travelers. the ground stop that snarled air traffic at one of the country's

biggest hubs, the travel troubles to watch out for today if you are hitting the road, plus who could see a white christmas today. and a silent night in the holy land during wartime. richard engel gets rare access in bethlehem where christmas is effectively canceled this year. and it's another tripledemic around the corner? the cdc warning of a sharp spike in covid, flu and rsv just as families get together for the holidays. and it was the year of the strike. how the fight for workers' rights defined 2023. and it might just still feel like a christmas miracle for detroit fans. the lions end their 30-year division title drought with an exclamation point. we're wishing is a very merry christmas to all of those who celebrate. "early today" starts right now. good morning, i'm brie

jackson. extreme weather making it harder for many of those traveling home for christmas. a dense fog caused a ground stop at chicago's midway airport. more than 300 flights were either canceled or delayed, which caused a ripple effect of more than 2,500 delays nationwide. meanwhile, another storm system has created dangerous conditions for drivers across the rockies and northern plains. heavy snow and high winds caused this semi truck to lied off the road in nebraska. this system has been pushing its way to the east overnight. nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking who will be getting a white christmas today. good morning, michelle. >> good morning, brie. so good to see you on this christmas day. we are going to see travel troubles because portions of the central plains into the northern plains seeing some snow falling and we're going to see a white christmas there, could see up to 22 inches of snow in some spots. we have a large storm system, white christmas in the middle of the country, a soggy weather forecast from the midwest all the way down to the southeast,

especially the outheast, we are going to be really soggy there, could see the chance of flash flooding sandwiched in the middle where you see pink and purple in the upper midwest where we're going to see icy conditions, making travel tough there. in the pacific northwest a new storm system bringing a wintry mess there as well, that would be tonight into tuesday. winter alerts stretching from the midwest down to portions of the northern plains, central plains, we have blizzard warnings, winter storm warnings and watches and winter weather advisories, winds gusting with snow falling, 22 inches is possible in some spots, especially where you see pinks and purples. tough travel there. we will talk more about that and also look at your week ahead in a few minutes. now to gaza where israel says it's intensifying its campaign against hamas. 15 idf soldiers were killed over the weekend in the bloodiest days of combat since the war began.

the health ministry says at least 70 people have been killed in what was described as attacks on a refugee camp in gaza. the idf says it's reviewing reports of an incident there and is taking steps to minimize harm to civilians. meanwhile, in bethlehem, a silent night on christmas eve after the war canceled celebrations there. richard engel reports. >> reporter: the christian faithful believe a star guided the three wisemen to bethlehem, carrying gifts of gold, franc en sense and myrh for christ. this year they would find the little town closed. christmas celebrations are officially canceled by the mayor and churches in solidarity with the 2.3 million people of gaza. in manger square there is no tree nor lights, instead a creche shows baby jesus in a

destroyed building to represent the victims in gaza. bethlehem is in the west bank, the people here are palestinians. gaza is only 50 miles away. richard, a palestinian christian, owns one of the biggest stores in bethlehem. >> a lot of your carvings are for obvious reasons the nativity scene. >> this is what represents bethlehem, this is where all the story started. >> reporter: he says he would normally see up to ten bus loads of visitors during the holiday season. >> when was the last time you had a single customer? >> well, it was on the 6th of october, just the day before the war. then from the 7th up to today it's zero bus. >> reporter: at his home we met his wife and daughters no wreath and presents this year. 9-year-old sophia says the holiday isn't about toys anyway. >> we didn't even decorate anything because of the war and innocent people are dying and i feel so bad for them. >> so no present for you?

>> no. >> does that bother you? >> no. children in gaza, they don't get gifts or anything because of the war. >> reporter: at the heart of bethlehem is the church of the nativity, but pass through the door of humility now and you will find almost no one. we met this reverend. in this sacred place, this special time, do you have a christmas message for our viewers? >> my christmas message is jesus was born to bring peace to this world and the ball is in our court. we are all invited to be peace makers and not peace talkers. we are fed up with peace talkers and peace talks. it's time for peace making. >> reporter: below the alter is the grotto the spot where they say jesus was born.

we were alone to witness the rituals that have continued uninterrupted for roughly 2,000 years. spiritually christmas isn't canceled, but no one is in the mood here for a celebration, not even for jesus' birthday. richard engel, nbc news, bethlehem. and now to breaking news out of colorado springs. police say one person is dead and two others are in serious condition after shots rang out at a shopping mall on christmas eve. officers believe the shooting was targeted and that two groups of people were fighting with each other. this was not considered an active shooter situation. the investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged to contact the colorado springs police. and an investigation is under way in texas after a massive fire at a car auction facility in denten county. emergency crews were called out

to a suspected grass fire after 1:00 a.m. sunday and arrived to find dozens of cars on fire. in all, 58 vehicles were damaged. the cause of the fire was not immediately clear. as many are visiting loved ones for the holidays the cdc is warning about a sharp uptick in respiratory illnesses. nbc's jessie kirsch has the details. >> reporter: as millions travel this holiday weekend, covid and flu are also on the move. the cdc releasing this new map showing very high flu-like illness levels across the south with activity trending up in the midwest and northeast. officials believe rsv cases have peaked for the season, but the cdc says weekly flu hospital admissions are increasing. covid cases are also rising across the country. that's keeping medical teams busy, like at chicago's northwestern memorial hospital,

where this doctor works in the icu. >> what goes through your mind when you see cases climb sng. >> we have to be prepared for ongoing more cases that need life support in the icu. >> reporter: northwestern medicine says back in october beds like these were filled with patients dealing with a range of issues but just before christmas the hospital says the majority of patients in this icu are dealing with respiratory illnesses. with masks and social distancing largely gone the doctor says we are looking at a new kind of holiday season. >> you have this i guess cornucopia of all the viruses we have known before that have come back and also the covid we were dealing with before. >> reporter: the winter mix bringing a reminder to protect yourself and others. >> set yourself up for success getting vaccinated, wear your mask, wash your hands, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth when in public. those are the best things to stay out of the hospital and icu and protect your loved ones. >> reporter: lessons from a pandemic to keep you and your family healthy heading into the new year. jesse kirsch, nbc news, chicago.

a winning lottery ticket could be the perfect christmas miracle. after powerball jackpot soared to an estimated $638 million after there was no lucky winner on saturday. now, there have only been three jackpot winners on christmas day and it could be your lucky chance. but you have to play to win. so the next drawing will take place tonight at 11:00 p.m. and travelers this week will be hoping to win the weather lottery, but are the odds in their favor? let's bring back nbc meteorologist michelle grossman with a look ahead at what weather is on the way this week. good morning, michelle. >> good morning, brie. great to see you again. we are looking at travel troubles for sure. we are looking at a large storm system bringing a wintry mess in the middle of the country, blizzard conditions in south dakota and nebraska. looking at rain from the midwest down to the southeast and we could see heavy rain especially in the southeast, a wintry mess moves on shore in the pacific

northwest. quiet in the south central states, northeast cloudy and mild, temperatures above normal for this time of year. tomorrow looking at blizzard conditions lingering in portions the central plains, rain in the midwest, heavy rain into the southeast, the carolinas, interior parts of the southeast, plenty of sunshine throughout the southwest. look portions of the south central states, temperatures in the 50s in dallas, also san angelo, houston 57. brie, that's your christmas day forecast. >> thank you, michelle. coming up, a preview of all the christmas nfl action. but first, we are back in a minute with the year of the strike. how rkwoers showed they mean business in 2023.

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2023 was dominated by strikes in the fight for workers' rights. nbc news reporter brian cheung looks back at the year and the eco economy. >> the economy steered clear of a recession, but the biggest theme of all, worker power. across the country over half a million teachers, pharmacists, fast food workers and more went on strike. the biggest ones targeting hollywood and the motor city. tv and movie production halted when the writers guild walked out in may with actors and performers joining two months later. in the fall members of the united auto workers forced stoppages at detroit's big three auto makers, further empowered by president biden's unprecedented visit to the picket line. >> an attack on a worker anywhere, is an attack on workers everywhere. >> after months of shutdown the question is who came out better on the other side. the hollywood standstill cost $6

billion in lost wages and business impacts, ford, gm and stellantis lost over $3.5 billion in profits together. pay bumps were significant with actors' wages rising more than 7%, writers up 12.5% and auto workers a whopping 25%. >> inflation is easing. >> we're still talking about inflation. >> annual inflation is slowly coming down. >> still high inflation showed signs of improving, dropping from over 6% to about 3% by year's end. some things got cheaper compared to a year ago, gas down 34 cents a gallon, prices cracked on eggs, too, over a buck cheaper per dozen. the cost of living, though, continues to keep inflation readings high, although with median rents down 2% hope that affordability will improve next year. a light at the end of the tunnel for main street, but in 2023 it was high drama on wall street. when silicon valley bank collapsed in march, becoming the biggest collapse since the 2008 financial crisis, overshadowed

weeks later when first republic failed as well, exposing bad bets made by poor managers. in the crypto world sam bankman-fried founder of ftx was found guilty on charges of fraud and money laundering, now facing up to 110 years in prison. but it wasn't all bad blood this year, it was the ladies who may have kept the economy upbeat. >> welcome to "the eras tour." >> taylor swift's eras tour became the first ever to gross a billion dollars with spending at tour stops estimated to have injected up to $5 billion in local economies. queen b grossed over half a million dollars on her do you remember with her own estimated $4.5 billion possibly boosting those economies. and of course the iconic doll barbie, raked in $1.4 billion the highest grossing film of the year. >> hi, barbie. >> hi, ken. >> all part of an eventful 2023 in the world of business.

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i cannot believe you let this happen. >> yeah, well, i hate this job. >> true kings build bridges, right? >> true king buildings bridges. "aquaman and the lost kingdom" not making a huge splash at the holiday box office. the superhero sequel brought in just over $28 million over its opening weekend, the fourth lowest opening in the history of the dc extended universe. but that was still enough to take first place. "wonka" came in second with just

shy of $18 million and "migration" brought in $12.3 million for its opening weekend. santa is bringing a full slate of nfl fun for christmas day. we got a blockbuster triple header with the raiders and chiefs kicking off things this afternoon, vegas fighting against all odds for a playoff spot, then the eagles look to snap their three-game skid against the giants. and the league's top contenders cap things off tonight, the ravens and 49ers face off in what could be a super bowl preview, allof that action coming after a wild christmas eve across the league. >> johnson grabs it, he's free, touchdown! >> faked the run. >> down 23-7 russell wilson and the broncos clawed their way back to tie things up with the

patriots, but new england sealed the win with a 56-yard field goal in the final seconds of the game. and the dolphins clinching a spot in the afc playoffs with a huge win over the cowboys. tua tagovailoa led miami on a 12-play, 64-yard drive to top dallas 22-20 on their home turf. and let's hear it for your nfc north champions! veteran quarterback jared goff who was born in 1994 led the lions to clinch their division for the first time since 1993 with a heroic 30-24 win against the vikings. when we come back, he's got 364 problems, but this day is not one. new rkyo's blueprint to celebrate everything jay-z.

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need to know "early today." tesla is recalling more than 120,000 of its cars over doors that could become -- that could fly open during a crash. the affected vehicles include 2021 through 2023 models s and x. and the original mickey mouse from the 1928 short "steamboat willie" will become public domain on january 1st after a century of copyright protection. modern nickees are still protected. new york city council is considering making january 24th jay-z delay to celebrate the rapper's birthday. come see who it is! what are you doing here you said you weren't coming home! i wanted to surprise you! mom, are you coming? i'll be right in! ( ♪♪ ) this is not just 1-hour delivery. this is help with the holidays, right in your neighborhood. walgreens. ( ♪♪ )

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our harry smith has the christmas story. >> reporter: like a postcard from nebraska, the beautiful christmas lights adorning the courthouse. >> there have been lights on the courthouse since 1922, in other words, 101 years. >> that's something. >> reporter: jack learned to love history from lucille cole, his teacher in eighth grade here. >> that's a glass negative, two men, actually, up here working on the courthouse lights. >> wow. isn't that something. >> yeah. >> reporter: after world war ii the high school drama teacher was approached. >> the chamber of commerce came over to clate. >> reporter: clayton mori, ben mori's day. >> and say, clate, do you have anything new we can do when we turn on the lights? >> the light of the world. >> reporter: and every year since 1946 give or take an energy crisis or pandemic, they have hosted the light of the world pageant. >> and when they saw the star they rejoiced.

>> well, my dad, he would have been so thrilled. >> reporter: ben's dad direct it had for years, then ted greece, then ben, and now ben's son. >> what is it like for you when you come to the square here and all the christmas lights are on? >> well, it's fabulous. it puts you in the mood. incredible lights. >> reporter: indeed they are. >> here in mendon we try to strive to not have christmas so commercialized. >> reporter: sally has mendon roots that go back four generations. >> it's more about tradition and nostalgia and families making memories and you can drive around this city square as many times as you want. >> reporter: her friend melanie beeler moved here just a few years ago, in part because of the lights. >> it was something that i wanted to be a part of.

>> it's just so great. >> yeah. >> it's just so great. >> reporter: not so fancy these lights, but just fine for more than 100 years. harry smith, nbc news, mendon, nebraska. and santa claus is on the move. norad the north american aerospace defense command is following his journey and you can, too, through noradsanta.org, it's a tradition 65 years strong that gets millions of visitors from more than 200 countries. while winter weather might be impacting travel it won't cause any trouble for st. nick and his reindeer. thanks for watching "early today." i'm brie jackson. i'm brie jackson. ve a verha [narrator] covered california is a free service from the state that's already helped millions of people like you get and pay for health insurance. with financial health to lower the cost of health coverage, you could get a quality health plan for less than $10 a month. every plan covers preventive care,

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