remember, conservation takes action. volunteer in your community, enjoy your local outdoors, and defend animals wherever you can. also christmas canceled in the biblical birthplace of jesus. what's happening instead in bethlehem and christmas eve dinner courtesy of one of the bay area's most giving organized stations. abc seven news starts

right now. >> building a better bay area moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc seven news on this christmas eve. >> san francisco city crews are repairing parts of union square in the wake of vandalism, but it still isn't enough to dampen the holiday spirit for hundreds of shoppers still searching tonight for some last minute christmas deals. with that, we say good evening and thank you for joining us on this christmas eve. i'm dion lim san francisco police. they arrested for protests after they spray painted parts of union square and damaged part of a giant christmas tree. abc seven news reportne bnard shows us how last minute shopping continues with folks looking for deals and some holiday spirit. yeah. no snow union square. >> thanks to a snow making machine and kids were loving it. san francisco decking the halls and getting festive.

>> it's just amazing. like like the whole atmosphere. and then it's great christmas time. love it. >> the first coat is a primer. second coat of do it. >> public works crews spent part of their christmas eve repairing damage from weekend vandalism. police say a group of pro-palestinian protesters took over union square saturday. police arrested four people, one for felony vandalism after climbing up the christmas tree, planting fliers and a palestinian flag. >> we were staying at the grand hyatt over there and we noticed the lights was completely off for the rest of the evening, cindy, she's family, were disappointed to see the vandalism which disabled the tree lights. >> saturday night. >> hopefully they can demonstrate and express their feelings a differe. of course, we support and embrace all type of feelings and emotions, but damage city public city property is not really the way to go. >> in a statement, the union square alliance tells abc seven news the ability to protest is a sacred american, right. sadly because of the actionsf a few, many will be denied the chance

to enjoy the beauty of macy's great tree in union square for the remainder of the holiday weekend. the alliance says repairs to the tree could take days, but by sunday afternoon it appeared the lights were working again. meantime, that christmas clock is ticking down and shoppers all around the square. they're looking for deals. i mean, like right now i just got a deal on the christian mccaffrey jersey. >> yes. no, seriously. online they're like $200. and i just got a good deal on it. >> can the wife some last minute things christmas eve at the city shoppers were hoping to make it merry and bright. >> merry christmas, happy holidays in san francisco cornell bernard abc seven news. >> well, moving on. fire investigators are trying to determine the cause of a house fire that killed one person and injured another. early this morning in menlo park, firefighters responded at about 3 a.m. to a call from an apartment complex on madera avenue near van buren road. neighbors had a already put out

the flames using a garden hose and fire extinguishers, but when firefighters entered the apartment, they found two victims on the floor of one of the bedrooms. one of them did not survive. >> it looks like they were smokers and the smoke alarms had been removed. uh- is what we found and so we are definitely stressing at this time of year. uh, definitely for people to check and make sure that they have properly installed and functioning smoke detector alarms in their homes. >> the second fire victim was taken to stanford medical with serious injuries. two dogs also died in that blaze. millions of americans are hitting the skies this christmas eve. triple a is predicting that 15 million people will travel more than 50 miles from home for the holiday weekend, and taking a live look now from i-80 in emeryville, you can see all lit up. really just a sea of headlights here. an estimated 7.5 million people are projected to fly to their holiday destination. now,

hopefully all of those travelers will get to their destinations on time. san francisco international airport as we take a live look at it, has 76 flight delays today, but just one cancellation. san jose international airport has 42 delays and one cancellation, and taking a look now at oakland's airport, where there have been 37 delays and five cancellations. well it looks like most of the bay area is in for a chilly christmas eve night . let's get a check in with the weather with alex cheney and your accuweather forecast. >> alex, a very merry christmas eve, everybody. i'm alex cheney here again from kabc down in los angeles to bring you the weather forecast this upcoming week. this is what it looks like right now. there is actually a little bit of rain moving out towards northern california. and of course up into the pacific northwest. there's a coastal flood advisory for tomorrow morning that's going to be affecting the bay area. there's going to be some really light showers. if anything. but there is that advisory heading into tomorrow morning. so let's take a look at tonight's lows. things

are going to be not as cold as last night. a few more 40s out there. it's going to be 48 degrees overnight in san francisco, 41 degrees tonight in concord, 43 in richmond. some more clouds are going to be moving into the atmosphere tonight. and usually when that happens, things are a little bit warmer overnight because those clouds retain that heat from the afternoon. here's your day planner tomorrow for christmas day. it's looking really nice. most temperatures are going to be right at average or actually slightly warmer than that by about 4 p.m, up to about 60 degrees out towards the bay. uh- still to come. i'll tell you more about what's coming up this week and if there will be some rain on new year's eve. that's all coming up in just a bit. >> all right. sounds good. alex. thanks. the city of bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of jesus, has canceled its christmas celebrations in solidarity with gaza. bethlehem is located in the occupied west bank. the heart of the conflict between israel and hamas. instead of the usual christmas tree in manger square outside the church of the nativity, there's an art installation depicting a bombed grotto. that installation also features a

depiction of baby jesus wrapped in a white cloth and held by the virgin mary. signs posted near the church read gaza in the heart our children want to play and laugh, and we want life, not death. yeah. >> oh, this is a familiar sight. >> it is a christmas eve filled with music, worship and giving. today at glide memorial a busy day of events kicked off with hundreds of members taking part in an energetic service this morning. now after the service, the church held a long time christmas tradition. the annual christmas eve luncheon, celebration and house of prime rib brunch brought out the crowds as volunteers helped prepare 2500 meals. today with 3,000 pounds of prime rib. owner of house of prime rib joe betz, says they look forward to the joy of giving every year. i is doing it for 30 years and once you start doing it and got to

know cecil williams, you really were what giving means a lot of love, a lot of trust, families coming in, people coming in, getting food, lots of hugs, lots of smiles. >> that's the glide way. it's so nice to see. >> glide will be serving more christmas meals tomorrow starting at 11 a.m. it is a bittersweet day for customers at see's candies in san francisco's embarcadero center. the store is closing its doors for the very last time at 6:00 today. there's no word on why the location is shutting down, but if you still need to shop for holiday treats, there is a store at market and sutter streets. see's still has three stores in the city. it makes more than 100 varieties of candies, including peanut brittle and fudge. the company is based in the bay area and has been in business for more than 100 years. as well. the only creatures who might have had a busier night ahead than santa, those nine tiny reindeer. but the animals are in good hands

this year, year round as well. we'll take you to one farm that specializes in reindeer wrangling, and they say he knows when you've been naughty or when you've been nice. and this just might prove it. the crackdown that had santa wielding a sledgehammer

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capital city. yes, that is an

officer dressed as santa claus, using a sledgehammer to knock down a door at a home in lima. police say the location was hard to access, so the santa disguise was used to get close to the scene without alerting neighbors. two people were taken into custody during that bust. well, it is christmas eve, which means it is go time for santa and his reindeer. what better time to learn about the herd pulling that sleigh? abc's ines de la cuetara. sets us straight on some reindeer. reality >> you know, dasher and dancer and prancer and vixen. but do you know who takes care of them? >> in norway and sweden, only the indigenous sami people can herd reindeer. >> we have been doing in our family for many, many generations. >> we caught up with johan isaak tori axel while he was out with his herd. >> this might not be uh- rudolph the red nose, but here is rebekah, the ones from the movie

frozen. >> drawing inspiration from the sami people. >> reindeers are better than people. sven, don't you think that's true? >> are you the real life kristoff? i try to be like a reindeer herder. >> and i think kristoff is also that. we both love radio. so we have some common sayings. >> he says there is one thing the film gets wrong though. >> yes, they don't need carrots. >> they don't eat carrots. >> they don't eat carrots. so rudolph the red nosed reindeer. >> we asked johan about the most famous reindeer of all. he tells us rudolph and the crew are all female. since they have antlers at christmas. males typically lose theirs in the winter. >> that means that the females are the positas in the winter. you go down in his lower >> i've learned so much about reindeer. well still ahead, a warning for beachgoers heading into the upcoming week. also,

we'll take a look ahead to christmas day action for both the niners and the warriors. we also have alex cheney with a look ahead to your christmas day weather conditions you can make the stars align. because when we come together, hope and joy will shine. help us make every wish come true. ♪ ♪ [deep breath out] [humming] during your pregnancy you'll take about 6 million breaths. two breaths as you get pfizer's maternal rsv vaccine, abrysvo. the only maternal vaccine given between 32 through 36 weeks of pregnancy to protect babies against rsv from birth through 6 months. 6 millions breaths to meet your baby.

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monday evening, where waves of up to 12ft are likely to batter the coastline. forecasters expect dangerous water conditions, including beach erosion. they say sneaker waves can pull people into the sea from rocks, jetties and beaches without warning. northwest facing beaches are most at risk from breaking waves and strong currents, while the bay area is in for a potential wet post christmas week, let's get a look at your accuweather forecast now from alex cheney. alex >> hope you're having a great

christmas eve with your family and friends again, here's the satellite and radar. so do expect there could be some really light showers tomorrow morning. and there is going to be that coastal flood advisory all the way through 11 a.m. but let's see your daytime highs tomorrow for christmas day. we're going to start off in the0 and cupertino 60 degrees as well. so some temperatures a little bit warmer than average or average for this time of year is about 5758. we see more of that here. 58 degrees in redwood city tomorrow, palo alto in at about 59. as we head up to san francisco, the city proper, 57 degrees downtown, and there will be just a little bit of some fog tomorrow morning because you're going have some really cold air coming off the coast. and just enough heat that's still going to be out towards the bay area. that will create a little bit of fog tomorrow. heading up now towards the north bay, 58 degrees in santa rosa tomorrow. 58 in novato and 59 degrees sonoma. napa. if you're heading out to wine country, that's

going to be a beautiful christmas day for you. you can expect about 60 degrees out here to the east bay, oakland at 59, berkeley at about 57 degrees. these are some great temperatures out there for you for christmas day. and then out here into the concord area, about 58 degrees san ramon at about 60. and pleasanton at 60 degrees as well. let's take a look across the country to see what everybody else is going to be experiencing. on christmas day. uh- seattle, the pacific northwest is going to be getting hit with a little bit of some rain and some snow as well. uh- los angeles of course. i love la 65 degrees tomorrow uh- areas out towards the rocky mountains are going to be near freezing tomorrow. we took a look at this system of some showers just yesterday. it's now moving on a bit so areas like fargo, you got rapid city and chicago going to be getting lots of rain and snow, at least through tomorrow. uh- memphis pretty good at 61, the southeastern united states looks okay. 68 degrees in new orleans. some showers in atlanta tomorrow, and tampa and miami looking pretty warm as well.

here is the christmas planner. i hope everybody has a great day. so once again, up to about 60 degrees possible in some of those bay area locations tomorrow it is going to be right near average or maybe slightly above. it's going to be a really nice christmas day and if you're going to be enjoying the 40 niners as they take on the ravens about 5:00 on christmas day, kickoff is going to be at about 56 degrees, and then you'll hit about 50 by the time maybe you are leaving. here is the seven day forecast looking great. the next chance of rain is going to be out here on wednesday. about 60 degrees, but still some showers with some wind. and then the next one is going to be a little bit friday night into saturday. and then we could see those showers linger a little bit into new year's eve, which no matter what, even if there is some lightrillionain, is going to be a fun day. have a very merry christmas eve and i'll see you again tomorrow on christmas day. back to you, dion. >> all right. looks good alex. thanks. building a better bay area is our mission here at abc

seven. as 2023 ends, we're taking a look back at some of the best and most memorable stories of this year. we've put them together in a special you can stream on demand. just head to abc7 news.com or the abc seven bay area apps on your phone or your tv. they're available for roku, amazon fire, apple tv, and google tv. all right, you heard the forecast for christmas day. bundle up, bundle up. yeah. unless you're on the field, unless you're on the field and it's going to be a great game tomorrow and we can't wait for it. >> and it was twas the night before christmas here in the bay area. >> the warriors are in denver. abc seven of course. place to be. we'll have that game and christmas at levi's. how christian kringle mccaffrey deliver the goods ahead of tomorrow's game against the ravens. hey, i want a golf

how are you doing between practices? i feel pretty good. surrounding myself with a great team. de'aaron we're going to take a quick look at your knee with ultrasound. everything is looking great. but not just for me. for them. it's great to see you again man. thanks jb. for all that is me, for all that is you, kaiser permanente.

two teams in the nfl, the 11 and 349 ers hosting the 11 three baltimore ravens. both enters the top seeds in their respective conference as they push for home field advantage continues. now usually players get gifts for the offensive line . but for niners running back christian mccaffrey got gifts for everyone on offense. yes, trent williams, brock purdy, deebo samuel, george kittle, all of his boys, everybody got a brand new custom fit set of golf clubs and a bottle of tequila. >> yeah. anytime you're getting the, you know, the gifts, it's always tough. um, you got to get creative. you got to do something that kind of, you

know, panders to everybody. and i figured if they don't play golf, they will at some point in their life. and so better to be prepared than not. it's just nice to have a bag of clubs in your garage. >> he told me earlier in the week that he was like, you know, like he was like, i got a good gift for the whole offense. i was like, oh, nice. he goes, well, i hope everyone likes it. and he's like, oh, i mean fitted clubs with the custom bag man and a bottle of tequila. i'm not going to be upset about that. >> i did get a new set of clubs i needed. yeah, i needed some. yeah shout out christian. financially i wouldn't be able to cover that right now, but, uh, he, uh, no shout out to him. everyone loved it. so yeah. thank you christian. >> christian, i'll get you the address here to kgo soon. uh, the warriors are back over 500 for the first time since mid-november. after a 20 point win over the blazers last night. they've won eight straight games at home, all is right in the world again. klay thompson scored a game high 28. and his splash brother stephen curry chipped in a cool 27 points. up next for the dubs a christmas day test in denver against the defending champs. you'll see it

right here on abc seven. >> marquee games on christmas. going to be a great atmosphere. you know we we've we've been in in that you know environment before. so understand what it's going to be like on the road. it's going to be fun to you know just compete. it's a test. that's the next one on the schedule though too. so you kind of understand how they play lock in on what we need to do, try to go get a win. >> and after you spend christmas morning with your fam, spend the rest of the day with your fam and us on abc seven warriors nuggets 1130 then celtics, lakers nfl countdown leads into the 49 ers and ravens. and after the game immediately following i'll be at levi's stadium with player interviews. and maybe i'll find santa claus for an exclusive at levi's show up santa. all right. biggest game of the day today. two, ten and four teams matching up mike mcdaniel's dolphins hosting the cowboys. mcdaniel really wanted to call a late first half timeout for good reason, because it set up this former niner raheem mostert, wide open for the touchdown miami up 13 seven

at the half. all smiles for raheem. this young dolphins fan not as happy. ouch 3.5 minutes to go miami is only up six and dak prescott finds brandin cooks for the incredible go ahead touchdown. so nice. we show it twice dallas takes a 20 to 19 lead. but mike mccarthy his mood changes in a hurry when miami marches down the field jason sanders from 29 yards out as time expires. the dolphins win 2220, clinching a playoff berth. the loss drops dallas behind philly for the nfc east lead, so christmas is coming deion tomorrow around this time 40 niners are going to kick it off. tell christian to call you call me right. >> he has the address i was just looking about his salary. he can definitely afford it. >> you just making that up. you can afford. >> yeah yeah no problem no big deal okay. >> he's going to be okay. >> yeah. chris. thank you. well, still ahead, we'll take a peek inside the command center. working hard to keep up with santa tonit. lots of gifts in

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start your journey instead of oh my ears, there's so much going on. >> it is all hands on deck at norad this evening, the north american aerospace defense command is responsible for tracking everything flying in and around the us and canada tonight. that includes santa and

his reindeer, the santa tracker has become a global phenomenon. radar stations have already picked up an infrared signal. probably, we're told, from rudolph's nose. the tradition began way back in 1955. that's when a child accidentally dialed the unlisted phone number of the operations center in colorado springs, colorado. believing she was calling santa claus after seeing a promotion in a local newspaper. it is all hands on deck. i mean, he moves very fast, as you can see. >> got to go to command center and find him right after this newscast. yep. >> and we'll track it all tomorrow as well, >> rachel: tonight, the urgent manhunt in florida for the suspect in a deadly mall shooting. police now appealing to the public for their help. just moments ago, officials releasing a photo of a man they are looking for, now wanted for murder after the scene of chaos just ahead of christmas.