a happy christmas to all of you and a good new year. "around the world" starts right "around the world" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com nsa leaker edward snowden leaks new details about his life in russia, saying he raised concerns to his superiors before he went rogue. now how he is living off ramen noodles and why he says i already won. more than 200 miles above your head right now the two astronauts are dangling over the earth, a critical repair job being done to the international space station. the space walk under way. and heading into the holiday with divine popularity. the pope gets ready for his first christmas mass and his approval ratings are soaring. welcome to "around the world." i'm suzanne malveaux. >> i'm michael holmes. we're going to start at the

vatican fittingly perhaps where pope francis is getting ready to celebrate his first christmas as leader of the catholic church. how much do his followers love this man? have a listen. >> wow. wish i could be there actually. pope francis is "time" magazine's person of the year. he has popularity ratings a lot of politicians would love to have. our new cnn/orc poll says 72% of all americans love and approve of pope francis. almost 90% of catholics actually do. >> boy, politicians would love those numbers. right now, thousands of the faithful are in st. peter's square counting down the hours till tonight's mass, and erin mclaughlin is lucky enough to be there. >> reporter: the tree is trimmed. the nativity scene unveiled and everyone seems excited for the pope's very first christmas. >> we want to share this special

moment with a person who is beloved person and we appreciate all he's doing. >> reporter: nine months into his papacy, much has been made of the pope's reforms. more scrutiny at the vatican bank, changes to the church's bureaucratic structure, and a commission to deal with the abuse of minors. and that's to name a few. >> he tends to be a surprise because he does things that are normal but are very abnormal in terms of the papacy. he brought three homeless men noon the place where he's living to have breakfast with him on his birthday. >> the festivities began on saturday with his christmas message to the curia. he urged the church's governing body to avoid gossip and to focus on service. and then he practiced what he preached. spending three hours at a local hospital bringing christmas cheer to sick children. for the first time ever on monday, two living popes

exchanged christmas greetings. francis met with benedict for 45 minutes. ♪ >> st. peter's basilica is the place to be on christmas eve. pope francis will celebrate the traditional mass. this year, there were a record number of requests to attend. and then on christmas day, tens of thousands of pilgrims will flood st. peter's square to hear his message to the world. >> people are listening to him because he's speaking in a language that's not vaticanese. he's speaking the language of ordinary people. >> reporter: pope francis has already taken care of his christmas gifts. 2,000 immigrants at a local shelter received special packs complete with a christmas card signed by the pope that contained everything they might need to be able to contact loved ones over the holidays including prepaid international phone cards, proof that this pope's message this christmas really is we all should be helping others. suzanne and michael? >> erin, give us a sense of the

mood, the tone, how different is it this christmas with this new pope? >> reporter: i think there's a definite sense of excitement and hope. thousands of people here have come to rome to celebrate with this hope francis. when i talk to people, there is a rel sense of optimism that change is coming to the church and that thing are really moving in the right direction. they've taken to him. i spoke to one pilgrim who told me this is the people's pope is what they're saying. so they're definitely excited and excited to be sharing this particular celebration with him, as well. >> all right. lucky assignment there. i'd love to be there. really wonderful. >> she gets all the wonderful gigs. >> merry christmas to you. tune in to live coverage of the pope's first ever of christmas mass 26:00 eastern only here on cnn. >> 200 miles above the aerts on board the international space station or more correctly just outside it. >> okay, guys, we're working on

the g tech removal from the m 1, m 2 lines, that should be the single detector. >> that was tape from just a little while ago. those two nasa astronauts out on an emergency space walk to replace a faulty pump. the pump that will coos down the space station. they're now five hours into the mission and these are live pictures. isn't that the extraordinary? >> that you can actually see that realtime. let's listen in. >> and three out of four fluid lines now connected to the new spare pump module. >> we're going to be working with the m 3 line now. >> what's left is the so-called m 3 line. this is a ---ing >> he can explain what we're actually hearing. what are we in for to see this? is this a difficult mission here. >> very difficult as you would expect in a situation like this so far above the earth in conditions that are treacherous to say the least. add ammonia to that and you've

got a very difficult situation. these astronauts have been working diligently for more than five hours. we've been monitoring this feed and we've heard mention of some ammonia flakes potentially touching some of the space suits. the significance of that however, we don't noech. as you just heard it seems like they are continuing the process of attaching this spare pump to the international space station. and the hope in all of this has been they'll be able to successfully do that just in time for christmas. >> a few minutes ahead of schedule, nasa started another space walk to support the orbiting international space stationings. >> rick mass track yoeg retrieving failure of an internal flow control valve. >> two american astronauts are venturing out. their mission to replace a pump needed to cool the vessel. >> i don't know if you guys believe in miracles but i got the pin on first try. >> oh, that's awesome, rick.

>> over the weekend, astronauts rick mastracchio and michael hopkins removed the faulty cooling pump, which is the size of a refrigerator. any now must install the new one. their task is a delicate one. the equipment contains a knoxious cooling fluid, ammonia. >> some of the danger is hooking up the big heavy an money yag lines, they're thick and massive. hooking those up if you were to leak ammonia, it's not a pleasant chemical. you couldn't bring it inside. there's definite risks out there. >> mastracchio will be wearing a newly tailored space suit on today's mission, a replacement after a cooling issue with his previous suit during the last walking >> it's the only issue that i personal liam having is it's have he very cold. i got very, very good air flow in my boots, but my toes are quite cold. >> nasa says there was never nel danger to the astronaut. ali velshi five hours of meticulous work for mastracchio and hopkins on saturday, day one of the space walk is being

called a success. >> i think i'm ready to leave this work site. >> okay, copy that, rick. >>ing nasa hopes by christmas, all the work will be done. leaving the astronauts to celebrate safely back on the space station. now, these are live pictures from space. how cool is that to see this all happening it realtime? >> it's amazing. >> we love this stuff. >> we'll be continuing to watch this happen throughout the day. we know that they are again, trying to hook up this the spare pump to the international space station. it seems like things are back on electric. >> alina, what does that do whether he they're all said and done? it's fixed or. >> the goal is that they'll be able to step away from this project, that it will be connected. >> turn it on. >> and everything's back to normal. >> like a light switch. it's the cooling module, isn't it? that keeps the space station cool. >> yes. >> from what they're saying, they've got three of the four

lines attached. that's me speaking technical. >> alina, thank you. >> i love that stuff. live from space. all right. turning to more serious news now, it violence flaring in the middle east today. hamas says an israeli air strike killed a 4-year-old girl and wounded three members of her family. this in gaza, and this happened after israel says a sniper inside gaza fatally shot an israeli citizen or civilian near the border fence between gaza and israel. he was working on that fence apparently. >> elyse he la vit is joining us from washington. give us a sense whether or not you think this is going to have any impact on the efforts for some sort of peace talks to move forward. does this strike you as a move back, a significant move back? >> well, suzanne, it's been kind of quiet over the last several months on the border with gaza. there really haven't been any israelis killed or any additional fire into gaza.

we have to see now that the palestinians are saying a 4-year-old was killed in this attack, clearly israelis are bracing for some kind of retaliation. air force -- israeli defense officials tell me there have been several incidents over the past couple days. they've had to defuse a couple of explosive devices. after this shooting which killed a civilian contractor working on the border they felt they needed to contain this and send a message this won't be tolerated. they struck at six targets which are rocket launchers and training facilities. now we have to see if there's going to be some kind of escalation. >> it's the classic tit-for-tat, isn't it? has hamas admitted anything here in the problem in gaza, hamas isn't the only show in town. it's sort of running the place if you like, but there's plenty of other groups that happens does operate independently. has there been any admission? >> hamas seemds to be saying on

twitter they thought this man was a soldier that was killed. the israelis are saying he was a civilian. >> lost elise labott. john kerry trying desperately to get the two sides to talk to each other. he has been back to the region many, many times. we're also following this. two explosions that hit an egyptian government building today in the city of mansour, killing at least 12 people, more than 130 were injured. egypt's enter prim prime minister called it a terrorist attack indirectly blaming the muslim brotherhood, the party that backs the ousted president mohamed morsi. >> the muslim brotherhood tweeting it strongly condemned these bombings. the blast comes as see egypt is set to vote on a new constitution in the next few weeks. a draft constitution, it would ban religious political parties and put more power in the hands of the military. this is also significant because this is a very secure part of

that area. government buildings hit, obviously a major breach of security. and now to the world's newest country, south sudan which many fear could be on the brink of civil war. u.s. marines are on stand by right now ready to move in and rescue americans who are now stranded there. situation there is volatile. the united nations warns today that there are reports of ethnic killings and mass graves. want to get the latest from the correspondent barbara starr who you just got word secretary of state john kerry has talked with what, a key rebel leader who used to be south sudan's haven't. what do we know about this? >> well, u.s. government officials are confirming the secretary of state john kerry has spoken to the rebel leader who used to be the vice president of the country. a lot of people in suit south sudan believe he was behind what is believed to be a military coup attempt several days ago that sparked all of this fighting that is now turned into

somewhat of ethnic warfare across the country. reports by united nations of mass graves, of continued violence. as for the americans, the reason the marines are now nearby, 150 marines, if an order comes to evacuate them or reinforce the embassy, this time they'll have the marines nearby to carry that out. they believe they've evacuated most of the americans that want to get out of the most troubled area, but there still are americans there, and they want to be able to deal with whatever arises in the coming days. >> it's a crazy political situation there. riek machar the opposition leader says he didn't carry out a coup. but the sectarian nature of this, the tribal nature of this is what's really worrying people looking in. something like 80,000 people have fled their homes. a lot of them hanging out at u.n. bases. what's the u.n. working on? >> well, this is the big concern, as you say. these u.n. areas now are trying

to shelter upwards of 40,000 south sudanese trying to escape the violence and get any safe shelter that they can. yesterday, in fact, the u.n. was reinforcing its camps to avoid attacks. they were digging, putting up security barriers, doing whatever they could, trying to ensure their camps were safe from the fighting. they have been attacked in the past. we saw two indian peacekeepers, two indian people murdered just a few days ago when they were attacked in this area. so this is part of the concern. a lot of talk that the government has been able to be retake some of these areas, about you that's very uncertain whether any of that will hold for the moment, i think the united nations is very convinced that the fighting will continue, and they are calling for hundreds if not thousands of more peacekeeping personnel to move into the region. >> yeah, and the government saying it has, as you say, barbara recaptured a town of

bor, a very strategic place. barbara starr at the pentagon, thanks so much. also point out to people the u.n. is going to be meeting a couple hours from now to talk about sending more, several thousand more peacekeepers into south sudan there. they're worried about it. >> we're also following this for "around the world." watch. fears of violence rising in uganda. this is after the parliament there passed a bill that could lead to people being sent to prison for life. just for being gay. plus this. ♪ ing >> russian president vladimir putin pardoning those critical of him. is it a change of heart or a pr move before the sochi olympics? ♪ here comes santa claus >> we're tracking big red today. if you've been naughty, well, you have a lot. it's too late. no hope for you. santa is on the way.

he's loaded up with the presents and cold probably. >> we're tracking his movements up ahead. >> i'm tech sergeant jordan and the gate stationed in turkey. and this is my lovely wife mallory. during this holiday season, we especially had remember jesus who gave us life and our families who add value to our lives. >> we miss you, family in arkansas and we love you. we wish we were with you this christmas. >> i love you guys. we miss you. ♪

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here are the stories making news around the world right now. for the first time since he arrived in russia in june, nsa leaker edward snowden sat down for an interview spilling the beans and screws, as well talking to a reporter for "the washington post." he says his mission is already accomplished. and that he's already won. >> yeah, snowden says he did what he set out to do, let the public know about the nsa's wide-ranging surveillance program. he says he raised concerns about the nsa spying operations with colleagues and his superiors. he also revealed details about his life in russia, says he doesn't go out much.

he doesn't drink and for some reason pretty much lives off ramen noodles and chips. >> less than two months till the sochi winter olympics. president putin is easing up on critics. two female members of the band pu pussy ryeout members were released. >> he also pardon oil tycoon and once russia's richest man mikhail khodorkovsky. why now? let's bring in jill dougherty. we've been talking whether this forgiveness of those who is opposed him is i don't know, sort of air brushing rush yag before the olympics. what's the sense in russia? >> you know, i think partially that is what it is. there's no denying that all of these three events, you know, greenpeace, pussy riot, khodorkovsky, all of them are happening just a month or so

before the olympics. that could be one factor. you know, i think it's too simplistic to just say that vladimir putin wants to brush off the reputation of russia or himself. there are other things at play. i think in each case, each of those three, he is sending a message. let's begin with the pussy riot girls. they are unrepentant. let's listen to them first. >> translator: the political situation is sadat the moment, really sad. and the political regime in russia is leading the country to i collapse. so of course, if the western countries would show the strong political ethical position they will need to boycott the games. >> okay so she wants the rest of the world to boycott the olympic games in sochi. what's the message? the message seems to be as president vladimir putin said at a news conference -- that i attended just a few days ago, he said i don't feel sorry for the

girls being in prison but i do feel sorry for the girls denigrating, lowering the image of women. so the message is out there. they are being punished because they had a moral trespass, tress are pass against morality. they're punished, and that's the message. it goes over well in russia right now. >> khodorkovsky, business, don't even try to get involved in politics if you're involved in business. and there are others. >> and jill, quickly here it, because michael and i were talking about this before, edward snowden, why the change in his lifestyle, that he's eating ramen noodles? do we believe that's the case? have they done something with snowden to indicate they're not really in good favor? >> well, i mean, i don't know. you can find ramen noodles in moscow, too. maybe that is what he it's. but there, that -- he has been pretty quiet up until now. he's saying more things.

but i think you'd have to look at what president putin imcoulds to say, which is nsa spying in a way, it's not good. there should be controls on it, however as he put just a few days ago, it is important for protecting against terrorism. so even in that, is mr. putin is playing the role of kind of the nice guy. but behind all of this, i really do want to stress, there is a message to people who are taking any type of action against the russian government that you had better watch it. >> all right. jill dougherty, thank you very much. thousands of holiday trooflers in the uk now stranded because of bad weather. we're going to take a look at the impact of flooding, high winds on southern england up next. [ sniffles, coughs ] shhhh!

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there are actually a lot of angry holiday travelers in britain. why? one of the strongest storms to hit the uk in years has stranded

thousands of passengers, plains, trains, automobiles. the ferry service has now been disrupted forcing folks to spend the night in their cars. >> if you were watching yesterday, we told you this was coming. winds up to 80 miles an hour. flooding throughout parts of england and wales. that's left tens of thousands of people with no power. france getting a bit of a battering, as well. two people have died because of this weather. >> here's hoping that the weather doesn't impact santa on his journey delivering gifts around the world. >> of course not. >> the u.s., canadian governments have been tracking santa's reindeer flight for more than 50 years. this is the website, norad san tap.org. that's right. we're serious. very serious here. this is the north american aerospace commands powerful radar system tracking santa as he leaves the north pole. >> i wonder if the nsa is involved. right now you can see where he is by tracking the little santa

icon on the globe. isn't that cute? a counter keeps track of how many tens of thousands of gifts he has already delivered. you know he was actually just over western australia an hour or two ago. >> i hope you were good. >> not so naughty. joining us major general charles lucky, chief of staff of norad. you've been doing this since 195? >> yeah, we've been doing it since the 50s. the mission predates even norad back when it was continental defense command it started. we've been doing it ever since. and it is -- it's a wonderful time of the year. it's a great opportunity to make sure that santa travels safely and securely and it also gives us an opportunity to let kids know where santa is and what time we expect him to be wherever it is they're living >> where is he now? >> he just -- he's just left the maldives and he looks like he's heading over india as we speak.

>> maldives, that's a beautiful spot to the stop for christmas. listen, the fighter jet escorts in now, let's have a listen to this and we'll chat. >> big red one is moving over the arctic ocean with no problems. >> roger aegis. we should be getting visual i.d. from the pilots at this time. papa bear, zero one. what are you seeing from your vapt tackle point in canada. >> our main goal is to get a radar lock in visual of big red one using information from norad sector controllers and on board fighter aircraft systems. >> it's all very official, isn't it? i smoes you do have to keep an eye on it. why the jets in i don't know. it seems a little sad really. we went into scramble here. >> this is part of norad's core mission, one of the things that we do all the time around the clock protecting the skies over north america. but when it comes to santa, we just want to make sure his

travels are safe and secure wherever he goes, that he doesn't run into trouble with the grinch just in case the grinch's heart shrinks again or you know, we've got bumbles may get his teeth back and we've got to deal with the an bonable snowman. but santa has always been escorted safely and peacefully by norad. we look forward to do it for santa for as long as he needs us. >> general, i hadn't thought about that, all the threats. that's true. >> you're absolutely right. >> many kids, have they been naughty and nice and santa making more or less stops this year? >> have you been naughty or nice? >> who me? >> yes. >> always sweet. >> always sweet. >> awesome to speak with you, general. great job you and the guys are doing there. really appreciate that. thanks so much. >> yeah, tracking santa. >> appreciate all of you and have happy holidays and thanks a

lot for your support. >> happy holidays to you too. >> he's making a stop at my place. is he making a stop at yours? >> of course he is. i had wondered about the whole fighter jet thing. now we know, grinching >> turn on the christmas specials and you'll see. >> don't mess with norad. >> still to come on around the world," the emergency mission on the international space station. we're going to talk to a former, the last person to handle the part that is being replaced now in space. >> but it wasn't his mistake. >> that's true. >> jacksonville, it's captain rene cassidy with the united states air force and poxton high school class of '04, mom it, happen holidays. no tears i'll be home soon. jacksonville, keep my family safe and go jaguars. the quicksr cash back card from capital one. it's not the "fumbling around with rotating categories" card. it's not the "getting blindsided by limits" card. it's the no-game-playing, no-earning-limit-having,

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all right. we might be feeling a little festive, eggnog, mistletoe on earth. a little different aboard the international space station. watch this. >> christmas morning opening a present here. >> nice. >> that's quite a present. that's astronaut mick

mastracchio as he prepares to fix a faulty pump on the international space station. so, what is this is christmas eve mission in space like? >> we wanted to know from someone who knows firsthand. we are joining by colonel ron guerin, a former astronaut with four space walks under his belt. it's so good to have you here. you actually handled that pump module that the torontos woastr worked on today. what are they doing here? >> they're switching out this pump which is responsible for a lot of the cooling thattings on the international space station. a lot of equipment both inside and outside the station require cooling. the way we do that on the space station is through ammonia. that ammonia is on the outside of the space station. so we have two redundant systems. the system that failed is on the starboard side of the space station and you know, we have a flow control valve in there that failed. so we have to replace the whole pump module, about 800 pounds.

it's a big box basically. >> yeah, as we were talking yesterday, it's weightless in sbas but it is bulky. and you've got to be careful what you're doing. earlier, i know you've been following this. i think we heard them say the connecting the force of four pipes or how does it work? what are they doing now what, are five hours into the mission? >> a little bit over 5 1/2 hours into the mission. they have these connectors na basically connect the fluid lines that go through the pump. and they are bulky as you said. they're under pressure and so you know, you have to think about this not only is there pressure inside the lines but there's pressure inside your suit, as well. you've got this big bulky suit. you're fighting against the pressure on the inside of your suit. and it really takes a lot of physical force. >> and tell us about those suits because we had heard one of the astronauts had a problem with his suit on saturday that there was a leak involved and that the astronaut really needed to get

cooled down. give us a sense of how old are these suits and what are they meant to do? >> well, first of all, there was not a leak on the suit on -- i've heard it reported that there was. but actually, this is just a normal system on board that interfaces, excuse me, interfaces with the vacuum of space. and that's one of the things that helps cool the astronauts. excuse me. but there was a misconfiguration on the switch in that particular case. >> ron -- you've got what suzanne has got and that is a bit of a cough. we'll get back to you a little later. ron garan, thanks so much. we'll check in with you. >> as it unfolds. thank you so much. appreciate it. >> everybody's struggling with the coughing every commercial break. >> you're going to give it to me. >> millions of people around the

world actually go hungry this holiday season, but singer christina aguilera has become the voice for them. chris cuomo takes a look how she is actually trying to make an impact ♪ twinkle twinkle little star >> christina aguilera is lending a hand and her voice in the fight against world hunger ♪ how i wonder what you are >> reporter: the grammy winner says becoming a mother played a key role in her decision to get involved. >> when i look at my son, i realize all the opportunities that he has around him. every child deserves the chance to dream and to hope. >> reporter: aguilera recently traveled to rwanda as an ambassador against hunger for the u.n. world program. >> it's so lovely to see them smile and their eyes light up and for them to be eager to get an education and in the long-term try and provide for

their family and break the cycle of going hungry. >> this is aguilera's third trip with the world food program. she previously visited guatemala and haiti. >> why not do all i can to give these children a voice of their own to be heard andtom have the same opportunities everyone else should have ♪ like a diamond in the cite . >> yeah. amazing. good stuff. >> according to the world food program only takes $50 to feed a child a meal every day for an entire year. >> it really raises awareness when people like her go down there because we're talking about it, showing problems down there. you can go to cnn.com/impact to find more. hi, i'm terry and i have diabetic nerve pain.

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tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. it's specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain. it is being called a witch hunt. many in uganda's gay community say they will now live ing infear after a har ssh anti-gate bill was passed by the country's parliament. >> it's not been easy to live as a gay person in that country for

a long time anyway but this bill if it is signed by the president and that has not happened yet, would make gay officially a crime. >> jim clancy has more on the proposed law as well as the backlash. >> reporter: in uganda, being gay could soon result in imprisonment for life. the country's parliament passed the anti-hoorm sexuality bill which toughens penalties for certain homosexual acts park paing fear among the gay community and causing some to flee the country. the bill proposes a 14-year prison term for first offenders. and life in prison for serial offenders. sex with minors, and acts where one is infected with hiv. but it also punishes anyone who promotes, funds or sponsors hoom sexuality with seven years behind bars. one member of parliament says it's about preserving uganda's

culture. >> speaker of parliament for their courage and providing leader assumption to befriend the children of uganda and the cause for humanity. to protect our marriages to defend our culture and to defend the future of our children. >> reporter: parliament has been under pressure to pass this bill for many evangelical churches. it was first introduced in 2009. that bill called for the death penalty. the bill has faced much criticism. especially in the west. last year, germany cut off aid to uganda citing this bill as a major concern. one ugandan gay activist says that the lesbian gay, by sexual and transgender community will continue to fight for equal rights. >> whether you pass the bill or not, we're not going to -- it's not going to change us from being lgbt, from being gay, it's not going to stop us from speaking out. it's not going to stop us from showing our faces. so we come out here today to show you that we're still here.

we're resilient and we're challenging this bill. >> the ugandan president now has to sign this bill before it can be go into effect. uganda is one of 36 african nations where homosexuality is illegal. jim clancy, cnn, atlanta. >> actually in the last few minutes got news that the u.s. state department has weighed in condemning that bill, as well. and we are just hours away from christmas. people everywhere are getting ready to celebrate with their loves ones. up next, going to take you across the world and share some of the most unique holiday celebrations. >> hello, this is chaplain lance franchise knb kuwait. i want to say hello to my family members, my wife tamra, my daughter, my beautiful mom and dad, wayne adams. hello, i'm enjoying the season here and i hope you're enjoying the season there pld i would love to see a care package. anyway, happy holidays.

i took my son fishing every year. we had a great spot, not easy to find, but worth it. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function starting within five minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better. and that means...fish on! [ female announcer ] symbicort is for copd including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. [ man ] with copd, i thought i'd miss our family tradition. now symbicort significantly improves my lung function,

starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing. today we're ready for whatever swims our way. ask your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or click to learn more. beautiful looking at live pictures from bethlehem. >> it's beautiful. >> lights, ceremony. really wonderful time. >> had a christmas eve there years and years ago in bethlehem there in the west bank. a really remarkable place to mark the occasion. >> for many children around the world, christmas the most magical time of the year here in the u.s. we've got all kinds of traditions to celebrate the holiday season from kissing under the mistletoe attending

midnight mass, dressing up our houses with spectacular decorations and people around the world having all kinds of ways of celebrating christmas. >> indeed. joining us now to talk about some of these traditions as cnn editorial producer nadia bill chick. where are you starting, japan. >>. >> kentucky fried chicken have done a brilliant job of marketing so that christmas is synonymous with japan. [ speaking foreign language ] kentucky. christmas with kentucky. and interesting, it started in around is the '70s and please understand the japanese, the majority are not christian, they may be knowledge religious or shinto or buddhists but here on christmas day, they will line up around kentucky fried chicken and even order their kfc two months in advance. >> a masterpiece of marketing. >> exactly. >> a masterpiece of marketing. >> and, of course, you're from south africa. what do they do?

>> it's summer in south africa. they often have a barbecue and i don't know what they call it in australia, but the idea is you cook the meat so there will be lots of barbecue and lots of wine and au in the outdoors on beaches. they may seen slaughter a lamb and drink home brewed beer. >> very similar in australia where i grew up. our tradition was to have a seafood barbecue, go down and get fresh seafood the day before, have a seafood barbecue and we all went surfing. and everyone else hung out on the beach. >> i say barbecue. >> we do a gumbo at my house. we do a gumbo and often sled and that kind of thing. >> it's winter. australia and south africa, it's summer. but then i'm going to take you to the czech republic. wonderful traditions. >> great beer. >> how could we getting that? what they do, let's say a woman wants to get married in the upcoming year.

in december, they'll put a cherry twig in water. if it blossoms by christmas, it's a good omen. they'll also take a shoe and throw it towards the door. if the heel of the shoe goes toward the door it's not a good thing. >> if it hits her boyfriend, that's a bad thing. >> or if the boyfriend hits her with the shoe equally true. >> it's not going to work. >> exactly. then in italy, they don't have a traditional christmas tree. it's blocks that form the tree. wooden blocks and then you put the fruit and ornaments around that. imagine being in vatican city right now. in vatican square. in just two hours time, you're waiting for that midnight mass. and for the pope to come out and deliver the midnight mass message. so that's one place, one christmas i think i would like to be. i don't know if you saw earlier the beautiful nativity scene and the pope. but one christmas tradition, universal around the world, and

hundreds of millions of people will be doing that tonight and that is the christmas -- >> gift. >> michael holmes. >> you shouldn't have. >> [ speaking foreign language ] and for suzanne malveaux, a very merry christmas or as some say happy chris ma hanu kwanzaa ca. >> we're nothing if not inclusive. >> is this south african biltong. >> that is the idea of the gift and you have to open it tonight. >> suzanne has our gift to you. she'll give it to you later. >> every time i talk to you. >> we're running a little bit behind schedule. of course, we dress in christmas wear at red and the black. >> i was doing that tomorrow. >> michael. >> i was doing that tomorrow on christmas day. >> all right. >> your red tie and sharp black suit. >> michael, you were saying for your children, they gave you a list of what they wanted. so you didn't have to come up with gifts. >> the older the kids get, mine

are 14 and 15, it's not sort of go out and buy them something they'll be surprised. they give you a list. >> the older they get, the more expensive the gift. >> we were saying electronics, that's the big thing. >> i'm giving you my list now. >> that's probably around the world. >> i'm sure it is. >> merry christmas. >> thank you. >> we appreciate it. >> good stuff. nadia bill about check there. this is something you've been working on, professional fighters, right? >> that's right. they are paid to hurt opponents. but when it comes to the holidays, it is all about the giving. we'll show you how the mixed martial arts is the teaming up with another group. >> 0 a more peaceful note as we go to break, bethlehem in the west bank. once upon a time, an insurance clerk stumbled upon a cottage. [knock] no one was at home, but on the kitchen table sat three insurance policies.

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welcome back, everyone. mixed martial arts fighters known for their toughness in the ring, i think it's a brutal sport but it's a bit different at christmastime, isn't it. >> it's all about the kids teaming up with toys for tots, fans got to show a little bit of their heart on fight night. >> when you think of mixed martial arts, you probably think of this. and not this. >> thanks to all of you that

brought a toy in tonight. the kids will love it on christmas morning. >> but for past five years, ultimate fighting championship promoter david abliss and toys for at that time have collaborated to ensure all children have a present to unwrap on christmas day. >> everyone wants to donate something. so they figured toys for to the was a great cause around the holidays. you know, it's cool for us to give back. people don't associate violence with toys for to the and we made it work together. >> we got together and night night was born. every year, he's done that since and they fill al entire tractor-trailer each and every year full of toys. >> here at the nfc fights, it's simple. you bring a toy, you get in free. no percentage given to toys for to the. it's 100%. you donate a toy, that toy is going to the kids. >> several fighters have made this event an annual custom, as well. undefeated mma fighter chaz the

hybrid walton has made fight night a tradition and it imcoulds to hold a special place in his heart. >> the i fought at toys for tots last year. that's when i actually asked my wife to marry me. i like doing it because it's charity. it has a big draw. there's a lot of people here. >> southside's steve rick ham has hosted the event at wild bill's since its inceptionings in 2008. >> i've been fortunate because i have friends in the service to see them go to homes where they handed out toys and gave them to parents with tears in the driveway knowing their kids' christmas morning would go have toys and believe san tam had come for them. >> but the work doesn't end on fight night. beginning in october and continuing nonstop until christmas, toys for to the has a large undertaking >> we're not charity experts. we're united states marines. we have this other thing we do for a living. so but this is great an that --

it's a great opportunity for us and it also promotes the marine corps in a positive way. >> so next time you donate a toy or place a monetary donation, know that it truly makes a difference. >> i can't imagine a child waking up and not having a toy at christmas and for that, i mean, that's all that matters. it's all about the children. >> that's so nice. our floor directors did all of that. she makes sure we stay in line but she also shot that and interviewed. >> now i know she watches mixed martial arts, i'm going to be polite to her, too. that's a rough thing to watch. what are you doing for christmas? >> going home. going to be with my family. >> good for you. >> take off tonight. >> you take tomorrow off. >> i'm not working anymore. >> and i'll be here. >> merry christmas to you. >> merry christmas to you. >> happy holidays to all of you. and we're going to leave this hour here with live shots from bethlehem, the celebrations, the christmas celebrations there. the lights, the festivities, the

prayers, as the whole city -- prayers, as the whole city -- ♪ -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com right now, edward snowden says he's won in a new interview, the admitted nsa hacker talks about his motivation and his justification for spilling national secrets. and right now, nasa astronauts are working on new jersey repairs to the international space station. we'll be finding out if those repairs are working. and right now, markets are winding down for the holidays. did santa bring another record close for the dow? hi there, i'm