find me, @christine romans. i listen to, read and respond to all the tweets we get here on the set. happy holidays, happy new year. back now to cnn saturday for all the latest stories of the day. have a great weekend, everybody. good saturday morning to you all. newt gingerich getting some bad news on christmas eve. bad news out of virginia could have an impact on whether or not he could get the gop nomination. this is not just your holiday last minute rush. they are rushing for a particular pair of shoes. we'll explain and the violence that went along with it. from the cnn center in atlanta, georgia, this is your cnn saturday morning for christmas eve. i'm t.j. holmes. thanks for spending a part of your day with us. are you going to be one of those? are you going to be out there, the day before christmas, with

you last-minute shoppers, it never fails. that retail rush is on. allison, they opened three hours ago, that mall where you are. things have steadily started to pick up. what are you seeing now, a rush to ship? >> it's -- you know, the rush is slowly moving forward here. you can see it's getting more crowded here now. a lot of procrastinators out. but they're also bargain hunting. this is a great time to find a really good deal. although it's been a relatively strong shopping season so far, the reality is retailers are stuck with a lot of merchandise. they're offering really big discountes and deep discounts because they don't want to be stuck with a lot of merchandise on their shelves. they're trying to move this merchandise. once christmas happens, after christmas, they have to mark down these items even more. so yes, you're going to get some really good deals today. that means if you're a shopper, it's a shopper's paradise. even if you're a pro craft na

procrastinator, a lot of these procrastinators are men. if you're scurrying around, i have some tips for you. the top four best last-minute gift ideas, yes, the gift card. you can put any amount on it. cold, hard cash doesn't hurt, either. the other top two last-minute gifts, food and wine and linker. there you go, all the necessities you ever want. grab that last-minute gift for your loved one. >> wine and liquor always works. and most importantly, how much time do people have? are the stores staying open a lot later tonight? >> you know what? you think about the entire holiday shopping season, these stores have been staying open almost round the clock. all these stores are closing earlier. this mall in particular is closing at o'clock. so it's new port center here in

jersey city, new jersey. check those times, come out earlier than you expect. they're shutting the doors, getting ready for the holidays. >> thank you. we'll keep checking in. and analysts out there expect holiday sales to be even better when they first thought. but retailers are weary because retailers are taking back stuff that they bought. we'll tell you how returns may impact holiday sales. also, shopping frenzy, look at this. new release of the newest air jordan shoes. it's really the release of an old shoe. but look at this. this was the theme at one particular mall, one particular store. this was in indianapolis, but malls all over the country had these themes, kansas city, as well, crowds going nuts over these shoes. trampleling each other. in one case, police had to use pepper spray to get people under control. arrests were made. but, again, this is all over a pair of $180 shoes for a guy who

hasn't made a jump shot in the nba in nine years. a shooting outside a florida mall left one person dead there. an unknown number of assailants opened fire on a man with a high powered rifle. more than 100 shell casings found at the scene. police are searching for the suspects who were seen leaving in a gray four-door vehicle. the taliban taking credit for a suicide bombing. in pakistan, it killed at least six-pack stanny soldiers. the taliban spokesperson called the blast revenge for fighters, into a house used by troops in the northwestern city of banu. the bombing comes and claims by the prime minister that the military is plotting to topple the government. the military, though, denies that. a scene in moscow, tens of thousands of protesters are seen there protesting what they feel are rigged elections. security is tight. russian media reporting bulls

loads of riot police lining up along the streets. similar protests are taking place not just in moscow, but in several cities around the country. and britain's prince fill lip will have to spend christmas in the hospital. he had a procedure yesterday to unblock a coronary artery. he is 90 years old. and we're getting some big and some bad election news out of virginia. bad news for at least a couple of candidates. the state republican party says newt gingerich and rick perry have not collected enough valid signatures to appear on the state's primary ballot. our athe theethena jones is her. this sounds like a pretty big oops. >> it is a pretty big oops. we're hearing from campaigns this morning. let me tell you quickly what perry said. they're going to be looking closely and reviewing the facts and the law to determine whether an appeal or challenge is warranted. a challenge to this decision to

keep them off the ballot. let's listen to what newt gingerich had to say. his campaign called virginia's system a failed system, said voters deserve the right to vote for any top contender, especially leading candidates, and they say they're going to pursue an aggressive write-in campaign. that's interesting, of course, because the latest poll shows gingerich is in the lead in virginia with a five-point lead over romney. but if you're not on the ballot, then you can't really compete, can you, t.j.? >> you can't. and, again, we're talking to our folks, trying to understand how big of a deal this is. it's embarrassing, yes, gingerich lives in virginia, but also, it just shows -- and turns some people off about wait a minute, you can't get your act together to get on the ballot? >> exactly. it's interesting because, you know, the deadline was thursday. gingerich was speaking at a breakfast in virginia to a bunch of republicans saying, we'll have the signatures we need.

clearly they thought they had met other requirements of virginia. it's a pretty stringent state when it comes to the requirements for getting on the primary ballot. more stringent than other states. you need 10,000 signatures statewide, including 400 from each one of the state's congressional requirement. it's going to be a long, lard flog during this race. those that thought gingerich is soaring to the top of the polls, this shows them that maybe he doesn't. >> athena jones for us out of d.c., thank you so much. we're at seven minutes past the hour. let's turn now to the man everybody wants to hear from, reynolds wolf. >> when we talk about travel, a lot of people think of it going from one side of the country to

the other. but a time of people are just trying to get to the loved ones for the holiday. not a care in the world in some places, we'll see a combination of rain, sleet and snow. full scoop, coming up. >> see you in just a second. reynolds, thank you so much. and a christmas parade like you've never seen before. we're headed to oregon where one with neighbor's gas powered twist on the traditional holiday float. hi. i'm corporal austin coming from camp hearing 2-8. shout out to my wife, lisa, my parents, the high schoooley kla. love you all, miss you all, see you soon.

[♪...] >> male announcer: book now, save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals.

what are you going to say? come on. >> flight delays? >> it's kind of early. we haven't seen a whole lot of them yet. but by this afternoon, it's all going to be texas. dallas is a huge hub for a lot of people to come in. american is the big hub there. it will be tough there. >> chad myers, one of your fellow -- >> great man. bring it on. >> he said in one of the 12 years i've been here at cnn this is one of the best if not the best travel weekends for christmas that i've seen. he said people have it pretty good. no big issues. >> he's right. he really is. other than texas, there's nothing else people can't handle. >> i was trooith to get you to disagree. >> no. take a look at this. this is parts of -- this is albuquerque. look at the snow coming through. it's not just snowflakes. a lot of it is tiny rain drops

when he hits the surface. obviously, someone was successful getting through there, but we have had a lot of accidents. we can see more of those. west texas is one of the places where you can have some trouble. perfect scenario where you are a large vehicle, big ee cono line van. still, really no contest. and you love this shot, don't you? >> well, the guy -- you said this usually doesn't work by gassing it on the ice, but it worked out for him this time. >> you think so? watch this. come on. boom, wow. long skinny pedal the on the right and you see how it spins like that? it's funny how that works. we're going to walk over here and show you all the weather that's beginning to unfold. as i said, it's all about texas. texas is just a mess in a lot of spots. the biggest place we're going to see one of the issues, you go towards austin. a little high range of hills you have near chadrock. just beautiful. if you were to make that drive

back there, you would say that transformation. that transformation would take you from rain drop toes pure snow. if you're making that drive along 20, you're going to have the whipped. it's going to be roaring near amarillo and near midland. this is one of those days where it's not going to be families out there. you have a lot of truckers out there trying to make those last deliveries. it could be rough for them, to say the least. love field, of course, vfw, be prepared that's going to happen. but as t.j. mentioned, and chad did just yesterday, it's going to be a relatively quiet day around much of the nation. high pressure in the west, high pressure towards the east. not a whole lot in terms of precipitation. not a whole lot in terms of storms, strong winds, tranquil in those spots. the temperatures, we have 15 seconds to show you these. 42 degrees in kansas city. my producer is going to kill me. 45 in billings. 62 in san francisco, 70 in los

angeles, 46 in washington and 38 in new york and 31 in boston. you know, in television, we have these things called ifds. it's a wire connected to our ear. we have our producers that give me time cues. i always want my producer to know that i'm listening to them so i had to say her name, t.j. >> of course. he does that all the time, very good at it. they know you're listening and you still go over time. i love it. i love it, reynolds. >> i'm going to go cry for a little while. >> don't cry yet. i want you to see this. a christmas parade. check this one out. >> okay. >> does it look normal to you on first glance and to everybody looking? christmas parade, these are the folks in oregon. one particular neighborhood postponed what they do, though, they have their own oount unique parade. if you can't tell, these are golf carts and lawn mowers all decked out. creative or -- >> i would say it's creatively crazy.

i say it's disturbingly beautiful. it is beautiful to see, but then when you realize they're on lawn mowers -- you know, i think the best way to look at it is they're celebrating the season and doing it the best way they know how. it's not like you're cutting grass this time of year, anyway. you're improvising, adapting and rocking with the season. >> tradition started with one guy three years ago. >> reynolds. >> thank you, buddy. first, you give the gifts p.m. tomorrow, you'll receive this, as well. then what do you do? you return a lot of that stuff. gift returns are going to have a huge impact on holiday sales. the picture for retailers, not so merry. also, the year of the celebrity scandal who came out winning and many others who did not. l bonus! so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody...

♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? woah! [ giggles ] many retailers hoping that the struggling economy will not

hold back holiday shopping this year. so far, it has not. retail sales are up by 2.5% since november. that's according to one estimate. retailers are getting nervous about the high number of returns they are already seeing this year. christine romans with this for us. christine. >> t.j., americans shopped early and now they're returning gifts in record numbers. some even before the big morning under the tree. by the time it's all said and done, the national retail if he will federation says about $46 billion worth of gifts will be returned to stores this year. that's a new record. why so high? because of the regular reasons, like wrong size, wrong styles, just don't like it. but what's new this year is that so many people are returning gifts already because of that record shopping on black friday and cyber monday. they see a big markdown now, things have gotten cheaper and they return what they already bought. in some cases, analysts say it's

good old buyer's remorse. a few days after that purchase on black friday weekend, flower theeg saying they can't afford it. but what if you decide to return that pea green sweater and santa tie you find under the tree? don't worry. 56% of gift givers didn't care if their gifts get returned. another survey found some 62% said they include a gift receipt for that very reason. t.j. >> thanks to our christine romans. just ahead, the one and only charlie sheen is winning ways. he'll have plenty to talk about this year. we'll recap some of the most memorable moments. >> this is washt officer 1 porsche grant on barram's airfield in afghanistan. i want to wish my mom and dad in lexington, kentucky, a happy holidays. i love you and miss you both.

at least in his own mind. sxwrefr greet movement begins with one man. that's me. >> but his act was wearing thin when he brought it on the road. his tore peato of truth earned as many boos as cheers. >> in the fall, "two and a half men" killed off charlie's character, rebuilding the show around ashton kutcher. ashton kutcher soon found himself in the headlines, but

for other reasons. the tabloid declared his marriage to demi moore was on the roox. sure enough, in november, she revealed the marriage was over. >> she just seemed so frail, so upset, so heart broken. >> the losing streak didn't end with ashton and demi. in august, kim kardashian tied the knot with kris humphries. it was a fairytale soon by millions. but just 72 days later, kardashian announced the marriage was over. >> people really do fooul feel duped and you can't blame them. >> lindsay lohan spent much of her year walking in and out of court. in january, she was accused of stealing a necklace from the jewelry store. she failed to keep up with court ordered community service. that earned her a stern review

from a judge who ridiculed lohan from the bench. >> she is supposed to be an actress, from what i hear. >> but by year's end, lohan was back on track with her community service and she had even landed work in the pages of playboy. >> everybody wins. >> between the charlies, the lindseys, the kims and all the rest, it was a banner year for the famous sass maggie furlong. >> celebrities brought their game in 2011. can we get a break in 2012? >> and it's not just drama for celebrities this year. a lot of drama on the political front. newt gingerich, rick perry off the ballot in a key primary state. how in the world could something like this happen? stay with us, our political player is coming next. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics...

a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance

of heart attack or stroke, which can leato death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. less

we're just about 26 minutes past the hour on this cnn saturday morning on christmas eve. i'm t.j. holmes. thanks for spending a little bit of your weekend here with us. know you're busy. stories making headlines, the rush of christmas shoppers continues to builds out there. a lot of stores opened early. the a lot are going to stay out late, as well. good luck out there if you're one of the 25% who admitted that they haven't even started their christmas shopping. also we'll turn to cuba now where the president is planning to free more than 2,900 prisoners as a humanitarian gesture. pope benedict has an upcoming visit sometime before easter is freed. also, a home coming that's nothing short of a miracle here.

2004 tsunami, the waters swept away an 8-year-old girl. the girl is now 15 years old. she has just reunited with her family. she says she ended up a beggar just to stay alive. she searched for her family, only remembering her grandfather's name. state news agency reports someone took her to him and her family recognized her from a small mole and scar. as we come up on the bottom of the hour now, we turn back to presidential politics and a bit of a surprise announcement from the republican party in virginia. saying that newt gingerich and rick perry will not appear on the state's presidential primary ballot. well, why? the candidates did not apparently submit enough signatures to qualify. joining me now, our dear friend, cnn political contributor and democratic status maria cardona and lenny mccall sister. we'll get to you both in a

second. i'll ask you what your political headline of the week was. maria, what was yours? >> the tyranny of the tea party is over. >> you like that phrase. she likes that tyranny of the tea party, doesn't she? >> dunn -- >> lenny, what was your headline for the week? >> unfortunately i have to agree with her, but the tyranny, quote/unquote, is not over. it's blocked punt. how the gop lost their position in 2011. >> okay. we'll talk about that payroll tax cut extension. but let me start, maria, with you on what has had in virginia. how can this happen that two major candidates, both of whom have led the field at some point, end up not on the ballot in virginia? >> the only thing i can think of, t.j., is amateurism. and it's so interesting and appalling, frankly, that somebody like newt gingerich who, as you know, has been a career politician, has been in this town for decades. and not only did he start

running really early, but he was one who supposedly was very furious about this. you know, he didn't surge at the beginning, but he had a recent surge. but you would think that somebody like him would be prepared to show up on the ballot in all 50 states, especially the state where he lives. this is appalling. i think it's a big deal. you know, the nomination, if you want to win it, it's all about delegate selection. it's all about getting to that magic number of delegates to get to the nomination. you count out a state in a race like this, it could be over for him. >> lenny, she's talking about practical things that can show up. could it turn people off, maybe even donors who are looking at this guy and saying, is this amateur hour? is this a guy i really want to be supporting? >> well, amateur is a good one, but one that has stuck to gingerich that may be worse. this can go to perry, as well. it's arrogance. maybe their campaign folks took author granted that they were

going to have the necessary signatures. didn't pay attention to it until it was too late. by then, they're being reactive versus proactivity to making sure that they're on the ballots. that may be worse because now you're looking at a situation where they're taking certain things for granted. the last thing you want to be as a voter is somebody who is taken for granted by a voter. we've seen for decades how they're going to go along to get along what we should expect from our government. we're in a new day and age where we want responsive proactivity government to turn around america and this type of messaging is not what we want from these two candidates. this in that regard is a big faux pas. >> speaking of proactive government, look at what they did in washington. we knew they weren't going to let the taxes go up january 1. a two-month extension. we could call this compromise. but it go ugly there, marimariar a while. maybe a lot of voters are concerned about the holidays,

they're cooking, getting family in. but will this have long-term implications no matter what or with what happened at the beginning of the year with getting a year long extension? >> no. i think it will have year long implications, not just for the tea party, not just for the gop in terms of what they're doing on the hill, but in terms of the presidential race, t.j. as you know, i have said time and again on your show and on others that the democrats have always been the siders for the middle class and the working class and that the gop only tends to fight foss author that are millionaires and billionaires. the tea party and speaker boehner did so much more to define that method so clearly for voters going into the 2012 election, better than i or any other democratic pundit could have. that is going to stick in voters' minds, that this president and the democrats were serious about coming to a

resolution. even senate republicans, i have to give them kudos, with that they were serious about making sure that the taxes of the working class and the middle class in this country who have been hit by this recession, that their taxes were not going to go up. and you saw the tea party that were intransgent, my way or the highway attitude. that's not going to be good for them in 2012. >> lenny, get back in here. this is a merry christmas mr. president. he didn't even have to try that hard on this one. he sat back and reaped some political benefits. >> i don't understand why these elected officials, they ride these waves into congress on the back of people's frustration and they do things that are more frustrating. the democrats did this two years ago. they rode on the frustration to make sure that they had a new president. they took over everything. but when it came to both chambers of congress, and they overreached with obama care. what did that lead to? a republican revolution in 2010.

now, what has the tea party done since then? they have now overreached the other way. listen, if we learned anything for 2012, it's this. folks, there has to be compromise to move a nation of 300 million people forward out of this recession back to work and back to being the greatest nation in the world when it comes to all aspects of what making a nation should be all about. we have not seen that. the republicans made it very easy for the democrats to demagog them once again. that was the worst thing that the house republicans could have done and they've done it now twice over the last several months. first with the debt ceiling crisis and now with this. >> i have to go. i wanted to get one more topic if you all could do this in 20 seconds each for me. what happens, maria, if ron paul wins iowa? >> i think he goes on to the other states. could this be a romney/ron paul two-man race? how interesting. and now you have trum who has

set himself up for a possible third paul candidate. i don't think ron paul is serious in terms of the establishment taking him seriously. but if he does well in iowa and he's on the ballot in virginia, we'll see. >> lenny, wrap it for me. >> if ron paul wins in iowa, it will be the final pick that someone else will write for him. and you'll still see gingerich & or romney on the ballot in november. that's it. >> thank you both, my dear friends. >> thank you, t.j. >> this is our last -- >> we'll miss you dearly. we love you, we will miss you dearly. >> i'm not going anywhere. i'll be talking to you two and we'll be working together down the road. >> absolutely. thank you. >> god bless. >> we're at 34 minutes past the hour now. we're hearing about secret santas and layaway angels this time of year. but one mother has the best reason to be glad. listen. >> christmas is not just about

presents and what you get. it's doing kind things for others. >> yeah. and just wait until you hear what her son did. stick around for this one. kuwait. i'd like to wish all my family in huntsville, alabama a happy holidays and i love you all and miss you all. make that alabama... make that mississippi. the best part of the gulf is wherever you choose... and now is a great time to discover it. this year millions of people did. we set all kinds of records. next year we're out to do even better. so come on down to louisiana... florida... alabama... mississippi. we can't wait to see you. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home.

38 minutes past the hour now. a south carolina boy has decided to help a schoolmate who lost everything in a house fire by donating all of his life savings to the family. we pick up the story from our affiliate, wcsc. >> ready? >> with a few more pieces of tape, one final present will be ready for a family that lost everything in a trailer fire just a week ago. fisher cook, a third grader, decided he wanted to help fellow schoolmates that no longer had a place to live. >> i heard about their house booel being burnt down and i decided to give them my $300 in my bank account. >> fisher's mother was, to say the least, proud of her son when he told her what he wanted to do with his hard earned honor roll and birthday money. >> for him to give that up and want to do something good with it pleased me. >> last year, a trailer caught

on fire. she says a single mother of three boys wasç there along wi the woman's mother and handicap brother. she said the woman would need a bit more help. she says communities members helped to match his christmas donation and after a few hours at a local walmart and helping hands to wrap gifts, the presents are ready to go. >> we got him light sabers, an air hogs high sky blue sky. >> cook says fischer is excited about giving the gifts to the family, but hopes he will always remember the spirit of giving. >> christmas is not just about presents and what you get. it's doing kind things for others and that if you do good deeds in life, they will come back to you. >> we should have dedicated the whole news cast this morning from 6:00 to noon on stories like that. there's so much fighting, a

acrimoney. >> you even compare it to what happened with christmas stories people breaking through the doors to get sneakers. >> there is some good good stuff going on out there. it's unfortunate about the foolishness we showed. that was a great story. >> good parenting. >> also a good time for the community. but yeah, kind of a neat thing. >> yeah. weatherwise, you said the delays, we're not seeing those at the airports just yet. a lot of people hit the roads. a lot of people take this time of the year to travel. they travel purposely on this day. a lot of people, they'll find great savings. the problem is, you're not going to need savings. it will be brutal, tough. we're talking rain, sleet, snow. you mentioned chad myers had that great comment yesterday where he said we're setting up for one of the best holiday seasons we've had in terms of travel. that's true for travel. however, if you were that

courier and i'ves of seeing is snow shining, you won't see the kind of white christmas that so many people are hoping for. >> we can deal with that. >> you can't shake a switch and make it happen. >> people still expect that. they want the meteorologist to give them what they want when they want. >> but it happens. >> we'll see reynolds again here in just a second. 41 minutes past the hour. the pictures you just love to see. we're seeing more and more of them and they're coming just in time for the holidays. . >>. >> translator: we don't go to church very much now out of fear of crimp and bombings. >> and iraqi christians celebrating christmas in secret. michael holmes, takes us inside one baghdad church. our science teacher helped us build it. ♪ now i'm a geologist at chevron, and i get to help science teachers.

it has four servo motors and a wireless microcontroller. over the last three years we've put nearly 100 million dollars into american education. that's thousands of kids learning to love science. ♪ isn't that cool? and that's pretty cool. ♪ we get double miles on every purchase. so we earned a holiday trip to the big apple twice as fast! dinner! [ garth ] we get double miles every time we use our card.

and since double miles add up fast, we can bring the whole gang! it's hard to beat double miles! i want a mace, a sword, a... oww! [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. i wonder what it could be?! what's in your wallet?

we have seen a number of u.s. service members, those reunions, troops returning from a nation where christmas is like a hidden holy day. before the war began in 2003, christians in iraq were more open to celebrate their beliefs. but today, they practice their faith in fear. michael holmes explains why. >> christmas approaches and iraqi christians pray for peace, good will and that they'll make

it until next christmas alive. outside, police and church security on high alert, seeing a christian in iraq is enough to cost you your life. >> it is a time, actually, for celebrations and for being very happy because christ is coming actually to our lives, to our churches, to our country. but we are afraid. we are afraid of attacks. >> the war here as done the christian community no favors at all. sdpam hussein, of course, often brutally kept the lid on extremists and christians here benefited from that. those who would have wanted to do to do them harm could not. that, of course, has now all changed. >> i was kidnapped into -- >> father hannah was held by muslim extremists for 28 days. >> did you think you would die? >> yes, yes, actually, yes, sometimes.

>> hundreds of other christians have died throughout the war dozens of churches have been coupled and parishioners abducted. last year in october, the worst attacks so far, gunmen stormed a baghdad church taking the congregation hostage and detonating bombs. more than 50 worshippers died. back at st. joseph's, father says there will be a christmas tree inside this year. no decorations outside. he said that would be inviting trouble to a church that's already received its most recent threat just this month. today, the faithful came regardless, quietly celebrating their religion while acknowledging it could come with a heavy price. >> translator: we don't go to church very much now, out of fear of terrorism and bombings. all of family left in america,

sweden, canada, there's no one left. >> luma's residents aren't the only ones. wuns iraq had more than a million christians. since the war began in 20034, it's estimated half have fled, faring for their lives. >> can you see a time when there might be christians in iraq? >> right, actually, yes. that's hour fear. >> do you fear for yourself sometimes? >> yes, sometimes also. but it's okay. >> michael holmes, cnn, baghdad. >> well, with american troops out of iraq, the christmas troops are coming home to thousands of families. >> the cheering began as soon as the buses arrived, on board 128 members of the 196 transportation company of the army reserve.

they drove heavy machinery out of iraq, completing over 100 missions. they're some of the last troops to leave that country. >> what city was that that they left on the fourth of july and they're coming home for christmas. it couldn't get any more storybook than that. so it just proves that, you know, miracles can happen. >> as the soldiers stepped off the buses, anxious family members could barely hold back. the reunions had to wait, though, until the official dismissal. >> and now, grab them. go get them. >> there were embraces and tears. >> so i'm happy. i mean, i like doing what i do, but i'm happy that it's over. >> joey cedeno doesn't want to let her dad go. >> this is the third time that he's been away. and it's hard. i'm just glad he's back. >> staff sergeant hector bonii a was welcomed by his family, his young son sporting matching fatigues. >> i'm very happy to be back with my family.

i really miss my family. >> and now they're looking forward. >> the first thing you want to do with dad? >> just hang out. >> now, the reporter there tells us the 15 members of the 196th transportation company could not be a part of the home coming. they're injured and are recovering in military medical facilities. about ten minutes to the top of the hour now. coming up, meeting a new family member for the first time. look at this. >> what are you guys thinking? you have a new edition to your family. >> absolutely beautiful! >> yeah. you'll see the journey and it's not just any journey that these dogs have to take to find a new home. also, next hour, we're looking at some of the most embarrassing moments of the year, including this one. a head of state caught with some sticky fingers. i am first lieutenant miles alexander deployed here in

afghanistan. i just want to see hello to my wife, liz, in beaufort, south carolina, my brother and his family in conway and my family and friends all back in south carolina. i hope you have a merry christmas and a happy new year. ♪ it's easy to see what subaru owners care about. that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru and $250 goes to your choice of 5 charities. with your help, we can reach $20 million dollars by the end of this, our fourth year. this was the gulf's best tourism season in years. all because so many people came to louisiana...

they came to see us in florida... make that alabama... make that mississippi. the best part of the gulf is wherever you choose... and now is a great time to discover it. this year millions of people did. we set all kinds of records. next year we're out to do even better. so come on down to louisiana... florida... alabama... mississippi. we can't wait to see you. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home.

pilot mike young has made it his mission to help hundreds of rescue dogs, but not in the way you might expect. let's meet his special cargo. >> my dog's name was baconan. he was a german shepherd. we paid good money to have the cancer treated but his kidneys failed and that's ultimately why we had to put him to sleep. now i'm on pilot and paws, which is a website that people have dogs that have to be transported, these are rescuers who pull them from high kill shelters post on this website that they have dogs to move from point a to point b. and pilots like me get e-mails saying another request has been posted. and i scan through them to see if there's any rescue flights that are within my areas that i can do.

>> hey, how is live treating you this fine day? >> we're doing good. >> it's okay, bo. it's okay. >> they actually look like they know they're about to be saved. there's people loving them, there's other dogs around them. they almost know that going to be going to their forever home. >> bo seems to want to be in the back seat. you know what? he's just managed to get to the front. >> transporting dogs is one of the most important steps in saving dogs. you have to move them from rural areas typically to more urban areas where there's a higher probability that they're going to get rescued. >> oh, sweetie. hi.

>> what do you guys think of your new addition to your family? >> he's absolutely beautiful. we love her. >> when you look into the new owner's eyes, for the first time they're going to get to hold their dog. >> do you want to hold your buddy? and they just hold their dog like they had it forever. you know that dog is going to have a good life. >> thank you, sir. oh, have a merry christmas and a happy new year and thank you. you actually made our christmas. >> so how can i not spend my time and money giving to these dogs? giving to the owners of these new dogs the opportunity to have the love that i have for these dogs? and, really, that's what it's all about. >> and be sure to watch cnn's giving and focus special today, 2:30 eastern time christmas day or 30 eastern christmastime. we're getting close to the hours a lot of teaches out there

tell students to write the president. one student now finds his response 50 years later. >> hi. i'm agent kimberly ryan. i'm currently deployed in hell mund province, afghanistan. i'd like to say happy holidays to my family back home in norwich, connecticut. the droid that wirelessly pulls files, music and movies, all at 4g lte speeds. and introducing the droid xyboard. with an 8 inch hd screen and adaptive surround sound, a home theater for your hands. powered by verizon 4g lte, these droids are too powerful to fall into the wrong hands. buy a droid razr and get $100 off a droid xyboard.

forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa.

as we get close to the top

of the hour, give you a look at some of the stories making headlines across the country. three firefighters in colorado recovering after a backdraft knocked them off their feet. this is a alternative type of explosion that happens when gases build around the fire. the firefighters are all going to be okay. but the fire started in the chimney of that home. an oregon man cleaning out his closet, listen to this. and he finds a letter from president john f. kennedy. it was written two days before kennedy's assassination in 1963. bob savage's mother was a teacher who received a letter after her second grade students wrote to the president. that was an assignment she had given to them. they plans now to put that letter on display. and president obama back home for the holidays. not d.c. we're talking hawaii. his childhood home. the president and his family putting in the time there. he arrived in honolulu yesterday. this is the year the first -- or the first year, i should