calm winds. a little bit variable, however, so right now we are seeing issues as far as fog is concerned. less than a mile and a half. 4-mile visibility in babylon and belmar less than a mile. there is a fog advisory that has been issued by the national weather service in effect until 9:00 a.m. so, let's take a look at our vortex radar. the clouds are thick and soupy. we are seeing light returns in green. so we may see a couple sprinkles. certainly not much to worry about. we're going to see a break in those clouds and sunshine soon enough. coming up in my full forecast, i have what to expect for this upcoming weekend. back to you guys. >> christians are rejoicing on one of the holiest days on the christian calendar. many catholics waited for midnight mass to begin at the historic st. patrick's cathedral. >> it was well worth the wait for those lucky enough to have a ticket. janelle joins us live outside st. patrick's cathedral with more. janelle. merry christmas to you, steve and andrea. it is a warm, gorgeous christmas morning here on 5th avenue. what better place to be than st. patrick's cathedral. that's what thousands of people planned and did here last night, ringing in the christmas holiday. okay, so we're having technical difficulties, but thousands packed in last night. it was a lottery system. timothy dolan give mass. there were singers, lots of caroling and he gave a homily talking about the meaning of the season for christians, the birth of christ. we are expecting hundreds more to be out here later this morning to celebrate mass once again thr. are several services planned here and we're expecting to be large crowds here because of so, come out, celebrate christmas. we may want to wish everyone at home a merry christmas. cbs 2 news. >> all the crowds, thank you so much. it was a packed house for christmas eve midnight mass at the st. agnus cathedral. st. agnus was established as a parish in 1984. tens and thousands of people attended mass in vatican city. pope francis called for christians to live as jesus did. and worshipers gathered at the church of nativity where christians believe jesus was born. >> strangers in need, on christmas eve, volunteers at god's love prepare, packed, and delivered meals to those too ill to cook or shop for those giving say all year round, it's work they love. volunteers with city meals on wheels were out in force yesterday. helpers of all ages pitching in with deliveries all around the city. a holiday tradition came to an end in lower manhattan, as a restaurant serve second-degree its final feast for hundreds of the city's homeless. the owner of city hall has welcomed families on christmas eve for 17 years serving warm meals and even giving a toy to every child. but the restaurant is closing on new year's eve due to financial troubles. the owner hopes another restaurant will pick up the tradition. >> all right, time now, 4:34. the town of bethlehem comes to bronxville. from joseph and mary to a shepherd with his own flock, to bring the story of christmas to life. december. a look at the unusual wild warm weather we're experiencing this holiday season. >> and andrea and steve, checklist enclouds fog to start off the day. sunshine in the works. normal. i have all the details coming i'll see you then. seriously? where do you think you're going? to work, with you. it's taco tuesday. you're not coming. i took mucinex to help get rid of my mucusy congestion. oh, right then i'll swing by in like 4 hours. forget the tacos! one pill lasts 12 hours. i'm good all day. wait! your loss. i was going to wear a sombrero. only mucinex has a bi-layer tablet that starts fast, and keeps working. not 4, not 6, but 12 full hours. start the relief. ditch the misery. it's going to turn into kareoke in the studios, holly jolly christmas, what better way to begin a christmas at 4:37. a live look outside of manhattan right now. as we welcome you back to cbs 2 this morning. a little warm for this christmas morning. looks like santa's sleigh isn't the only red vehicle cruising through our area this christmas. we caught this convertible making their way across the bridge yesterday. more proof if you needed any of our remarkably warm temperatures, which included record highs for christmas eve. and the warmth is being felt throughout the eastern u.s. it helped launch damaging and even deadly storms. >> another weather system even brought rare tornadoes to northern california. cbs 2's don champion reports. >> on this holiday of giving, some people in northern california are taking stock of what's lost after an outbreak of tornadoes. >> seeing trees swirling like a blender, it was pretty scary. >> oh my gosh. >> cell phone video captured the twisters roaring through eldorado county, bringing down power lines and uprooting trees. >> we have been here for 45 years and we've never had >> mike saw a tree crash down on his neighbor's car. a child was inside. >> it hit the back, just barely hit the car on the back end. >> rare tornadoes come as people in the midwest and south continue cleaning up after the outbreak of deadly tornadoes there this week, pastor barry reynolds, whose church was destroyed, called it a test of god. >> e had is testing our faith. testing how strong we're going to be. >> at this red cross, donations of food, clothing, even christmas gifts have poured in. >> i have not seen this generosity in a single county. >> neighbors determined to keep the giving spirit alive, in the face of so much loss. don champion, cbs news. all right, time now is 4:39. this crazy weather also here in our area, not as bad as other parts of the country. let's head over to erica she joins us with our christmas day forecast. >> we have another warm day on tap. conditions above normal. so something to look forward to, because we have a change on the approach soon enough. we are tracking the potential for snow showers. i'll get to that in just one moment. otherwise, weather watchers, thank you so much for joining us so early in the morning. currently, 59 degrees and les is talking about, happy holidays, and merry christmas. he's also enjoying a box of toys that came in with great presents and who knows what that means. so, thank you for so much participating and being a weather watcher. also have anthony, 54 degrees in cedar grove, new jersey, what does anthony have to say? merry christmas to all our men and women who serve in our armed forces. conditions are a mix of sun and clouds and the sunshine will peek on through as the day progresses. and currently, temperatures are in the low 60s. now yesterday, we were also off in the 50s and 60s and today, another above normal temperatures for today. winds are variable and calm right now. headlines include a foggy start to the day. we could break another record and peeks of sunshine as the day continues. and temperatures on average above normal for this time of the year. about 13 degrees. so, vortex radar picking up on clouds moving on through and notice here, we're seeing light grays here. that's noting the lower level cloud deck. of course, that fog moving across the area. a wider perspective, some showers just offshore and some showers also moving through the great lakes, a stationary front will keep conditions pretty much warm for today. but cooler temperatures by monday. a high pressure system will start to develop and then we'll keep those showers at bay, but more showers approaching throughout the weekend. so, really a mixed bag, at least through sunday. so, christmas day temperatures overall tonight, we're going to keep it warm as well. mid to upper 40s. mainly cloudy, a few showers. winds northerly, 5 to 8 miles per hour. 52 is the expected high. we're going to keep it nice and warm and your extended forecast looks like this. saturday, 52 as i just mentioned and keeping it in the mid 60s. by monday into tuesday, very interesting time frame. models are currently showing the potential for some snow showers. of course, we will keep you updated on that overnight lows start to dip into the 30s. by monday into tuesday, back to you guys. >> erica, thank you. it's a painful christmas for the family of a 23-year-old college student who has been missing for six weeks. >> his family believes he may have been the victim of a crime in upper manhattan. cbs 2 sonia has the story. >> anthony always spends christmas with his family at home on the upper west side. but his mom, judith lopez says they aren't having any celebration without him. until he comes home. >> hay pieced together what happened about the night he went missing. he went to a club and left alone, someone called him a cab, but he didn't take it home. >> then he got out of the taxi and he went to the truck, which is located at 410th avenue to buy food. after that, he started walking to 203 and 9th avenue. >> they have gotten this surveillance vade video. they notice something strange. a car comes down the one-way street, turns around, and goes the wrong way, then anthony disappears from view. lopez provided this information to the detectives on the case. >> the department should look into it. >> while the video places anthony on this street, his family has no idea where he was going. they are hoping his cell phone records will shed light on that. the river is half a block away from where he was last seen and the family reached out to the senator. >> we wanted the police to take a look at every single possible lead that may lead to his where abouts. >> including that strange car. judith lopez believes anthony was the victim of a crime and never gone on a trip without taking his dog. >> everywhere anthony goes, he takes sam. >> his mother set up a go fund me page and offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to him. she is hoping to hire a private investigator with the rest of the money raised if the police investigation gets to a dead end. in inwood, cbs 2 news. a full-time student at leeman college in the bronx. a disturbing discovery on one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. yesterday morning, a new jersey passenger was caught carrying cane. a tsa officer noticed something unusual in the cane's handle when it was x-rayed. the officer twisted the handle and found the steel weapon. police say they are searching for a subway robber who is telling his victims he has a gun. investigators have linked richard brown to at least five robberies dating back to august month. they say even though he said he had a weapon, the 21-year-old never showed one. the victims were ordered to hand over their phones. >> hurting a pedestrian and assaulting a traffic cop. this is the cell phone video of the suspect layed out on the street with officers surrounding him on the upper east side. investigators say yesterday afternoon, cameron of connecticut was driving erratically on 2nd avenue, weaving in and out of traffic, up on to the sidewalk. they say the 27-year-old slammed into several vehicles, including this gray car and a taxi cab. >> it was really, really bad. it was really bad. good thing there were no kids. >> one block over, he jumped out of his car and began bystanders pulled him off. she is expectedded to recover. we have all seen it. people walking down the street their phones. how dangerous distracted walking can be. kenneth craig explains. >> reporter: it's a familiar america. people walking with their eyes on their phone instead of the road. the urban dictionary even has a word for it, patextrian. >> it would be weird to see people on their phone. >> we spotted jordan video chatting. >> you definitely shouldn't, but i still do it. >> some can be more serious, like this woman walking into a fountain, or this man accidentally falling on the train tracks. no train was approaching at the time. distracted walking injuries are becoming so common, the national safety council or nfc the group says the numbers have jumped with the growth of cell use. from less than 515 years ago to more than 2,000 in 2011. >> it's common for distracted pedestrians to fall on the sidewalk or wander into traffic. but 52% of the walking injuries actually happen at home. >> when you think about the home environment, some of the most dangerous situations can be on stairs where people could have a really bad fall. >> debbie hersman says common concussions. and she believes these accidents will increase as more people use cell phones. york. and if you listen to music while walking, experts recommend lowering the volume so you can hear the sound of your surroundings. >> kind of sad when you walk around and see everybody i'm guilty. >> i think we all are here. 4:47 right now. a historic church nearly >> we would not be standing in this building right now. >> today, the easten landmark is stronger than ever. >> why worshipers are calling its comeback a christmas miracle. and another check of your forecast when we come back. (coughing) coughing disrupts everyone's life. that's why there's delsym. delsym's advanced time release formula helps silence coughs for a full 12 hours. all night... let's get these dayquil liquid gels and go. but these liquid gels are new. mucinex fast max. it's the same difference. this one is max strength and fights mucus. mucinex fast max. the only cold and flu liquid gel that's max-strength and fights mucus. let's end this. piano music. i'm glad you finally made it, dad. you have to experience this city. that's what you always say. you were right about the food. hi john. hey kevin. spent the day with an astronaut. one more. it's beautiful, isn't it? how about a baseball game next time? done! done. book priceless experiences around the globe with... this is run dmc. this is christmas in queens. >> you just heard it the first time. >> the time is now, the place is here, and the whole wide world is feeling the cheer. watch out now. welcome back to cbs 2 news this morning. i told you, it's going to turn into kareoke hour, be careful, we get crazy on christmas. >> hopefully your morning is going well so far, merry christmas to everybody. >> i'm feeling the spirit. 10 until 5:00 this morning. erica martin once again. warm day in the forecast and of course, we will take it for christmas. so something to look forward to for the rest of everybody out there. the only thing is, we do have some fog issues this morning. so, another mild day in the forecast. we do have the possibility of scattered showers, but mainly a dry day and breaks in those clouds. cooling down tomorrow, warming back up on sunday. a little bit of a roller coaster ride if you will, almanac, we topped out at 65 degrees just after midnight and the low was 60. and as we take a look at our christmas forecast, 2:00 p.m., 65 degrees, and 6:00 p.m. keeping in the low 60s. your extended forecast, well, i'm excited because there's snow possibly in the forecast and it looks like monday into tuesday could be a little bit snowy. but of course, we'll be tracking that for you. >> wait, what? >> perfect. but warm today. the warmness continues. >> erica, thanks so much. church in suffolk county are completed. members of riverhead's first congregational church are using the sanctuary. over the summer, cracks were found in support beams, emergency repairs began immediately before the roof collapsed. now the church has a new roof and ceiling. worshipers credit help from above for making what seemed impossible happen. >> it's a christmas miracle. it was a miracle it didn't fall down. >> it's a genuine gift of god. >> the historic church was built in the 1830s. >> in westchester, a christmas tradition that began a century ago at at bronxville church. >> a reenactment of the nativity, including live animals. the bronxville christmas pageant. >> the holy family in the flesh made their christmas eve appearance to reenact the story of jesus' birth in a living nativity. >> the virgin mary. and going to give birth to baby jesus. and the manger angel. nine-year-old, bella rodriguez. >> i'm the manger angel and i sit with mary in the manger with the baby. >> this is the 101st year the pageant has come together with the help of seven churches throughout bronxville. >> real animals including a donkey and camel were called in to make the theme authentic. religious leaders from the seven bronxville church c's read bible verses. >> it's a warm moment for people to be still and enjoy the season and one another and their families. >> a live band played sounds of the holiday season. all of it a community effort and celebration. >> it's special because all the elements come together and make it happen. >> it's very special. it's our first year here in bronxville and we have never >> in westchester county -- >> merry christmas. >> valerie castro, cbs 2 news. >> so cute. the christmas pageant relies on donations from the community to make it happen every year. they had good weather last night, which was great, too. >> that doesn't hurt, right? all right, our next half hour, a new york city woman has new reason to dance this christmas. >> the risky procedure that saved her life after doctors discovered an unusual knot in her brain. with dunkin' donuts' holiday- cookie-flavored coffees. from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., enjoy any medium latte or macchiato for $1.99. seriously? where do you think you're going? to work, with you. it's taco tuesday. you're not coming. i took mucinex to help get rid of my mucusy congestion. oh, right then i'll swing by in like 4 hours. forget the tacos! one pill lasts 12 hours. i'm good all day. wait! your loss. i was going to wear a sombrero. only mucinex has a bi-layer tablet that starts fast, and keeps working. not 4, not 6, but 12 full hours. start the relief. ditch the misery. every sip. the taste uniquely dunkin'. each cup uniquely you. brewed fresh because it's not just any coffee. it's your coffee, your dunkin'. america runs on dunkin'. welcome back. it's a special christmas for one new york city dancer who developed an illness that not only threatened her career, but her life. >> months after a risky surgery to get rid of a rare blockage in her brain, she is back to doing what she loves. marley hall has her story. >> reporter: when alana takes the dance floor, every move is a celebration of life. >> i'm just really blessed to >> after suffering migraines, the 24-year-old dancer was diagnosed last february with a malformation. >> an abnormal tangle of blood vessels that stops the flow of blood. >> there's something in the back of the brain that you don't see on the other side. >> doctors at lennox hill hospital knew if it was left untreated, it could burst causing brain damage. they decided surgery was the best, but riskiest treatment. >> you can lose vision from operating in this location. we can't say we haven't seen that before, it happens. >> alana underwent the complicated operation. first, doctors flooded the avm with medical glue, then surgeries successfully removed the tangle. and needs regular scans to make sure there is no bleeding. she now dances eight hours a day at the prestigious ballet school. >> i can go for anything. there's nothing stopping me now. >> she hopes to one day become a broadway dancer. marley hall, cbs news, new york. the american stroke association says avm's affect less than 1% of people, but they are more common in men than women. all right, time now, 4:58. still ahead, the day's top stories. >> millions of christians around the world celebrating christmas and the birth of christ. we'll have a live report outside of st. patrick's cathedral coming up. >> plus, the dark side versus the light. how a new jersey church used the force to tell the story at christmas. >> and a gift from a stranger. how one professor is teaching her students a lesson that will change a 13-year-old girl's life. begins in 90 seconds. live from studio 46. this is cbs 2 news this morning. >> it is 5:00 out there. 61 degrees on this friday, december 25. merry christmas to everybody. >> merry christmas, and a good morning to you, i'm steve overmeyer. >> chris and mary are off. we'll get to our top stories in a moment. first, let's get to erica martin with a check on our forecast. i can't believe it's 61 degrees out there. >> it's really nice. balmy, conditions are warm. above normal for this time of the year. another warm day in the forecast, but we do have a cooldown in the works just in time for the following workweek. current temperatures as andrea just mentioned, in the low 60s. the only issue there, of course, we're picking up moisture offshore. so keep that in mind. this is why we do have some issues as far as visibility goes, especially a long island. we have a fog advisory. here's our vortex radar. notice those lighter gray clouds kind of moving on through. denoting that we have some clouds at the lower level. this is why we are having fog issues. no worries, everything will mix out, evaporate, and improve. a nice day in the forecast, although we have the possibility of some scattered now coming up in my full forecast, we'll talk about the possibility of a change and maybe some snow showers by next week. back to you. >> all right, erica, thank you. christians are rejoicing on one of the holiest days of the year. >> it was well worth the wait for those lucky enough to have a ticket. cbs 2 joins us live outside st. patrick's cathedral in midtown with more. merry christmas to you, janelle. >> reporter: merry christmas steve and andrea. it's a gorgeous morning here on 5th avenue. taking pictures this morning because it is so warm. it's a tradition for a lot of families. many of which who are at midnight mass here last night helping to ring in the holiday. voices raised in voices of a full st. patrick's cathedral as believers celebrate the birth of christ. emanuel. god is with us. light over darkness. >> a message of hope for the season and for the faithful in attendance at midnight mass, including jim sullivan, the the service began. >> i'm grateful to have been, this is my second year in a row i've been able to win the lottery. >> we turned it into a tradition. >> good over evil. faith over doubt. hope over despair. because god is in our mist. for family, together, rejoicing. it's here with the cardinal and just the christmas carols and everything else, just brings the spirit of christmas into your heart. >> and back live, you can see they have the barricades and a police van already outside of the cathedral this morning in anticipation of the crowds. they have the first mass scheduled for 7:00. there's another one a half hour later. several masses here this morning. so they are encouraging people to stop by and celebrate mass here at st. patrick's on this merry holy day on the christian calendar. reporting live outside st. patrick's cathedral, cbs 2 news. >> what a beautiful service, janelle, thank you. it was a special christmas eve for dozens who couldn't make it to church yesterday. timothy cardinal dolan celebrated mass with fdny members from engine 54. the fire house responds to st. patrick's cathedral. following mass, they posed for and it was a packed house for christmas eve midnight mass as well as the historic cathedral in rockville center. st. agnus was established as a parrish. the mass aired live on our sister station, wlny. >> sharing the spirit of the season with strangers in need. on christmas eve, volunteers at god's love, we deliver in soho prepared, packed, and delivered meals to those too ill to cook or shop for themselves. those giving their time say all year round, it is work they love. >> i wouldn't stop coming here ever. i still -- when i leave the building, still walk out on clouds. >> volunteers with city meals on wheels are also out in force yesterday. helpers of all ages pitching in with deliveries all around the city. >> a holiday tradition came to an end as a restaurant served its final feast for hundreds of the city's homeless. the owner of city hall has eve for 17 years. serving warm meals and even giving a toy to every child. but the restaurant is closing new year's eve due to financial troubles. the owner hopes another restaurant will pick up the tradition. all right, a christmas eve barbecue is not a tradition in the tristate area, but it is one way that people are celebrating the holiday in this incredibly warm weather. from brooklyn, cbs 2 reports. >> at the annual christmas lights extravaganza, the hottest attraction this year. the ice cream truck. >> merry christmas. >> it's really insane. not wearing a jacket. >> and holiday weather that seems to have been imported from southern california. the spirit of the season in this section of brooklyn does not appear to have suffered. >> not in this neighborhood, because as you can see, we have many lights. it's very festive. >> it's a summer barbecue for the family. no chestnuts roasting on the open fire. >> we enjoy it. the kids are running around in the backyard having a lot of fun. it's much better than being out here with the snowplow, that's for sure. >> it's beginning to look nothing like christmas. >> it feels like summer. it's warmer than it is supposed to be. >> santa on skis looks lost in the grass while a sign of times makes an appeal. maybe, just maybe it's possible to enjoy christmas without having to freeze. >> christmas eve, 2015, our kids will be telling their grandkids about this one. in brooklyn, cbs 2 news. last night my sister was at church. they chose this time to fix the air conditioner. not thinking they would need to use it. it was so hot last night. time now is 5:07, it's warm here, but stormy out west. after the break, a look at the unusual weather taking place in other parts of the country this christmas. plus -- you can do it. you must learn from your mistakes. >> there you go. little fan has a giant message for odel beckham, jr., following his suspension. piano music. wow. i'm glad you finally made it, dad. you have to experience this city. that's what you always say. you were right about the food. welcome. only in new york, right? i guess so. and a real astronaut. that was something. hi john. hey kevin. one more. didn't you want to be an astronaut? ...be an astronaut? yes, i did. there's still time. ahhhh!!! it's beautiful, isn't it? how about a baseball game next time? done! done. book priceless experiences around the globe with... we'll just let it play out. we will play it out. 5:11. >> when it comes on at 6:00, maybe. >> we welcome you back to cbs 2 news this morning. it was streaking across the sky, but it wasn't santa. these grainy radar images of an asteroid flying close to earth on christmas eve. the object 3600 feet long. it will be a safe fly buy at a distance of 6.8 million miles away. it returns three years from now. >> while we're experiencing record warmth, more unusual weather has hit northern california. >> yeah, two tornadoes touching down last night, cell phone video capturing these twisters roaring through eldorado county in modesto bringing down power lines and rooting down trees. >> seeing trees swirling like a >> we've been here for 45 years and we've never had anything like this before happen. >> people in the midwest and the south also cleaning up after an outbreak of deadly tornadoes. donations of food, clothing, even christmas gifts have poured in. >> some incredible weather across the country, erica. >> that's right, abnormal, of course, we have warm temperatures in the gulf. and of course, any time we're clashing warm air with cold air, that's going to set off some severe weather and that's what is going on now. we have warmer temperatures across the area, partly cloudy skies, but we will see a couple extra clouds starting to develop as the day progresses, but then, the sun will peek on through. i promise, right now, temperatures are in the 60s. it's mild and muggy and the winds are pretty calm right now. so, again, keep in mind, we do have some cooler temperatures on the way. as far as we're concerned, we're going to enjoy these above normal temperatures. checklist for today, umbrella have a great hair day. no coats needed, conditions will be warm. watch out for that fog. we have a fog advisory issued until 9:00 a.m. so, record december average for this month, 2015, december is going to be recorded as one of the warmest, just under 52 degrees for the month of december. on average. now conditions across the entire nation notice just how much cooler it is in the pacific northwest. the northern high plains also seeing much cooler temperatures. we have cheyenne at 16. billings at 18. denver currently at 24 degrees and the temperature grade gradient, much warmer along the eastern sea board. unsettled weather as a low pressure system. still affecting the northern plains. so keep in mind, we do have some showers, snow showers moving on through. locally, just seeing plenty of clouds in the mix. improve as that sun comes out. however, i would like you to keep in mind that we have a series of short waves kicking on through, which is why it will be unsettled. here is your fog advisory issued by the national weather service. again, as the sun comes out, it will evaporate and the day will improve. future cast, picking up on spot showers for parts of southern new jersey. we may see one or two pockets of heavy downpours, overall, a nice day in the forecast and we'll take that, considering how warm it is for this christmas day and notice future cast picking up on extra showers for the first half of the weekend and we'll see a little bit of a break. coming up in my next full forecast, i'll talk about what to expect for the following week, back to you. >> tens and thousands of people attended mass. pope francis called for christians to live as jesus did with empathy, compassion, and mercy. and christmas worshipers believe jesus was born. knitting for those in need. anna learned to knit when she was 14 and often makes gifts for family and friends. so she read about syrian immigrants in germany who needed hats and scarves to face what was the harshest winter of their lives. so the aspiring theater director went to work knitting 11 hats and scarves. anna and other knitters and canada made nearly a thousand hats and scarves. photos went viral on knitting websites. one caught anna's eye. >> i was like, oh my god. that boy has my hat. so it was a totally amazing moment. >> now with the help of her friends, anna is knitting more hats to spread a little bit more warmth. a teenager from virginia received a life changing christmas gift. 13-year-old, rebecca jensen unwrapped a new prosthetic hand at mary mount university in jensen received the gift who created the 3d print the hand to teach her children a lesson. >> i wanted to teach them what it meant to give and not receive this christmas. >> i was very surprised by what it was. >> i kept getting phone calls and e-mails and she was aware that something was happening. i managed to deflect, divert, distract. >> the professor involved no the project has been printing 3d hands for those in need enabling the future. >> great to see the technology coming into play here. >> absolutely. >> some star wars fans are so devoted to the movies, they say it's like a religion. >> now a new jersey church combined the bible with the block buster to deliver a unique christmas eve service. tracy has the story. christmas eve in a galexy far, far away, or morristown, new jersey, a nondenominational an out of this world way. pastor tim lucas, no relation to george, combined bible scripture to tell the story of birth. >> we are telling the book of revelation, which imagines on christmas eve, the battle between the dark side and the light. the forces of god versus the forces of evil. >> each christmas eve, the service has a theme. this may be the most over the top. complete with dancing storm troopers. clips from the movies, light sabers, and a live nativity scene. with a packed house, pastor lucas hopes this service appeals to everyone. >> it's a good way to get people to come to church. >> we are older and it's going to take time to get used to. god will get the message to us in any way he can. >> it's not the church i grew up in. when i grew up going to church in catholic, it was very boring. >> i'm actually a clone trooper. >> are you wearing your halloween costume? >> no. >> i thought it was interesting. >> while some may prefer a more traditional christmas eve service, this church says their message is still the same this holiday season. >> we talk about every person needs to make that choice for themselves. are they going to live a life of fear and hate or one of hope and faith? we hope as christians they choose the light over the dark side. >> i think it created a good connect. >> jedi knights could understand of all ages. cbs 2 news. the church estimates they hosted a record 8,000 people at yesterday's service. that would have been outstanding to be there for that. >> choosing light over darkness is the message. >> absolutely. >> very interesting. time now is 5:18. city to spread christmas cheer. after the break, we go musical. weather. i'm from italy and i want to shout out to my family in upstate new york and say merry christmas. the whole family and my baby brother, my older brother. hope to see you soon. what dear? oh! oh, you're bad. stop that! i'm sorry. (vo) a new york millionaire spent $714,000 what? oh ho ho! (vo) you'd make a way better rich person. lotto. making more new yorkers rich than any other game. whlesoonel ha a t f?at nfu unasthpor dgh [ music ] >> one warm december. is that what they just said, jackson five? the warm december. i know, christmas classics on this christmas morning. hope your day is off to a great start. 5:22. morning. elf, the musical, based on the christmas comedy movie is on stage at madison square garden. >> joe is going to look behind the scenes. [ music ] the musical follows the story of buddy, the elf, living in an or fannage up until santa stops by for a visit. taken all the way back north pole. >> he was raised by elfs and he to new york to meet his real father. he travels to north pole through the lincoln tunnel. >> he tries to connect with a family that he never knew and tries to fit into life in the big apple. he discovers love with a girl who lost all her christmas spirit. >> in meeting buddy, she regains all of that and lets her heart open up. >> he went backstage at the theater at madison square garden with one of the show's cor jog choreographers. >> great live big band music. >> here's the quick change station behind the stage where the cast gets ready. there are hundreds of costumes, wigs, and shoes. >> they have amazing dressers, they do in 30 seconds. these are custom made, beautiful elf shoes. they have a twist at the end. >> walk with caution, exactly. >> so here we are in the wardrobe room. get their maintenance. >> there are 25 cast members, but 95 wigs because the characters are constantly changing their like. at the theater at madison square garden. cbs 2 news. >> and elf the musical runs through this sunday. >> all original music in that show. >> very good. >> the head of the nfl referee association responds to the o'dell ordeal. and the mets post season hero will now be a rival. >> i know, here's mark morgan with your sports update. >> the executive director of the referee association says handled differently. the officiating crew should have done a better job in control. now the incidents between the two players became more and more heated and physical as the game wore on, with nothing done by the officials to maintain control. fighting in front of an official. he breaks up the fight. a lot of what followed could have been avoided. beckham, jr., apologized and doesn't expect any problems moving forward. >> i think we know how to communicate with him. obviously that situation to be honest with you, wasn't any indication that was coming. i think at this point in time, he certainly will have learned. he loves to play and he does not want the sacrifice of a game, it's going to be extremely meaningful to him. >> the jets are hoping for some charitable assistance. to make the playoffs, they must win their final two games starting sunday and then get some help. even if they win their final two games, the jets could be 11- 5 and amazingly, miss the playoffs. head coach says hey, the math is what it is. >> no, that's not frustrating. whether that's 10, 11, 12, the rules have been the same. first year and we got beat out by a tie breaker. so you have to win the game, you have to want to get in. if we do win. if we happen to go 11-5, we didn't get in. >> it seemed unlikely all along, now the mets have no chance to bring back him. cbssports.com reports the mets offered the outfielder a short two or three year deal without including numbers money wise. that was probably a nonstarter because he is known to be looking for and will likely receive a five or six year deal. the market for his services include the angels, giants, white sox, and tigers. mets fans can also officially say good-bye to post season hero, daniel murphy, who agreed with a three-year deal with the nationals. so, he is staying in the nl east, earlier remember the mets traded for pirates second baseman, neil walker, making murphy expendable. i'm mark morgan, merry christmas. scene as a young giants fan had a message. after the star receiver was suspended for fighting during a game. >> when you are mad at someone, you do not let them stare at them or fight with them. you tell the referee in the game. >> there you go. great advice from six-year-old sidney mosley from queens. he is a role model. he was suspended for one game after playing rough against the panthers on sunday. to watch the full message, go to cbsnewyork.com. >> up next, today's top stories. >> merry christmas from st. patrick's cathedral where hundreds are expected to come celebrate mass on this christmas holiday. we'll have a live report coming up. and has christmas gone to the dogs? how far some people go to make sure their pets aren't left out for the holidays. continues right after this. music: "thunder clatter" by wild cub most weekends only last a couple of days. some last a lifetime. hampton. we go together. only when you book direct at hampton.com live from studio 46. this is cbs 2 news this morning. it is 5:30 and very warm on this friday, december 25, merry christmas. for everybody. good morning, i'm steve overmeyer. >> chris and mary are off. we begin with erica martin in for john for a check of the forecast s. >> it's nice and warm, as you mentioned, merry christmas. a gorgeous day for today. we have a couple that will be stubborn, but overall, it's a nice day. conditions above normal for this time of the year. looks like we're going to see mid 60s. we have an issue with fog. fog advisory has been issued. currently, temperatures are in the 60s. low 60s easterly, just off the water. 3-miles per hour. sea surface temperatures are pretty warm, which is why we are seeing the dense fog advisory that has been issued by the national weather service. look at this. babylon, less than a mile visibility. take your time driving. i like to emphasize, please do not turn on those high beams. and here is your fog advisory. dense fog advisory until 9:00 a.m. and vortex radar picking up on some showers just to the northwest crossing the great offshore. mainly clouds for today, but don't be surprised if you see a couple sprinkles out there. hour by hour forecast looks good to me. 3:00 p.m., 65 degrees. and keeping it in the upper 50s by 9:00 p.m. but, we do have a change in the forecast coming up by next week. so of course, i'll have more information coming up in my full forecast, back to you. >> the kids can go out and play with their toys outside. very nice, erica, thank you. worshipers waited outside st. patrick's cathedral for hours for the traditional christmas eve midnight mass. >> it was well worth the wait for those lucky enough to get inside. that's where we find janelle janelle. >> reporter: good morning and and andrea. it is one of the most important days on the christian calendar. it is all lit up, a magical you can see st. patrick's cathedral is lit up. we're expecting more this holiday. >> voices raised in songs of celebration. a full st. patrick's cathedral as believers celebrate the birth of christ. >> emanuel, god is with us. life over death. light over darkness. >> a message of hope for the season and for the faithful in attendance at midnight mass, including jim sullivan, the first in line four hours before the service began. >> i'm grateful to have been, this is my second year in a row that i've been able to win the lottery. >> we turned it into a tradition. >> good over evil. hope over despair. because god is in our mist. >> a renewal of faith, a time for family, together rejoicing. [ music ] >> it's here with the cardinal and just the christmas carols and everything else brings the spirit of christmas into your heart. >> now back live, a live look at st. patrick's all lit up and all its glory this christmas morning. you can see that there are some barricades and a police van outside here this morning in anticipation of the crowds they are expecting later today. they have three masses scheduled this morning and several more this afternoon. reporting live, janelle burrell, cbs 2 news. >> janelle, it was a packed house for christmas eve midnight mass at the historic cathedral in rockville center st. agnus was established in 1894. the mass aired live on wlny. and tens and thousands of attendeis at mass at st. peter's basilica. live as jesus did can empathy, compassion, and mercy. and in bethlehem, worshipers gathered at the church of the nativity where christians believe jerelle jesus was born. >> a holiday meal. the reverend's national action network is providing the meals at their house of justice. on west 145th street. it also includes a toy give away for children in need. the mayor is expected to join sharpton at the event, which gets underway around 11:30 this morning. >> for 30 years, a new york city charity has been delivering meals prepared with love to those too ill to cook for themselveses. volunteers were very busy on christmas eve. >> god's love, we deliver, it's only this holiday season, but each day to serve those that need a helping hand. with chef caps on, chicken, rice, and veggies were served eve. >> knowing we are helping other people helps us so much. >> the leading provider of life sustained meals and nutrition counseling for people living with severe illnesses. >> people living with hiv, aids, cancer, alzheimer's disease, heart failure, kidney failure, 200 different diagnoses. >> 4500 meals delivered not only in the city, but nearby hudson county and new jersey to those with special dietary needs. >> we have taylored meals specifically for them. >> come on a weekly basis. >> i have retired and didn't know what to do. my daughter knew about god's love, and now, i wouldn't stop coming here ever. i still, when i leave the building, still walk out on >> in other parts of the city, santa sent out youngest helpers early. children delivered city meals on wheels. >> i think it's really nice to give food to those who can't get food for themselves and i like to give it to them. so, yes, and it's fun. >> these acts of kindness are needed not only around the holidays, but year round. meg baker, cbs 2 news. >> more than a thousand volunteers taking part in this around the city. >> a long island church reopened just in time for christmas after months of emergency repairs. cbs 2's carolyn reports from river head. >> where do you want that? >> finishing touches put on the stunning interior of the first congregational church of river head. a feet its pastor thought would not come in time for christmas. >> it was touch and go up until the very end. >> just days ago, thick dust elaborate stained glass boarded up, scaffolding filled the sanctuary. the nearly two century old landmark church built by river head founders underwent an urgent foundation after cracks were discovered that held up the roof and walls. the church was about to cave in. >> this building, we would not be standing in this building right now. >> since june, contractor richard cox worked to hoist and rebuild the roof and pull in bulging walls. the church has new life for another century. >> it was heartbreaking. to everyone. >> emotional for devoted con grow congregants. is. >> it's a christmas miracle it's done. it is a miracle it didn't fall down. >> fund raising continues to pay for all of this, and next the exterior to restore its of downtown riverhead. in long island, cbs 2 news. the cost of the renovations will run around half a million dollars. time now, 5:39. still ahead, time is up. did you finish buying all your christmas gifts? i hope so. time is up. we'll check in with some of these last minute shoppers. >> also, find out how hackers can get inside your heart. >> and a health scare for janet jackson. >> and don't forget, you can connect with us. follow us on facebook and twitter with cbs new york. catch holiday-cookie cheer on the tip of your tongue with dunkin' donuts' holiday- cookie-flavored coffees. or macchiato for $1.99. i just want the most wonderful holiday ever. you should get holiday scratch-offs from the new york lottery. you can talk? come on, brian. there's more chances to win than ever. with a sweepstakes to win $500 a week for life. (wife) who are you talking to? nobody! new holiday scratch-off games there are over 15,000 ways to take your coffee at dunkin'. every cup as unique as you. always fresh with that signature smooth taste. we take pride in every cup, but only one is your coffee, your dunkin'. america runs on dunkin'. it's bright red, has an open tub. this was not santa's sleigh. we caught this convertible making their way across the bridge last night. our remarkably warm temperatures, which included record highs yesterday for christmas eve. it was such a nice night to take a ride in a convertible. >> it looks like having a lot of fun and it did look like an open sleigh. time to check a forecast. erica martin in for john elliot. erica. >> conditions were warm and that drop top was perfect for that ride. of course, the alternative sleigh, as you mentioned, we topped out at 72 degrees yesterday and today we're seeing 60s in the forecast. so another warm day in the forecast. so just in time for, well, christmas. enjoy it? across the area, we're not getting any numbers right now, but next time we will get those live shot outside across the empire state building. conditions, we are seeing a couple clouds out there. otherwise, it's a mild start to the day. current temperatures in the 60s, easterly is 3 miles per hour. and we are tracking another day with temperatures above normal. start in the forecast. fog advisory has been issued by the national weather service and it looks like we could break another record for today as temperatures are expected to top out in the mid 60s. record watch, newark, 69. it looks like we may see mid to upper 60s for today and central park, we just may break that record. fortex radar picking up on clouds mainly moving across the area. wider perspective. a stationary boundary making it difficult for those clouds to push on eastward. some showers moving across the great lakes and fog right now. now i want you to notice the jet stream will affect us. by next week, so we still have some temperatures warm for today, tomorrow, and sunday. but then cooler temperatures by monday into tuesday and that's really important because it looks like we do have lows that will be setting up, potentially bringing us wintery weather. stream and it looks like a few pulses of showers moving through. at least until sunday. christmas day, temperatures topping out in the mid 60s. record high 64 as you just saw and a couple breaks in those clouds. overall, not a bad day and tonight upper 40s, northerly is 5 to 8 miles per hour. and what to expect for tomorrow, 52 degrees. a little bit breezy. 10 to 15-mile per hour northeasterly. as your extended forecast, on monday, 46 degrees. overnight lows in the 30s and then we're going to start to see temperatures climb just a little bit by wednesday. but tracking the potential for some snow showers, models hinting at that right now, but of course, i'll keep you updated. meantime, back to you. >> thank you so much. new this morning, one teenager is dead, another injured after a christmas eve shooting in the bronx. this happened shortly before 11:00 last night near 183rd street and jerome avenue in university heights. men got into a verbal fight. 16-year-old, justin morris died at the scene. a 19-year-old man was taken to the hospital where he is listed in stable condition. so far, no arrests have been made. christmas celebrations are on hold for the family of a 23- year-old college student. leeman college student has been missing since mid november. his family says he was at a club in inwood that nights. someone called a cab, but he declined to take it. >> he got out of the taxi and he wasn't to the truck located to 4 and 10th avenue to buy food. and after that, he started walking toward 203 and 9th avenue. >> surveillance video shows him walking through the parking lot. a car comes down the one-way street and turns around, then disappears from view. his family has turned over the material to police. his family offering a $5,000 a new jersey airline passenger was stopped by the tsa in newark after an agent made a disturbing discovery. the man was found carrying an ice pick concealed inside a cane. the agent noticed the object in the cane's handle when it was x- rayed. before the man's flight, the cane was confiscated. police arrested a driver accused of damaging cars, hurting a pedestrian, and assaulting a traffic cop. this is the cell phone video of the suspect layed out in the street with officers east side. investigators say yesterday afternoon, cameron of connecticut was driving erratically at 2nd avenue. even up on to his sidewalk. the 27-year-old slammed into several vehicles, including a gray car and a taxi cab. >> it was really, really bad. good thing there were no kids. >> witnesses say one block over, he jumped out of his car and began beating a traffic cop until bystanders pulled him she is expected to recover. >> on money watch, stock futures are down this morning, financial markets will not reopen until monday. christmas eve day saw small losses for investors. the dow jones industrial average fell by 50 points. the nasdaq dropped by 2 1/2. the s & p 500 lost 3. >> it happens every year, some people waiting until the very last minute to do their christmas shopping. the warmer weather made waiting in long lines outside much easier here in westfield, new jersey. inside the farmhouse, it was a mad rush to finish buying christmas gifts yesterday. anthony and his daughter waited until the very last minute every christmas. >> actually, this is very traditional. we come downtown every christmas eve and do this. it's special for us. >> really nice. hopefully i pronounced their name right. 40% of holiday sales happened ten days before christmas. cyber security. a cbs 2 dr. max gomes reports, hackers can gain control of medical devices, including pacemakers. >> if you feel vulnerable, it turns out you have company. so is the hospital itself. >> it's a medical device, but the way this thing runs is really a computer. >> cyber security expert says many medical devices, such as this, are connected wirelessly network. but that also means -- >> by design, you're allowing it to where someone can control this thing remotely and do equipment. you have to understand what this. >> rios examined a number of hospital infusion pumps and the results were chilling. >> you could log into this password. >> which means any hacker could remotely operate the device or change settings. the same is reportedly true of devices such as insulin pumps. the -- dick cheney had his pacemaker's wireless function disabled. but most are slow to fix what they consider only theoretical problems. >> normally what has to happen is we have to wait for someone to be killed. to be in. we don't want someone to have to die in order for them to become a data point in order for us to make a decision. >> because of the research, the fda issued an alert, warning health providers to discontinue use of some iv pumps. because there's no defect, there was no requirement to do so, which means there's no guarantee that the person controlling your life saving device is someone with your best interest at heart. >> part of the problem is, who going to pay for the new security for these old machines? hospitals could have hundreds of devices that will be needing updating. >> that's very scary thinking about. >> technology. >> exactly. coming up, a christmas gift jersey families. >> plus, presents for pampered pets. from jackets to beds. see how far some pet owners will go to make this holiday special for their furry friends. >> first, mark morgan has the sports update. >> they are all off again this evening. some of the headlines from yesterday, the executive director there the referee association says he wishes the josh norman situation had been better handled by the game officials. plus, former mets second contract with the nationals. man: at that moment, it hit me -- this is why i joined the guard. i couldn't believe it. i just saved a life. somebody from my hometown. announcer: be there for your community, at nationalguard.com. o music my k-cup filter is back. now you can make anything, even a piece of home. exactly-how-you-like-it machine. keurig hot. your favorites. your way. piano music. i'm glad you finally made it, dad. you have to experience this city. that's what you always say. you were right about the food. hi john. hey kevin. spent the day with an astronaut. one more. it's beautiful, isn't it? how about a baseball game next time? done! done. book priceless experiences around the globe with... we are getting in the mood. this will definitely get you in the christmas spirit. a little jose feliciano. good morning and merry christmas. >> let's head over to erica martin and see about this forecast because we are just, the warm weather is just crazy to think about. >> my parents are from puerto rico, so it's warm out there. conditions along the eastern sea board, we're seeing much warmer temperatures northwest, seeing cooler temperatures as the colder air starts to dip on down. from the north, so, expect cooler temperatures by next monday into tuesday. otherwise, locally we're seeing riot, 53. and a water perspective, notice the darker blues and the greens, of course, that's filtering in from the northwest across the eastern sea board and well, today a little bit of cooler to start the day. 16 degrees cooler than it was yesterday at the same time and new york city, 5 degrees cooler. now, temperature trend for the next couple of days, we're going to see 50s on saturday. 60s on sunday, and of course, i am tracking what to expect for the following week and coming up in my extended forecast, i have more information. back to you, erica. >> janet jackson is taking a break from her unbreakable tour. the fierce leader announced she is postponing the tour which kicked off in august. because she needs to have surgery. the 49-year-old did not specify what type of surgery, jackson was supposedded to perform at barclays on february 22. i hope elise heard this news. no new dates have been announced. >> and in this season of giving, just what are people getting for their pets? you might be surprised how much spending. cbs 2 shows us some of this year's hottest gifts. >> in his hat and a little bit of tinsel, ten-year-old toby claus. the poodle's owner says christmas is an excuse to spoil him. >> i like to dress him up in a reign deer sweater to make him look festive and cute. >> and once he is all decked pictures. don has been photographing dogs for 20 years. she says the costumes at holidays seem to get more outlandish every year. >> they come in, their dogs are dressed really nice. better dressed than me sometimes. hair is done, it's incredible. >> let's take it up a notch. how about a $365 dog bed. and a $180 blue leather doggy vest. on average. money spent on a pet gift is $36. but 1 in 20 people admit to spending more than $100. you don't have to go crazy, there's doggy costumes. this guy looks thrilled. toys, mugs, sweaters, accessories, maybe a scarf. what's toby's favorite? these christmas doggy treats. >> i spoil him all year round, but christmas especially because it's a time for giving and sharing. >> so what's under the tree this year for argos? like millions of dogs and cats, he'll have to wait until santa has been here to find out. alex dennis, cbs 2 news. >> i don't have a dog. but do you guys? >> i do, and i spoil her. >> all year round, that's the thing, do these dogs realize, it's usually, when it gets cold, presents are coming. and it still is yet to get cold. they are confused. >> i think they do. okay. really nice. time now is 5:56. for a new jersey church. a donation not in money, but in land. we'll explain. plus this. celebrating midnight mass at st. patrick's cathedral. we are live coming up. >> the story of christmas literally comes alive. see the elaborate living nativity in bronxville. cbs 2 news this morning continues right after this. is that coffee? yea, it's nespresso. i want in. get ready to experience a cup above. is that coffee? nespresso. what else? where the cold melts away the hustle and bustle dies down and the only thing left is what's truly important. the radio city christmas spectacular presented by chase. you bring the family, we bring the joy. don't wait! live from studio 46. this is cbs 2 news this morning. it is 6:00. 68 degrees on this friday, december 25 as we take a live look from our camera on top of the empire state building. merry christmas, it's going to be another mild one out there. >> did i see a snow flake floating? >> no. unfortunately, no sleigh rides this morning. good morning, merry christmas. >> mary calvi, chris wragge has the holiday off. >> so does chris elliot. >> i was praying for a little snow. i was trying to wish it into existence. >> at least we have something in common. >> actually, i like the cold. of course, warmer for today, that's going to be the trend at least until sunday and then we have cooler temperatures by monday. current temperatures upper 50s to low 60s. winds are calm and variable and a few clouds out there due to a stationary front and we have a fog advisory until 9:00 a.m. so take your time out there driving. no need to put on high beams. of course, that makes it worse. so vortex radar picking up on clouds, but notice, we are starting to see a break. there's a high pressure system that is developing over northern new england. that will do us a huge favor. of course, much favorable conditions for today. a couple clouds and a few spot showers. so our christmas forecast, 2:00 p.m., 65 degrees. temperatures expected to break a record. again, another mild day in the forecast, but we do have a series of showers moving through saturday and sunday and i'm tracking the possibility of, guys, some snow. >> snow showers, all right. bit. erica, thank you. christians are rejoicing on year. many people waited outside for hours for midnight mass to begin last night at historic st. patrick's cathedral. >> it was well worth the wait ticket. janelle joins us live outside st. patrick's cathedral with more. janelle, merry christmas again. >> merry christmas to you, steve and andrea and everybody at home this morning. i have to tell you, i was outside st. patrick's cathedral this time last year. as you've been saying, this year much warmer, much balmier: we have seen a lot more people walking up and down 5th avenue. some snapping pictures outside of the cathedral. because it is christmas and last night, thousands packed >> voices raised in songs of celebration. st. patrick's cathedral as believers celebrate the birth of christ. >> emanuel, god is with us. life over death. light over darkness. >> a message of hope for the season and for the faithful in attendance at midnight mass, including jim sullivan, the first in line. four hours before the service began. >> i'm grateful to have been. this is my second year in a row that i've been able to win the lottery. >> we turned it into a tradition. >> good over evil. faith over doubt. hope over despair. because god is in our mist. for family, together, rejoicing. i'm here with the cardinal, christmas carols and everything else, just bring the spirit of christmas into your heart. >> people certainly feeling the spirit of christmas this christmas morning. you can see st. patrick's christmas holiday. they are having several masses this afternoon. so they are encouraging everyone to come out and stop by to celebrate the holiday together. reporting live this morning, >> thank you. and it was a very special christmas eve to firefighter yesterday. >> timothy cardinal dolan celebrated mass with fdny members of engine 54, ladder 4, and battalion 9. the fire house responds to the cathedral. >> very nice, it was a packed midnight mass as well at the historic st. agnus theater. established as a parish back in 1894. the mass aired live on our sister station, wlny. >> tens and thousands attended mass in vatican city. pope francis called for christians to live as jesus did withempathy, compassion, and mercy. >> worshipers gathered at the church of the nativity where christians believe jesus was born. >> happening today, an annual tradition in harlem. it is put on by the reverend al sharpton's network. their house, excuse me, we're back. their house of justice on west 145th street also includes a toy give away for children in need. mayor de blasio joins sharpton, which gets underway at 11:30 this morning. >> new this morning, a woman and her two young daughters were hit by a car in long island. news day says it happened last on old country road. the 43-year-old woman and her four-year-old daughter in critical condition. the other daughter, 11 years old, is in serious condition. the driver remained at the scene. no charges have been filed. a church concerned with crime in the area is getting a new piece of land for free. last year, a man was shot to death just steps away from the city of hope worship outreach center. the pastor decided then they needed to move, but they were short of cash. a retired businessman stepped in and donated vacant land. he was looking to sell a half vacant property, but now in return, he is only asking for the first row seat at the new church's first service. >> some new york jet players homeless shelter. the players headed to the house emergency shelter in newark where they will head there at 80:00 this christmas morning. delegation. the group and east orange property services company is also taking part. let's hope they have something full forecast. news reporter: hurricane patricia... hurricane patricia... one of the largest tropical storms hit vallarta-nayarit and manzanillo, mexico, on october 23. yeah...but no major damage was done. and, as you can see, everything is...exactly as it should be. and to show that there are no hard feelings mexico invited the good patricias to come and soak it up... who do you think names the hurricanes anyway? reservation for patricia... patricias! this week's activities: boat tour, sightseeing, and horseback riding. wait a minute! has anyone seen patricia? warm weather throughout the eastern u.s. helped launch some damaging and even deadly storms. >> another weather system even brought rare tornadoes to northern california. cbs 2's don champion reports. >> on this holiday of giving, some people in northern california are taking stock of what's lost after an outbreak of tornadoes. >> seeing trees swirling like a blender, it was pretty scary. >> oh my gosh. >> cell phone video captured the twisters swirling through modesto, bringing down power lines and uprooting trees. >> we have been here for 45 years. and we have never had anything >> mike churchhill saw a tree crash down on his neighbor's car. a child was inside. >> the kids said hey mom, stop, it hit the back and barely hit the car on the back end. >> rare tornadoes in california come as people in the midwest and south continue cleaning up after an outbreak of deadly tornadoes there this week. pastor barry reynolds whose church was among hundreds of structures destroyed in mississippi called it a test from god. >> he is testing our faith, see how strong we will be. >> at the red cross shelter, christmas gifts poured in. >> i have not seen this kind of generosity in a single county. anywhere i worked. >> neighbors determined to keep the giving spirit alive in the face of so much loss. don champion, cbs news. >> all right, let's get a check on what the forecast is looking like in our area. >> erica martin is in for john elliot. >> another warm day in the merry christmas to everybody enjoying that. we will get that snow later on. next week, but right now, we'll take a look at our weather watchers. we didn't have much going on, but now we have our live shot. empire state building. a few clouds out there at best and current temperatures, 59 degrees. the winds are calm and of course, we'll go right back to our weather watchers and see what's going on here. let's see, 57 degrees and who is this? les one more time. some toys in the mail, he's really excited about that. we'll pick somebody else. thank you so much for always participating and we have eva, 660 degrees from east brunswick, new jersey, talking about how unseasonally warm it is for this time of the year. so, again, everybody is talking about those ab normally high temperatures all due to, of course, el nio, and our live shot outside, a couple clouds at best, 59 degrees. the winds are calm and variable. and our stories include watch the fog advisory in effect until 9:00 a.m. and hang on to those umbrellas just to be safe. we will see one or two spotty showers. no coats needed, not for today. we do have cooler temperatures by next week. i'll get to that in my extended forecast. temperatures for this month, above average. about 13 degrees. vortex radar picking up on a couple clouds moving on through, especially at the lower level and it looks like we have a couple sprinkles. spot showers moving through. seeing a low pressure system affecting the west here, specifically the pacific northwest. and locally again, a few clouds pushing through and the possibility of some spot showers. now, i want to show you the difference in the temperature gradient here, because it's much cooler in the northwest than it is in the southeast and along the eastern sea board and that's because we don't have the colder air pushing in. the polar jet will start to affect us. it looks like we may see some wintery weather in the forecast. at 7:30 a.m. notice that those clouds start to break from west to east. so, everything will start to mix out as the sun comes out and then we start to see a few spotty showers through parts of southern new jersey. again, nothing major, however, we're seeing a series of disturbances move on through, some short wave lows and that's all we're seeing. a couple clouds for tomorrow, again, keep in mind, temperatures still above normal tomorrow, 9:30 p.m., some showers moving through, perhaps one or two pockets of isolated downpours. otherwise, a mainly dry stretch. now still mild conditions for today as we top out in the mid 60s, and for tonight, we're going to see upper 40s, northerly 5 to 8 miles per hour. spot showers, but not bad at all and tomorrow, 52 is the expected high temperature. your extended forecast, keeping it warm on sunday. 65 is the expected high. and then this is where we start to get tricky. showing the possibility of some snow showers. andrea, back to you. >> all right, thank you very much, erica. for almost two decades, the owners of a restaurant welcomed hundreds of homeless people on christmas eve. >> it's a beloved tradition, but cbs 2 shows us, it's coming to an end. >> if home is where the heart is, on this christmas eve, 300 men, women, and children, are feeling right at home in this elegant restaurant. >> nice dinner that they prepared for us. i really love the food. >> city hall is hosting families from our city shelters with the traditional feast. >> that has taste to it. >> a visit by santa and toys for every kid. judy volunteered every year. >> these kids have no place to go in society. they are stuck in the homeless shelters. this is the reason why i do this. >> the people that care about the homeless and the shelter >> it's been a labor of love for chef owner, henry, who broke down announcing this year is the last. >> this is super sad for me. this is the last. this restaurant will be closing new year's eve. losing its long-time home here in tribecca due to economic difficulties. business. not because of rents, but because of the economic restrictions that the government actually puts on us. >> a tradition that will be missed by those served and those serving. >> it's actually sort of fun to see how happy it makes people. >> some mashed potatoes and vegetables. so that's really good. >> we struggle to make ends meet. at the end of the day, it's events like this that save us. >> while the restaurant event will find a home elsewhere so the tradition can live on. in tribecca, cbs 2 news. >> the mayor plans to open a wine store sometime next year, but you can feel how important it was for him out there. >> so sad, hopefully another restaurant takes up his tradition. >> cross our fingers. time now is 6:17. coming up, a life changing christmas gift for a teenage girl born without a hand. >> plus, the story of christmas recreated with live actors and animals. wait until you see this living nativity. >> but first, stock futures are down. markets will not reopen until monday. christmas eve day saw small losses. the dow jones fell by 50 points. the nasdaq dropped by 2 1/2. hello from japan, i'm dan ramirez on camp foster. i want to send a holiday mom, merry christmas, happy new year. piano music. wow. i'm glad you finally made it, dad. you have to experience this city. that's what you always say. you were right about the food. yeah? welcome. only in new york, right? hi john. hey kevin. one more. didn't you want to be an astronaut? ...be an astronaut? yes, i did. there's still time. ahhhh!!! it's beautiful, isn't it? how about a baseball game next time? done! done. book priceless experiences around the globe with... ... your world mastercard. only at priceless.com meet the moore's! we're the moore family, and as you can see, we need an internet that can do more. we do more games, and more streaming. so we need more speed. that's why we switched to time warner cable. you can too. call now. now we can connect more devices, at the same time. the wifi in this house is amazing. so is my guacamole. hi grandma and grandpa! ha, look at that! time warner cable even has an internet plan for us. get the internet speed that's right for you. from 3 megs to ultra fast 300 megs they even made it easy to switch with a one-hour arrival window. why settle for less, when you can get more! get 50 meg internet for $39.99 per month. call now. you could get free installation, no data cap, and access to over 400,000 twc wifi hotspots with select plans. call now. it's the most wonderful time of the year >> it is the most wonderful time of the year, isn't it? it just doesn't feel like it's the most wonderful time of the year here in new york. it's very warm this christmas. 59 degrees out there at 6:20. 6:21 out there. >> we welcome you back here to cbs 2 news this morning. in westchester, a christmas tradition that began a century ago at a bronxville church. >> they have a reenactment. the nativity including live animals. cbs 2 was there for the bronxville christmas pageant. >> the holy family in the flesh made their christmas eve appearance to reenact the story of jesus' birth. the virgin mary. >> i'm riding in on a donkey. >> joseph. >> they asked if i wanted to be joseph. >> and the manger angel, nine- year-old, bella rodriguez. >> i'm the manger angel. >> this is the 101st year the pa pageant that it has come together. donkey and camel were called in. the shepherds had their own flock religious leaders read narrations. >> it's a warm moment for people to be still and enjoy the season and one another and their families. >> a live band played sounds of the holiday season. all of it, a community effort and celebration. >> it's special, because all the elements make it happen. >> it's very special. like i said, it's our first year here and we have never seen anything like this before. >> in westchester county -- >> merry christmas. >> valerie castro, cbs 2 news. >> what a nice event. what wonderful weather they had last night. probably even more people came out. >> exactly, because it was so warm out there and a warm start to the day. we have cooler temperatures by next week, but folks, we'll see 60s. temperatures above normal and record one more time. let's go for it. but vortex radar picking up on a few spot showers and it looks like we could see spot showers across parts of southern new jersey. otherwise, mainly seeing clouds and everything starting to improve as this sunshine starts to peek on through. we're excited about that. and christmas daybreakdown at 2:00 p.m., 65 is the expected temperature and your extended forecast, cooler by monday into tuesday. and models hinting at the potential of some wintery type of weather. >> perfect for a barbecue, right? >> of course. next week, you are tracking a little bit of snow. >> i say hinting. >> okay. stay tuned. >> that's right, thanks, erica. >> the head of the nfl referee association responds to the o'dell becker ordeal. >> here's mark morgan with your wfan sports update. >> from the better late than never department, the executive says he wishes the o'dell beckham, jr., fiasco was handled differently. should have done a better job of getting the situation under control. became more and more heated and physical with nothing done by the officials to maintain control. prime example. look at this. the two players fighting directly in front of an official and he doesn't throw flag all the. he breaks up the fight. a lot of what followed could have been avoided. beckham, jr., apologized and he doesn't expect any problems moving forward. >> i think we know how to communicate with him. i don't think that's an issue. obviously, that situation to be honest with you wasn't any indication. at this point in time, he certainly will have learned. he loves to play and he does not want the sacrifice of a game, it's going be extremely >> the jets are looking for and then get some help. even if they win their final two games, the jets could be 11- playoffs. head coach, todd says hey, the math is what it is. >> that's not frustrating. you have to win enough to get in. whether that's 10, 11, 12, the rules have been the same. we went 10-6 in arizona my first year and we got beat out by a tie breaker. you have to want to get in. if we do win, if we do happen to go 11-5 and don't get in, then we didn't get in. >> it seemed unlikely all along, now the mets have no chance of bringing back joana. a short two-year deal without including numbers money wise. that was probably a nonstarter because he is known to be looking for and will likely receive a five or six year deal. the market for his services seems to include the angels, giants, white sox, and tigers. say good-bye to post season hero, daniel murphy, who agreed to a reported $37.5. so he is staying in the nl east. earlier the mets traded for pirates second baseman, neil walker. for cbs 2 news, i'm mark morgan, merry christmas. >> the mets, the met haves a short window where they have the ability to control their pitchers and spend all this money in big bats and they just refuse to do it. >> sad to see daniel murphy go after the post season, too. >> great guy. absolutely great guy. >> time now, 6:26. still ahead, an out of this world sight on christmas eve. >> it's a warm and balmy christmas evening outside of st. patrick's cathedral where we are expecting thousands to celebrate mass. we'll have a live report coming up. and new jersey church is retelling the traditional story of christmas. the help of star wars. >> plus, returning to the york city dancer who underwent a risky surgery. cbs 2 news this morning continues right after this. cbs 2 sports is brought to you by audy. catch holiday-cookie cheer on the tip of your tongue with dunkin' donuts' holiday- cookie-flavored coffees. from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., enjoy any medium latte emerge restored. fortified. replenished. emerge everyday with emergen-c packed with b vitamins, antioxidants, electrolytes plus more vitamin c than 10 oranges. why not feel this good everyday? emerge and see. if you could see your cough, you'd see all the sickness you're spreading. new robitussin cf max severe soothes and delivers powerful relief of cough, sore throat, stuffy nose and fever. new robitussin cf max severe. every sip. the taste uniquely dunkin'. each cup uniquely you. brewed fresh because it's not just any coffee. it's your coffee, your dunkin'. america runs on dunkin'. live from studio 46. this is cbs 2 news this it is 6:30 right now. 59 degrees on this friday, december 25. merry christmas. the forecast quite a gift with another day of warm temperatures. i'm steve overmeyer. >> and i'm andrea. chris and mary are off. andrea is in. >> above normal temperatures. good morning, merry christmas and i got some really nice conditions, especially if you like it nice and warm out there. conditions currently in the upper 50s. the winds are calm and variable. it looks like we are on track for another day with temperatures above normal. now, a look at our fog advisory still in effect for parts of southern new jersey. otherwise, it has been discontinued by the national weather service. the dense fog advisory, keep in mind, take extra time driving out there. your extended forecast is looking pretty good by next week as temperatures start to cool down. but right now, vortex radar picking up on a couple clouds clouds and that's because there's a high pressure system starting to develop. which will keep things mainly dry for today, but a series of disturbances moving through. not a totally dry weekend. hour by hour forecast, i am liking this. 61 by noon and 3:00 p.m. seeing mid 60s. upper 50s by 9:00 p.m. we are going to keep the warm trend in the works for today, tomorrow, and sunday, cooling down by monday. >> umbrellas, no snow shoes, that's amazing. all right, thank you so much, erica. >> worshipers waited outside st. patrick's cathedral for hours for the midnight mass. >> it was well worth the wait for those lucky enough to get outside. janelle is live outside st. patrick's cathedral with more. janelle. >> merry christmas to you steve and andrea. much warmer christmas than what we experienced here this time last year. opened the doors to st. patrick's cathedral. a large group of people just walked up inside. they say they have been out here earlier because it is so warm this morning. all of them eager to usher in this christmas holiday at this cathedral. voices raised in songs of celebration. a full st. patrick's cathedral as believers celebrate the birth of christ. >> emanuel. god is with us. life over death. light over darkness. >> a message of hope for the season and for the faithful in attendance at midnight mass, including jim sullivan, the first in line four hours before the service began. >> i'm grateful to have been, this is my second year in a row that i've been able to win the lottery. >> good over evil, faith over doubt. hope over despair because god is in our mist. >> a renewal of faith, a time for family, together rejoicing. it's here with the cardinal and just the christmas carols and everything else just bring the spirit of christmas into your heart. >> now back live, you're looking at some of the decor outside st. patrick's cathedral. they just opened up the doors so the first group of people making their way inside for mass this morning. they have several services scheduled for today on this christmas holiday. so wishing you a merry christmas from st. patrick's cathedral. janelle burrell, cbs 2 news. >> thank you, janelle. christmas eve, midnight mass at the historic st. agnus cathedral. st. agnus was established as a parish in 1894. the mass airing live on our sister station. tens and thousands attended mass at st. peters basilica in vatican city. hope francis called for christians to live as jesus did with empathy, compassion, and mercy. and in bethlehem, worshipers gathered at the church of the nativity where christians believe jesus was born. back here in our area, happening today, a holiday meal for the homeless of harlem. providing meals at the house of justice on west 145th street. it also includes a toy give away for children in need. mayor de blasio is expected to join reverend sharpton at the event, which gets underway at 11:30 this morning. >> knitting for those in need. it's a gift of warmth this holiday season. was 14 and often makes gifts for family and friends. she read about syrian immigrants in germany who needed hats and scarves to face the harshest winter of their lives. so the aspiring new york city theater director went to work knitting 11 hats and scarves. anna and other knitters in the united states and canada made almost 1,000 hats and scarves. they were shipped to germany. photos go viral on knitting websites and one caught anna's eye. >> i was like, oh my god. that boy has my hat. so it was a tote totally amazing moment. >> anna and her friends are knitting more hats. the project is drawing to a close after an increased involvement with european based knitters. >> so nice to see a picture 1k3 see a person wearing your hat. time is 65:00. a brilliant streak in the night sky. was it santa. we'll explain the mystery behind the photos. hand, now a christmas is girl. kids don't stay little forever. so help them get the opportunity they need. it's never too early or too late to save for college. you can open a ny 529 account with just $25. and you may get tax benefits if you pay income tax in new york state. ny's 529 college savings program. the right time is right now. well, it was streaking across the sky, but it wasn't santa. nasa released these photos on christmas eve. the object is about 3600 feet long. a mile and a half wide. nasa predicts it will fly safely by at a distance of 6.8 million miles away. it does return three years from now. you have been reading up on this. >> watch out, in 200 years, they predict it will make contact with earth's atmosphere. to think about. merry christmas. >> it's interesting, though, very interesting to read about and interesting to see the pictures. >> how we can segway into weather. >> warmer temperatures, then we'll make your day here because that was depressing, steve. conditions for today, we're going to see warmer than normal highs and right now, a mix of clouds and not too bad. a high pressure system developing. keep in mind, we will see a few spot showers as the day progresses. current temperature, 59 degrees. the winds are calm and variable and right now across the tristate area, seeing lots of 50s and some 40s out there. so, we do have that temperature gradient getting cooler. we are seeing blues to greens and 63 degrees in red bank. that's due to that polar air starting to slide on in. just in time for the followerring week. ottawa at 39 degrees. we're getting all that cold air affecting these warmer temperatures. washington at 62. philadelphia currently at 64 degrees and our radar picking up on clouds. i'm seeing a break. there is that high pressure system to the north and that will alleviate those clouds and break them up a little bit and showers as well. we're totally not going to be dry and that's because we have a series of lows pushing on through from west to east. so, a warm repeat christmas, 2014, it looked like we topped out at 62 degrees. so it looks like another nice trend in the works for today, tomorrow, and sunday, and christmas 2015, 72 degrees, conditions on christmas eve rather, conditions were really warm, above normal certainly and for today, we're going to see 65 at 2:00 p.m. and your extended forecast, we're going to keep it cooler as that colder air starts to slide on through. we have warm temperatures for today, tomorrow, and sunday. but i am tracking the potential tuesday. of course, that's all the talk on social media. be sure you follow us. back to you. >> a teenager from virginia received a life changing christmas gift. 13-year-old, rebecca jensen unwrapped a new prosthetic hand on tuesday. jensen received the gift from an alumni who created the 3d printed hand to teach her children a lesson. >> i wanted to teach them what it meant to give and not receive this christmas. >> i was very surprised at what it was. >> i kept getting phone calls and e-mails and she was aware that something was happening. but i managed to deflect, divert, distract. >> the professor involved in the project has been printing 3d hands for those in need through an organization called enabling the future. >> what a lot of people don't understand, those prosthetic arms used to cost $50,000. 3d print them for $50,000. amazing. still to come from surgery to the stage. the christmas gift that is making a local dancer's dream come true. plus this. >> the story of christmas like you've probably never seen it before. as told from a galexy far, far away. >> first, mark morgan has this morning's sports update. >> all the teams were off last night and they are all off again this evening. some of the headlines, the executive director of the referee association says he wishes josh norman situation had been better handled by the game officials. plus, former mets second baseman assigned a three-year >> music: "another sunny day" by belle and sebastian such a shame it's labeled a "getaway." life should always feel like this. hampton. we go together. always get the lowest price, [ music ] o mix of the presents with the church right there. nice. for most popular christmas song. >> makes me want to watch the movie, love actually. >> 6:45, welcome back to cbs 2 news this morning. >> that's where a nondenominational church combines star wars with theology. cosmic christmas. pastor lucas using scripture and star wars to teach about jesus. >> we're telling the story of christmas from the book of revelation. it's the last book in the bible. the battle behind the stars between dark side and the light. the forces of god versus the forces of evil. >> the christmas eve celebration included dancing storm troopers, shouldn't they all? and a live nativity scene with princess and chewy. how crazy is it that his last name is lucas. no relation. >> that must have sparked some idea for him at some point. time now is 6:46. talented new york dancer. piano music. i'm glad you finally made it, dad. you have to experience this city. that's what you always say. you were right about the food. hi john. hey kevin. spent the day with an astronaut. one more. it's beautiful, isn't it? how about a baseball game next time? done! done. book priceless experiences around the globe with... ...your world mastercard. only at priceless.com. i'm just really blessed to still be here. >> all right, well, it is 6:49 as we welcome you back this morning. it is a special christmas for one dancer who developed an illness that threatened her career and her life. suffering migraines, alana was avm. avm is an abnormal of blood vessels in the brain that blocks the flow of blood. it could burst causing brain damage, stroke, or death. they decided surgery was the best, but riskiest treatment. chain has occasional headaches, but she dances eight hours a day at the prestigious ballet school. >> i'm just really blessed to still be here. and there's nothing stopping me now. >> the 24-year-old hopes to one day become a broadway musical. >> perfect inspirational story for this christmas as we get our final check of your forecast. erica martin in for john elliot. >> it is warm, another warm day today. >> continues to be warm. a trend, at least until monday. 50s on saturday and 60s on sunday, monday into tuesday. three models are certainly of some wintery type of weather. so we will be tracking that for you. be sure you follow us on social media and twitter and keep you updated at noon. however, we are tracking, again, the warmer temperatures into those cooler temperatures as that polar air starts to dip on down. we may get some snow afterall before the year comes to a close. and then by wednesday, 52 degrees and thursday, 49. it looks like possibly the pick of the following week would be thursday, but of course, stay tuned for that and keep you updated. >> no snow for today. >> oh no, not at all. potential record breaking highs again. >> okay. thank you, erica. >> thanks so much. >> and thank you for watching this morning. i'm andrea grimes. we want to say a thank you to the entire team at cbs 2, many behind the scenes. have a very merry christmas. chestnuts roasting on an open fire jack frost nipping at your nose by choir and folks dressed up like eskimos everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe help to make the season bright tiny tots with their eyes all a glow will find it hard to sleep tonight they know that santa's on his way he's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh and every mother's child is really know how to fly and so i'm offering the simple phrase to kids from one to 92 although it's been said many times, many ways, merry

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