. we are taking for the 15th year your e-mails and christmas greetings. we started december of 2001 after the terror attacks thinking it was a good way for people to express themselves and boy did you. for 15 years we have been here every christmas morning relieving our non-jewish co- anchors who are out celebrating with their families, and i say that only because abby who's a very loyal viewer -- >> ab she says. >> everyone should be lucky enough to know the camaraderie and general affection so evident amongst you and your colleagues. >> we do like each other. >> and they bribe us the rest of the year to make sure we cover for them today. i'm just kidding. abbey also says my wish for our world is being tested like never before. than divides us. message. >> ilene who is a non-christian says thank you and the rest of the jew crew for being so caring. >> this is from carol morris, i want everyone to stop being so hateful and show love and cam passion to our fellow citizens especially on facebook, which in fact i do have one rough one from rita, i wish for donald trump to disappear from the face of the earth but follows it up with saying on a more christmas theme i wish we'd all become a little kinder to one another. >> maybe you want to start there. >> there's the conundrum right there. >> a lot of people struggling with health. this one somebody write, the labara doodle and mom, they're here, took a big bite out of cancer and can raise awareness and provide inspiration for others. >> so many people writing saying they are a survivor of cancer, they beat it. you know, it is a disease that people fight. back when i was a kid, you know, you didn't say the word, the big c, and it was a death sentence, and now of course so many people, most people survive cancer and we are -- we love your courage that you are showing. let me say as long as we're doing this. my mother died in early january, so this period is always very hard, 12 weeks it took for her to die of lung cancer, only 61 so i think of her. i know a lot of you have loved one who is died, it's a hard time. we push ahead, i think of my children, the grandchildren she never saw. she's always right here and on this morning i think of her and remember her just like you do. >> that's nice bill. >> which is she's proud of you. >> debbie says wishing our patients and co-workers at the carol simon cancer center very happy holidays. >> there you go. >> it's hard to be in treatment and to be in a hospital. this is howard freeman writes i'm a 23 year survivor of ang owe sarcoma stage 4, another survivor and now on a list for a kidney transplant. we wish that he finds that match. >> i wish to you i. howard from lindenhurst new jersey good luck to you and thanks for writing in. thank you all for writing in. we're going to continue throughout the morning. right now we push ahead with the news. still ahead on eyewitness news this morning for this christmas morning, some police officers were pulling over drivers on christmas eve, but they weren't handing out tickets. the policemen on a special holiday mission. >> also ahead, the latest star wars movie may carry the same messages of goodwill found in how some man (sternly): where do you think you're going? mr. mucus: to work, with you. it's taco tuesday. man: you're not coming. i took mucinex to help get rid of my mucusy congestion. i'm good all day. [announcer:] mucinex keeps working. not 4, not 6, but 12 hours. i just want the most wonderful holiday ever. you should get holiday scratch-offs from the new york lottery. you can talk? come on, brian. there's more chances to win than ever. with a sweepstakes to win $500 a week for life. (wife) who are you talking to? nobody! new holiday scratch-off games when you're driving in the city and you see sirens is and an officer trying to pull you over, there's a good chance you're about to get something from the nypd, but you wouldn't expect a gift would you? officers in the north bronx surprised more than a few people on the roads yesterday with free christmas gifts, not tickets there. the only crime anyone committed was traveling with a child who didn't have a present in his or her hands. be doing this [ laughter ] i almost had a heart attack. >> there's been issues with police, community, and traction, and this is another way of saying, listen, here's one way the police are helping trying to build that community and traction. >> and you didn't have to be riding in a car. people on buses also received gifts if the kid was with you. gifts were extras from a toy drive in the 47th precinct. >> so cool. some local churches in our area, the story of christmas and its connection to a little town in bethlehem has been reimagined as a star wars saga. liquid church in new jersey put a star wars spin on its traditional christmas eve services. the non- denominational church, he examined the parallels between the bible and the movie franchise. star wared force awakens opened in theaters last weekend, >> star wars is an emic story of the dark side versus the light. the light of god and the love of god overcoming the fear and hatred in a dark world. >> it featured dancing storm troopers. wow, look the that. and there's chewbacca, the best chewbacca imitation in the world is by lee goldberg. listen to this. >> pretty good isn't it? he's humiliated. >> he's standing in the corner. >> i'm a little embarrassed to say my son saw for the fifth time. >> fifth time. >> the force awakens. >> it's excessive. you think it is. >> he's like every single friend he's gone. yes. >> does it get better every time? >> $75 you spend on tickets? >> i mean apparently, you know, he's found little things here and there, new thing every time he says. >> might want to limit ethan at this point. >> tell me the stock price and that's a good thing. >> is the warm weather helping >> certainly not oil polices, that's for -- prices. the oil prices are way down. obviously the cold season you usually see it come up, and you're not seeing that at all. >> my stock tip for the day. >> how much longer is it going to last. are we going to ever turn on our furnace. >> we're going to get some ups and downs. you're going to turn different levels. everything's reset a little bit. behind or just to the left of the live bug there is the full long night's moon, and it's also called the full cold moon this time of year but it's tough to say that tonight. boy, new york city looks beautiful right now. east river looks calm. brooklyn bridge a little bit of light traffic out there. we're at 60 degrees at quarter to six in the morning on christmas. partly cloudy skies and a calm wind out there right now. warmest christmas on record. last year was pretty mild, 62, a couple of flurries in 2013 and 2012. there was a couple of inches of snow on the ground back in 2009. the average low is 29, and you consider that, we haven't even gone below freezing in new york city this season. we're going to get some partial clearing at times today, and then we're going to have the clouds thickening at times so off and on brighter skies will get in the mid-60s. more sunshine north and west, more clouds at the coast. the fog is slower to break. the clouds may hang tough along the coast. you don't need the sun in this weather pattern to get warm. you'll get in the 60s down the shore. we've got fog, clouds mixing sunrise is 7:18. best chance to see some would be the middle of the day. the clouds are thickening late. you have to have your umbrella showers. day. if you're headed for christmas dinner you want the umbrella because there might be a little around. seven-day accuweather forecast, tomorrow's a lot cooler at 52. it's off and on drizzle. on sunday, a lot of clouds. there can be a shower or two, but for kickoff for patriots, jets, you're looking at 64 degrees. we should hit a record again. a lot cooler on monday. this is when some people might turn on the heat. 42 degrees, partly sunny skies, rain on tuesday, and early in the morning north and west, it actually could be a little icy. we're in the 30s north and west and around 50 midweek. there's no question a lot of ups and downs coming up as we finish out the year and head >> wow. >> okay. no big snowstorms, no nothing. >> in an el nino season that's late january, february, even more february. >> doesn't extend necessarily into -- >> doesn't mean it's a longer one. >> okay. there you go. there will be a snowstorm, don't you worry. >> i don't things. some people do worry. >> i worry because i'll be out covering it. we are taking your e-mails for the 15th year it's been our pleasure, goldberg, glassberg bagels for this christmas morning, we've already eaten them but bringing them for you to join us, and listen to what you're saying about what this holiday season means what you hope for for you and coming year. we have one that we've already put out a little graphic. >> bob sama from long branch new jersey writes i just wanted wish you and your entire crew which is outstanding by the way, a very merry christmas and health, wealth, and happiness for the new year. thank you so much bob. he's a dedicated viewer. we appreciate it. >> lee. >> some family members from deliria alvo, my wish is for my darling hubby who survived 9/11 to stop driving a yellow cab and get back to a career where he can find time for his family. we miss him and his insane driving hours and also wants her 79-year-old mom to finally retire. obviously we have the working gene in that family. >> clearly. ellen samrock who worked for this company for many years and is still a loyal eyewitness news viewer says as retiree ridiculously early riser i still get a kick out of watching you and lauren and lee on wabc, happy holidays and behind the scenes staff. we thank our behinds the scenes staff as well: ann marie says she's been watching our annual traditional greeting since the first year. there typically isn't a moment when one letter doesn't make me cry. there are some emotional moments we reach when we do this. i'm now without a job due to a recent layoff and fractured her spine a week ago but as usual her husband is there supporting her. so that's really nice. merry christmas. >> we think of you and think of all of you. keep the cards and letters coming. tweet us or post us on facebook and we'll try to get to them. we have hundreds of them. thank you all for writing. >> that's right. >> so we will be reading your but first a look at some of the spectacular christmas lights, images that you've been sending us of your homes, inside, outside, you can send your photos using the hashtag abc7ny. stay with us. (man) what's that, remy? (remy) it-it's a speck of cork, sir. (vo) a new york gentleman spends $28,000 a week on wine to sit in. (man) i'm so sorry you had to see this. (vo) you'd make a way better rich person. (man) i'll be in the pool. (vo) lotto. making more new yorkers rich seen maria? abc7 and your tri-state ford dealers thank you for helping protect our children. welcome back, we want to show you something that's become a christmas tradition for us. >> it is a big favor to check this out. [ music ] love it. more than 11 million people display in ohio created by an electrical engineer in 2005. he spent nearly two months and light display. the good news here for neighbors, they couldn't hear a thing. drivers were told to tune in to hear a radio station that would allow them to hear the music. >> right because if they'd be able to hear it outside we would have been doing a story about how the neighbors were moaning is groaning about it. >> complaints that's right. this year we wanted to add in something extra for our own huge star wars fan. >> you like star wars? i had no idea about this. >> oh, wow. >> how cool is that. >> oh, look at that. >> is that not amazing. great christmas light fight combines love for the holiday season with a galaxy far far away. that is so cool. >> those are led lightsaber fight on the roof. and now it's over. the man who created it said he did it to bring families together for the holidays. by having a lightsaber fight. the electricity to run the show for the entire month is about $100. that's been viewed more than 5 million times. >> i'm not worthy. >> that is unbelievable. >> you're not worthy. >> that is a jedi holiday light display. very impressive. that's what beau's doing now. lightsaber and who coined the term "side bread?" because there's nothing "side" about this bread. it may look like the moon. but it's the star of the show. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. that sound. like nails on a chalkboard. but listen to this: (family talking) that's a different kind of sound. the sound of the weekend. unleash the power of dough. so who has a beard that's long and white along with hair and fur, it's your local gas station attendant olaf is on the job outside bingington new york. that's daniel kendrick dressed as the character from disney's frozen. he started wearing costumes a customers loved it, so he hasn't stopped, and during the holidays kendrick also donned a santa elf outfit. closing in on 6:00 on this special edition of eyewitness news this morning, coming up breaking news from long island, a mom and her two kids seriously hurt in a christmas eve accident. they are left fighting for their lives. >> pope francis shares his message to catholics. in a moment he will address tens of thousands at st. peters square. >> no separation of church and state seriously? where do you think you're going? to work, with you. it's taco tuesday. you're not coming. i took mucinex to help get rid of my mucusy congestion. oh, right then i'll swing by in like 4 hours. forget the tacos! one pill lasts 12 hours. i'm good all day. wait! your loss. i was going to wear a sombrero. only mucinex has a bi-layer tablet that starts fast, and keeps working. not 4, not 6, but 12 full hours. start the relief. ditch the misery. now new york's number 1 news, channel 7 eyewitness news this morning. breaking news at 6:00, two little girls crossing the street with their mother run down on a long island road. we are following the latest on their condition and how the accident happened. and on this christmas york, timothy dolan leading