sony hack? and road rage. >> oh, my god! >> she just hit our car. she's pushing us off the road. >> a frightening incident in northern california all caught on tape. the driver of a pickup truck prelentlessly pursuing two women in another car until they safely reach police leaving us wonder where is the holiday spirit "today," tuesday, december 23rd, 2014. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. >> welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. that scene out of northern california on a highway reminds you while the holidays are supposed to be a joyous time, not for everybody. >> to hear the screams and the panic in the voices of those passengers, we'll have more details of what went down there. >> exactly. let's get right to our top story, though. huge storm is coming at the worst possible time, on christmas eve. it could be a nightmare for millions of travelers. so if you can get to where you're going today, you might want to try to do that. dylan is keeping an eye on all of this. good morning. >> good morning. tomorrow is the big storm. today's no picnic either. heavier rain down toward dallas. rain moving north of chicago. snow through omaha. thunderstorms down through the southeast. so the eastern two-thirds of the country dealing with all sorts of wild weather today. watch as we go through the day. we are looking at this area of low pressure to organize a little bit. potential for strong storms down along the southeast. that could cause delays, especially airports like atlanta. we are looking at rounds of heavy rain and storms through date today making their way up into the northeast as we go into christmas eve day. we could also see some accumulating snow through the afternoon and evening christmas eve back through chicago and this whole storm will continue to pull away as we go into christmas day. today is a mess. tomorrow is the bigger mess up and down the east coast. possibility of flash flooding, especially down near the gulf coast where some of those storms will be strongest today. tallahassee could pick up as much as four inches of rain. and that will extend all the way up and down the east coast with as much as one to two inches of rain from the midatlantic up into new england. we will see again the possibility of accumulating snow out there chicago as we go through tomorrow afternoon but it, again, is just starting to get raining down in atlanta. that's where gabe gutierrez is right now. there's also a lot of fog out there right now. right, gabe? >> dylan, good morning. this is the world's busiest airport. because so many people connect through here, we've been seeing a steady stremme of travelers and plenty of rain and low clouds, which could cause issues later in the day. so far, no major delays. as we take a look at flight awa aware.com so-called misery map, we can spot a few delays in d.c. and new york. we'll be taking a close look at atlanta and chicago as this storm rolls through. tomorrow, christmas eve, we'll be watching hubs throughout the midwest and east coast, which could see also more delays. aaa expects more than 98 million american also travel this holiday season. the weather may not be great. but, hey, at least gas prices will be done. >> in atlanta for us, gabe gutierrez, thank you again. now into the investigation of the murder of two nypd officers. police are working to track down the movements of the alleged killer in the hours before the shooting. tensions between the police and the mayor of the nation's largest city remain strained. stephanie gosk has more from brooklyn. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, tamr tamron. some officials and former officials in this city have made a link between the murder of these two officers and the ongoing protests against police tactics. that's a link that the mayor of this city firmly rejects. >> a bride just two months ago. >> the liu family would like to express our gratitude. >> reporter: the widow of new york city police officer wentjin liu thanked supporters. lie and raphael ramos murdered saturday are being mourned by the city they served. police are trying to learn more about their killer as families plan their funerals. his sister says her brother was troubled and needed help. >> clearly, something is wrong. he should have been offered help in the system. >> but he wasn't. >> right? but he wasn't. >> newly released surveillance video shows him at a mall. instead of holiday shopping, police say his plans included murder. less than three hours later, he gunned down the two officers in their patrol car. it captures the crime's immediate and chaotic aftermath. now the city's police commissioner has this warning. >> we received a number of what i would describe as copycat types of threats and we have been investigating. >> reporter: a concern that has police departments from coast to coast taking extra precautions after protests following the deaths of michael brown and eric garner the head of the police union was critical of bill de blasio. >> there's blood on the hamany hands and it starts on city h l hall. >> when i speak i'm speaking on behalf of new york city police officers and this is how they feel. >> reporter: the mayor's response. >> i need to support them, regardless of what they feel. >> reporter: in brooklyn, new york's finest keep coming, wave after wave, to pay tribute to their two murdered colleagues. the funeral for officer ramos has been set this weekend. there is no date for officer liu's funeral, the commissioner says they are still trying to fly over some of his family from china. tamron? >> stephanie gosk, thank you very much. the internet appears to be working again in north korea after an outage blanketed that country for hours t came after the government said north korea was to blame for the sony pictures cyber attack. hallie jackson, good morning. >> good morning, matt the outage may have been a routine glitch or it may have been something more suspicious, like a coordinated attack on north korea's internet. all this has south korea reportedly beefing up its cyber deferences with sony going offense online. the elite few in north korea who have the internet apparently can once again access it after a 9 1/2 hour outage cut them off from the rest of the online world. >> that's nothing i've seen before in north korea. >> reporter: raising eyebrows, aa week after the u.s. blamed north korea and promised to respond. >> we'll respond in a place and time and manner that we choose. >> reporter: two u.s. officials familiar with the situation are denying an american role in the north korean outage but the state department was not as definitive. >> some will be seen, may not be seen. >> reporter: sony has a response of its own in response to people placing leaked information online. asking twitter to suspend the account of someone revealing e-mails and suspend any other use us user who is seeking to disseminate information. sony hackers stopped leaking information after the studio announced it would pull "the interview," featuring a plot to kill kim jong un. it will release the controversial comedy somehow. >> what do the hackers have? what would they release? will they do anything if sony goes ahead with the release of this film? >> reporter: coalition of theaters said they would support sony and show the movie if it allows it or stream it online for the world to see, provided there is working internet. a small theater group plans to do a free reading of "the interview" script, calling it as much a political statement as a theatrical event. thanking their employees for professionalism during what they call this, quote, extremely difficult time. for sony, it may not be over. matt? >> hallie jackson in los angeles, thank you very much. meanwhile an alleged gun smuggling ring has been busted. natalie is following the details of that story and others. >> baggage handler for delta airlines is under arrest, charged with helping a smuggler take guns in his carry-on bag if on flights from atlanta to new york. pete williams has more on this developing story. pete, good morning. >> reporter: natalie, this was part of an investigation by police in new york, tracing the illegal flow of guns into the city. it could raise new questions about security at the atlanta airport. federal agents say a 31-year-old baggage handler for delta in atlanta, eugene harvey, agreed to help a former deltaplyy to sneak guns on to flights to sell on the street. that man has also been arrested. harvey used his airport security badge to enter the airport terminal and later go into a concourse bathroom. the former employee entered that same bathroom and walked out one minute later with 18 handguns in his carry-on, allowing the smuggler to get the guns after going through tsa screening. court documents say surveillance video shows what's apparently a similar handoff late last month. police in new york say all the smuggled guns were bought by undercover officers. natalie? >> pete williams in washington, thank you, pete. texas weatherman shot twice outside his tv station is speaking out. patrick crawford, ambushed in his tv station parking lot last week spoke to reporters monday at the hospital where he is being treated. >> the man that shot me didn't say many words to me. there was no interaction whatsoever. it was -- he just started shooting at me as i was leaving the parking lot of kcn tv station. >> police have release this had sketch of the suspect, but no arrests have been made yet. crawford continues to recover in the hospital. the consumer product safety commission is recalling more than 6 million keurig coffee makers. the mini plus brewing system with the model number k10. for more information, go to today.com. lots of people have that coffee maker. health alert for you as well. deadly new virus is believed to be spread by ticks and other insect, the bourbon virus. one person in kansas with the virus has died. health officials cannot say whether that was the direct cause of death. in college football, miami beach bowl turned into a punch bowl on monday. take a look at this scene after memphis clinched a wild 55-48 double overtime victory over byu. things got really ugly as players from both teams started throwing punches and helmets. it was just mayhem on the field. byu issued an apology on twitter saying, quote, we expect better of our athletes, even in the fa face of a difficult loss. >> distinguished himself from that sucker punch from behind there. >> no. >> not going to want to see that tape over and over again. dylan, you've got the rest of your forecast? >> yes. and all across the country, something not good is going on. snow through the northern plains and upper midwest. wintry mix through parts of minneapolis. strongest storms along the gulf coast. we could end up with isolated tornados and gusty winds. we are looking for pockets of heavy rain up and down the east and coast. and there is a lot of fog. also in the southwest, santa ana it's a sale so big, kohl's is open 24 hours! all day and all night kohl's is open 24 hours! now through 6pm christmas eve! get all of your last minute gifts, and save when you want to... plus, everyone gets kohl's cash. find your yes. kohl's. and a good tuesday morning i'm meteorologist michelle fwroeszman. grab your umbrellas. we're tracking the chance for light rain and drizzly and fog and temperatures mild in the mid-50s. 48 to 52. it is wednesday, christmas eve that we're watching for the potential for some heavy rain. also pretty breezy, 62. windy on christmas day. 51 degrees and a nice end to the week. 53. lots of sunshine. into the weekend, we'll track some mild air. 50s and then by monday a high of 42. >> and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you very much. a california woman is under arrest after police say she tried to run another car off the road. betty nguyen has more on that. good morning. >> good morning, tamron. this story gives a whole new meaning to the phrase the fast and futurious. driver identified as 50-year-old deidre arozko is behind bars, tailgating a white mazda. as she passed the sedan those passengers, quote, made a rude hand gesture. from there, things spiraled out of control. >> oh, my god. >> go, go, go, go, go! >> reporter: in this dramatic vitdio posted on youtube, seen accelerating, brake checking passengers in a white mazda several time. >> we have a vehicle that has been following us. she keeps trying to tell us to pull over. >> swerving in front of us. >> we're in the white mazda, yes, ma'am. >> reporter: the women speed up to get awith an from arozko. >> she keeps trying to get us off the road. >> i'm freaking out. dude she's going to [ bleep ]. >> she just hit our car. she's pushing us off the road. yes, she's pushing us off the road. she's coming for us. >> arozko got out of her car and flashed an unknown type of identification card, claiming to be a sheriff, telling the two women they were going to jail. >> she's saying she's a cop, knocking on our window, saying she's a cop. >> reporter: the women sped away to arozko, flagging down an officer. >> make sure he helps us, please. help us. >> reporter: they met up with arozko at the exit and arrested her. relieved that the ordeal was over. >> she was definitely coming after us specifically, and wanting to harm us somehow. who knows what she would have done to attack us. she definitely wanted to make her point. >> reporter: arozko faces reckless driving, obstructing an officer, assault with a deadly weapon. the two women were not seriously injured but, tamron and matt, they were shaken by it all. >> unbelievable. >> crazy. >> it is. >> betty, thank you very much. a lot of sadness with the news of the death of the great, the great musician, joe cocker, died at the age of 70 after battling lung cancer. craig melvin is here with a look back at his life. i love this guy's music. >> you and a lot of other people. he was blues, rock 'n' roll, he was raw. modeled that voice, one of the most recognizable in all of music, after the legendary ray charles. ray charles once said the three best soulful voices he had ever heard were aretha franklin, marvin gaye and joe cocker. rock 'n' roll lost a piece of its soul yesterday. ♪ you are so beautiful >> reporter: there is no mistaking that distinct ras py voice, joe cocker. he died in his colorado home monday, losing his battle with lung cancer ♪ what would you do if i sang out of tune ♪ >> reporter: the rock legend first gained attention at woodstock with his classic take on the beatles "little help from my friends". ♪ little help from my friends >> reporter: paul mccartney calling him a lovely guy this morning, adding that cocker totally turned the song into a soul anthem and i was forever grateful for him for doing that. >> looking at these songs 40 years later, you realize he really had something unique. ♪ i got to stop believing all your lies ♪ >> reporter: known for his unruly hair and on-stage gyrations, his career spanned five decades, fell off the chart notice '70s when heavy alcohol and drug abuse nearly ended his career n 1982, he made a comeback. ♪ love lifts us up where we belong ♪ >> "up where we belong" featured in an officer and a gentleman, earned him a grammy for best song. >> at a concert back in september, billy joel paid tribute to joe cocker. >> i think he should be in the rock 'n' roll hall of fame. i'm throwing in my vote for joe cocker. ♪ you are so beautiful to me >> few doubt that he will get into the hall of fame soon but many wonder what the heck took so long. he leaves behind his wife, pam, brother, stepdaughter and grandchildren as well. said his wife, pam, saved his life. >> i was listening to someone on the radio talk about him today and they said, i think, the ultimate compliment. anybody that can take a beatles song and make it their own. >> and have the beatles compliment it. >> exactly. >> he really infused ray charles into rock 'n' roll, even though he was english, he was so closely associated with american soul music. >> yes. >> tragic loss. one of the greats. number 97 on their list of top 100, "rolling stone," crazy to me. last 24 hours, ayou can imagine, 330,000 hits, joe cocker, unfortunately losing him. ringo starr writing, good-bye and god bless. bette midler says i loved joe cocker. i saw him live many times and was always amazed at his range and soul. the theme song to "the wonder years" in 1986 and danica, who played winnie, wrote "rip joe cocker." >> this is a day you want everything joe cocker stuck in your head. mom of a missing pennsylvania college student speaks out on the family's desperate wait for answers about what happened to their son. also ahead, this almost sounds like something outative movie. wife of a cuban spy gets pregnant while her husband is in a u.s. prison and wait until you hear how the u.s. helped make this happen. first this is "today" on nbc. coming up, why the government is getting involved with♪ i found a happy place coming up, why the government is getting involved ♪ it's written on my face ♪ we're singin', we're singin' ♪ i found a happy place ♪ a rather happy place ♪ i'm singin', i'm singin' ♪ ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh ♪ i found a happy place [ female announcer ] with ingredients like roasted hazelnuts, skim milk, and cocoa, there's a whole lot of happy in every jar of nutella. spread the happy. there's a whole lot of happy in every jar of nutella. give a journey. give a new perspective. give a little joy. a book is a gift like no other. and barnes & noble is like no other book store in the world. with so many books to discover and the new nook by samsung now a full featured tablet. a book is the gift they'll remember long after the holidays are over. that's your new boss? yeah. well...your boss loves the beach. really? she's been to london, paris and her son plays baseball. you psychic? no. i speak pandora. he went to jared. celebrate life's unforgettable moments with a fabulous selection of pandora charms and bracelets, including these charms, exclusively at jared, the galleria of jewelry. telling her life's story with just a turn of the wrist. you're good. i know. that's why he went to jared. to make your signature christmas dish.rt has everything you need mine is mouthwatering mashed potatoes. i mix my russets with milk, butter, and cream cheese to make them super creamy. mmmm... and yours? sock-it-to-me spiral cut ham! whoa! you made this? yep. i just take a sam's choice super premium spiral cut ham from walmart, bake it flat side down, tent the foils so all the juices can mingle... who are you? ham man! walmart has everything you need for christmas dinner at unbeatable prices, guaranteed by savings catcher. walmart. npc 10 news starts now. good morning, i'm chris cato at 7:26. a gloomy, wet tuesday morning out there. let's get your first alert forecast with michelle grossman. michelle? >> we're seeing some clouds and drizzle across the area and even light rain. there is a foggy view from our adventure aquarium camera. tells the whole story. light rain falling on radar. it is mild, though. temperatures mainly in the 40s and 50s in some spots. 52 right now in atlantic city and 42 in reading and 42 degrees in philadelphia. by this afternoon up to a high of 50 in philadelphia. clouds, even some showers still. wednesday looking at the potential for heavy rains and winds. windy once again on thursday but drying it out, 51. temperature dropping throughout the day. nice day on friday. nice and quiet 53 and into the 50s for the weekend. the wet weather may have had something to do with with an accident jillian mele is following in new jersey. >> still there 42 freeway between 168 and lower landing road. we have heavy volume approaching that scene. 76 slow moving in both directions right near conshohocken. drive time 26 minutes from wood haven to the vine. chris? philadelphia police are investigating an overnight shooting in the city's point breeze section. a man was walking down 25th street with his cousin when they heard gunshots. the man realized he had been hit and ran two blocks to his house and called 911. he's now in the hospital with in stable condition. i'm chris cato. we'll have another update for you in 25 minutes. have a good morning. 7:30 now on a rainy morning, tuesday, december 23rd. that's right, two days to go before christmas arrives. that tree is shining brightly in rockefeller center. good time to come down and check it out, despite the inclement weather. >> it's going to be like 60 grease tomorrow. >> that works. if we get the rain out of here, it works. >> it will feel like christmas when you rip open the gifts. stories making news right now. huge storm, as mentioned, is expected to make travel a nightmare tomorrow on christmas eve. millions of people will be impact friday florida to the northeast. airports are already preparing for major delays. the internet appears to be working this morning in north korea. that would be a headline any more. there was a huge outage for 10 hours on monday. no word on what caused the blackout but there are some questions, people wondering if the u.s. played a role in that in response to the sony hack. gas prices are lowest than they have been in years, average price for a gallon is $2.39. aaa says prices have fallen for 88 straight days and are the lowelow est we've seen since 2009. >> merry christmas. >> feels like christmas now. a cuban spy sat in an american prison, his wife became pregnant with his child. so how did it happen? and why were both the u.s. and cuban governments involved? your child may have put a drone on their holiday wish list this year. they come with a big warning from the faa. what you need to know to make sure you and your kids are using them safely. lots to get to. let's begin this half hour with the search for a missing college student. two days after shane montgomery's car keys were found anyway river near where he went missing. while encouraged by that find, his family says they still don't have their son and they won't stop looking for him until they do. "today's" erica hill has been following the latest developments. good morning to you. >> matt, good morning. shane montgomery's disappearance, quite simply, a mystery. nearly a month into the search there have been very few clues, leaving his family and law enforcement to grapple with the question, what happened? this morning, his mom is speaking out about the agonizing wait for an answer. watching teams on the schuylkill river. his keys were found, the only trace of the college senior since he disappeared before thanksgiving. >> it points in the direction that shane is in the river and that that's where they have to focus now and try to find him. >> reporter: investigators renewed their focus in the area about two weeks ago, after surveillance video from a nail salon showed the 21-year-old walking into this parking lot, immediately after he left kildare's irish pub, the last place he was seen. it does not show him leaving the area. >> three theories, he accidentally fell in, took his own life by jumping in or he met with foul play. and that fourth distant wild card is that he went away of his own volition. there doesn't seem to be anything to support that. >> reporter: despite a $65,000 reward for information, there have been few tips in the case. the only constant, the void, as shane's family waits for answers. >> i'm not going to stop until i find shane. there's no resolution, just because i found a set of keys. >> because the recovery of shane's keys is encouraging, the search for additional clues remains a challenge. >> leaves and twigs and trees and fishing lines and so many other obstacles under water. there's no real way to conduct an investigation and suggest where that body would go. >> reporter: still, shane's family is holding out hope. >> i miss him terribly. i text him every day, to ask him to help me find him. every day. and i won't stop until i bring him home. >> the fbi continues to urge anyone with any information to come forward. there's a number there at the bottom of your screen. shane's aunt told us yesterday if love could bring him home, he would have been there for thanksgiving dinner. >> such heartbreak during the holidays. >> erica, thank you very much. let's get a check of the weather. dylan is here. we are talking about a rainstorm on the east coast tomorrow. we have snow and rain back through the midwest right now. green bay starting to change over to heavier rain, snow in through iowa and southeastern minnesota. in chicago, we've got fog. that's where we're noticing a lot of airports right now, foggy condition this is morning with visibility about a quarter of a mile up to two miles. we will hang on to the clouds throughout the day. we have winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories throughout northern wisconsin, parts of dakotas and northern nebraska, too. we're not looking at a lot of snow. traveling today, three to six inches is enough to make things slippery. elsewhere in white, thrsix to n inches. isolated tornados and wind gusts will be and a good tuesday morning meteorologist michelle grossman. head the umbrellas as you head out for the day. temperatures mild in the low 50s. 48 to 52. it is wednesday, christmas eve, where we are watching for the potential for some heavy rain and pretty breezy, 62. windy on christmas day. 51 degrees and then a nice end to the week, 53. lots of sunshine. into the weekend, we'll track some mild air. 50s and then by monday a shock to the system, a high of 42. >> and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you very much. landmark announcement to ease american relations with cuba has an unbelievable subplot we're learning more about this morning. kate snow is here with a story about how the u.s. government helped the wife of a cuban spy become pregnant. kate, good morning. >> good morning, tamron. until last week, ad richlt ana perez's husband was in a california prison, convicted of being an undercover agent for fidel castro's regime. she was back in cuba, desperately wanting to start a family. now she's due in a few weeks, a conception that defied the embargo in a very modern way. >> his hand on her very pregnant belly. yes, pregnant, with hernandez's child with the help of the u.s. and cuban governments houchlt it came about have all the makings of cold war spy novel, cold war flights from the u.s. to cuba. ring leader of the cuban five, group of agents convicted in 2001 of running a spy ring in south florida. the charges included help shooting down two cessna airplanes that killed four americans working against the castro regime. he spoke to nbc news in 2012 in an exclusive interview. >> we came here with fake passports, fake identity. >> reporter: his wife defended him as well. >> he is an extremely noble person. is he sincere. he is honest. >> reporter: last year when senator patrick leahy, perez tracked the senator and his wife down with an urgent and unusual plea. >> she didn't know whether she would ever see her husband out of prison but she loved him very, very much. and she wanted to have his child. she's now in her early 40s and was afraid that may never happen. >> reporter: leahy intersbr conveniented, arranging the delivery of hernandez's sperm to cuba where they started insem nation procedures. now she's 8 1/2 months pregnant. >> it's a human thing, nothing to do with the politics of the two countries. it was just a family value, human thing. >> reporter: there is some outrage about the conception. the sister of one of the cuban americans killed in those cessna planes called the entire effort absurd. here we are, going way overboard so that this guy has a child? it doesn't make any sense, she told nbc news. >> it's tragic that the people were shot down, but let's not take it out on a child. years later a child that could be born into a loving family. >> so most americans may barely know who the cuban five were. they're hailed as national heroes in cuba. hernandez is not actually asking for forgiveness for what he did, spying for cuba. a couple of years ago the only thing he regretted, he told us, is getting caught. >> if this happened the way it happened, many americans will have very strong opinions. >> very strong opinions that this was way overboard, as this woman said, a guy that committed a crime. >> we may have to fire up carson in the orange room. >> why were their needs and concerns placed so high? interesting. >> carson, you working on this? >> carson in the orange room, we'll hear what you have to say. >> i'm going to get on this right now. have everything going. hold on a second. still to come, what could possibly be making this dog so darn happy that she is one of the funniest dances you will ever see? it's dylan's favorite video. >> favorite. >> she's watched it a thousand times all morning long. >> never mind, carson. get on this one instead. christmas gift with a message from the feds. why they're giving a thanks. ♪ [ male announcer ] fedex® has solutions to enable global commerce that can help your company grow steadily and quickly. great job. (mandarin) ♪ cut it out. >>see you tomorrow. ♪ dad,thank you mom for said this oftprotecting my future.you. thank you for being my hero and my dad. military families are uniquely thankful for many things, the legacy of usaa auto insurance could be one of them. if you're a current or former military member or their family, get an auto insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life. how to sing a duets: [drill whirring noise.] ♪ bells... [drill whirring noise.] ♪ bells... [drill whirring noise.] ♪ all the way... give the gift of portable power this season with instaboost, now only $79 at lowe's. [ laughter ] ♪ [ male announcer ] for tim and richard smucker, giving a gift of their family's delicious jam always made the holidays just a little bit sweeter. we forgot to put our names on them! richard, i think they'll know who it's from. ♪ thank you boys. you're welcome. you're welcome. [ male announcer ] happy holidays from our family to yours. i love christmas! from our family to yours. this is the one. can we go for a test drive? oh sure, i'll be right back. thanks. leather, running boards... carmax quality certified, low, no-haggle price, 5-day money back guarantee ... that's great... and, a roof rack for the kayak! we don't have a kayak. we could get a kayak. ready to roll? yes, we are. with more than 35,000 cars nationwide, carmax has the perfect car for...everybody. carmax. start here. okay. we're back at 7:45 on this tuesday morning. and if you or someone you know is getting one of the hottest selling gift this is year, beware, it comes with a steep learning curve and also a warning from the faa about how and where to use them. we're talking about drones. nbc's tom costello is in washington with more on that this morning. hi, tom. >> hey there, matt. i'm going to keep a close eye on this guy. more than a million drones have been bought worldwide in the last few years, coming in all shapes and all sizes but they've also gotten far too close to concert goers, police officers and most concerning, to airports and to airplanes. if you haven't heard the buzz in your neighborhood yet, it may only be a few days away. >> the one wts cameras, you can get for as little as $189. this guy here is $419. >> reporter: a hot gift this year,fullying off store shelves. >> it's a lot like riding a bike. it's not hard but you crash a lot when you're learning. >> reporter: the faa has serious concerns. since june 1st, pilots have reported 25 near collision with his unmanned drones, three close calls at new york's busy jfk airport, over four days last month. >> we just had something fly over us. i don't know if it was a drone or a balloon. it just came real quick. >> reporter: if a drone were to hit a cockpit windshield or get sucked into a plane's engine, it could bra bri down a plane. >> looks like one of those unmanned drones was flying right on the final. >> reporter: now the faa and unmanned aircraft association are rolling out a safety campaign to educate new drone users. among the tips, stay below 400 feet, keep the drone within line of sight and take lessons before you fly. faa even releasing a video. >> do fly with local clubs. don't fly near airports or any manned aircraft. >> reporter: faa chief michael wuerta. >> the thing we have to avoid is any opportunity for aircraft to come into contact with one another, because that is an extremely dangerous situation for everyone involved. >> reporter: the faa is still working on a rule book for commercial drone use, arial photography to organ trans plants to pizza deliveries. >> flip mode. yeah! >> isn't that the coolest thing? >> i love it! >> reporter: meantime, amateur drone users are encouraged to learn the rules of the air. the trouble is the rules are routinely ignored by amateurs. anyone who violates rules could face thousands of dollars in fines and even jail time. faa has approved limited drone use for movie makers and corporate farmers. we're still waiting on the rest of the corporate rules. >> tom is controlling that with his mind. don't even have a controller. >> nice. >> just want a fly swatter. >> the noise is irritating. >> it is. >> tom, thank you very much. still to come on trending, decoration fail. hilarious look at awkward christmas displays as decking hilarious look at awkward christmas displays as decking the halls takes on yeah so with at&t next you get the new iphone for $0 down. zero down? zilch. nothing. nada. small potatoes. no potatoes. diddly squat. big ol' goose egg. the new iphone, zero down. zero. zilch. said that already. zizeroni. not a thing. zamboni. think that's a hockey thing. you know what, just sign us up. okay - this way. with at&t next get the new iphone for $0 down. now get a $150 credit for each line you switch. thanks for protecting us from trash cans & chair legs, and helping us appreciate your enthusiasm. this holiday season, give thanks to the pets who inspire you. at petsmart, save up to 25% on select aquarium kits from aqueon® and marineland. petsmart®. walgreens knows the holidays are full of surprises. that's why, whenever the need arises... walgreens is always right around the corner, so you can get in and out in no time. and help keep the magic in your holidays. at the corner of happy and healthy. most stores open christmas day. you've been part of this family for as long as i can remember. and you just mean so much to all of us. the holidays wouldn't be the same without your crescent rolls. we got you a little something. we got you jeans. it's about time. pipin' hot pillsbury crescent rolls. make your holidays pop! is a really big deal.u with aches, fever and chills- there's no such thing as a little flu. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-counter remedies. attack the flu virus at its source with prescription tamiflu. and call your doctor right away. tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people 2 weeks and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. ask your doctor about tamiflu and attack the flu virus at its source. check out one of the hottest gift idebeats pill xltmas: now available with special financing when you use your walmart credit card. they're bluetooth enabled. so you can stream a song to one beats pill. and pair it with another beats pill for huge stereo sound. woah! dance off. whut? whoa! what? nothing. wooh, is the room spinning? no, just you. and now get special financing when you use your walmart credit card. more ways to christmas joy. walmart. trending, don't leave a message at the beep. why coca cola says it's getting rid of the voicemail. and for complete strangers. holidays no matter who you are, if you have type 2 diabetes, you know it can be a struggle to keep your a1c down. so imagine ... what if there was a new class of medicine that works differently to lower blood sugar? imagine loving your numbers. introducing once-daily invokana®. it's the first of a new kind of prescription medicine that's used along with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. invokana® is a once-daily pill that works around the clock to help lower a1c. here's how: the kidneys allow sugar to be absorbed back into the body. invokana® reduces the amount of sugar allowed back in ... and sends some sugar out through the process of urination. and while it's not for weight loss, it may help you lose some weight. invokana® can cause important side effects, including dehydration, which may cause some people to have loss of body water and salt. this may also cause you to feel dizzy, faint, lightheaded, or weak especially when you stand up. other side effects may include kidney problems, genital yeast infections, urinary tract infections, changes in urination, high potassium in the blood, or increases in cholesterol. do not take invokana® if you have severe kidney problems or are on dialysis or if allergic to invokana® or its ingredients. symptoms of allergic reaction may include rash, swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing. if you experience any of these symptoms, stop taking invokana® and call your doctor right away or go to the nearest hospital. tell your doctor about any medical conditions, medications you are taking, and if you have kidney or liver problems. using invokana® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase risk of low blood sugar. it's time. lower your blood sugar with invokana®. imagine loving your numbers. ask your doctor about invokana®. give a journey. give a new perspective. give a little joy. a book is a gift like no other. and barnes & noble is like no other book store in the world. with so many books to discover and the new nook by samsung now a full featured tablet. a book is the gift they'll remember long after the holidays are over. shows his love by offering the female... ...a pebble. some male penguins, however... are a little smarter than others. this christmas everyone loves a gift from kay jewelers. save up to 30% on select diamonds in rhythm. its continuous motion catches light from every angle. at kay, the number one jewelry store in america... ...and, apparently antarctica. ♪ every kiss begins with kay. nbc 10 breaking news. >> that breaking news we're following out of new castle county, delaware. several people have been hurt in a school bus accident. now, this happened just before 7:30 this morning on capital trail. we've learned there are children on the bus. there were at the time, at least. most of the injured, we're told, are being taken to dupont hospital. we have several crews, several resources on the way. we'll bring you pictures and information as soon as we get it and, of course, a traffic impact with that bus accident there. let's get an update on that now with nbc 10 jillian mele. >> capital trail is route 2 in that area and this is happening on 2 right near polly drummond hill road. stick to route 4 if you want to avoid it. you can expect to see heavy volume in that area. 422 eastbound right near trooper and you notice the roads are wet, so you need to slow down and take your time. chris? wet roads due to rain moving through the area, let's get an update on the first alert forecast with meteorologist michelle grossman. michelle? >> still seeing light rain falling and clouds and fog across the area. you can see this foggy view and wet roadways across the area. that is the trend over the next couple of hours. rain on radar. light rain and drizzle and seeing reduced visibilities, as well. mild to start out the day and end mild, as well. 52 right now in atlantic city and 59 in philadelphia. by this afternoon up to 50 degrees with clouds in place and maybe a couple more showers and heavy rain on saturday and then dry out on thursday and looking to be a start to a nice weekend. all right, michelle, thanks. well, some of santa's elves have swapped his sleigh for a septa bus. septa city headquarters as part of the agency's yule toy drive. those gifts loaded on to a decorated bus and delivered to children. for 34 years now workvers filled red barrels and offices and depots for toys for kids across the area. we're back in half an hour with another update. you used to sleep like a champ. then boom... what happened? stress, fun, bad habits, kids, now what? let's build a new, smarter bed using the dualair chambers to sense your movement, heartbeat, breathing. introducing the sleep number bed with sleepiq™ technology. it tracks your sleep and tells you how to adjust for a good, better and an awesome night. the difference? try adjusting up or down you'll know cuz sleep iq™ tells you. give the gift of amazing sleep, only at a sleep number store. find our best buy rated c2 queen mattress with sleepiq. know better sleep with sleep number. it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, tis the season to celebrate acts of kindness. >> oh, my god! i'm going to cry. this stuff never happens. >> how layaway angels are making christmas count this year, paying off strangers' layaways to the tune of a million dollars. cheers. >> then it's a country christmas, martina mcbride invites jenna bush hager home for the holidays. >> do you ever put your own music on and sing along? >> i don't. that's kind of weird but i don't. >> that's kind of weird but i would do it. this dancing dog can't contain herself when she spots her owner. we'll show you the video that has the internet buzzing "today," tuesday, december 23rd, 2014. first time in new york city! >> good morning, friends and family, back in florida. >> 20 years in love. ♪ >> all that's left on my christmas list is to come to the "today" show. >> all i want for christmas is to be on tv. >> we're from greenville, south carolina, merry christmas to all our friends and family back home. >> whoo! ♪ we're back now, 8:00 on a tuesday morning. it's the 23rd of december. and i think we can adequately say it's not the nicest day today. rain in the northeast. it's going to get a little worse through tomorrow. lots of travel issues. good day to check with your local airports and carriers. >> another great crowd out here today. amazing, right? >> has this ever happened to you? here we go. you're hosting a holiday party and all of a sudden some of the invited guests bring some of their friends. >> plus one. >> you bring a plus one without asking the host. >> that's not nice. >> not cool, right? the question is, do you boot the plus one? >> you boot the original person and keep the plus one. >> let the plus one stay. we'll check in with martha stewart and etiquette expert thomas harley with those etiquette issues. natalie has the top stories. natalie? >> good morning once again. a gun smuggling bust is raising new questions about airport security this morning. officials say a delta baggage handler used hadies security clearance to sneak guns apast airport screeners and would then enter a concourse bathroom and transfer the guns to a former delta employee who flew with them to new york to then sell those guns on the streets. both men are now under arrest. new york police say the smuggled guns were eventually bought by undercover officers. new york's mayor is calling for a pause in protests, while the city mourns two police officers who were murdered on saturday. some protest leaders say, though, they will defy the mayor and say they'll continue their marches over the use of deadly force against unarmed black men. meantime, new mall surveillance video shows the suicidal killer hours before the ambush, holding what officials believe is a gun inside a white bag. following a nearly ten-hour crash that came days after president obama vowed retaliation for north korea's hacking sony picturescomputers. test. outage was a routine glitch or maybe a targeted attack on north korea's internet. pope francis has stepped up his criticism of powerful vatican bureaucrats using his most stinging language to date. jim maceda is at the vatican with more. jim, good morning. >> reporter: natalie, excitement is growing here on st. peter's square with christmas eve mass now only a day away. and an event, of course, broadcast around the world. ironically, the clergy who actually run the vatican are said to be feeling anything but joyous. catholics converge today on st. peter's square in anticipation of christmas. but inside the vatican, the clergy was still reeling from the public humaniation handed to them monday by their leader, pope francis. in his traditional christmas speech, the pope lashed out at the bureaucracy, calling it a sick body, hypocritical, and out of touch. at times they looked stunned by the pope's scathing comments. >> he came down like a ton of bricks. >> reporter: it got worse, acting as if they had spiritual alzheimer's, blinded by worldly goods, petty rivalries, forgetting why they even became priests. why the attack? some analysts say it's his blunt way of telling his clerics they aren't reforming their church fast enough, if at all. there's a lot of resistance still to change, he said. it's been increasing recently. it's been an historic year for the first latin-american pope, softening the tone on gays within the church and helping to mediate the breakthrough in relations between cuba and the united states. the pope's biggest challenge could be the one closest to rome, cleaning up his own house. >> reporter: some vatican watchers say 2015 is shaping up to be a showdown between francis elected to reform a church mired in corruption and scandal and the very men who elected him to do the joe job. natalie? >> we'll be watching. jim maceda at the vatican for us. thank you, jim. a runaway ostrich caused a major commotion on one of china's busiest highways, surveillance videos captured the ostrich bursting through a gate. they tried to coral it. a truck passed and the ostrich, as you see, starts to sprint after it only to be left in the dust. apparently exhausted, then the ostrich rested for some time before then walking off the highway. you're under arrest. no, it's not. anyway, it's 8:06 right now. let's get another check of the weather with dylan. hey, dylan. >> hey, natalie. we have folks here from texas. what do you think of christmas in new york city? >> fun. >> having a good time? >> yeah. >> how about you, are you having fun? >> yes. >> most of the country is seeing rain right now so there's no winning in that department. heaviest rain is across the southeast into tallahassee and some fog up into georgia, atlanta right now visibility has been down to quarter of a mile. even today, check with your airlines. we are seeing fog causing some delays. strongest storms from louisiana right over to the panhandle of florida, including mississippi and alabama. biggest threats will be for damaging wind gusts but isolated tornados are possible and also flash flooding. we could end up with five inches of rain in the heavier downpours and a couple of inches of rain extends up into the midatlantic and the northeast over the course of the next 72 hours. as we go into christmas day, we should finally start to see som . and good tuesday morning. grab the umbrellas as you head out today. tracking the chance for light rain today, drizzle and fog. temperatures are mild in the low 50s. 48 to 52. it is wednesday. we are watching for potential for heavy rain. also pretty breezy. 52. windy christmas day. 51 degrees, nice end to the week, 53. lots of sunshine into the weekend. tracking mild air, 50s, by monday, a high of 42. >> and that's your latest forecast. such a gentleman. thank you. coming up, how is something that's been around for 100 years all of a sudden the gift of the season? we'll get into that, in trending. >> love this one. then complete strangers step in to help make the holidays a little better for unsuspecting shoppers. >> plus jenna bush hager heads to nashville for a special country walmart has everything you need to make your signature christmas dish. mine is mouthwatering mashed potatoes. i mix my russets with milk, butter, and cream cheese to make them super creamy. mmmm... and yours? sock-it-to-me spiral cut ham! whoa! you made this? yep. i just take a sam's choice super premium spiral cut ham from walmart, bake it flat side down, tent the foils so all the juices can mingle... who are you? ham man! walmart has everything you need for christmas dinner at unbeatable prices, guaranteed by savings catcher. walmart. ring ring! progresso! i can't believe i'm eating bacon and rich creamy cheese before my sister's wedding well it's only 100 calories, so you'll be ready for that dress uh-huh... you don't love the dress? i love my sister... 40 flavors. 100 calories or less. nice! see, we've completely remodeled the kitchen. cozy. ♪ let's go check out the pantry! ♪ it's our dunkin' dream room! amazing! wish i had a room like this. let's make some dunkin'. one taste and you'll understand. great remodel. delicious dunkin' donuts coffee. pick some up where you buy groceries. try new french roast and colombian today. america runs on dunkin'. ♪ it's cookie time. cookie time? 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(garage door opening) (sighs) honey, haven't i asked you to please use the.... >>we don't have a reception entrance. ship a pak via fedex express saver® for as low as $7.50. it's 8:12. time to take a look at what's trending today. why don't we start on a tuesday morning with what some are calling the season's hottest holiday gift. you know what? it's more than 100 years old. 1902 is when l.l. bean invented the duck boot. that's right. have you seen these before? >> of course. >> well, the fact that they're 100 years old has not stopped college students, especially, from making them the craze this year. matter of fact, if you want to get your hands on a pair of these l.l. bean says they are dealing with a 100,000 pair back order. >> what? >> we have two pair here. >> 100,000 pairs. you won't get them till march. >> why don't they supply that demand more? >> they weren't as popular for a while and all of a sudden college students decided to make them the rage again. it takes four months to learn how to make these boots. they are handmade. >> are they really? >> yes. >> hand stitched. >> back in the '90s, they had a resurge resurgence as well. >> never gone out of style. that's the thing. if you wear them out, you can just send them back to l.l. bean and they'll replace them for you. they have the best return policy. >> great stuff, guys. >> i'm not giving them to you. >> there's a pair missing. >> there's a backlog of 1,000 pairs. >> 100,000. >> whatever it is, i've got a pair. >> by the way -- no. speaking of hot holiday gifts, do you remember the must-have toy in 1996? >> yes. >> a furry little creature called tickle me elmo. take a look. >> elmo is, i think, adorable. >> isn't he cute? >> yeah. i love his voice. go ahead. [ laughter ] >> that tickles. >> ooh, baby. let's go outside. >> i'm afraid you're enjoying that a little too much. >> love that. >> bryant still has his, by the way. >> he's with it right now. everyone loves a good christmas lights show, of course. there are some times when things don't work out as planned. like the store that got it twisted. greetings seasons instead of seasons greetings. imagine the poor person with that -- and this next one. >> how does that happen? >> bring a little christmas cheer but it did not go well. >> what is that? >> it's an angel -- i don't know. >> stringing lights on a house. >> i don't know. it looks like an alien from space. the guy decides to hang a dummy from the top of the house. the neighbors kept screaming think ing it was a real guy. >> stop taking pictures of him. somebody help him. >> i like that. >> come on. >> i like that one. >> i like the santa feet coming out of the chimney. >> you like the ones where the feet come out of the trunk of the car, too. >> okay, that's scary. the best video we've seen all morning long, a doggy at daycare. this little guy cannot contain his excitement when his owner arrive. >> look at that. >> to pick him up. >> that is the salsa. >> oh, my gosh. >> it looks like it. >> cong a-line. >> the video has been now viewed 2 million times and counting. >> that's so cute. >> look it. this dog is like, come get me, come get me. >> and the other dog goes in circles. >> energy for day. >> that's why we love dogs. always happy to see you. that is what's trending today. all right. we've noticed a trend recently, good samaritans coming to the aid of complete strangers, especially around the holidays. nbc's sheinelle jones is here with more. sheinelle, good morning. >> good morning to you. that video was so cute, by the way. this time of year really brings out the best in people, paying off a stranger's layaway bill to leaving a tip that's bigger than your bill. we're seeing so many acts of kindness this holiday season. something maze something happening this christmas season. >> oh, my god, i'm going to cry. this stuff never happens to me. >> it means so much to me. >> reporter: in random acts of kindness, thousands of holiday shoppers are getting a santa surprise when they go to pick up their layaway presents. >> this man said that he was paying it off for me. >> reporter: not so secret santas called layaway angels show up at stores and pay off balances for family whose can use a hand. >> well over 300 families, you know, right around $63,000. >> kindness and love will change the world. that's what we're doing, spreading a little kindness, little love. >> reporter: no question tis the season. waitress got tip bombed by an anonymous group of good samaritans for a $128 tab, they left a $1,200 tip, simply to spread holiday cheer. and what can you say about a real-life grinch who steals someone's grinch decorations? >> hate, hate, hate. double hate. >> reporter: and when you find out it was homemade to help save money to pay medical bills. >> loathed entirely. >> reporter: that's exactly what happened to the langhines family. >> dear person who stole our christmas decorations. >> reporter: so mom, jordan, posted a letter to the grinch who tried to steal christmas. >> maybe you needed it more than us. we hope it brings you joy. >> reporter: while dad was at work, a brand new grinch decoration appeared on their front lawn with a card. >> we weren't about to let some grinch steal your christmas. it makes you think about what christmas is all about. it didn't matter how many presents we had or lights we had or what kind of sign we had in our yard, that christmas is in your heart. >> the layaway angel phenomenon has become so widespread, walmart has a function on its register where a cashier can bring up a layaway with only toys on their list. they can pull up a random list and you can clear that list and pay off the whole bigg bill. >> love that. >> she fell on her knees and started crying because she was going to cancel her order because she couldn't pay for it. >> so sweet. >> happy holidays. >> you, too. >> thank you so much. minding your manners during the holiday season. martha stewart and thomas farley will walk us through some stressful situations. we're b we're back on a tuesday morning with a little etiquette 101 for the holiday season, whether you're dealing with unwanted gifts, party guests or conversations around the dinner table, there are sticky situations that could pop up. >> yes, indeed. we've brought in the experts to help us all survive. thomas farley, lifestyle expert and martha stewart is also here to tell us about the proper ways of handling any awkward situations you might encounter. good to see you. >> good morning. >> good to see both of you. someone who decides, martha, to bring a plus one to the party. what do you do? >> set another place. >> oh. >> that's all you can do. you can't turn them away. if it's a sit down dinner, set another place. i actually usually set an extra place or have it ready anyway because people are very inconsiderate these days or at least they're kind of casual about it. so just take it in stride. >> if you're on the other end of it, thomas, you're bringing the plus one or plus more, should you bring food or something? >> absolutely. offset that by bringing a little something. it's always nice -- >> a lot of something. >> a lot of something. have the guest bring a little gift, too. >> what do you say in the gift range, flowers, alcohol? what's the best gift? >> it's nice when people bring a bottle of wine or a flower, plant would be very nice, orchid plant. very popular gift these days. >> thomas doesn't like flowers. >> i think the tricky thing with flowers, the plants, martha's right, is perfect. it doesn't have to be cut or fussed with. cut flowers, you have a big problem because the hostess has to put them in a vase now. >> some people feel that way about alcohol. what if they don't drink in the home? >> then don't. >> is that a wise thing to call in advance, and say what do you need? >> no. no. it's a hostess gift. you don't ask in advance. that gets a little bit too -- you know, too intense. so just take something that is -- a good book. there's so many beautiful coffee table book. >> nice idea. >> somebody brings you a gift, thomas, say it's something to wear, do you have to try that thing on in front of the person who gave it to you? >> even if you hate it, you really do want to try it on. >> really? right there at the party? >> somebody shopped for you. not in the moment perhaps but i would excuse yourself at a certain point, come back, try it on. if it doesn't fit you have a nice excuse as to why it has to go back. >> what about regifting, if you try it on or don't like it, what's the rule, martha? >> take it back if you can. send a thank you note. always send a thank you note. i had a party the other night and guests were very generous, brought lots of presents. i put them all under the tree and left them there. i didn't open them while they were there. afterward i enjoyed opening up, see whag people brought. >> if someone brings you a scarf and they're expecting to see you in it but you never wear it because you don't like it, what happens then, tom? >> if you give a gift to somebody that's ugly because you don't like it, it's a reflection on you. if it's a scarf your grandma knit, you're going to keep it and wear it with pride. >> you said always write a thank you note. a thank you note, like a handwritten note. >> not a text. >> not a text or e-mail. >> no, little note. i have a closetful of note cards. we all do. a lot of us have forgotten how to write a note but it's welcomed. >> quickly, viewers sent in one. you get families together, it can be a lot of fun but you can end up with family bickering. what's the best way to get out of a bickering situation, thomas? >> you definitely don't want to hear the entire table hostage -- >> i want to hear this. >> -- to your conversation. politics isn't completely off the table f this is a sibling rivalry that's gone on for years, you won't solve it this holiday. >> if the in-laws are bickering, do you give them a kick in the shin? >> definitely. a whisper in the ear. be quiet. >> task for them in the kitchen and send them on their way. >> do you have a 10-second idea for the overserved guest? how do you deal with that person? >> yes. make sure you start that person with lots of appetizers at the very beginning to fill the person's stomach, and give them the appetizer tray to pass around. >> they might drop it on your nice carpet. >> something to do. keep the hands busy. >> smart. thomas, thank you. martha, thank you. happy holidays to both of you. >> always fun. >> martha will head over to the orange room for a live chat to answer viewer questions on holiday entertaining. if you want to talk to martha, go to today's facebook page. meantime, carson is in the orange room with a holiday treat for one direction fans. >> matt, that's right. thanks. they're the hottest band to come from the uk since the beatles. now you can watch one direction in their first-ever prime time special tonight on nbc. here are the boys with a preview. >> we want to wish everyone a merry christmas and happy holidays from all of us. if you would like to share in our festive joy, there is a special preview of our nbc special airing tonight on nbc. >> enjoy. >> merry christmas. ♪ everybody want to steal my girl ♪ ♪ everybody want to take her heart away couple million in the whole wide world ♪ sing it ♪ find another one cause she belongs to me ♪ >> that's right. you're going to get a rare inside look at 1d, watch them perform in "one direction: the tv special" airing tonight, 8:00, 7:00 central right here on nbc. how to make your holidays less stressful after your local news and weather. we are following breaking news out of newark. several were hurt an school bus accident. happened at 7:00 this morning on capital trail. the driver hit a light pole. in all, 24 students were on the bus. we are told injuries are minor. several crews are on the way. the accident is impacting traffic in the area, let's update that with jillian mele. >> good morning, tracy. much of that is near the property of the school. this is near route 2 and capital trail. if you want to avoid that. that's a live look at broad street and 76. still have volume both directions. drive times are slow going. between 17 and 21 minutes. wet roads and fog to contend with. let's get your first alert forecast with michelle grossman. >> reduced visibility in the area. rain is falling on the radar, scattered at this point, and still light. that's the trend in the next few hours. temperatures are mild in the 50s south and east of philadelphia. by this afternoon, clouds, a few showers. 50 degrees. heavy rain wednesday. ponding on the roadways. warm, 62. warm thursday. but we will see windy conditions, a nice day friday. i am tracy davidson, another local update in 25 minutes. you can always get updates at nbc10.com. get ready for some german engineered holiday excitement. at the volkswagen sign-then-drive event. right now, for practically just your signature, you could drive home for the holidays in a new volkswagen. like the sporty, advanced new jetta and the precisely engineered passat tdi. ah, the gift of clean diesel. for the new volkswagen on your list this year, just about all you need, is a pen. festive, isn't it? get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first month's payment on select new volkswagen models. ♪ 8:30 now on this tuesday. rain seems to be letting up a little bit here in new york city. it's the 23rd of december, 2014. got lots of people in town from all around the country getting ready for the holidays. happy to have them here. >> pleased to have y'all. >> great crowd. >> coming up at home for the holidays, jenna bush hager traveled to nashville recently to get a little taste of true country christmas with martina mcbride, who goes all out this holiday season. i'm so looking forward to this. it's a peek inside her christmas. it's so pretty. >> southern christmas. a young woman who embodies the phrase "i am unbroken," a gymnast with the will to win no matter the obstacle. her story is really remarkable. >> those stories are incredible. >> they're really great. >> out of the mouths of babes. there's only one group of people to ask if you want to find out what the holidays are all about. jenna bush hager sits down with an adorable bunch. >> looks like it could get out of hand quickly. let's get a check of the weather from dylan. >> the rain is coming down so heavy you have two umbrellas over i don't you are head right now. it's just a mist but that will turn around into christmas eve. heavy rain up and down the east coast. on the back side of the storm, we could see a line of heavier snow back into chicago, maybe up to three to four inches of snow on the afternoon tomorrow and through christmas eve itself. then on christmas day, we will see some lingers snow showers back through the rockies, lake-effect snow making for a white christmas. northeast it's a rainy christmas. temperatures will be as warm near 60 degrees up into boston, rain in the morning. and that will start to pull away. elsewhere across the country, southeast, we're looking at highs in the 60s. 59 in louisiana. we should be in the 40s back through the tennessee river valley. the only place it's sunny will be in southern california, which is where you guys >> and that's your latest forecast. matt? >> day two of our special series, holiday hacks. this morning, we're focusing on travel. one of the most stressful times of year to plan a get away. we'll help to make things easier for you. katie quinn is the host of a youtube channel called q katie. good to see you. >> good morning. >> frowns on their faces. it's a stressful time to travel. i also see people walking through the airports with pillows and you've got a way to do it where you don't actually have to pack the pillow. >> you don't need a fancy travel pillow. if you have a hoodie, that's all you need. couple of folds -- try it, too. >> roll from the bottom, up to the hood. fold, fold. fold it in half again. take that hood, tuck the little ball in. >> you made yourself a travel pillow out of something you packed anyway. >> yeah. bam! >> if you want to make it softer, you could throw some things in there? >> oh, yeah, you could personalize it. >> travel pillow even though you already pack this had. a lot of women travel with jewelry and necklaces tangle all the time. >> you have this problem a lot. >> constant issue. >> i can't tell you how many necklaces i ruined. super simple. all you need is a straw. loop the necklace through the straw. >> let's see if you can do this on the first time. >> i know. i know. there you go. bam! you clasp it. it holds its loop so it doesn't tangle. >> that's a great one. >> never tangle. >> lot of people want to travel with wine. you have a safe way to carry it. >> it is not a holiday without wine in my family but you can't break it, obviously, when you're traveling with it. when you have high-top shoes like the ones i'm wearing today, put them to use, right? stick the bottle of wine in. go ahead and try. pop it in. take the other one -- your high top shoes encase the bottle of wine. no shattering in your suitcase. >> it does take up a lot of room but at least you know it's protected. >> if you were packing the shoes anyway. >> holiday hacks for safer traveling. katie quinn, thank you very much. >> thank you. still to come, inspiring athlete who never gave up on her dreams even when she was told she would never make it to the top. also, jenna bush hager visits martina mcbride to get a taste of a true country christmas. first on a tuesday morning this is "today" on nbc. we are back now at 8:37 on a tuesday morning, kicking off a special holiday series called jenna's country christmas. martina mcbride is country music royalty, picking up countless music awards to her chart toppers. what you may not know is that she also throws one of the best christmas parties in her hometown of nashville. "today's" jenna bush hager stopped by to visit the home in tennessee. i'm so jealous of this. >> as a texas girl, you know we love martina mcbride. when she invites you to her house there's only one answer, where and when? she very koindly invited me into a look at her family holiday traditions at christmastime. >> hi. >> merry christmas, martina. how are you? thanks for having me to your lovely home. >> absolutely. >> martina mcbride says she's always cherished christmas and special times with her family, her husband, john, and their daughters, delanie, emma and ava. >> we leave cookies for santa and dr. pepper. my husband drinks a lot of dr. pepper. it's kind of his thing. we also leave food for the reindeer, on the front porch. we leave lettuce, carrots because they have to eat, too. >> they're carrying that large man. >> exactly. >> what's your favorite christmas music? >> i like the classics. so, dean martin, tony bennett, frank sinatra. >> do you ever put your cd on and kind of sing along to yourself? >> i don't. kind of weird, but i don't. >> that's kind of weird, but if i was a singer, i would do it. that's why i'm not a singer. ♪ bells will be ringing >> proving that singing isn't the only talent that this country singer has, she has released a book, how to on entertaining. i got to sample some of her expertise. so, martina, these are your famous christmas cookies? >> yeah. they're kind of a take on an oatmeal cookie. orange zest. it takes it up a notch. >> this is the dough. it's hard for me not to eat it. making cookies with your girls is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays? >> yeah. i'm not a terribly good baker but my oldest daughter is a really great baker. she does a lot of the work, i'll be honest. >> cookies in the oven, now it's martini time. >> i love a margarita, but i've never had a margarita martini. this is your specialty drink? >> it's fun, so festive and feels like christmas to me. it has orange juice, cranberry simple syrup, lime juice. if you have extra simple syrup, cranberry syrup to make and give as parting gift. >> look at you. you are a domestic goddess. merry chis masristmas. cheers. >> cheers. >> favorite christmas carol. >> i love to sing holy night. >> turkey or pot roast? >> pot roast. >> favorite christmas movie. >> "it's a wonderful life." >> you know dasher and prancer -- >> dasher and dancer and prancer and dixon. >> there's no dixon. >> comet and cupid and donner and blitzen. >> but the greatest one of all, who is your favorite? >> rudolph. >> with reindeer trivia solved, our next stop, martina's christmas tree, where she shared with me her favorite christmas keepsakes. >> delanie made this in kindergarten. my grandmother, when we were kids, for all the grand kids, she would make handmade ornaments. she felt like she couldn't give us a lot at christmas but we were all thrilled to get this because we knew how much love went into it. >> i have a confession to make. you asked earlier if i listen to my own christmas music. few years ago, grand ole opry made an ornament with me in there. ♪ when we finally kiss good night ♪ >> the girls think it's a hoot. they love to play it. >> i love it. >> though it's tough to top the grand ole opry, i brought her a small reminder of our special christmas visit. it's rockefeller center. it lights up. >> the girls are going to love this. >> it is fancy. >> it is. so sweet. thank you so much. >> merry christmas. thanks for having us to your home. and martina also has some big news for 2015. she signed a new record deal with nash icon music. making new music just for you. >> thank goodness. i love that martina makes martinis. >> i have to say, martina martini about 13 times. >> and name the reindeer again? >> dixon. once i start watching it with mila, i'll get it. did you know it? >> of course not but we'll talk about it at the 9:00 hour because you're with us then. thanks again, jenna. and thanks martina. up next, our new series "i am unbroken," inspiring gymnast who gives new definition to the words perseverance. first this is "today" on nbc. back at 8:45 with more of our series "i am unbroken." that movie hits theaters christmas day. it's the story of louis zamparini, who survived 45 days stranded on a raft in an ocean and then in a p.o.w. camp. >> we are also honoring other resilient heroes like him. we introduce you to chelsea's story of perseverance, incredible athlete, as you see, against all odds. >> what a princess and incredible personality, self esteem and pure joy, joy of my life. >> she's a gymnast and loves life. very happy. very social. very outgoing. >> reporter: lisa and ray werner are proud parent whose have watched chelsea grow into a talented young woman. it was not an easy jurn. >> after she was born the doctors said, something's not right. i think she has down syndrome. >> the pediatrician came in and listed off the medical potential issues. >> reporter: they were told chelsea would have low muscle tone. to help, when she was 4, they enrolled her in a toddler's gymnastics class. and by the time she was 8, chelsea was training for the special olympics. >> the coach said well she'll probably be at level one for quite a few years. and we were thinking, that doesn't sound right to us. so, ray just got out the phone book and started calling gyms just to see if anyone would want to coach special olympics and that's how we found dawn. >> dawn pambo became chelsea's trainer. >> want to try one more? chelsea's ability in the beginning was not very good. she was very excited, but physically, she could barely walk on the balance beam. one direction and back without falling. the obstacle in the beginning was strength. she just lacked muscle tone. >> reporter: but chelsea kept practicing and dawn coached her like all shooe did all her other students. i would say i'm going to try to teach her a backhandspring. there was no way. are you kidding? no, i think she can do it. she can do it. >> reporter: with dawn's high expectations, chelsea kept improving. her favorite event, the floor. and her toughest event, the beam. but while chelsea continued to improve, a slight setback. the special olympics gymnastics program was dropped in her area. but that didn't stop chelsea. instead, she started to compete in regular u.s.a. gymnastics at 14. >> she probably competed in that for three years and probably came in last place every time. she didn't care. then there came a time when she did understand what the lower score meant. that began a whole new journey of training her to understand if this is what you want to do, then you have to work harder if you want to get a medal. >> reporter: she started practicing 16 hours a week. >> i think she puts in that much more work to get to where she needs to be. >> reporter: all of her hard work paid off, chelsea has won several titles, including special olympics national championship title four times and international down syndrome foundation world champions title. and at the age of 22, she participated as a special guest at the ncaa women's gymnastics championships. >> she has put in this many years and hours of gymnastics training and all those times when she didn't get a ribbon and she kept going. she fits it to every aspect of what unbroken means. >> there it is. >> i am chelsea werner. i am unbroken. >> meanwhile, chelsea plans to continue competing this season. she plans to go to the nadia komenichi international. coming up tomorrow, an incredible story as well. a man who has never slowed down, double amputee, completed the iron man a couple of times. he is truly mazing and has really gone to the unthinkable. >> i am unbroken. love these story. >> yeah, they're great. >> we want to tell you, "unbroken," from our sister company, hits theaters christmas. traditions through the eyes of children. sometimes the very funny eyes of children. they'll definitely put a smile on your face this morning. first, this is "today" on nbc. back on this tuesday morning at 8:51. and this holiday season, while we're celebrating traditions of the season, we thought it might be interesting to stop and think about how they all came to be. so, we sent "today's" lifestyle and fitness correspondent jenna wolfe out in search of key answers we need to know. >> answers i seeked, answers i received, though slightly off the beaten path. instead of googling our holiday questions, this year we decided to ask the most creative minds we knew. kids. >> you might as well say hello to santa claus. >> why? >> it's been said we get wise by asking questions. >> cause santa's beard always been light? >> what's a latke? >> all kinds of questions about all kinds of things. >> does santa and mrs. claus have kids? >> we're going to talk about the holidays. >> what if the tables were turned? what if we were the ones asking them the questions? to find out we invited 11 of our closest friends to a tea party to talk about all things holiday related. who knows the story behind christmas? >> when jesus was born as & as he got older, he wanted friends so he made santa claus. >> who can tell me what santa claus' last name is? >> claus. >> in america he's santa claus but in germany he's st. nick. >> what's hanukkah? >> the jews didn't think they had enough oil but it lasted for eight days. >> oil was their light source. >> do you know who adam sandler is? >> yes. ♪ time putt on your yamaka it's time for hanukkah ♪ >> what's a latke? >> no idea. >> who knows what mistletoe is? >> some sort of plant and if you put it over someone's head -- >> don't say it! don't say it! -- you have to kiss them. >> i feel like i asked ayou a stress tful question. >> what color was his beard before it was white? >> blond. >> it was blond? so santa's a blond? is santa married? do they have kids? >> no. >> no. >> they don't have any kids? >> they have elves. >> human and magical -- >> mixed breed of human and magical people. >> you get to spend time with your family and like relax. >> it's all about happiness and niceness. it's not just about the presents. >> reporter: which is true and rather poignant. also a good way to end the afternoon. after all, we came, we ate, we swapped knowledge. the only thing missing was a lesson in verse. ♪ five golden rings ♪ four -- ♪ three french hens ♪ ♪ two turtle doves ♪ ♪ and a partridge in a pear tree ♪ >> so what did you learn? >> so much. who has the time to tell you how much i've learned? they were so high on sugar, i didn't realize, that they were running around and telling me things, and then on valentine's day, let me tell you five other things i know. >> we're going to wait until february. they didn't hesitate, whether they knew it or not. they went full steam. >> our generation's art linkler. >> that's what some people call me, matt. >> what's coming up in the next hour, guys? >> willie sat down with brad lely cooper and was with the veterans as well to talk about his new movie "american sniper." >> tamron's tuesday trend, the things i gave out to my girls as gifts. >> we can't wait to receive. >> jenna is joining us. surprise! >> all right. good luck, guys. >> thank you. >> have fun. we'll be back. first your local news and weather. good morning, i am tracy davidson. a dreary morning to start your day. let's get an update with michelle grossman. >> good morning. everything from clouds and fog, some light rain across the area. fog is impacting the area. seeing reduced visibility down to a mile and a half in many spots. here is the radar. light rain and drizzle on the radar. tomorrow heavy rain comes in. temperatures are very mild, near 50 degrees in philadelphia. 52 in atlantic city, 54 in wildwood. big difference at this time yesterday. by this afternoon, temperatures in the low 50s. mild with a few showers. otherwise, cloudy. heavy rain comes in wednesday. by thursday after early morning rain, looking at partly sunny skies. blustery with high winds. friday is nice, 53. into the weekend, mild saturday with 55. breaking news out of delaware this morning, nearly a dozen middle school students were taken to the hospital after a school bus crash. it happened around 7:00 a.m. in the parking lot of the school. they say the bus had 25 students on board when the driver hit a light pole. the students and driver had minor injuries. we have a crew on scene, they tell us the bus has already been removed from the scene, cause of the crash under investigation. working to get more information. an overnight shooting in the breeze section of philadelphia. a man walking down 25th with his cousin, heard gunshots, the victim realized he was hit. he ran two blocks to his house, called 911. he is in the hospital in stable condition this morning. no word on a suspect or motive at this time. i am tracy davidson. another update in 25 minutes. you can always get updates on news and weather and breaking news on nbc10.com. back to the "today" show. ♪this holiday season, my good friend gave to me♪ ♪7 powerball tickets ♪6 match 6 chances ♪5 cash 5s ♪4 big 4s ♪3 daily numbers ♪2 mega millions (joe) happy holidays, rita. (rita) thanks, joe! (man) what a great gift! (announcer) pennsylvania lottery tickets make great gifts, like the new $1 million peppermint payout. (joe) happy holidays! ♪and best wishes from the lottery♪ this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and tamron hall live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today" on this tuesday morning, december 23rd, 2014. crunch time for a lot of folks. maybe those people are going to dash out of here and go shopping. stick around a little bit. i'm natalie morales along with tamron hall and jenna bush hager. will and al are off, enjoying a little vacation. two days to go. are we all ready? technically, tomorrow is the day, right? >> tomorrow is the day. i've now decided my older niece and nephew -- maya is 17. i'm going the cash route. now they're teenagers. he's actual a a freshman in college, 18. i don't know what to get them. >> gift card, right? >> with them i'm going to give cash i have a fear of losing gift cards. i've lost gift cards. i have gift card phobia. i'm going to give them cash and then i'm done. are you done? >> i'm done. i'm about to head out to my in-laws, which will be fun. i feel like i always get there and it's like uh-oh. i forgot somebody, one gift. >> in a suitcase is extra gifts? >> do you do that? >> i always carry extra. >> jill martin is going to show up at her home, she has a gift closet. >> what? >> smart. >> backup gifts in case you forget a birthday, babies. isn't that smart? >> that's smart. i do not have a gift clos zblet you all remember the epic selfie that ellen took at the oscars, all the stars, celebrities most retweeted tweet of the year. the whole reason this started, off to the left of ellen is meryl streep. ellen apparently was disappointed that meryl streep wasn't more prominent. so what did she do? she invited meryl to come back, and ladies of "into the woods" movie and they tried to re-create that moment. here we go. taking the selfie again. how does it turn out? >> okay, fieb. >> can we see the shot? >> there it is. >> once again -- >> it's even worse than the first one. >> you can't even see her at all. >> selfie fail fo r sure. >> at this point i'm beginning to think -- >> shaed shaes hiding. >> might have been hiding. >> you need one of these things. >> i went out to see cher, took a selfie with cher. just her hair. she hit behind me. huge amount of hair coming from the side. we have the selfie stick, another last-minute gift idea. >> great gift idea. >> this extends out -- hey, guys, on the plaza. i noticed a lot of people on the plaza have the selfie -- what are we doing with this? >> hiding like meryl. >> what is that? >> come in. come in. >> photo bomb. >> dylan is getting in. >> can you see me? >> i can't. i'm not in the photo right. >> the meryl of the "today" show. >> the crew. >> we're going selfie crazy in here. >> take as many selfies as we want. >> next year's christmas card. >> already done. >> i've decided to do new year's cards because my christmas cards weren't done in time. now i have the picture for this one. >> got it. use this pick, do an e card. why not? >> i'll do an e card of us. that's the idea of the day. >> something else we're loving around here. did you guys see jimmy fallon. >> yes, and one direction. >> epic music moments. i thought "all about the bass" with the roots and jimmy fallon was creative. take a look at this rendition of "santa claus is coming to town." take a look ♪ you better watch out you better not cry you better not pout i'm telling you why why santa claus is coming to town oh, yeah santa claus is coming to town santa claus is coming to town ♪ >> all right. so did you know tonight is the night? grab your popcorn, anyone under the age of 18 and maybe some women and men over the age of 30. >> huge. >> "one direction: the tv special" premieres tonight 8:00, 7:00 central, on nbc. i am still obsessed with harry's hair. it's like moth to flame. i just can't -- >> moth to flame. >> i know. i'm getting burned. i know he's like 10. when i see him, i look and i'm drawn in. >> i interviewed one direction a couple of years ago and i was like, calling my little cousins, what he the thing with 1d, tried to be cool. i got there and they are charming. >> oh, go on. >> they are charming. >> do tell. >> in what way? >> partially, obviously, is the accent. love an accent like that. >> love a man with a british accent. >> but also they're performers. they're funny and humor is my number one attraction thing. >> is your husband funny? >> he's hilarious, i think. >> that's what won her over. >> they called me a cougar. >> oh. wait. >> harry styles? >> one direction. >> the whole group? >> there are a lot of cougar. >> you seem to like one of us. i can't remember which one it was and i was like, oh, no, no, i'm joking. and they're like, are you a cougar? >> harry and the hair. >> it's something about that mane. >> i won't be bringing home one direction these holidays but a lot of people bring home new boyfriends and girlfriends during the holiday that your family infer met. what is your family really thinking when you bring home a new girlfriend or boyfriend for >> yes. >> yes. >> thank you, dad. >> i love it. >> it's so true. >> if only there were subtitles half the time. >> the subtitles, you walk in, you're so nervous. i have to say, when my husband first met my parents, it wasn't on a holiday but still intimidating, i have to say. i looked over and his ears were red. he blushes when he's nervous. he's going to kill me for saying this. i looked over and was like, wait, are you having an allergic reaction? >> surely you understood why -- >> he has so much confidence, it threw me off. also my mother has googled boyfriends before. >> my mother has, too. >> really? >> yes and she admit it is. i'll go out on a date and tell her and she's like, did you know that he -- i'm like, mom, you can't google my dates. >> she googled a boyfriend of my sister's did zblsh whole new world with googling. >> and it was not the right person. she was like, oh, is this man -- i don't know. it seems like he might have a criminal record. i'm like, no, mom, not every person that's named that is the same person. anyway, the holidays is a stressful time to meet a new man. >> did you meet joe's family on the holiday? >> the first time i went with home with him was for thanksgiving. >> wo! >> it's stressful but it was great. it was such a nice time. >> because you want them to like you. >> did you have those subtitles through your mind? >> please like me. please like me. please like me. big holiday tradition, obviously, the fruitcake. in my house, though -- actually, the fruitcake, not everybody loves it, as you know. 19% apparently don't like fruitcake. i was surprised by this, though. 23% actually do like the fruitcake. >> i never met a person -- we have some fruitcake here, who enjoyed fruitcake. i never actually tried it. i will eat anything. i've eaten a squirrel in the wild with bear grylls. i never put a fruitcake in my mouth. >> do you want to taste it? >> no. >> the cherry. >> it's like a jell-o mold. i'm not a fruitcake fan at all. that's why people use the word fruitcake, he's such a fruitcake. >> do you know what i am a fan of? >> what? >> this. tamron asked me, what is that latin american eggnog? i said do you remember the puerto rican -- >> i could not sleep last night, googling today.com trying to find the recipe. could we make it more user friendly? natalie this morning says -- >> this is a tradition. >> you drink this every year? >> every year but every year it's supplied by a good friend of ours on the plaza, sonja, who comes every year with my stash. she happened to be coming today and i was like, wait half an hour. >> this is the best part. sonja brings in natalie's stash. >> come try it. >> i'm just going to take s sonja's glass. >> due dow want to know what's in it? >> coconut, evaporated milk, sweetened and condensed. >> eggnog, cream of coconut, milk, little bit of nutmeg, cinnamon, touch of vanilla, make the mix and then i add the rum. >> this isn't dairy free. you're not saying it's dairy free. >> it's a little late now if you have the issue. >> good luck to me later on my flight. there will be some unhappy passengers. check of the weather. can you do the weather with the -- >> sure she can. sure she can. >> absolutely. i'll figure out how to do this, hold it in this hand. i have this hand for pointing at the maps here. scattered showers moving into the northeast. here in boston, some pockets of steadier shower that is will continue to make a mess at the airports. we've had some delays especially back into new york and newark. we've got the fog is the biggest issue, this fog is reducing visibility down to a quarterative mile. this area of low pressure will move n today we've got scattered showers and storms. heavier rain will take hold up and down the east coast especially as we go into and good tuesday morning. meteorologist michelle grossman. grab the umbrellas if you head out today. we're tracking a chance for light rain through the day, drizzle and fog. temperatures are mild, in the low 50s. 48 to 52. it is wednesday we are watching for potential for heavy rain. also breezy, 62. windy christmas day, 51 degrees. nice end to the week, 53. lots of sunshine. into the weekend, tracking mild air. monday, a shock to the system, a high of 42. >> and that's your latest forecast. cheers, natalie. >> you like it? >> too much. appearing in the intense new >> too much. appearing in the intense new film "american sniper" bradle whi, how's it going?. whatever you're looking for, start by test-driving nearly every make and model all in one place. carmax. start here. than ordinary jewelry stores. jewelry more is good. i want to find her something special. but our jewelry is so much more than just...more. we have unique jewelry you won't find anywhere else. like our hearts desire collection, crafted only with ideal cut diamonds. this is totally her. but wait...there's more. awwww... we call it "the awww moment." 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and women, and vets, too. you get a big ovation. what does that mean to you? >> being here actually means everything to me. when we were talking about making this movie, we talked about what it could do and hopefully tell this man's story and maybe, you know, if we get it right there's a chance people who have walked a similar path will feel that there's a connection. so being able to show it here today is sort of the goal. >> one of the things this movie captures so well is this juxtaposition of life in theater, life in country and life back at home. >> that's really the thrust of the movie, sort of to show what that must have done and what that does do to soldiers and to the family at home. we got all that from tea. >> the kids are dying to see you. it's been nine months. >> such an incredible job as tea. e-mail exchanges, she told us all these stories and most of that is in the movie. >> i'm coming home. >> you never got a chance to meet chris kyle. you did speak on the phone once. >> yeah. >> do you remember that conversation? >> i do. it's one of those things that maybe it never happened. it's like this apparition. because i never thought it would be the last time i talked to him. it's funny, today, being here and being back there for some reason i never knew him but i really miss him today. it's really weird. it would have been mazing to go to a place like this with him. >> i was just protecting my guys. they were trying to kill our soldiers and i'm willing to meet my creator and answer every shot that i took. >> you're happy with the way bradley captured your husband? >> i'm in awe of it. i don't know how you embody somebody else and get the nuances and the mannerisms. he did it. it's amazing. >> that has to feel good, huh? >> oh, yeah. especially because it wasn't an impersonation of him. i tried to capture something about his internal life. >> okay, thank you. >> what's the feeling when you look up on the screen and watch your life go across in front of you, as millions of people around the country get ready to see it, and around the world? >> it feels like a blessing. it's so right. it's so authentic. it feels good and warm. it feels like i'm seeing chris again. sometimes it feels painful because, you know, i remember those moments. >> i need you to be human again. >> i imagine it's nerve-racking when you see it for the first time. you know bradley. you trust bradley. you still don't know how it's going to turn out in the end. were you relieved when you saw it? >> a couple of months before i saw it, i thought there's no need to worry. everyone put their heart in it. if there's ever going to be a movie, this is the best it's going to be. >> you got pretty lucky with this character to have tea as a resource, so willing to open up about her life, talk about her husband and guide you through this process. >> it wouldn't have happened without her. for me, personally, it wouldn't have worked. i could gain 35 pounds and sound like i'm from texas, but that wouldn't have -- honestly, that was for me, just so i could believe it. but the man, all of that, that all came from her. >> "american sniper" opens in theaters christmas day and nationwide. it is heavy, but raw. >> it is the story of chris kyle but much more as well. it's a story of a lot of the troops when they come back and that adjustment they have to make back home. >> absolutely. coming up next, before you brew your coffee this morning, important safety recall to hear about. later tamron will share with us her five beauty products. i can't wait for this. >> i finally tell my mask that i've been guarding. >> gift giving trend, tuesday trend, after this. >> gift giving trend, tuesday trend, after this. >> i'm gifting you give a journey. give a new perspective. give a little joy. a book is a gift like no other. and barnes & noble is like no other book store in the world. with so many books to discover and the new nook by samsung now a full featured tablet. a book is 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year. wrapped gifts are allowed but not encouraged when you go through security f anything raises questions, the paper is then going to have to come off. tsa recommends you wrap the gifts after your flight. also small snow globes are okay to carry on to the planes if they contain less than 3.4 ounces of liquid and are in a plastic bag. if you use a tablet or ereader before bed, consider this. researchers at harvard found people who read using an ipad or ereader at bedtime take ten minutes longer to fall asleep and have a harder time waking up than people who read printed books. researchers say the light from the screen can suppress the body's production of melantonin and disrupt sleep cycles. huge holiday surprise when they got to a checkout at a walmart, they found their entire bill had been paid by a complete stranger. each year one man does what he can to spread christmas cheer. on monday he spent thousands to pick up the tab for 40 good morning. i am tracy davidson. let's get your first alert forecast from meteorologist michelle grossman. >> hi there, it is a soggy one. seeing mist out there, light rain and fog across the area. not a great commute this morning. here's a live look at the pocono mountains. grab the umbrella. temperatures are mild at this point, in the 50s south and east of philadelphia. 54 in wildwood, 46 in pottstown. 45 in allentown. by this afternoon, temperatures in the low 50s. a few showers. heavy rain comes in wednesday. 62. then we bring sunshine back thursday. windy for christmas day. we are following breaking news out of delaware where nearly a dozen middle school students were taken to the hospital after a school bus crashed in newark. it happened in the parking lot of the shue middle school. it hit a light pole. the students and driver had minor injuries. the cause is under investigation. we will keep you updated on nbc10.com. a 33-year-old man is recovering after being shot in point breeze section of the city overnight. police tell us the man was walking with a cousin when he heard gunshots, the victim realized he was hit, ran two blocks to his house, and called 911. he is in stable condition at the hospital at university of pennsylvania. no word on the suspect. and a philadelphia man convicted of a tire slashing due in court to face new charges. he is accused of vandalizing several cars last month. he is currently on probation for tire slashing in 2012. i am tracy davidson. another local update in 25 minutes. get the latest news and weather at nbc10.com. hi, guys. nice crowd outside. welcome back to "today" on this thursday morning, december -- or tuesday morning. i'm thinking it's christmas already. >> counting down the days. tuesday. you still have two more days. don't worry. i'm natalie, along with tamron and jenna. got to love this shot you're going to see. take a look at 10-year-old lebron james jr. playing for his fourth grade squad. nobody wants to face lebron james. >> he's got mad jumps. >> yes, he does. >> in the fourth grade? >> in the fourth grade, playing in a tournament in houston. no pressure there when your name is lebron james jr., right? >> not when you play like that. >> his dad tweeted out a video saying proud of you son, great job in houston. congrats on bringing home first place. he's big also for 10, right? >> actually, all of those kids -- you guys have children. i've noticed kids seem so much bigger than we were. is that perspective? >> i don't know. >> michltla is wearing my 2-yead clothes but i was a preemie. don't worry, i developed into a larger human later. >> i don't know where you're going with that. >> we're glad. larger human, you. >> you know, the preemie into a well-fed, developed person. >> let's get a check of the weather from dylan. take it away. >> i will take it away. thanks, girls. cold air to work into the middle of the country right on christmas eve. it's the east coast where we've got this big rainstorm. a lot of rain, inch or two, as much as four inches of rain along the panhandle of florida. look at our temperatures, lexington on christmas eve, 61 degrees, 18 degrees above average. washington, d.c., 65. boston up to 53 degrees. that's 10 to 15 degrees above average. who is going to get a white christmas this year? it looks like you'll have it, mostly in and on the ground. great lakes falling snow. ment s and good tuesday morning, meteorologist michelle grossman. grab the umbrella as you head out today. we are tracking a chance for light rain and drizzle and fog. temperatures are mild, in the low 50s. 48 to 52. it is wednesday, christmas eve, we have potential for heavy rain. also breezy, 62. windy christmas day. 51 degrees. and nice end to the week, 53. lots of sunshine. into the weekend, tracking mild air. 50s. by monday, high of 42. >> and that's your latest forecast. tamron? >> dylan, thank you very much. now to my tuesday trend. the pressure is on to find those last few gifts. so i'm going to help you out by sharing a little holiday tradition i have with my girlfriends. what we do each year, we test out -- i'm a sample freak. i love samples. i narrow down my favorite beauty product of the year and we each share our favorite beauty product of the year. so i'm going to share with you mine and my gal pals are here, natalie and jenna, to -- >> this is the part where we get gifts? >> yes. >> they are here to receive. >> i mention this had a while back on the show. i mask every single morning. great advice from one of the most beautiful women i had ever met in my life. that's me. >> that's a lot of work. >> takes a lot of work to look like this. here you go. so many of you tweeted and asked the name of it and legal finally allowed me to say. here it is. it's an organic line, eminence. i use the clear skin probuyot . oug otic. i use it every day, about four to six months it will last. >> gentle enough to use it every day? >> i use it -- >> hydration, too? >> and it wakes you up. it has a mintiness to it. >> yes! >> my next thing, here we go. i live for this i gave my friend this is gift last year. chanel mascara. we used to have a $20 limit. but then chanel jacked this up to $306789 nevertheless -- i consider it a special occasion mascara. when you have dinner on the town, you want to look good for your man or whatever, you put that on. pow, boom. >> perfect. >> i wear it lash extensions sometimes. i don't have to do that with this. >> trying to take the present away. >> this is what i gave the women on our staff because they're all beauty geeks like us. i live for this. latest trend, latest rage. pure coconut cream by rms. $18. it's a makeup. it's cream. it's coconut. >> take everything down here in case we walk off with it. >> makeup remover, add a little sheen to your highlight line here and here. cuticles. if your baby is on the plane, looking ashy before they see grandma, hit that baby up with this. it's all natural. >> anti-bacterial. >> isn't it amazing -- >> probably put it in their hair, too, as a gel. >> the gifts continue for natalie and jenna. >> yes! >> my nail polish that i love. i'm obsessed. it lasts longer than any other. since i've been cooking, your nail chips a lot. $18 at sephora. this is the color i've been wearing this year. it's on my toes right now. it's green. you can't see my toes but they're right here. it's right there on my toes. anyway, this polish -- i wash dishes, always cooking. i love this polish. last, but not least, a gift i gave one of our ladies on the show. this is what i put on my legs. i had an accident with bear grylls and cut my leg. someone told me about this. it's called the perfect leg skin miracle. you put a little bit on your legs. it gives you that shimmer. a lot of you will write in and say why are your legs so greasy? they're not greasy. it's a shimmer. and this actually has a serum in it to help cure your scars. >> vitamin e. >> that i had from bear grylls when i fell off the cliff. it's gotten so much better. >> we'll put them online. up next, speaking of beauty, check out these table settings. we'll show you how to wow for the holiday cause you look so good after using my beauty products with some easy dinner table decor. clean up, girls! give a journey. give a new perspective. give a little joy. a book is a gift like no other. and barnes & noble is like no other book store in the world. with so many books to discover and the new nook by samsung now a full featured tablet. a book is the gift they'll remember long after the holidays are over. 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>> somehow i had a feeling. take a little bit of this glue. you can use any kind of glue. >> you already spray painted these? >> i have. it doesn't take long to dry. paint all the way around. >> who doesn't love some glitter? >> do a little dip. check it out. >> the kids would have fun doing this. >> mess with glitter. >> do it outside. >> exactly. >> and there we go. right? >> cute. >> adds shimmer and sheen to a fancy table. >> this is more traditional? >> a little more traditional. we embraced red and green here, little bit of white. isn't that fun? just take some ribbons and use those as runners and go all the way -- kind of around the place setting, down the center. >> and the white, which is nice. >> nice and crisp. >> these flower arrangements. >> we're going to get to those. you'll see how easy it is. >> easy for the diy expert. >> no, no, easy for everyone. i swear. i'm so proud of my candy canes. >> so cute. >> candle and dime store candy canes. >> genius. >> tie it with a ribbon. >> piece of styrofoam. stick it right in there. >> oh, it's really not that hard. >> how easy is that? >> you can do this with just flowers from the grocery store? >> take apart one of those grocery store bundles they do and go to town. tie it up with a big old ribbon. >> that really is easy. although one of my flowers fell off. >> we won't tell anyone. there you go. >> like a present. >> tie a big bow like a present. such a great thing to give your guests at the end of the dinner and say thank you for coming. >> even pretty without the bow. >> i love the ribbon because it makes it festive. >> unique. >> little kids table here. >> you can't ignore the kids table. you have to carry the decorations. i took a big piece of any kind of craft paper. >> brown paper. >> i wanted the kids to have some fun. solo cups, made it into santa's belly with duct tape right there. put the crayons in it. >> what i want for christmas on the table. >> get them writing. then i took a little bit of felt, cut out a tree and put slits for the silverware. check this idea out. these are just mason jars. took balloons, cut them up and you can stripe them so you get a real candy cane look there. >> you are genius. >> easy. >> is it not easy? >> these are pretty cool, too. >> aren't those fun? rice krispie treats, melt white chocolate, dip it in. put the candy cane at the end, crush it up, make googly eyes and pipe cleaner for the reindeer. >> i wish i could be this diy savvy. >> come over for christmas. we'll do it all again. >> okay. >> when you get your kids table, i did all those with a hot glue gun, which make it is sturdy and easy. if you want fun with your kids, take this and do some frosting there. >> we have to do this pretty quick. >> flying peppermints. stick them on. this is fun to do with kids, too. >> and you can eat it. >> and you can eat as you're doing it. >> thank you so much. >> isn't that fun? >> thank you. coming up next, unwelcomed guests for the holidays. dry skin, dry nails, dry hair. >> ooh! >> quick winter fixes after this. if she could, she'd rescue every dog on the planet. and, by some miracle... she actually said "yes." to me. tell her everything you love about her with charmed memories from kay jewelers. hundreds of charms, handcrafted in italy, with collections like open hearts and new, disney frozen. at kay, the number-one jewelry store in america. and she will be the best mom...ever. ♪every kiss begins with kay ime know i'm doing a good job.ts i like it when my toothpaste lets me know too. that's why i went pro. go pro with crest pro-health. for an intensive clean. i can really feel it deep cleaning my mouth. for a 4x better clean try these products together. that was a great check up. people with type 2 diabetes come from all walks of life. if you have high blood sugar, ask your doctor about farxiga. it's a different kind of medicine that works by removing some sugar from your body. along with diet and exercise, farxiga helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. with one pill a day, farxiga helps lower your a1c. and, although it's not a weight-loss or blood-pressure drug, farxiga may help you lose weight and may even lower blood pressure when used with certain diabetes medicines. do not take if allergic to farxiga or its ingredients. symptoms of a serious allergic reaction include rash, swelling or difficulty breathing or swallowing. if you have any of these symptoms, stop taking farxiga and seek medical help right away. do not take farxiga if you have severe kidney problems, are on dialysis or have bladder cancer. tell your doctor right away if you have blood or red color in your urine or pain while you urinate. farxiga can cause serious side effects, including dehydration, genital yeast infections in women and men, low blood sugar, kidney problems, and increased bad cholesterol. common side effects include urinary tract infections, changes in urination, and runny nose. ♪ do the walk of life ♪ yeah,you do the walk of life ♪ need to lower your blood sugar? 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>> after you wash, you have to replenish. this is a face oil t feels like a gel. it's light. it has something called hyuralonic acid. it sounds crazy but it holds water in your face. >> hydration. >> love the smell. >> we brought it tara. >> yes. >> from gone with the wind. >> how are you? >> you feel warmer in here? >> i do. i do. >> adorable. >> thank you. >> we're going to take your makeup off, i guess. >> petroleum jelly is a multitasker. it does multiple things. fingers, cuticles, lips, toes. that's like vaseline but safer and healthier. it doesn't clog your pores. >> lips, everywhere. >> so a lot of people often think petroleum traps. >> feels good. >> it does clog your pores a bit. it's not the healthiest. this is the healthier version of that, beeswax. >> are you single? >> i'm married, yes. >> that's great. he's going to look at your glossy lips. >> absolutely. >> thanks, tara. >> this is like the olivia pope of lotion, amlactin. chicken bumps, dryness, flakeiness. >> i use it. >> you do? >> yes. it's in my dressing room now. what's this african black soap? >> oils infused. it helps to soothe your skin with oat and helps to protect your skin with vitamin e. >> it looks cool. >> it does look pretty and chic. >> i've been wanting to purchase this. i didn't know what to expect. this is popular right now. >> inspired by a salad. so raze mary, avocado, oils and grapefruits. light reflecting particles to illuminate your limb. >> who doesn't love the name pretty potion? >> right and you can use it all over. >> in your hair? >> great little conditioner. >> awesome. >> now to the hair specifically. >> if you're on a budget, it doesn't matter. make room for a hair mask. you can do a splurge, omega 9. continue fuses into your hair and hydrates or you can do the less expensive one, the hair mask by super fruit. also infuses oils and shea butter. >> you believe in this, right? >> you have to get rid of the cotton and flannel. >> not just so you can look like erica kane? >> now i know what i want for christmas a little late. >> you took all the other stuff. >> you gave me that! >> jodi participatestterson, th. head to today.com for ♪ ♪ >> got it. >> hey. >> hi. >> we're using all your products. >> all lubed up. it's great. >> did you say all lubed up? >> we're greasy. >> now on this christmas eve eve, we have an awesome show. we're going to talk about gifts that you can still get in there good morning. i am chris cato. 9:56. a gloomy, soggy tuesday. let's get the forecast with glenn hurricane schwartz. >> we have fog, don't have much rain left, just a little drizzle. 53 in philadelphia, some places warmer than that, the poconos well above freezing. we have fog and drizzle. temperatures are milder than yesterday. then it gets warmer. 62 tomorrow with heavy rain developing. gusty winds. christmas eve will be near 60 degrees. then we start cooling down. we continue to follow breaking news out of delaware where a school bus crash in newark sent nearly a dozen middle schoolers to the hospital. state police say the crash happened at 7:00 a.m. in the parking lot at the shue school. the driver hit a light pole. some students and the driver had minor injuries. the cause is under investigation. a philadelphia man convicted in tire slashings is due in court to face new charges. he is accused of vandalizing several cars in mayfair last month. he was already on probation stemming from tire slashing in 2012. i am chris cato. another update for you in about 25 minutes. remember, you can always get the latest news and weather at nbc10.com. now we go back to the "today" show. have a great tuesday! from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hey, everybody. >> yes. >> hoda's xcited. she loves christmas. >> i do. >> it is booze day tuesday, december 23rd. less than 48 hours to get the shopping done. >> we have madelyn back, she'll tell us how to cut the creep with the two brave ladies who have been weighing themselves on the air every week. >> last time they gained a little, like half a pound each. so we'll see. we'll see. then our friend squire rushnell is here with a god winks story that will give you goosebumps about a wife who prayed for a christmas miracle to save her husband and she got it. >> a lot of people praying for christmas miracles this year. if you need last minute gifts for neighbors, we'll have that for you too. look at this. look what we have on our desk. okay. we had bottles of wine here before, but none quite like this. >> this is jazzed up. >> this is all blinged out. this is a nice little christmas gift from our friend jennifer lopez. >> jennifer lopez. all blinged out like she is. >> we don't want to drink it, because it is so huge and beautiful. but we decided to have big huge glasses of wine, like fishbowls, to drink in honor of j. lo. >> that was very sweet of her. >> remember when we danced with her. >> the booty dance. >> that was almost something that shouldn't have been on television. >> no, no, no. okay. and -- >> a lot more fun. >> we made it. j. lo -- that was just sad. >> you know when you're dancing like that, you're not realizing certain things, that this is flopping, you're not realizing you should have worn a different bra. you're not realizing you don't have extra spanx support in your stomach and this is gone forever. >> but hot. you're, like, i've never been hotter than right now. >> right now. by the way, she is sheer perfection. >> she is. >> it is hard to talk to j. lo, because when she's here -- >> you're staring at her. she's been here a lot because she has a book and video and all kinds of stuff. >> big year. >> big year. so here is a question for you. have you been naughty or nice? santa wants to know this stuff. >> there is a way to check. >> santa sent us a video about us. >> directly from the north pole. >> hello, kathie lee and hoda. i received a letter from your producer, joanne. what a charming person. she was anxious to know if you'll be on my nice list this year. your facial expressions are priceless. it looks like you both had a bit of a naughty year. santa thinks it's naughty to have wine before 9:00. >> wine will be flowing. >> kathie lee and hoda, if you try really hard, i think you could still get the present my elves are preparing for you. i don't know yet if i'll stop by your homes, but if i were you, i'd tidy up the place. >> i love that. >> isn't that sweet? >> that's the cutest thing. >> we don't drink wine before 9:00. >> before 10:00, santa. hello. >> you can make someone you love a personalized video from portable north pole.com. what a great -- that's so cute. >> joanne. >> always going the extra mile. >> sweet girl that is joanne. yes. she's under the table. >> i've been hoping we would get to this for a couple of days. perfect christmas impersonations. this is christina baunko, an actress, singer, impressionist, a new christmas video on her site. we have been dying to see it. check it out. >> hello, it is me, celine diond dion. we decided to give a special gift to our biggest fan. 'twas the night before christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, and me in my louis vuitton slippers -- ♪ yuletide carol fa la la ♪ ♪ deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪ >> she's good. >> she's good. >> a lot more on there. you can go to christine bianco.com. >> christina. >> christina bianco.com. >> yes. >> fine, fine. so have you -- >> another thing you got to do. you need a laugh, just go on and stream family guy, just straight through. >> we watch it in the makeup room. >> have yourself a merry little holiday. >> there are some rules when it comes to regifting. we all probably have done it at some point or another, somebody brings you a gift and you give it to someone. there are rules you should follow if you are regifting that are very important. >> three out of four of us do it and it is socially acceptable. i always tell somebody if it is possible. >> how do you do it? >> i tell the truth. usually, when i get something that is not particularly for me, it is for me but isn't my style or something like that, i immediately think of the person that it would be good for and i say that, you know what, someone gave me this, but the minute i saw it, i thought i have to give that to you or so and so and then it goes from being a bad thing to, oh, you thought of me, thank you. >> that's actually a good way to do it because i've done it the other way, which is just take the gift from somebody and then give it to somebody else and say here's your present and then that can back fire because -- >> tell how it did on you, hodi. >> it back fired one year because jill martin gave me a purse, which i liked fine, and then i -- then christmas came around later and i gave the same purse to jill again. and she -- she looked at it and she's like, i think i gave you this purse, which she had and i said i liked it, which i did -- >> but not that much. >> because i gave it to her. >> and not that long. you know -- >> i forgot. you got to keep track. you have to be careful. if you give gifts in your own circle, then you risk everybody knowing. and you have to be careful if someone puts a card inside that has your name, but also check for any initials. don't give purses that say hk when it's not their initials. >> don't regift right away, make sure some time has lapsed. but not as much time as you had let -- >> you forget who gave it to you and then you give it again. >> and it was all done on camera. i loved it. don't regift with immediate family members. >> right. >> has to be the right -- >> if you're busted, just say you did it. >> yes, just say it. >> okay. >> and be honest at the very beginning. why not? >> here is a crazy topic. there is this woman -- we all experienced road rage, you're in a car, someone cuts you off, you get upset, glare at them, curse at them, whatever you do. this woman in california was arrested because i guess someone -- she was tailgating somebody, right? and the young girls in front of her, either tapped the brakes or did something, this woman went crazy and started chasing them. she rammed them as you'll see here in her pickup truck off the road, she approached them in the car, she came up to the window, slashed some kind of i.d. and said she was, you know -- some kind of authority, right. and she really bumped their car. that's how mad she got. mad enough to bump someone's car. she had just been let out of prison for something else. >> that morning. >> here is the funny thing -- >> not funny, but she thought she was going to have a good day. but the rage was still in there. >> here's the thing, i -- you feel protected in the car and i've done it, i've yelled, you go crazy, you can do what you want -- >> you flipped someone off one time on the way to rehoboth. >> yes, i did. yes, i did. i did it one other time, only one other time when i was late for graduation that i was supposed to be saying some words at, i was late, i was freaking and somebody cut me off and i just leaned on the horn and i did it. i did it. and i was mad. and he looked at me, and he unrolled the window, and i said, oh, my gosh, he goes, hey, i just started working at this new television station, and he mentioned mr. irly, the general manager of our station, he said, i know mr. irly and your days are numbered. i was, like, oh, my god. the wrong person to flip off. but you get -- but you feel so angry and you can let it -- >> what did mr. irly say? >> i never said anything about it. i walked around -- maybe the guy was just messing with me. but i didn't hear another word about it. >> how about your trash compacter? >> what? >> remember when you broke the trash compacter? >> why are we talking about all the things i'm going to get in trouble. >> you've had a naughty year. all right, moral of the story -- never mind. okay. >> now, this -- we're not sure if this is true, or real, but who cares, because we love it. if you have a puppy or you know one, just look at this dancing puppy video and it will put you in a good mood. doggy day care. waiting for his owner. there she is. >> oh! >> there has to be some jumping going on. >> there are skeptics out there and scrooges who say if you look closely, it is not real. >> like he's wearing a sweater or something. >> you think it's been done graphically or electronically. i don't care. >> it's adorable. >> this will make you happy too. the perfect pet pig story. >> these two young guys, steve and derrick, thought they were adopting one of those tiny piglets. it started off as a couple of pounds. >> named her ester. >> they thought how cute. well, that pig grew from that little baby to 670 pounds. >> we said this morning, that happens -- >> look. no, in the house with the dogs. 670 pound pig. >> it couldn't cut the creep. >> look at the cats, the dogs and the pig. >> oh, my gosh. >> oh, my gosh. >> i love pigs. not sure i'd love them on the bed with me. >> and how did they learn -- >> now that i think about it. once or twice. >> oh. >> how do we do it day after day? >> okay, so some good news you guys. remember the good gifts, one year in the heart of the home book that i did for my shine the light. it sold out as we said rapidly, but we have -- we are reprinting 2,000 more books, which will probably be available sometime after the beginning of february. >> if you want to order -- it is a great, great book. go to goodgiftsbook.org. >> and thank you to all of you. i'm hearing from so many of you who received it now and are loving it. i'm so glad. it was a real labor of love. >> it is a beautiful, beautiful book. i knew you would need more. >> i never published before. it is a scary thing. you don't want to sit around with 10,000 books you can't move. >> good for you. >> sad news, joe cocker lost his battle with lung cancer i believe it was. and everybody has a favorite joe cocker song. he died in his home in colorado after a valiant fight. >> remember his song, the beatles sang "with a little help from my friends." he was at woodstock and that's -- >> he was my favorite, the one with jennifer lawrence. can we hear it? >> beautiful, beautiful. ♪ >> beautiful voice. >> our best to his family. >> do you find the holidays far from jolly? >> we have strategies to help you cope with loneliness. you know who you are. after this. [ kevin ] this is connolly, cameron, zach, and clementine. we have a serious hairball issue. we clean it up, turn around, and there it is again. it's scary. little bit in my eye. [ michelle ] underneath the kitchen table, underneath my work desk, we've got enough to knit a sweater. [ doorbell rings ] zach, what is that? the swiffer sweeper. the swiffer dusters. it's some sort of magic cloth that sucks in all the dog hair. it's quick and easy. pretty amazing that it picked it all up. i would totally take on another dog. [ kevin ] really? ♪ who's been using walmart savings catcher, now is the time to redeem your savings on holiday stocking stuffers. so you can use that to get this? yup. or this? yes. or this? yeah - or that, or this or this or this or that. redeem your savings catcher savings on last minute gifts at walmart. delsym helps silence coughs for a full 12 hours with an coughing can really be disruptive. advanced time release formula for all day or all night relief. bianca! [cheering] delsym. silence is relief. fresh step extreme lightweight litter isn't just light. it's also the best lightweight for eliminating odors. amazing, right? for superior odor elimination try fresh step extreme... lighweight. at famous footwear we're not just selling the hottest shoes of the holiday season. we're selling "here comes your future daughter-in-law" confidence this year give exclusive carlos santana boots. only from famous footwear. victory is yours. for many, the holidays are a time of joy and fun, going to party to party and getting together with friends and family. >> for others, they may feel like they don't have a lot to celebrate. christmas can seem kind of lonely, kind of like this opening scene in "bridget jones' diary." ♪ all by myself don't want to be all by myself anymore ♪ >> love that movie. >> here with some strategies for coping with loneliness are dr. sue varma, clinical assistant professor. >> and aarp contributor barbara hannah grufferman who is celebrating her birthday today. happy birthday. >> let's talk about the causes of loneliness. i think the holidays just sort of underscore anyway. some people aren't close to their families physically or emotionally. >> it is a time of joy for anybody, really, but when you have the added pressure of wanting to be jolly, holly and party ready 24/7, that adds another layer of stress. >> and things really slow down. businesses close down, there is no restaurants that you can go to on christmas day if you're looking for a place to go. >> chinese restaurants. i like chinese food. >> and there are so many expectations. >> you probably worry this a lot of people are busy because they have friends and family. if you don't, it seems weird to reach out during this time of year. >> and people just assume that you're -- one side of the family assumes you're taken care of by the other but nobody knows you might be alone, that's why it is so important to be out there and let people know. >> or if you lost somebody too within the last year or years and you're facing a holiday with an empty chair, and -- >> not only that, but about 50% of people over 50 are single by choice or circumstance, so you've got a lot of people who are lonely for the first time. >> adopt people during the holidays. >> yes, absolutely. i'm a big believer in that and letting people know -- there is so much shame and stigma associated with being lonely, but all of us feel that way. >> there is a difference between loneliness, a time that happens during the holidays and depression, like a real thing that you're talking about, right? >> yes. >> loneliness is circumstantial. >> loneliness and depression can go hand and hand but don't have to. if you're not going to do something about loneliness, it can lead to depression. depression is a constellation of symptoms. loneliness is one part of it. >> when you're feeling crummy, whatever your circumstance is, you seem to feel better when you reach out to somebody who is feeling crummier than you are. >> every time, go to a soup kitchen, volunteer, take some soup down to an elderly person. >> take the focus off yourself. >> off yourself. >> that's a true holiday spirit after all, isn't it? >> yes. >> it is. >> and loneliness really draws you inward. this is not about you. i think if you can recognize that really as human beings we need to be in a support system, we need a community, we're not -- no man is -- >> let's get people out of the rut. that was one of them. you say make a gratitude list, which things you're grateful for, right? >> i do this every day. i do something called aye eed e day and share it on facebook. no matter what is going on in the world or your life, there is always something you can yea about. if somebody has impacted your life in a positive way, send them a letter -- >> tell them. >> call them. >> get them on the phone. >> three things, three accomplishments you had, if you want to do it in a day, in a year, and three people you're grateful for and christmas card is the best way to do it. >> be generous, you're saying, too. >> as kathie lee was talking about, the soup kitchen, call up a friend, get together for coffee, come to my apartment and forget about being a perfectionist. >> don't wait for your phone to ring. >> really reach out to other people. there are a lot of lonely people through the as we were just saying. a study in 2010 of people over 45 and the vast majority of lonely people in their 40s and 50s, for the reasons that i think we have been talking about. >> hoda and i hosted the city meals on wheels luncheon and you would be amazed how many elderly home bound people there are who don't get meals on weekends, who look forward to that one person. all day long. >> yes. >> and it is about the quality, not the quantity. studies have shown. >> you have the most soothing voice. >> i know. >> did you ever cut somebody off. >> i don't drive. >> happy birthday, again. >> if you would like to know if loneliness is impacting you, take a quiz on our website, at klgandhoda.com. >> dreamed of a white christmas and they got it. an incredible god winks story that will warm your heart. first, these messages. "we can climb the highest mountain, reaching up to catch our dream together there is nothing we can't be. dive into the deepest oceans, dance upon the rolling seas, make a moment, keep the memory." "you'll lift me up, for we are free, v/o: "wherever life takes you, take it with you." pandora: unforgettable moments. fousugar. only six?ns. six grams of sugar? that's really good. excellent, delicious... and yummy! honey bunches of oats. tasty! yummy! is a really big deal.u with aches, fever and chills- there's no such thing as a little flu. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-counter remedies. attack the flu virus at its source with prescription tamiflu. and call your doctor right away. tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people 2 weeks and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. ask your doctor about tamiflu and attack the flu virus at its source. rich, chewy caramel rolled let me know if this gets too hot rolo. get your smooth on. you're doing okay, mom. i can call you "mom," right? i know we haven't known each other very long, but you seem like a real keeper. you're not perfect. but you're trying. anyway, i want you to know how much i appreciate you. you know, right? how much i love you. you're doing okay, mom. to make your signature christmas dish.rt has everything you need mine is mouthwatering mashed potatoes. i mix my russets with milk, butter, and cream cheese to make them super creamy. mmmm... and yours? sock-it-to-me spiral cut ham! whoa! you made this? yep. i just take a sam's choice super premium spiral cut ham from walmart, bake it flat side down, tent the foils so all the juices can mingle... who are you? ham man! walmart has everything you need for christmas dinner at unbeatable prices, guaranteed by savings catcher. walmart. we're back on this brain teaser tuesday when we put your minds to work with another riddle provided by our friends at brain games on the natgeo channel. >> what is as big as you are and yet doesn't weigh anything? what is as big as you are and doesn't weigh anything? >> besides your ego? >> we'll have the answer in a few minutes, unless someone already had it, whatever. >> homemade sweet treats that taste delicious. >> what is it? >> madelyn will help cut why do i cook for the holidays? to share with family to carry on traditions to come together, even when we're apart in stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and more, swanson® makes holiday dishes delicious! choosing is half the fun.. because there's a little something delicious... for everyone. hershey's miniatures, choose your own delicious. check out one of the hottest gift idebeats pill xltmas: now available with special financing when you use your walmart credit card. they're bluetooth enabled. so you can stream a song to one beats pill. and pair it with another beats pill for huge stereo sound. woah! dance off. whut? whoa! what? nothing. wooh, is the room spinning? no, just you. and now get special financing when you use your walmart credit card. more ways to christmas joy. good morning. i'm chris cato. 10:26, and not the best looking tuesday out there. let's get your forecast with glenn "hurricane" schwartz. >> wait until tonight and tomorrow more rmi,kan, it's goi to get foggier. we have a little bit of drizzle in parts of the area along with goe more of an issue as we go through the night as the2xz win die down. in the meantime, it's 50 degrees in philadelphia and warmer than that in delaware and south jersey. we're all above freezing, even in the poconos. fog and drizzle, milder than yesterday and then way warmer r tomorrow. into the 60s with warm weather and heavy rain at times. >> a 33-year-old philadelphia man is recovering this morning after being shot in the point breeze section of the city. police tell us the man was walking down 25th street with his cousin when they heard gunshots. the man realized he had been hit, ran two blocks to his house and called 911. no word on a suspect or motive. remember this guy, the so-called may fair tire slasher? he is in trouble again. he is due in court today on new charges accused of vandalizing several cars last month. he is on probation after being convicted of those tire slashings in 2012. a community is helping atng montgomery county family who lost nearly oef lly everything house fire. a neighbor set home as an act of revenge for the arrest of her son. friends are holding a fund-raiser for the family today at 3:00 at the texas roadhouse. i'm chris cato, a full hour of news in 30 minutes. get the latest news and weather at nbc10.com. have a great day. we're back with more of "today" on this booze day tuesday. we have the answer to the brain teaser riddle we asked you before the break. >> the question was, what is as big as you are, yet does not weigh anything? >> and i said, ego. >> and i looked. so i'm going to confess that it is shadow. your shadow. see? >> i like ego better. >> i knew you were going to say that. if you got the answer right, you may be feeling pretty good right now because your brain loves finding solutions to problems. you're rewarded with a hit of dopamine. okay. >> standing in the shadows now is nbc's health and nutrition editor, madelyn fernstrom back with our two brave viewers, andrea and nicole, who are trying to -- ♪ cut the creep. >> today is all about that mindless munching and sampling in the kitchen that can add up to an extra pound a month. >> hey, madelyn and ladies. >> so our ladies are really doing great. remember last week, andrea was up half a pound and so she has been redoubling her efforts. and today -- >> what happened with andrea? >> she is down 2 1/2 pounds. >> wow! >> good job! >> does that surprise you? >> no, i -- i was more drinking and less eating this week. >> okay. >> and so nicole also was half a pound last week and so she redoubled her efforts and she is down 1 1/2 pounds. >> good girl! >> that means she lost two or just -- >> from the beginning, she is down two pounds, but not just cutting the creep, down a little bit. >> let's play our game. >> go with your teammate. >> i'll go down with -- >> what are we playing? >> we have this mindless nibbles we call innocent eats. what happens is when you're mindlessly snacking here and there, calories add up. we have a little true and false game. >> are you coming up here? >> we'll start with -- >> okay. >> we'll start with some cookie dough. you can see better if you're over here. i'll stay on the end. so what we have first is -- we make cookies, here is cookie dough, which is just a little -- >> a tablespoon, half an ounce, a couple of nibbles. this has 40 calories, true orego or false? >> definitely false. >> i'll say true. >> team kathie lee would be right. only 40 in that. >> i thought it would be more. >> we like to decorate, if you make a pie or cake, with fresh whipped cream. and you have the batter. here is about two tablespoons worth. you can be licking here and there. is this true or false, this two tablespoons has 50 calories? is that true or false? >> what do you think? >> false. >> it is false. it is only 20. there is a lot of air whipped into this. >> i thought more. >> no. that was 20. >> okay. >> now we go to everyone's favorite, tiramisu, the lovely creamy dessert. a little taste of this has 35 calories. true or false? >> false. >> that is true. >> how can that be true? >> 35 calories? >> right, because a serving will be about eight of these things. this is only like a little taste. >> yeah, but still -- >> that is so rich. >> you have a little -- >> just have a little taste of it. >> this is your taste for dessert, that's good. if you're nibbling while you're cooking, not so good. so you're making mac and cheese because your kids are saying i want something before the christmas dinner. just this little taste, a tablespoon, that's 25 calories. true or false? >> got to be more. >> false. >> it would be true. it is just a tablespoon. okay. so be a taste ir like this. >> everything is less than i thought. >> all of these and then it is 600 calories. >> you get the point. that's exactly right. here is some mashed potatoes, you're tasting it with milk and butter and everything else. true or false, this has about 50 calories? true or false? >> false. >> true? >> and you're the first one to say false. that is false because it is only about 20 calories. mostly potatoes. potato -- you're not putting all of that in. you're tasting it to put a little butter and little milk, everything in moderation. okay. now you're in a big box store, sampling some things and people come with this tray, would you like this? you have one boneless chicken wing and one swedish meatball. together, 60 calories, true or false. for the two of them together, adding them up. true or false. >> false. >> false. >> yeah. >> false. >> it is false. it is 90 calories together. 50 and 40 calories. so have one of them, but they look so good. now we're going to -- >> i cannot say no to. >> homemade lasagna. cooking lasagna noodles and you want the taste, is the noodle done, too soft. >> just the noodle? >> just the noodle. if you take a sample, had half a noodle, true or false, that half a noodle has 45 calories. >> false. >> we go false. >> true. >> it would be true. >> i saw that! >> she saved you! >> we have a little pull on microskirt, go to the gym, want to pull something on for the coverage -- >> let's dig into the lasagna! >> and mashed potatoes. >> a true christmas miracle that can only be described as a god dove invited women to a makeover with a difference. hi ma'am hi would you like to have a free makeover? yeah, why not? who doesn't love a free makeover? there you go. it's a shower. it's a shower. but it's a shower with new dove body wash, with its new breakthrough formula all it takes is just one shower for softer smoother skin. want to feel? feels really good. really silky smooth. it's awesome. i love it. new dove body wash. softer, smoother skin after just one shower. we became instant bffs. then i helped my girl get hitched. three years ago in spin class, katy's starin' at this studmuffin, so i did a little cyber-snoopin' and... the dude had way too many selfies on instagram... uh oh! but he passed my inspection... and the rest is history! to katy and ryan! vo: make us part of your family. look for nutritious dairy brands with the real california seals. cow: now about those selfies... break the ice, with breath freshening cooling crystals. ice breakers. a little more snow.♪ ♪a couple more reindeer. ♪a couple more bows. ♪another dozen cookies. ♪just in case the neighbors show.♪ a little more joy for christmas!♪ ♪just a bit more garland. ♪so my stairway looks divine.♪ ♪another nutcracker, so the kids don't fight this time.♪ ♪why stop at three wise men, when the mantle fits nine?♪ ♪a little more joy for christmas!♪ every once in a while you hear a story about people experiencing what seems to be a miraculous event or divine coincidence. >> squire rushnell calls them god winks and he collected countless stories from all over the world for his book series. he's here with a special story about having hope for the holidays. >> good morning. merry, merry, merry to you. this is an amazing christmas story that is absolutely true. david espinoza and his wife toni live in mccounsewan, texas, on mexican border where the winters are tropical. david had just been given some terrible, terrible medical news that his heart was only operating at 10% capacity. >> the doctors said if i didn't have a heart transplant, as soon as possible, i was going to die. at the heart institute in houston, they gave us hope but also no guarantee. they told us the transplant list was long and i might not make it to the top in time. my dear wife toni rallied our family and friends to pray. toni prayed and prayed. but something just didn't seem right to her. praying for someone to die in order for her husband to live. so she began praying for a complete healing. and on top of that, she asked god to give her a sign that her prayer was going to be answered by making it snow in mccowan, texas, on christmas day. toni shared her prayer with our friend crawford. but he said, toni, you've lived here all your life. it hasn't snowed in mccowan in 109 years. and never on christmas. but my dear wife, with great faith, she remained resolved. at 11:45 p.m. on christmas eve, the skies opened up and it began to snow. she ran outside and looked up and all she could say was thank you, lord, thank you, lord. she just knew my heart was going to be healed. and the next day, kids of mccowan ran outside, they made snow men and the newspaper headline said, first white christmas ever. three weeks later, we went back to the hospital for a regularly scheduled appointment. the doctor looked at my chart and he said, david, i can't explain this, but you're going to be around for a long, long time. >> are you kidding? >> merry christmas. >> oh, my gosh. >> that amazing story took place ten years ago. and david is wonderful. he feels wonderful. and you know what that shows? it shows if you have faith and pray, god winks happen. >> okay. >> that's an amazing story. you always have great ones. but this one for some reason, right? >> yes. >> it is in this book, divine alignment, and it is absolutely true. >> one of my favorite segments we do. >> yes. everybody loves them. thank you, squire. >> merry christmas. >> love it. something else sweet for the holidays, homemade goodies. >> make them today. they're going to love you. at famous footwear we're not just selling the hottest shoes of the holiday season. we're selling "here comes your future daughter-in-law" confidence this year give exclusive carlos santana boots. only from famous footwear. victory is yours. i heard you have a tough clog. i only have ten minutes. i only need 7. liquid plumr urgent clear penetrates the toughest clogs with two fast acting gels in only 7 minutes guaranteed baby. delsym helps silence coughs for a full 12 hours with an coughing can really be disruptive. advanced time release formula for all day or all night relief. bianca! [cheering] delsym. silence is relief. to make your signature christmas dish.rt has everything you need mine is mouthwatering mashed potatoes. i mix my russets with milk, butter, and cream cheese to make them super creamy. mmmm... and yours? sock-it-to-me spiral cut ham! whoa! you made this? yep. i just take a sam's choice super premium spiral cut ham from walmart, bake it flat side down, tent the foils so all the juices can mingle... who are you? ham man! walmart has everything you need for christmas dinner at unbeatable prices, guaranteed by savings catcher. walmart. . something's happening. >> oh, now she makes it -- >> wait, whose song is that? ♪ a beautiful sight >> i love that woman singing. >> holiday kitchen if you're headed to someone's house for hanukkah or christmas, why not give them a gift from your heart and your home. >> everybody loves homemade goodies. here with fittive id ifestive i make is chef craig. >> we're excited you're here. what are we making? >> i wanted to do some things that maybe you had a bunch of times, but probably haven't made yourself. >> okay. >> the first one is marshmallows. >> making your own marshmallows. >> it is easy. >> all right. >> let me show you how it goes. it is gelatin rehydrated with a little cold water. and you put that into your mixer like this. >> okay. >> put that in. >> and then -- >> that looks like my thighs. >> that's gelatin, all right. then we have sugar and corn syrup that has been cooked to soft ball stage, 230 degrees. carefully pour it down the sides so that it melts the gelatin. >> okay. >> and really that's it. all you have to do is whip it up, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes. >> and then what happens? >> it will get light and fluffy like this. let's switch over to this one that is already done. and -- >> look at that. >> that's after 10 or 15 minutes. really easy. you flavor it with whatever you want. we'll put a little vanilla, a little orange zest, and grand marnier. >> oh! >> let it whisk in there. >> this might be the first time i like a marshmallow. you either love them or you don't. >> yeah. >> all right. >> then you need to prepare this by greasing it. and then this is a mixture of powdered sugar and starch. helps it from sticking. >> a little sweetness. >> take your little marshmallow mix out. >> that looks good to me. >> kids will love making this. >> yeah. easy, right? grease it up. so it doesn't stick. >> grease up that, okay. >> and then pour it into the pan. >> i can't believe this. >> this is the way it is made apparently. >> nobody knew. >> you can flavor it with -- or you can turn it into mocha with a little bit of coffee and cocoa powder. >> what do you do with it now? >> once it is set like this, you put a little cornstarch back on top and you let it sit for four hours or overnight is better. then you can take a little pizza cutter. >> that's it? >> what? >> look at that. >> look how cute. >> that's adorable. >> chocolate. >> hoda, for you. >> that's so sweet. >> kathie lee. >> it is in the cup. you give it like this. when people are enjoying it, they think of you the next morning. >> that's a great idea. let's come around back. >> okay. >> okay. >> excellent. >> now we're going to do some caramel popcorn. >> oh, good. >> i love popcorn. my wife is a popcorn aficionado. she thinks it should be one of the major food groups. >> yes. >> so here we have a little brown sugar, some butter, and a little corn syrup, you cook it for like four minutes. >> okay. >> and little bit of vanilla again. >> okay. >> i'll have you help me by stirring it. when i pour it on top. the secret is a little bit of baking soda. so when you put the baking soda, it will make it frothed up and turn into, like, a mousse. >> uh-huh. >> and that allows you to pour it easily on to the popcorn. >> okay. >> so we're going do it like this, ready? you first. stir, stir, stir. >> making me nervous. >> don't burn yourself. >> sorry. >> all right, ladies. >> this does look really good, though. >> gosh. >> oh. >> and you eat the stuff you -- >> stir it up. so if you want it to be soft, you're going to leave it the way it is. sprinkle some of these candy canes on it. it is going to be a little holidayish. >> if you want it to be -- >> if you want it to be firmer, what you want to do is bake it in the oven. put it on a sheet pan and stick it in the oven at like 250 degrees, takes about half an hour. >> all right. we're going to run, but you got some great ideas down here too. >> yes, over here, i love giving it in a bowl like this. now this is your -- >> you still have that. >> exactly. >> all rest you can find on our website. thank you so much. >> awesome. >> we have got a special delivery for our fans. this is "today" on nbc. now it is time to shine our fan spotlight on a few of our viewers waiting some special deliveries. >> you sent in some creative holiday themed pregnancy announcements. they were so clever, we wanted to share them. >> look at this one from amy. santa is promoting me to big brother. oh, june 4th, 2015. >> check out this one from a family adding a third child to the group. why not add one more to this hot mess. >> how sweet. >> is there a june trend? here is a cute one from the bloom family. the gifts don't come under the tree. >> look at this precious ornament from the singer family showing a snowman family with baby 2015. >> precious. >> here is a cute one from the jordan family. a wonderful time of year to announce that our family is growing by two feet. look how teeny the little slippers are. >> i love that. >> finally, the hundleys, dear santa, i've been a very good girl this year. for christmas, i would like a tea party set, check, a doll, check, and to become a big sister, check. how awesome. >> i'm like a mess today, emotionally. >> i know. >> everything. congratulations to all the expecting families out there. to see more holiday themed pregnancy announcements you sent in, head to klgandhoda.com. >> tomorrow, creative last minute gifts because there's still time. >> hoda, you'll see hoda out there. and how to keep yourself from getting too overwhelmed. >> and christmas eve seafood feast with fun cocktails. >> we'll see you back here tomorrow. god bless, everybody. right now at 11:00, a live at i-95 as people get a jump on holiday travel. driving conditions aren't the best. they are only going to get worse. bad weather is coming at a bad time whether you are going by road or air. fog is impacting holiday travel+ here. >> it's just going to get worse as we go into tonight and tomorrow. that's why we have first alert weather days for that 24-hour÷k period. we're going to have foggy travel troubles, especially for flyingv aior