our west point holiday special. we'd like to thank everyone here at west point for allowing >> hi everyone. good morning. today is christmas. merry christmas. it is the 25th of december 2014. i'm anna kooiman in for elisabeth hasselbeck. pope francis delivers his christmas blessings to the world. the pope urging people to darkness.d even in moments we'll bring you to rome and bethlehem straight ahead. >> today "the interview" will be shown in theaters across the country after sony reverses its decision standing up to north korea refusing to cave in to the country. but if you are heading to the movie today, is it even worth seeing? that is the big question. or was the wait just a

waste? what critics are saying this morning about "the interview." >> this is not what you want to hear right before the holiday. >> got good news and got bad news for you. the bad news is i'm giving you two tickets. >> but the good news is so good it wiped the worry away. the christmas surprise you have to see. "fox & friends" starts right now. >> merry christmas and happy new year from "fox & friends." this is judge napolitano. ♪ >> hey everybody and good morning. that entire album is great, that mariah carey christmas album. >> i never heard the whole album. >> add it to your ipod play list. merry christmas everybody.

thanks for joining us on the curvy couch. >> merry christmas to all the people watching this morning. >> kids are ripping opening their presents now. the kids are seeing what santa claus brought. we want to see your pictures this morning. let us know what christmas is looking like at your house right now. >> with the matching pajamas, and the bed head. you know who is stopping by today after they had a busy night? >> really? santa? >> santa claus. he's in our green room right now. >> merry christmas. >> good morning. merry christmas to you. are you sleepy after your big night? >> no. i'm still awake right now. i'm so excited from last evening but i will be taking a break in a little bit. >> santa claus, keep that energy level up because we want you in here talking to the kids, talking to us. we're big kids, aren't we?

i've never grown up, sorry. >> there must be such an adrenaline rush after delivering kids all around the country. >> i don't know how he does it. he does the santa claus movies. then he goes around the world. he keeps up with a lot of busy stuff going on. >> he's going to be answering your questions all morning. you can send us your e-mails asking stan at that that -- e-mails ask santa any question you want. >> right now we're going to take you live to vatican city where thousands are gathered at st. petersburg square. >> during yesterday's christmas eve mass the pope called for tenderness and warmth after a violence plagued year. he asked the faithful to allow god to enter their lives to help combat darkness and corruption. and before the service he

made a surprise phone call comforting christian refugees in iraq saying they were like jesus forced to flee because there was no place for him. from the vatican to iraq and bethlehem, christians around the world are celebrating the birth of jesus christ. >> we're live in bethlehem with a look at the celebrations going on there. john, you have an enviable assignment to be right there in the birthplace of jesus christ. >> you're absolutely right. this is great. what a gig. it is absolutely a beautiful day. it is probably the high 50's, not a cloud in the sky. it is sunny, clear, just a small breeze. it is the perfect day to celebrate christmas. we are in bethlehem. welcome to bethlehem at christmas. below us is manger square. it is pretty busy. there was thousands of

people last night. you can see the tree and on the other side is of course the beautiful, the gorgeous, the holy church of the nativity. really things kicked off yesterday with the annual, the traditional procession led by the latin patriarch of jerusalem. this happens every year. they go through major square and they end up, they go inside the church of the nativity and things really culminate with midnight mass. and that lasted for just about a little over an hour. again it was packed here. thousands of people. they had a big screen outside in the square so folks were able to watch it. so it was a great deal. it was a great atmosphere. great atmosphere. but you can't talk about the celebration here without talking about the politics. i won't get too much into it, but of course the ongoing violence, the political strife that's been going on, violence even yesterday fighting along the israel and gaza border. that said, nonetheless, we met people from all over

the world, from germany, from france, from italy, from south africa, today the united states who say that despite all the violence, despite the fighting, despite the politics they felt compelled to be here. and the common sense is it's overwhelming to be here in bethlehem. i'm checking this off my bucket list. next up hopefully will be vatican city for the celebration there. >> what a great christmas present for john. >> if you're going to be away from your family, not a bad place to be. >> christmas, everybody hopefully home now. weather was a big story yesterday. maria, your turn to look at the weather this morning. >> great to be here on this christmas with all of you. merry christmas. it's been weird weather wise especially along parts of the east coast. instead of a white christmas a wet christmas along the east coast. along portions of new

england we have flood threat because we have snow melt and rain coming down. you can see rain still coming down across places like new york city and farther north like places like new england. high wind warnings because some wind gusts could reach 60 miles per hour out there and that is especially true off the great lakes. taking a look at current temperatures out there, 56 degrees right now in new york city. you're in the 50's as well in d.c. behind the storm system a little bit cooler, temperatures in the 30's across parts of the great lakes. then a new storm system moving into the rockies. we already have winter storm warnings. skiers are going to be very happy out there. >> it is so true, the "time" of year you want to ski. people ski a lot between christmas and new years. >> when are you going, adventure guy? >> i have no ski trips planned this year so far but something will be coming up. christmas tradition, we've

seen bethlehem and everybody there. but there are really interesting christmas traditions around the world and some of these we might think about adopting. >> russia, greece and bulgaria, folks jump in the cold lakes. the first one to reach the other side will have good look. like on new year's day like we have the black eyed peas and collard greens. >> i think it is a super fun one, dangerous, probably a bit of a fight getting to that cross. in canada, neighbors dress like santa claus and then they have to guess and see if they can tell who each other is. >> i feel like that would be pretty easy. >> do you think so? >> yeah. just their body shapes unless you put on a santa belly suit.

>> here another one, in wonderful sweden, the almond. they hide it in rice pudding. the unmarried person who finds it actually gets married within a year. >> all the single men are running the other way going i don't want my girlfriend to have any pudding. >> like the garter being tossed at a wedding. in iceland no tv broadcasts from 5 to 10 p.m. when everybody is eating dinner. [screaming sound] >> although i enjoyed watching miracle on 34th street and the "fox & friends" christmas special last night while having dinner. >> over in iceland you have time to sit down and talk to each other and that's part of a family tradition. that is kind of what we do in my household. before we open christmas presents we all wake up. especially when i was growing up we would sing a christmas carol, do a prayer and then they would let me go crazy and open up all my gifts under the tree and my sister had a great time.

then with my family -- oh my goodness! [bell ringing] >> my mom always dressed me up. she got me into the habit of dressing up. she had a wonderful tradition of first doing a christmas carol. we would do "silent night" and then we would pray. that's my family. that's all of us together. that is the entire wright family. everybody. >> who is in charge of cooking for all those people? >> actually loretta does that. >> is that your wife? >> yeah. >> she's a saint. let's see what pictures we have. i sent probably a dozen, so let's see. oh, this is my brother and me at the local wool worth's. we would go see the same santa. he came every single year. my mom says we must not have known that day we were going to see santa claus because i was wearing my brother's hand me downs.

that is a nice moment there. that's at my grandmother's house, the two of us sitting on the fireplace. there we are all grown up. >> a good-looking family, nice family. i think christmas is always weird. i'm the youngest of five kids so when there's five kids around the house there is a lot of chaos going on. i one year my family all got really mad and you said our family was chaos. with five kids it was but it was a wonderful time. there are a few things i remember on the 6th of december, the feast of saint nicholas. people write me or send me messages on twitter and let me know if you know about this. we would put our shoes out and during the night saint nicholas would come and fill our shoes with candy. we would always pick the biggest shoes you could find thinking they would be filled with candy. >> is that a dutch tradition? >> i don't know.

>> e-mail us what you do for your family because we would like to know. >> friends@foxnews.com. right now we need to pay attention to the news headlines. overnight quadruple shootings in st. louis, one person dead, three others in critical condition, this a day after the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old black male by a white officer. protesters in missouri taking to the streets for a second straight night. dozens are staging die-in protests at the scene before marching down the interstate blocking traffic. there were reports of gunfire as protesters clashed with police. multiple arrests were made. surveillance cameras at the gas station tuesday nightcap touring the moment antonio martin pulled a handgun and pointed at the officer who pulled his own gun and fired three shots.

the 34-year-old officer on administrative leave as the department investigates. former president george h.w. bush waking up in a houston hospital on this christmas but doctors are staying positive saying he had a, quote, good day yesterday. the 90-year-old was rushed to the hospital late tuesday night after having trouble breathing. president bush has parkinson's which keeps him in a wheelchair. ebola might still be in america. a c.d.c. lab worker in atlanta under observation after a mixup of ebola samples. that person does not have any symptoms of ebola and the centers for disease control says there is no risk to the public. yesterday we showed you politicians on the naughty list. now it's time for the nice ones. what these people did to deserve a present from santa next. >> it's a growing christmas trend. the gift that has women all fired up this year and it is not what you think.

♪ ♪ ♪ why do i cook for the holidays? ♪ ♪ to share with family to carry on traditions to come together, even when we're apart in stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and more, swanson® makes holiday dishes delicious!

you don't need to think about the energy that makes our lives possible. because we do. we're exxonmobil and powering the world responsibly is our job. because boiling an egg... isn't as simple as just boiling an egg. life takes energy. energy lives here.

no doubt you know by now it is christmas morning. so many names in the world of politics deserve to wake up to candy rather than coal in their stocking. joining us with her own political version of santa's nice list, boston herald columnist and talk show host adrianna cohen. thanks for joining us. >> my pleasure. >> let's talk about the first black female republican elected to congress and that's congresswoman mia love of utah. let's listen to what she has to say quickly. >> not only did we do it,

we were the first to do it. let this be a lesson to the nation that we're not interested in dividing america based on gender, race, social status. >> what do you say about her getting candy for this christmas? >> mia love deserves a big fat candy cane for not only making hift this year -- history this year being the first african-american republican congresswoman but staying true to our values. our country was founded based on liberty and rugged individualism. what mia love wants to do is go to washington and take that power away from the bureaucrats and give it back to the american people where it belongs. in my boston herald column this week i gave her a big candy cane for protecting america's freedom. that's why we live in this country. i'm really proud of mia and i'm excited for her future. >> she took a lot of heat to get where she is today. congratulations to her as well as you give her that fat candy gain.

trey gowdy, republican from south carolina. why does he deserve a candy cane? >> my column also gave trey gowdy a much deserved candy cane. as you know, if power is left unchecked in government it can corrupt. we need our leaders in washington like trey gowdy to keep power in check and keep rogue politicians and rogue agencies accountable. he is exceptional at grilling witnesses and getting at the truth. we need more gowdys in washington. we need about ten of them. >> let's get to a guy i have had the pleasure of meeting and knowing and working with him and that is dr. ben carson. what a fascinating true american story. he deserves a candy cane; right? >> oh my gosh, he deserves tw him on my radio show as well. i'm a real admirer of his. he sprung on to the national stage during the 2012 national prayer breakfast where he gave an

exceptional speech warning mernz about -- americans about the dangers of political correctness. he's warned americans about the dangers facing our nation and done so calmly and very intelligently. i'm hoping if i give him two candy canes i will sweeten him up for a presidential bid in 2016. >> a lot of people are talking about that, he could be a factor but we'll see what happens. there is another situation we followed very well throughout this year, especially our colleague greta van susteren. that's the case of andrew tahmooressi. one person who is a staunch supporter of his is montel williams. >> to me this is an abomination. six months, he didn't hesitate to say aye-aye, sir, to go off and serve. how dare we -- how dare we as a nation hesitate to get

that young man back. >> what do you say after that? >> first of all, thank you to montel williams and your colleague greta van susteren and others in this country who lobbied for sergeant andrew tahmooressi's release. as you know, kelly, there is a code in the military leave no man behind. i just want to give a candy cane to many of them and a big hug and heartfelt thanks to everyone who lobbied to release our soldier and return him safely to his family. >> adriana, we thank you so much this morning and have a wonderful christmas and beautiful and safe happy new year. >> thank you to you. the same to you. >> stolen valor, a military member catching a fraud on cam ravment >> that is an army uniform. why would you have an army uniform? >> i served in the army. i don't believe this guy

either. why was the grinch so mean? think about it. the answer is coming up next. ♪

some quick headlines now. a jordanian pilot still

being held by isis after his jet crashed during coalition air raids in syria. but despite what the terror group claimed u.s. intelligence shows, isis did not shoot down that f-15 plane. no word yet on what caused the crash. new information on that listeria outbreak. a company is recalling carmel apples they believe are contaminated. happy apples could have come from the california supplier. the recall covers 31 states. at least three deaths and 29 illnesses have been linked it listeria. >> christmas is the merriest day of the year. just look at us, we're happy. >> we're very merry. but are we ready to put on our christmas hats and our nablg caps and put -- and our knowledge caps and put that christmas knowledge to the test. >> here with christmas trivia is todd sterns. >> you look very festive

today. we have some great, great trivia questions this morning. are you guys ready? these are the best we've had. first of all, who wrote the famous "'twas the night before christmas poem" was it charles dickens, edgar allan poe or clement clark moore. the correct answer is b, clemente clark moore. >> one point for anna. >> here's the next question. the wise men gave the baby jesus -- kelly, you can't answer this one -- gold, myrrh and what else? was it frankincense, diamonds or a tree? correct answer of course is frankincense. >> give us a hard one. >> in the song winter wonderland, what kind of bird has gone away? was it a jailbird, a

blackbird or a blue bird. >> it's not a jailbird. >> it's a blue bird. >> kelly sang that line from the song. ♪ gone away is the blue bird ♪ >> why was the grinch so mean? a, his heart was two sizes to small. b, his brain was two sizes too small. c, his shoes were too tight. the correct answer is a, his heart was two sizes too small. >> you thought his shoes were too tight? kelly! we actually had the grinch on the "fox & friends" christmas special that is going to air again today at

2:00. >> which popular christmas movie is based on the gene shepherd book "in god we trust: all others pay cash." a, miracle on 34th street? b, it's a wonderful life? c, a christmas story? >> i'm going to go with this one. >> the correct answer is c, "a christmas story." i was watching that last night after the "fox & friends" special. >> you have a special on fox news radio. >> the todd stearns all american christmas. we have the video on-line. we have some great guests, sarah palin, a 300-voice choir and orchestra and amazing singers like chris tomlin. we had an absolute blast. it was filmed at bellevue baptist chunl and had so much fun. it was about faith and family and we had a lot of

laughter. >> when can we see it? >> you can go there now on fox news.com or todd starnes.com. >> here's what's coming up on the program. this is not what you want to hear right before the holiday. >> good news and i got bad news for you. the bad news first is i'm giving twiew tickets. >> but the good news is so good it wipes the worry away, the two tickets. s christmas surprise you have to see. >> all this morning we've been showing you how we spend the holiday with friends and family. >> now a christmas message from our troops serving overseas. >> hey, this is captain phil richardson here in africa. merry christmas to my

amazing daughter hannah. merry christmas. i miss you very much. d i quit s. people who know me, they say 'i never thought you would quit.' but chantix helped me do it. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it gave me the power to overcome the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some people had seizures while taking chantix. if you have any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix or history of seizures. don' take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea,

trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. i'm a non-smoker, that feels amazing. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

♪ ♪ >> i hope this is a brand-new tradition that continues after this year. it's your shot of the morning. santa making a very special delivery in pennsylvania. >> you're looking at newborns getting cozy in christmas stockings and santa hats. they are adorable. >> it's a long standing tradition at the university of pittsburgh medical center. babies born on christmas day get the special treatment. >> it beat the baby blue and baby pink. folks, we want to say a big merry christmas to all of you at home and big merry christmas to our staffers and families. we've got photographs to share. >> first is our producer

sam hoenig and her dad ken and her mom ken and sister andrea. >> producer sarah and her mom pat. >> look nice. anthony robelli and his wife maria and their son salvatore. >> sean mcguiness, his family. >> production assistant victoria and her brother gregory. >> next we have writer matt leach with his mother mary, father george and sister katie. >> on a trip to new york city. writer gina with her mom susan and her dad. >> folks, we are taking you home with us for the holidays. i brought you to my hometown in charlotte, north carolina. tucker and his wife shared

their christmas holidays and clayton showed how they are sharing traditions for their young children. >> i went to see my parents sister and niece and nephew in arizona where i grew up and here is a little look inside my visit. welcome to my hometown, prescott, also known as arizona's christmas city. and this is why. ♪ when you live in arizona, one of our things that we do is we hike. >> there's mistletoe everywhere. this is a mountain that everybody hikes that few people go to the top. wouldn't you guys feel good if you made it all the way to the top. >> depends. >> dad ended up staying behind but my niece,

sisters and i decided to tackle the steep and pretty scary climb. >> oh my gosh, look at the view! >> oh my gosh! >> hey mom! .then it was time to head home and reminisce about christmases past before dinner. >> what are your favorite christmas traditions? >> candy. >> we always open up one gift the night of christmas eve. a lot of times none of us can even control ourselves after that one gift. let's just do a second gift. >> i remember one year i taught myself to knit and i wanted to knit you this mitten. >> i have those mittens. >> weren't those mittens that you had made for

somebody else but then you washed them and they shrunk? >> you made all of us stockings. i remember they had rick rack on they will many >> you always made some hand made gift. >> we still have a german meal many ♪ >> merry christmas! >> christmas came a little bit early for you. >> i have these mittens that my mom knitted. i bring these out yef year and put them somewhere. she knit these for an older sibling but they're wool and she didn't know at the time and she washed them. these are one of my favorites.

>> aren't all of you jealous at home if you don't live in a climate like arizona where you can go hiking. >> how high was the climb? >> about a 2,000 foot climb. the top of that rock thing is incredibly treacherous. my dad and sisters had never been up. >> i feel bad for your photographer. >> let's take a look at your christmas morning forecast. let's go outside to maria. >> good morning. good to see you all. hello everybody. we're looking at rain moving through portions of the northeast including right here in new york city. it's not very pleasant. we have rain coming down and temperatures in the chilly. not bad for late december. take a look at current temperatures. 50's in new york city and raleigh, north carolina. behind our storm system it is a lot cooler out there. we have temperatures in the 30's for cleveland, chicago, minneapolis and across the plains in places like texas. you're in the 30's in dallas and houston.

that rain is pushing through parts of the northeast and we do have a threat for localized flash flooding. that will be something we watch for across portions of northern new england. there are a number of watches out there and we have snow melt because of how warm temperatures are. that in combination with the rain is what's producing that flood threat. otherwise the wind will be a concern across portions of the northeast. we have advisories in effect and warnings. gusts up to 60 miles per hour will be possible off lakerry and lake ontario. out west we have a storm system roaming through parts of the rockies. winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings. some areas could be looking at more than a foot of snow. let's head back inside. >> maria, thank you so much. the show must go on. today "the interview" opens in hundreds of theaters. >> the cinematic release comes as sony also puts the comedy on live. >> peter doocy is live from washington with the latest.

>> the reviews are in and critics are split 50-50. half say it's not so good. half say it's basically in line with other silly seth rogan movies and it's okay it's on the website rotten tomatoes. the final tally for theaters showing this controversial movie is 351 which isn't nearly as many as sony originally planned for this project but it is a lot more than anybody expected one week ago. the movie is also available on-line to rent for $5.99 or buy for $14.99 through x-box and google play. sony asked the white house to help them set up a distribution deal with apple but that apple wasn't interested. for his part, president obama told reporters who staked him out on the golf course in hawaii that he's glad the movie is being released. and the north koreans?

their diplomats to the nument is -- to the u.n. is saying there won't be a physical reaction but will continue to say this film undermines their dignity and sovereignty. >> we have other stories making headlines on your christmas morning. she's at it again. this judge releasing cop haters right back on to the streets. new york criminal court judge laura johnson releasing this man, travis may, without bail after he allegedly punched a cop and threatened to kill others. this coming just a day after the judge released devaughn coaly. police say coley posted this post on-line along with a caption threatening cops. jetblue stepping up to offer police officers free flights. >> a manhunt for an armored truck driver comes to a close in colorado. police picked up trent michael cook in colorado

springs with more than 200,000 bucks on him. police say he took off from amarillo, texas, after grabbing money out of his armored truck and then ditching it. another case of stolen valor caught on camera. 21-year-old christian palmer noticed this guy at the fresno airport. he was wearing an army hat indoors which is against protocol. he jammed his hands inside his pocket -- another strike. listen to his first excuse. >> [inaudible] yes. >> you're not supposed to wear uniform -- [inaudible] >> i have nothing else that is clean. >> palmer and a police officer continued questioning and heard the story change pretty quickly. >> army uniform -- [inaudible] >> what's your [inaudible]

>> oh my god. i can't believe that. >> because what you're wearing. it's called stolen valor. >> i am not stealing anybody's valor. >> the man eventually walked away and that starbucks coffee he was holding, he apparently got 20% off thanks to his uniform. a wisconsin teenager gets pulled offense and instead of getting in trouble -- gets pulled over and instead of getting in trouble she gets a dream come true. >> i've got good news and bad news. the bad news is i'm giving you two tickets. the good news is one is a ticket to new york, an airplane ticket. and the other ticket is to a band called time flies. >> look at her face. this is priceless. the 17-year-old given a surprise of a lifetime when a police officer pulled her over and gave her a trip to new york. after months of battling a rare disease her parents set up the stunt to give her an extra special

christmas. that's a good one to end with. >> that is good. >> coming up, odds are that you are getting a gift card for christmas. but what if you don't like where it's from. don't toss it. you can trade it. and there's one place where you can do that. we will tell you. >> if you haven't finished your christmas shopping by now, don't stress. you're a brave soul but fear not. you're in great hands. we're going to take care of you. all the really, really last-minute ideas and gifts you can get coming up next. >> first a look at christmas traditions around the world. tipa tipa ♪ powders may take days to work. for gentle overnight relief, try dulcolax laxative tablets. ducolax provides gentle overnight relief, unlike miralax that can take up to 3 days. dulcolax, for relief you can count on.

a a a... a a a... a a a: ♪ just look at those two. happy. in love. and saving so much money on their car insurance by switching to geico... well, just look at this setting. do you have the ring? oh, helzberg diamonds. another beautiful setting.

i'm not crying. i've just got a bit of sand in my eyes, that's all. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

welcome back to "fox & friends." quick christmas consumer headlines for you. santa's favorite meal is on the decline. a new study shows americans are buying 24% less cookies than they did a decade ago, and this is how they're going to wash it down. milk sales are hitting record lows also. unhappy with the gift card you found in your pocket this morning? you can exchange it at wal-mart. the mega retailer will trade any gift card from over 200 stores in exchange for a wal-mart gift card of the same value. many are waking up as

firearms for christmas gifts. husbands are giving them to their wives. it is a trend nationwide. nearly 80% of firearm retailers have seen an uptick in female customers. beware. >> kelly, thanks so much. it is christmas morning but did you forget anybody on your list? did you forget to buy a gift or did you forget somebody and now you're panicking over what to do? >> lifestyle and entertainment expert seymour is here. this is amazing. people still aren't done christmas shopping yet. >> maybe you're going somewhere and realized someone is going to be there and you totally forgot to buy them a gift. >> there are some places open today. drug stores,ly -- drug stores, liquor stores and gas stations. you can go to the drug store and get gift cards there. instead of giving someone a gift card, you can dress it

up with a gift basket. we have an i-tunes gift card. we have granola popcorn, candy. what's nice is it is more than handing over someone a gift card. here's a movie night gift and you can enjoy the gift together if you wanted to. over here is a beauty gift basket. we bought a makeup bag and added lip crayons. they're great. here we have the wet and wild fergie nail pollish. really fun. >> this is a sparkically wine from napa. what you can do to make it an ultimate hostess gift is pair it with this bread, a traditional holiday bread from italy. it is delicious and is a

great hostess gift. >> this looks like a legit gift you would have thought about before. >> this is the keurig 2.0. you can get them at the super market. a and p and kroger sells them. what's nice about it is if you forgot, buy a k-cup pack and in the card say your keurigs on the way. >> you need to make sure you have clean teeth. >> this is at the drug store, the sonic clean. it comes in pink, black and white for anyone on your list. this is $220. there is also the phillips sonic care 2 series for

$49. >> and a lot of prescriptions you can do. >> yes. if you maybe, you are like forgot i'm not going to bring anything. you can do a subscription box. you can do a bunch of options. if you are forgot the man in your life, heave mcallen 12 and mcallen 15, a great option at the liquor store. >> thanks so much. >> coming up on "fox & friends," this dog once given a death sentence after its owner wrote it in her will, now has a new lease on life and a home for the holidays. the update ahead. >> speaking of movies, are you headed to the theater? kevin mccarthy is here with his top picks. that's coming up next. >> hi everyone i'm the commanding general of the u.s. army in japan. this is my wife nancy and we want to wish all of our

friends and family in charleston, south carolina, a very happy new year and a merry christmas. hey what are you doing? i was thinking about taking this speed test from comcast business. oh yeah? if they can't give us faster internet or save us money, they'll give us 150 bucks. sounds like a win win. guys! faster internet? i have never been on the internet and i am doing pretty well.

does he even work here? don't listen to the naysayer. take the comcast business speed test. get faster speeds or more savings, or we'll give you $150. comcast business. built for business.

and founder of nerdtears.com. quite the outfit. >> i'm bugging here. my eyes are saying whoa. this is the last day i'll be wearing this suit for this season. i've been wearing it every time i've been on the air for a couple weeks. i love it. it's an amazing suit. >> i agree. it's awesome. good for you. what can you see right now? >> the seven movies opening up today. i'll review three now, three at 8:30 and the seventh one i'll be seeing tonight, which is "the interview." the first up is "thelma," a film directed by the first african-american woman to be nominated for a best director award at the golden globes. prepare to see it nominated for best picture and best actor. he plays dr. martin luther king in the movies centers around him and the civil rights marches on

selma, alabama. a really powerful and rivetting movie. that's hard not to watch it and not think about what's going on in the country right now. a very powerful movie and one that really everyone needs to see in that's rights. very well done and very well directed. four out of five. definitely see it if you have a chance. it's very powerful. prepare to see it. i guarantee you at the oscars this year action it will be "selma" versus two efforts prepare for that. >> why do you want to give it four out of five if you say -- >> i'm not saying it's one of the best movies for me personally. i think it's solid. but i think it will be nominated because it's so timely. overall i had problems with the pacing. i didn't have it. -- i didn't love it. >> then we have "the gambler." what did you think? >> this is a remake of the 1974 classic with james cannes and mark walberg plays a college professor dealing with a

gambling problem. it's a fast-paced, well written movie. walberg, this is one of the best roles of his career so far. he lost 60 pounds. he really got into the character. john goodman is fantastic. he had one of the best scthe mo. the dialogue felt terrentinoesque. it's fun, unpredictable. also michael k. williams from "the wire" is in the show. i spoke to mark walburg, who i said lost 60 pounds for the movie. he got to 137 pounds for the movie. did he 138 pounds for "boogie nights." as he aged in 17 years, how has weight loss changed for him? check55$ç this out. >> just thinking about the way i lost weight in "boogie nights" as opposed to the way i lost it in this movie. so let me give you an example of what i did for "boogie nights." i smoked cigarettes.

i drink bud lite pretty much all day. ate vegetable soup and that was pretty much it. not too bad. no exercise. i just got skinny. then with this, i had to stop eating. i jumped rope for two to three hours a day. i was on a liquid dilate of almond milk and every morning have a scoop of fiber. >> could you imagine that diet? and when i interviewed him, he's bulked back up to his bulky self. it's incredible how they do it. >> that was probably more fun than the diet. >> what's the other one? >> there is a movie called "big eyes." tell bus it. >> directed by tim burton. i love his work. this is a true story, amazing true story about a woman named mar receipt who was an artist in the 50s and '60s whose husband claimed credit for her best artwork. then years later, she took him

to court and that's what the movie goes into. it's very, very well-made movie by tim burton, incredible story. my only problem with the film is that the pacing was a. the -- was off. the middle section should have been drawn out. 3 1/2 out of five. we know the director from "inglorious basterds." 3 1/2 out of five stars. i'll be back at 8:30 to talk about "unbroken," "american sniper" and "into the woods." >> thanks, kevin. keep rock the suit. >> merry christmas to you guys. >> same to you. coming up, forget the sleigh. santa's got brand-new ride. needless to say, it's been a long night for jolly old saint nick. but he's pushing through to be here with us. we'll catch up with the one and only santa claus, plus we'll answer some of your e-mails. >> don't forget a special "fox & friends" christmas airs today at

2:00 p.m. eastern.

hi, everyone. good morning. merry christmas. it's the 25th of december, 2014. i'm anna kooiman in for elisabeth hasselbeck. the faithful have flocked to saint peters square as pope francis delivers his blessing to the world. we'll bring tout vatican and bethlehem straight ahead. and they've got the power thanks to this good samaritan, some struggling families had their entire electric bills paid off for just the first time this christmas. meet the mystery man who did it and the inspiration behind his powerful message. >> very sweet. and they're the christmas classics we love. ♪ i'm dreaming of a white christmas ♪ >> got a question, why are almost all of the holiday songs still stuck in the 1950s?

we will tell you why because mornings are so much better with "fox & friends." >> hello! this is the grinch. and you're watching "fox & friends". ♪ ♪ over the hills and everywhere ♪ ♪ go tell it on the mountain that jesus christ is born ♪ >> born today. the king of king, the lord of lords and sarah evans is sing being it. thank you for joining us here on "fox & friends." i'm anna kooiman alongside kelly wright and rick reichmuth. >> we're so happy to be here. >> it really is. even though it's raining outside, we've got the warmth and glow inside. >> we've been asking to you send in some of your pictures this morning, what christmas looks like. here are a few that you've sent in. they're sitting on the steps

here. >> ready to tear it open. paul sent this of who he calls the best present ever. >> aw. >> nice. let's check in with the man himself who has been working overtime getting everything done. that's santa claus. santa claus is here to tell us about what's going on, all the presents and answering questions. what was it like? you can e-mail us your tweets and everything for santa as well. >> santa, did you have a big night? how you feeling? >> i'm feeling more refreshed. i took a little nap in between and feeling a little bit better. >> okay. we asked people to send in their questions. here is the first one we want to know. rich said i love santa and the special meaning he brings. how does he make these darn good gingerbread cookies? >> that's mrs. claus. she makes those cookies. she let's me help decorate them once in a while. but it's all her cooking.

>> they go very flies with apple cider. sherry asks this, santa, do you go to christmas eve services before you take off around the world? >> yes, i do. i start my evening that way. and then i go out and i make all my deliveries. >> so you also get a blessing for the reindeer, right? >> absolutely. yes. we need it for rudolph because he's guiding everything. >> it was a foggy christmas eve in many parts of the united states. thank you so much. we'll check back with new just a bit and everybody at home, make sure you send us your questions for santa claus. >> moments ago, pope francis wrapped up his christmas blessing in saint peter square and his second -- the pope denounced the persecutions of religious and ethnic minorities. >> he highlighted the struggles of war, specifically in syria and iraq. he also called for peace in the middle east and said everyone should replace hatred with love and tenderness.

>> christians around the world are celebrating the birth of christ this morning. fox news correspondent john huddy in is live in bethlehem with all the details and celebrations going on there. you're in the greatest spot right now to celebrate christmas. >> reporter: yeah. it really is. it's beautiful. merry christmas, by the way. of course, to our viewers who are watching. it is a gorgeous day, as i said. 60 degrees, clear, sunny. i like a white christmas, but this ain't bad, i'll take it. of course the celebration continues. i'll step out of the way, kind of set the scene for you. below us, manger square. families. really experiencing the atmosphere and the culture of bethlehem and then of course, the trump of the in a active tit, which dates back to the 4th gentry. you're looking at stones that are more than 1700 years old. just think about the history. it's incredible in this area.

of course, the celebration culminated with midnight mass inside the church after a procession led by the patriarch. the mass lasted a little over an hour here in bethlehem. and the celebration was not only here, but also throughout the middle east, including christmas celebrations in damascus and syria that's been plagued by violence for more than 3 1/2 years of civil war and, of course, the ongoing fight against the brutality and the persecution of christians by isis militants in syria and of course in iraq as well. in fact, you guys were talking about pope francis in vatican city. he called christians in refugee camps outside of northern iraq last night wishing them a merry christmas and also comparing them to jesus in that they have to continue to flee their homes amid the violence and the

persecution by isis militants while calling for peace in the region as well. that really is the sentiment here as i was saying earlier. there is the hope and the prayers for peace and the hope that those prayers will be answered. merry christmas, guys. back to you. >> merry christmas, john. thank you so much. we had cardinal dolan on the program yesterday and he had a similar message about bringing lightness out of the darkness and all that. but you talk about these christmas eve services and people often go once a year just christmas eve or just on easter. but the idea of bringing everybody and trying to welcome them in rather than shunning them for only coming once or twice a year -- >> what's interesting, so often there are studies done about how happy people are if they attend religious services. there is another study that said it pays to pray and have a little faith. it says religious people are much happier than others. >> i'm a strong and firm

believer in that. the one thing that you need in life is hope. you got to have hope in all the dark times and as dr. king once said, you can't replace darkness with darkness. you've got to use light. you can't replace hate with hate. you got to use love. so praying is always something that i think if we do, we can have the ability to sustain anything. >> you got it. and the numbers prove it. let's look at this from this new study that rick talked about. weekly -- people who weekly attend religious service, they are 84% of them, they're very happy or system what happy. take look at the numbers. it makes sense. that's weekly. >> then compare that to people who occasionally attend religious service. it drops a little bit. goes down to 77% to say they are either very happy or somewhatp1ñ happy. and 10%, they say they're very unhappy or somewhat unhappy. >> what about people who never go to church? let's look at those numbers. >> wow. >> it dips to 71% to be very

happy or somewhat happy. >> yeah. see, that shows it because there is a real good reward in praying. >> but there is a correlation, according to this study, also saying that people who have -- one thing of community involvement, but regularly where you have fellowship with people. that being involved with your community, but in a church setting has more happiness than people who just have involvement in their community, not in a church setting. >> it's also because you realize that community will help lift you up rather than tear you down. >> like the song "lean on me." what about christmas songs? let's look at some of those. everybody has been probably listening to them on the radio. >> it's interesting, when they talk about the most popular christmas songs ever, it's stuck in the 50s. it's that time when all these christmas songs came out and those are still the ones that are the most popular. so these are the top three popular christmas songs of all time. number three, "white christmas" and it's from 1941.

>> wow. i was just looking at it the other day, the movie. ♪ dreaming of a white christmas ♪ ♪ just like the ones i used to know ♪ >> how about this one, though? nat king cole, "the christmas song, chestnuts roasting on an open fire." ♪ chestmutts roasting on an open fire ♪ ♪ jack frost nipping at your nose ♪ >> 1946, so classic. >> the number one christmas song, "santa claus is coming to town" from 1934. >> without "you better watch out ♪ ♪ you better not cry you why ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming to town town ♪ >> we got to stop and talk about blue eyes there. we've given you some of the best

and greatest singers. bing crosby, nat king cole, frank sinatra and what about 1994. >> mariah carey. >> "all i want for christmas is you." >> the only song since the '90s, nothing this decade that made it into the top 30. number 28 is "all i want for christmas is you." ♪ more than you would ever do ♪ all i want for christmas is you ♪ >> every time i see the salvation army bell ringers, this song seems to be playing. >> it's the only recent song that has talked like this one has. >> we all have our favorite christmas songs and my favorite song is one i got hooked on to "the pose" called" fairy tale of new york." listen to this.

♪ ♪ >> i heard the song and i loved it and i played it over and over again. i never really listened to the words. then i listened to it later. they're pretty gritty words. i'm surprised, but it's kind of celtic irish type. >> yeah. >> kind of sad, which i think a lot of christmas music is kind of sad. but this one is no exception. >> by the way, this is the most played christmas song in england ever. >> really? >> yeah. >> okay. >> for me, i had a hard time picking. i picked stevie wonder "what christmas means to me." let's listen to that. ♪ all these things and more ♪ that's what christmas means to me my love ♪ ♪ . >> oh, come on. i was hoping he would be on stage playing with his glasses on. i love that. >> i've never heard that song.

>> really? >> where you been? >> i want to hear you sing that song. >> i would love to. >> my favorite song goes back to one of my favorite artist, johnny mathis and a little known song did he called "the secret of christmas." listen. ♪ sleigh bells ring >> what he's talking about there, the real secret of christmas is not the christmas things you do at christmas time, but it's the christmas things you do all year through. >> great point. you are one to be singing for us about 9:50. >> it's a christmas surprise. yes. i am going to sing this morning. >> captain wait. >> if i can get my morning frog over. >> no problem for you. coming up, remember this dog? her owner wanted her to sleep and buried next to her. but when she died, those plans began changing. her new leash on life just in

time for christmas. and joining us next, father jonathan morris who is here with an important message this christmas. what role god and this holidays plays in our live. >> first a christmas message from one of america's heros. u2wñ

good morning. merry christmas. i want to get you up to speed on news headlines. former president george h.w. bush waking up in a houston hospital on this christmas. but doctors are staying positive, saying he had a, quote, good day yesterday. the 90-year-old was rushed to the hospital late tuesday night after having trouble breathing. president bush hadcé parkinson, which keeps him in a wheelchair. the show must go on. today this movie opens. the small theaters are playing the film and they're already

reporting that shows are sold out throughout the day. a movie house in vermont even getting patriotic, giving away free popcorn to anybody who brings in a copy of the constitution. and in maryland, cinemas will give away 1,000 american flags. the ceo of that theater will join us live at 20 past. santa claus is a man of many talents and he can apparently pilot more than just a sleigh. the ever popular water skiing santa. he took some big time before his big night to join in the annual water skiing holiday event on the potomac river. also getting their sea legs, the grinch, jack frost, and some water skiing elves as well. >> we're going to talk about that next hour.

with the hustle and bustle this time of year, sometimes we can forget what the holidays are truly about. >> i guess you're right, linus. i shouldn't have picked this little tree. everything i do turns into a disaster. i guess i really don't know what christmas is all about. >> isn't there anyone who knows what christmas is all about? >> well, charlie brown, we have just the solution. >> we do indeed. joining us to tell us about it, the true meaning of christmas, christmas is our fox news religion contributor father jonathan morris. merry christmas. >> i love that show. christmas is not a water logged snowman, right? it's not santa, although all those things can add to the joy of christmas. what i like to do is read directly from the scripture of what the meaning of christmas is. let's take a look. this is from matthew verse 1 to 21. and she shall bring forth a son

and thou shall call his name jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. christmas is about the birth of a child. but it's about the birth of a child that was sent by god the father in order to take our place for the just punishment due to our sin. we've all messed up. and how do you repair a relationship with god when god is all perfect, when god is all loving and he gave us this great gift of human freedom? god said, you can never repair it. by merit of your own. let me take your place. so he sent a baby. he sent himself as a baby in the form of a baby, the most tender, the most loving, the most vulnerable thing, something that we could accept and the great message of christmas is we've got a second chance. >> wow. >> and that if god loves us so much that he would send his only son, that we can begin to love as well and to love others who have offended us, to forgive, to ask for forgiveness.

what more beautiful human thing could we want? >> so if we fall and stumble and get back up and fall and stumble again, god is there to still say i love you and i'm going to forgive you and you can get back on the road? >> absolutely. >> what about the humble beginnings in a manger, in a stable, with ass s and ox, what's the significance of that? >> i was talking to a friend of mine and he was reminding me humble beginnings, also a humble end. jesus came to the world crying a little baby and he died crying in the ultimate vulnerable stage of being killed by those who would reject him. and that's a lot of love. that is a whole lot of love. and yes, it's sad, but it's also very joyful because he died so that we could be with him forever. >> a wonderful message of love. big day for you. you have a lot of work to do. >> midnight mass last night. i'm a little tired now. i'm going to mass at my own

parish and then to be with family. >> merry christmas to you. >> thanks. merry christmas to you. >> joy to the world, man. thank you. >> i'm glad we had linsu. coming up, a mad dash for cash as money rains down on a busy highway. how did this happen? that story coming up ahead. and does this sound familiar? >> how long do you think you'll be with him? >> i hadn't really planned it out. i was thinking like forever. >> i love this guy. so what do you do with a guest who won't leave? we've got the answer to that. and all your awkward christmas moments, oh, my. ♪ ♪

time for news by the numbers. one cent. that's how much the navy is paying to get rid of the uss ranger. it's so cheap because the company taking it apart will make a huge profit when they

scrap the metal. the uss ranger is featured if "top gun." next, $116,273, that's how much it will cost you to make all the items from the 12 days of christmas, one of the biggest price jumps from last year. those six geese allaying, up 50%. $152,000. that's the winning bid for a custom harley-davidson motorcycle seen here on "fox & friends." and signed by all 100 u.s. senators. the money raised will benefit veterans in need. >> that's a nice hog. thanks so much. just like the food and treats that you'll be enjoying today, christmas can be a recipe for disaster if you're not careful. all the relatives who may not be getting along, the question of who not to give a gift to, it could be a lot. here to help you avoid awkwardness is samantha. thanks for being with us. >> thank you. >> the first clip is from "christmas vacation" for everybody to reminisce about.

watch this. >> one year membership in the jelly of the month club. >> apparently clark didn't like that gift. what do we do if we get a gift we absolutely hate and they're right there? >> this is a good time to fake it. there is nothing good that can come of saying, i hate this gift and having to spend the day together. fake it. when they're not look issues see if you can return it. >> how do you fake it? what's the secret? the fake smile? >> there is ways. for example, you get something you can't stand and say it's so soft. highlight what you do like about it. i love this color. it's soft. it feels great. i love this material. so speak about the highlights of it. >> this is a conversation you want to avoid, check out this clip with "home for the holidays". >> no federal regulators breathing down your throat this week? >> no, we are quite squeaky clean.

>> so i should give you guys my money? >> henry, considering at the present moment, cash is king, that would be good. >> how do we avoid this? >> this is a conversation you want to avoid. you're out before the holidays. aunt betty asks you about being laid off. you want to address it head on and say, it's been tough, but things are going great. and how about you? tell me about you. you always want to deflect the conversation back to the other person. >> people love to talk about themselves. and then they'll forget about you. >> what about a gift imbalance. you give somebody a small gift and they give you a tv set? what do you do in that type of situation? >> and sometimes they might give you something and you didn't have them on your list. so the best thing is be gracious, but don't scramble. we all have that need to run to the mall or send them something next week. that makes more awkward situations. just add them to your list for next year. you're set. >> sometimes if you have a christmas party, your guests may not leave. you're supposed to leave at 10:00 o'clock, it's midnight check out this clip.

>> you know what? i think i have something. >> how long do you think you'll be with us? >> i hadn't really planned it out. but i was thinking like forever. >> the relative that wants to sleep on the couch forever and ever. what do you do about this? >> in that situation, tonight make them too comfortable. maybe turn down the heat. >> make them cold. >> you really want to think about don't let this one bad apple spoil a bunch. so don't focus all the energy on the one negative person in the room. focus on everyone else. then don't invite them back next year. >> what about if you're traveling from afar and you get to grandma's house and she's got 15 people that are all supposed to be crammed on the floor next to each other and she's being a bad host, how do you handle that? >> you might want to cut your trip short. the holidays are about family, but not about suffering. you want to make yourself comfortable. be gracious, but then find an excuse to stay in a hotel.

>> definitely. just get a hotel around the block or something. >> exactly. >> all right. >> thank you so much. samantha, great tips. >> thank you. >> merry christmas. 28 minutes after the hour. here is what's coming up, remember this dog? her owner wanted him to be put to sleep when she died. but those plans are changing. his new leash on life just in time for christmas. and once the presents are all opened, it's time for the food. we're serving up the perfect christmas feast next. ♪ ♪

merry christmas.

thank you for joining us here on "fox & friends." we thank you for waking up early with us. >> my christmas wish wasn't granted. i'm still a shorty. >> we want to thank our staff here, hoping to send pictures in. this is jordan and her family. >> next we have producer ashley and her family. >> nice. >> oh, wow. >> look at all those curls. >> lot of girls there. >> alex and his wife, sister and mom. >> our proper, ali, with her family. >> she's a blond there. >> nice. >> and next up is meghan mcdonald and her family. >> meghan has a new family member. >> this is from emily and her family. >> up next, writer matt and his fiance. >> i know that guy. >> and his family. i work with him a lot.

>> so bring out your best when you host a big holiday meal. can you smell what's going on? from roasted cauliflower to a mustard rib roast, chef is here with us this morning with our favorite menus for christmas dinner. >> camille joins us now. welcome. >> hi. thanks for having me. >> smells really good. >> merry christmas. >> these are looking at things maybe not too difficult. but it smells amazing and we're excited. show us what the first thing is. >> we're starting off with a rib roast. it's glazed in whole grain mustard. i think that -- first of all, it's very easy to make. you put it in the oven, hang out with your family. >> really? >> and it's your piece deresistance. it's a rib roast, it's special. it's christmas. >> it looks fancy on the table. >> how about this roasted cauliflower? >> the cauliflower, another super easy thing allowing you

time with your family. you first poach the whole cauliflower heads in a very flavorful broth. >> what's the broth? >> there is wine. there is garlic, there is herbs. there is a little bit of chili. >> are those pep increase there? >> -- pep increase there? >> no, they're regular dried peppers. >> you're not getting a lot of spice. >> you poach it and then what? >> then put it in the oven, christie well olive -- drizzle it with olive oil. it brings out a lot of depth and flavor. done. >> it's not as heavy as like mashed potatoes or something since we're eating so many other heavy things. >> and super easy. >> up next we have roasted cranberry and pear tart. >> right. this is super easy. because it's roasted, because

you're folding up the pie dough and not dealing it with putting it in the pan, et cetera, it's super easy. you just roll out your pie dough, put the filling inside, slap it up. >> what's in the filling? pears and cranberries and what else? >> a little bit of cinnamon. >> okay. i want to go back to this 'cause we didn't talk exactly how you do this. this is the beginnings of that. >> correct. >> what did you do to put around the outside of it? >> season it really well with salt and pepper. you put it in a pan, get some color on it. once you have some nice sear to it, you just grab some mustard, just put the mustard on top, all throughout. >> pop it in the oven? >> and that's it. >> for how long? >> you're going to do it at a very high heat, just continue getting that really beautiful color. for about 40 minutes. lower it to really low, like 275 an hour, done.

>> some great rustic ideas. >> you know what i like about it? no turkey. i'm not against turkey. >> but we've had enough. >> that's true. >> thank you so much. >> thank you so much. >> let's go outside to maria, see what's happening in the world of weather. >> good morning. it sounds so good. we want to take a look at the current temperatures across the country because yesterday we set some record highs across portions of the northeast. parts of upstate new york saw temperatures into the mid 50s. very warm. early this morning, you're still in the mild side. temperatures in the 50s in new york city and also in raleigh, north carolina. but behind that cold front, cooler temperatures already moving in to portions of the great lakes and also across the plains. take a look at some of those current temperatures. you're only in the 30s in places like texas, in louisiana, all the way down to new orleans. you're looking at a current temperature of 39 degrees. so a little chilly out there for your christmas morning. we do have some areas of rain pushing through parts of new

england. still therrell morning of the we had earlier in new york city. it's been moving out and impacting portion of new england. we have a flood concern with the number of watches in effect that's due to the combination of warm temperatures, producing a lot of snow melt and also the rain that's coming down right now. with this storm system we have very windy conditions. there is a number of advisories in effect and warnings out there across places like buffalo with wind gusts possible up to 60 miles per hour. reports already of damage because of how strong the winds are out there off of the great lakes and then across parts of the rockies. we have a new storm that's moving in, bringing in a white christmas for many areas across the rockies. we have winter storm watches or warns in effect. some higher elevations could be looking at locally up to a foot of snow. let's head back inside. >> they're going to get a white christmas. thanks so much. we need to turn our attention to this. overnight a deadly night of violence in st. louis as protests erupt again. this as new details emerge in

the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old black man by a white police officer. >> david lee miller joins us live from the new york news room. what's the latest? >> at least one person was killed, three others injured during a shooting at a st. louis convenience store on christmas eve. this matter is still under investigation and police have not said anything about a motive. the incident happened only a few miles from ferguson. that community is still tense after a grand jury decided not to indict a white policeman in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man. also overnight in the st. louis suburb of berkeley, a second night of protests after a police officer there shot and killed an 18-year-old who authorities say pointed a gun at the officer. some of the demonstrators briefly blocked traffic on a major interstate before making that are way to the gas station where the shooting occurred. an attorney for the unidentified officer says his client is lucky to be alive. authorities say the shooter had a criminal record, including charges of assault and armed

robbery. the moments leading up to the shooting were caught on surveillance camera video and they were released by authorities. local leaders stressed that the shooting in berkeley is very different from what happened in ferguson. >> when i got there, we all saying the same thing. here is a white policeman killing a black young man. so when does this stop? and i can assure that you -- >> in the words of the berkeley, missouri police chief, what happened was a tragedy. and i quote him, bad choices were made. all these problems, christmas day n a city named after a saint. back to you. >> david lee miller, thanks for that. other stories making headline, a manhunt for an armored truck driver closes in colorado. police picked up trent michael cook in colorado springs before -- with $200,000 on it.

he took off from amarillo, texas before taking off in the truck and ditching it. nine-year-old german shepherd will have a home this christmas. you may remember him. he's now going to live at best friend's animal society in utah. his case grabbed national attention when a request from his late owner's will said he should be buried with her. best friends learned about his story and decided on christmas eve to give him a nice home. this other family isn't checking off the holidays. ♪ ♪ >> i love it. you may be shaking your head. >> that song is in my head the rest of the day. >> the walberg family turning their ten foot christmas tree into an all-out light show. every year the family takes thousands of christmas lights

and syncs them up to the most popular song of the year. >> and then can never go into that room for all of christmas. ♪ it's all about that barks about that bass ♪ >> up next "american sniper" hits the big screen. but before that, chris kyle's father had a message for bradley cooper and clint eastwood. that message revealed next. this veteran is a true good samaritan as he pays the power bill for those in need. he joins us live with his inspirational story next. first our trivia question of the day. born on this day in 1946, this singer got his start in the music industry writing for billboard magazine. who is he? ♪ ♪

a quick look at some of your headlines. "american sniper" is hitting theaters and chris kyle's dad is revealing the one thing he said to bradley cooper and clint eastwood before filming. he said, quote, disrespect my son and i'll unleash hell. kyle says cooper and eastwood looked him in the eyes and said

they would honor his son's memory. and a catch phrase in hong kong. people grabbing $2 million in loose bills scattered across the road. an armored van drove off with its back door open and cash boxes falling out. drivers stopped traffic, taking off with whatever they could collect. kelly? thank you. this is a great story you're about to hear. you could call him santa's helper. a georgia man giving strangers a helping hand this christmas by paying their power bills to help them stay warm this winter. so what inspire him to help all these strangers? joining us now, this christmas morning, is the good samaritan, steve astrap. it's so good of you to join us this morning, especially at this christmas time. tell me what inspires to you do what you do and that's pay the bills of so many people who need this. >> my wife, who i love very dearly, died almost coming up on three years ago now.

when she passed away, i had already set aside money for her christmas present. i tried to think of something i could do that she would appreciate. we both hated being cold and so it seemed the right thing to do to help people pay their power bills so they could stay warm. >> i'm sure your lovely wife is looking down and smiling because of the great things that you're doing. she's probably reminiscing about all those precious memories that she had with you on this earth. tell me, you guys were actually stationed for a while overseas. is that right? >> we were. all told i did probably 11 years in the middle east out of 27 years in the army. my wife was able to be there for almost five of those years. the rest of the time they were unaccompanied missions. she stayed in the states. we spent a lot of time together and much of it overseas. >> it's quite a fitting tribute that you're paying not only to her, but also to the spirit of christmas. tell me what is it about your

wife that inspired your life to give so freely to others. >> oh, gosh. she was just a giving person, a preacher's kid. when she was still alive, we had a lot of stuffed animals and she didn't know what to do with them, so we got them all cleaned up and took dozens of them to the local fire department so they'd have those to pass out to kids who were in trouble or had issues at home. work with churches. she was just a very giving person and it was actually her example that inspired me to try to be a better person. >> i got to get right to the point. in all this stuff that's going on in the world today, all the violence, the mayhem and confusion and people just shouting at each other, i like the fact that you cut right through the din of all that noise and go right for the heart by helping people where they need it the most and that's in their heart.

>> i really appreciate that. i agree. it's a dangerous world out there. any time you can help, it's a good thing. if someone is cold, they can't think of anything else besides being warm. that's good start. >> what can we learn -- i know you don't do it to be shown and displayed. these are acts of kindness that you've done randomly and until now, rather anonymously. what can you tell us or what would you like to see the world do in terms of following your example and paying tribute not only to your wife, but to god and serving our fellow man? >> for me, you don't have to look very far to find people who need help. look around your neighborhood or in your town. help them whenever you can. it doesn't have to be big. just smiling or shaking their hand or being encouraging to them is a helpful thing. and people appreciate that as awful as the news sometimes

seems. people are basically good and if you're kind to them and try to help them out, they do appreciate it. >> that's really something. you remind me of the saying, people don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care. you're certainly showing them how much you care and bringing a lot of smiles to a lot of face, especially this reporter right now because you brightened my day giving us some hope this morning. >> thank you. i get much more out of it than i give. i feel really good about what i do and i'm gog keep on doing it. >> hopefully we can join you. steve, thank you. merry christmas to you, my friend. god bless you. >> and to you, too. >> wow. what a great story. there is hope for the world. coming up, they have singing skills beyond their years. we're talking about the girl scouts. they're here with an amazing christmas performance. ♪ sleigh bells ring ♪ ♪ are you listening in the lane snow glistening ♪

♪ a beautiful sight ♪ we're happy tonight ♪ walking in a winter wonder wonderland ♪ gone away is the blue bird ♪ ♪ here to stay is the but birth ♪ ♪ he sings a love song as we go along ♪ ♪ walk not guilty a winter wonderland ♪ z5ñg?góéj÷ç÷ç

hi, everyone. good morning. merry christmas. the answer to the trivia question of the day is jimmy buffet. and our winner is beth from rhode island. you'll get a copy of brian kilmeade's book "george washington's secret six." rick, over to you. ♪ ♪ it's christmas morning and here to help us celebrate in song are the girl scouts of nassau county chorus and the director. welcome. >> welcome. >> so excited that you guys are here. you were a form girl scout yourself and now you put together these guys. i heard them singing, they're amazing. >> thank you. they've been practicing really hard. they're very excited to be here with you today. >> we're excited to have you all. how do they get into this?

is it all one troop or a bunch of different troops that combined into this one choir? >> that's girls from all over nassau county and they do audition for this. they prepare a song and sing it for us and they're a great group. i'm really excited to perform for you today. >> how many times do you guys perform throughout the year? what kind of events do you do? >> we do a lot of performance. we just had two performances questioned. we sang at old westbury gardens and do things like mets games and we perform at various locations, scouting functions as well as otherr things. >> tevmen >> every part of being a girl scout is that we get to go on different trips and i get to meet new people, new friends. >> i bet. and are you guys all really good friends? it seems like you really get along. >> yeah. we actually have a lot of friends in the chorus 'cause we're all one big happy family. >> all right. on that note, let's hear you guys sing. "we wish you a america."

♪ we wish awe merry christmas ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ and a happy new year ♪ good tidings we bring ♪ to you and your kin ♪ good tidings for christmas and a happy new year ♪ ♪ oh, bring us a figy pudding ♪ oh, bring us a figgy pudding ♪ and lots of good cheer ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ and a happy new year -♪ to you you and your kin ♪ good tidings for christmas and a happy new year ♪ ♪ we won't go until we get some ♪ ♪ we won't go until we get some ♪ ♪ we won't go until we get some ♪

♪ so bring some right here ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year ♪ ♪ good tidings we bring ♪ to you and your kin ♪ good tidings for christmas and a happy new year ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ and a happy new year ♪ >> oh, yeah. they deserve some extra christmas presents this year and extra patches on their sashes. thanks. coming up, it happened again. stolen valor. a military member catching a fraud on camera. >> that's an army uniform y would you have it in the marine? >> it's all he had. >> can you believe this guy? unbelievable.

after a long night, santa claus is here, everybody. and he's answering your e-mail. he's supposed to be answering your e-mails. wake up. we know you've had a lot to eat and a big evening delivering all those gifts. but you got to wake up. there he goes. make sure you send them. e-mail us. also don't forget today at 2:00 p.m. eastern time a "fox & friends" christmas special is airing. make sure you join us for that. ♪ ♪ >> i'm from afghanistan. i would like to wish my family back in wisconsin a very merry christmas and a happy new year. especially to my parents, my brother and sister, and my boyfriend, cody. b÷kñ

hi, everybody. good morning. it's christmas. it's the 25th of december, 2014. i'm anna kooiman in for elisabeth hasselbeck. millions of people around the globe celebrating the birth of jesus, including pope francis who delivered his christmas blessing. we'll bring you to the vatican

and bethlehem straight ahead. and we introduce you to this american hero who credits his service dog for saving his life. >> after four deployments, it kind of took a toll on me. so kind of went the service dog route and ended up being the best decision i've ever made. >> when that dog got a 50/50 chance to live, this vet vowed to save him at all costs and arguers, they chipped in. you're so great about that. how are they now? we'll ask them this hour. and it's a sure way to dampen christmas joy. >> good news and bad news for you. okay? bad news first is i'm giving two tickets. >> but the good news is so fantastic, it completely wipes out the bad. fantastic christmas surprise you have got to see. "fox & friends" christmas edition starts right now. >> hey, this is michael tammero. you're watching "fox & friends" and i want to wish you all a

very merry christmas. ♪ ♪ ♪ have a holly jolly christmas ♪ it's the best time of the year ♪ ♪ i don't know if there will be snow ♪ ♪ but have a cup of cheer >> come on in and stay a while. you are looking live outside of the fox friends friends studios at 48th and 6th in the gorgeous christmas decorations all around new york city. >> is that michael buble? >> yeah. >> he does christmas well. >> he does. >> he certainly does. we've been asking you to send us in stories about what you're doing this morning on christmas morning. this morning sandy is skyping with her husband, sergeant first class straw, who is stationed in kuwait. >> photo of him there. that's nice. >> that is nice. >> this is so much easier around the holidays. the johnsons wearing cammo during christmas. merry christmas to awful you.

>> and check this out. ken sent us this of little austin, passed out waiting for santa. >> he knew he had to go to sleep, otherwise santa wouldn't come. >> and you know when is actually joining us in the "fox & friends" studio this morning? he's actually manning the board there online. the one and only jolly old saint nick. good morning. >> good morning and merry christmas, everyone. >> merry christmas. >> you must be exhausted and we are so glad that after all of your work that you've had, you have a little more time for us. >> i'm glad to be here and answering these questions. they're very important. >> the first one comes to us from lila who says, santa, what do you want for christmas? >> well, what i want for christmas is for everybody to be healthy and happy this christmas. that's very important, especially with the flu season and all the new toys that i delivered. one thing you can do is you can use some clorox disinfecting wipes to make sure you wipe everything down so you are

healthy and you can play with those toys all winter long. >> i thought you were gog say like an iphone 6 or something. but health and happiness. tony from iowa says, tony's grandchildren are actual -- actually sent this by airmail to santa every year. santa, did they get what they asked for on their list? >> yes, they did. i'll tell you that, is an exciting way. you should have seen the elves when that list came floating down, they went right out, grabbed it, took it back to the workshop and started working on those gifts. >> ho, ho, ho. >> all right. thank you so much. before we let you go, which country around the world had the best cookies? >> the best cookies, everybody makes special ones. but i will have to say the united states. >> woo hoo! i into you it. >> we do christmas well here. >> thank you. we'll check back in with you in

just a bit. we need to get to this, pope francis delivered his annual blessing in saint peter's square, saying there may be tears this christmas. tens of thousands of people are gathered to hear his second christmas day blessing. >> the pope denounced attacks by isis terrorists targeting religious and ethnic minorities. we also -- he also called for peace in nigeria and ukraine. >> these calls for peace are not new. he made similar appeals throughout the year. but today's audience is much larger. the pope says people around the world need to replace hatred with love and tenderness. >> in bethlehem, christians around the world are celebrating the birth of jesus christ. >> john huddy is live with a look at the celebrations going on in bethlehem. merry christmas to you, john. >> merry christmas to you guys as well. the calls for peace are also echoing here in bethlehem, both yesterday, last night, and then today as well.

the celebration continues below me it manger square. families out and about enjoying the day. i told you guys about this earlier, it's absolutely gorgeous out. clear, sunny. a slight breeze. so beautiful day to celebrate christmas. then of course, we have the church of the nativity, the site of jesus' birth. as i said, dating back to the 4th century. so you're looking at stones that date back to the 4th century. the church was damaged at one point and rebuilt. sections were rebuilt in the mid 7th century. but again, the history is incredible here. things call minutated, did she cull minutated with midnight mass here and across the world for that matterment after a procession led through manger square. and the celebration, the christmas celebration wasn't only here in this region, but also across the middle east, including christmas celebrations

in baghdad, iraq. as i mentioned earlier, pope francis called christians in a refugee camp outside of northern iraq wishing them a merry christmas and also saying -- comparing them to jesus and the fact that they have to flee their homes because of the ongoing violence from isis militants and the persecution of christians, for that matter. as i mentioned, really this is a call for peace here at this point because you can't talk about the celebration without talking about the political ongoing political strife and violence as well. remember, this is 4 1/2 months after the war in gaza. so that is really -- that remains the forefront of people's minds. that's why there is the prayer for peace and hopefully as i said earlier, people are hoping those prayers are indeed answered. guys, merry christmas. back to you. >> merry christmas, john huddy live for us. thank you. it's weather time.

big weather is always something we do on christmas. maria molina is here with all the details and the nice crowd behind you. >> that's right. nice crowd behind me. we have these great folks, some from north carolina and some from west virginia. come on over so you can say hi. you wanted to send some messages. correct? >> we love jim and betty and margaret and dog and our doggy ies. merry christmas! we miss you guys. >> what kind of dogs are those? >> we have a yellow lab mix. we have a little border collie, a big collie, a black lab and max is our house sitter's dog and i don't know what he is, but adorable. >> sounds like a fun bunch. >> we live on top of a mountsen it's a doggy paradise. >> merry christmas. >> love fox news. we're huge fox fans and promote you everywhere. thank you. >> thank you so much. we love having you out here. merry christmas to all of you. let's look at the weather conditions across the country because we've had a big storm system impacting parts of the

east coast with a lot of heavy rain. that system is finally moving out. we still have some lingering rain across portions of new england and behind the storm system, very windy conditions with gusts up to 60 miles per hour. we have warnings in effect and reports of some branches already down and some damage across that area. so that will be something to watch for that's near the buffalo area. temperature wise, very mild along the east coast. i'm not even wearing gloves now. currently 51 degrees in new york city. much cooler behind that storm system. temperatures in the 30s. very widespread area. great lakes, to texas, and even farther west into the rockies. let's head back inside. >> all right. maria molina, thank you so much. >> great fans we have out there. we've been talking about christmas traditions. we were seeing those in bethlehem and showing you what we're doing in our country. but there is also really interesting other christmas traditions around the rest of the world. >> yeah. this first one comes from russia. greece and bulgaria. they jump into a cold lake. the first one to reach that

cross is supposed to have good luck. so it is, kind of like our polar plunge that people do. >> would do you it? >> i've done it before. i wised up asgotten older. >> one of those countries was rush why and greece, where it's not that bad. i might do that. >> another is in sweden. they hide an almond in rice pudding. the unmarried person who finds that almond then gets married within a year. >> right. so just like the wedding resuspicions where the guys are rung the other way. >> so let's check out iceland. it's a great country if you ever get a chance to go there. i have not, so i want to go there just to say i can do it. i think you've been there, rick. >> i have not. not yet. >> but no tv broadcasts from 5 to 10:00 p.m. when everyone is eating dinner. i think that's great. >> you have time to talk, communicate, share some more gifts, eat some food. have some fun. do some music.

>> i think it's a nice thing to have at least five hours a year where you turn off the tv. >> yeah. how about the cell phones? >> and that. you have great family traditions. >> i do. big family, big extended family. we all get together every christmas. almost like having a family reunion. we have these fantastic memories. that's the one we had last year at our home. and just a wonderful time. we actually eat a lot. >> who doesn't? >> we make fun of each other, we laugh with each other. we try to reflect on the year and be grateful. >> got old school pictures. are we going to show the -- yeah. my brother, michael and me with santa claus. and my mom said she didn't realize we were going to be going to see santa that day, otherwise she would have -- she wouldn't have put us in hand me downs. that hot mullet. we used to go to my

grandmother's house and play charades with cuffs and take pictures on the fireplace. >> in our house -- >> there is my family. we're all grown up. >> amazing. in our house, there is five kids. the one thing we would do is leave a note out on a certain spot in the living room so that santa would know where to bring our gifts. then we'd go in the morning, you would know where your pile of gifts were. that's my grandpa right there with all the kids, the five of us when we were all young. >> what about your traditions? send us your traditions as well. on christmas eve, we go to church. >> on christmas eve, we if to church, come home and watch "polar express." we open one gift and read "the night before christmas."

my girls are 16 and 18 and still love it. >> nice. diana says my kids open one gift on christmas eve. their christmas pajamas. our family has been doing this for five generations. >> wow. >> then you wake up and everybody looks so perfect all together. except for the crazy hair. we have other stories to get to making headlines on this christmas morning. overnight a quadruple shooting in st. louis. one person is dead, three others in critical condition. this just a day after the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old black man by a white police officer just a few miles away. protesters in berkeley, missouri, taking to the streets for a second straight night. >> dozens staging a die-in at the scene before marching down the interstate blocking traffic. there were reports of gun fire as protesters clashed with police. multiple arrests made. surveillance cameras capturing

the moment antonio martin pulled a hand gun and points it at the police officer who then pulls his own gun and fires three shots. the 34-year-old officer now on administrative leave as the department investigates. former president george h.w. bush waking up in a houston hospital on this christmas morning. doctors are staying positive, saying he had a, quote, good day yesterday. the 90-year-old was rushed to the hospital late tuesday night after having trouble breathing. president bush has parkinson's and sits in a wheelchair and expected to be out before the new year. and ebola might still be in america. a cdc lab worker in atlanta now under observation after a mix-up of ebola samples. that person does not have symptoms currently and the centers for disease control says there is no risk to the public. a wisconsin teen-ager gets pulled over and instead of getting into trouble, he gets a dream come true. >> i got good news and bad news for you.

the bad news first is i'm giving two tickets. all right? the good news is they're probably not the tickets you expect me to give you. one is a ticket to new york, an airplane ticket. and the other ticket is to a band. >> oh, my god! >> 17-year-old was surprised when a police officer pulls her over and gives her a trip to new york. after months of battling a rare disease, her parents set up the stunt to give her an extra special christmas gift. >> that is so cool. >> great. so coming up, it's happened again, stolen valor we're talking about. a military member catching a fraud on camera. >> why would you have an army uniform if you're in the marines? >> an army uniform. >> can you believe this guy? really? >> we told you which one of the folks in dc are getting coal?

who deserve has candy cane? the list may surprise you. ♪ ♪ [lt:vu

good morning. merry christmas, everybody. yesterday we told you about the naughty politicians getting coal in their christmas stocking. today, which ones are on the nice list? >> we have fox news political analyst juan williams giving candy canes to a select few and joins us right now. merry christmas to you, my friend. >> merry christmas. >> let's get to it. first of all, christmas canes going out to senator mitch mcconnell, republican from kentucky. >> absolutely. gosh, you know, start of this year it looked like he was in terrible political trouble in

kentucky. he had a woman running against him who was picked to be kind of the rising star among the democrats. guess what? mitch mcconnell not only did very well for himself, but he now has a majority, republican majority in the senate and his candy cane, he's going to be senate majority leader, which is his dream come true. >> next up, we have elizabeth warren, democrat from massachusetts. let's take a listen to her. >> this is not about partisanship. this is about fairness. this is about accountability and responsibility. this is about presenting another financial -- preventing another financial collapse that could wipe out millions of jobs and take down our whole economy. >> why do you say she's a big rising star in the democratic party? >> i think her star is up there. i tell you, she's now a member of the senate democratic leadership for the first time. they put her in the position where she's in charge of messaging for the senate democrats.

in addition, i think this is the reason i chose her as my politician of the year for my hill column, is that she now is the alternative to hillary clinton as we go towards the 2016 presidential race, already you see a number of organizations that previously backed barak obama. now putting their money and time and organization behind her, called waiting for warren. she's now coming to define the future of the democratic party and for that, she gets a candy cane. >> so there is another one coming to his own on the republican side. the junior senator of kentucky, that's senator rand paul. >> i want to make the party bigger. i think we have to have a diverse party, we need more african-american, more hispanics, more youth, more young women. we have to be a bigger, broader party. >> when he breaks it down like that, where he's reaching out to everybody, why is it so hard for the republican party to achieve? >> well, i think the party has

been slow to come to the idea of reaching out as opposed to playing directly to its base. but as you saw from that clip, he's not only reaching out to immigrants, he's been very aggressive about that, reaching out in terms of minorities and young people, going on to college campus, talking to them about sharing conservative values. on top of that, going into the black community and talking about the need for, for example, prison reform, putting fewer people in jail. this has put him on the edge and made him a very interesting character going forward. i think he this year, if you consider three people came into the year of 14 with presidential aspirations out of the u.s. senate, cruz, rand paul, and marco rubio, i think the one that's really now standing out is rand paul. >> candy cane for rand paul. >> he did quite well at howard university. >> amazing, isn't it? >> yeah. >> juan williams, merry christmas to you and your family. thank you for joining us. >> i thank you. america, kelly, unanimous and to

rick. thank you for getting up on christmas morning and being with us. >> we hope you get candy canes in your stocking, too. coming up, after the hack, "the interview" finally hitting theaters today. but after all of that, was it really worth the wait? hear what critics are saying this morning. that's next. we introduce to you this american hero who credits his service dog for saving his life. >> four deployments. it kind of took its toll on me. kind of went the service dog route and ended up being the best decision i've ever made. >> so when the dog was badly hurt, the veteran vowed to save him at all costs and our viewers chipped in to help. how are they now? our better with friends series continues with an update. that's next. first, a special message from our troops serving overseas. >> hi. i'm ashley stationed at naval base in south korea. i would like to give holiday shout outs to my family, my mom and dad, sister and brother back

in alabama. i would like to also tell you guys to keep rolling and roll with the tide. happy holidays

good morning. merry christmas. 23 hips after the hour. and the show must go on. today "the interview" opens in hundreds of movie theaters.

the release comes as sony also puts the comedy online. peter doocy is live from washington, d.c. with the latest on the controversial film. good morning and merry christmas, peter. >> merry christmas. there is a new report out that says sony asked the white house for help winding up -- lining up apple as a distributor. this piece says apple wasn't interested. we haven't heard much from president obama while he's been in hawaii. but he told reporters in between holes on the golf course yesterday, he's glad the movie is being released. now "the interview" is live online for 5-point the 9, it can be rented on youtube, and others. there are 331 theaters spread out across the country showing the movie, which is many more than anybody would have expected a week ago. but far fewer than sony originally planned for this project. the first reviews are coming in as well and on the west side,

rotten tomatoes. "the interview" scores 350%. some people are writing in that it's basically in line with other silly seth rogen movies. others are writing that they don't think the movie is any good. north koreans are responding to the release through their ambassador to the u.n. and they're saying there won't be a physical response to this movie, but they are still very upset. anna. >> peter doocy live in washington, d.c thanks so much. incredible story with you after 29 months in iraq and afghanistan, sergeant william cole struggled with traumatic brain injury and ptsd. he credits his service dog, hahn, with saving his life. when hank was severely injured, sergeant cole vowed to do whatever it takes to raise the funds needed to save his life. >> right now we're right at around $11,000 and then after the repeat radiographs and --

>> our generous "fox & friends" viewers chipped in to help them out. so joining us now is sergeant cole. we want to find out how they're doing. so initially at that time you thought you might need $11,000. by just at your fundraising sight, fund me. what do you think of that? >> first off, merry christmas and thank you for having me on again. it's been an absolute blessing. it was very humbling, all the help and the support that hank received. it was a true christmas come early. i really thank y'all for everything. >> you're absolutely right. i knew when we did this story that our viewers would want to chip in. all day long i kept on logging in and watching that number go up. more money was raised than you actually need. i actually had a couple friends say what, are you going to do

with the extra money? you're doing something pretty special. tell us about it. >> yes, sir. as i sat there and i looked at it, the holiday season, only one thing felt right and that was to give it forward and help veterans and wounded warriors in need. so i actually donated $13,000 to the texas a & m foundation and the eli fund and christian capper fund which helps wounded warriors with their service dog bills and dog bills. it felt like the right thing to do. so that's what i did with that leftover money. >> such a great lesson here at christmas. i want to get an update. how is hank doing now after -- i know he had further medical tests. how is he doing? what's the latest? >> his scapula healed incorrectly. it was supposed to heal at a straight angle, but it came down awkwardly. so the doctors have to just watch how that bone regrows and

then kind of go from there. there is a little bit of lameness associated with it. so it's something that the doctors and i have to keep an eye on going forward 'cause it could require additional surgery. outside of that, his lungs have healed and he's doing great. you can tell that he's not injured. >> he looks relaxed and happy. i know he's such a support for you. what does hank continue to do for you? tell us a little about your relationship. >> yes, sir. hank is a best friend. hank is not a dog to me. there were some tough moments and without him, they were just unbearable. but to have hank with me and in my life, i mean, this is the best christmas present i could ever receive, having him. he wasn't supposed to survive 60 miles per hour collision with a car. so sometimes it's upsetting that it happened, but i'm blessed to have him here with me and help

me going forward. >> allall right. sergeant, thank you so much for what you're doing. merry christmas to you. and to hank and we're so happy for hank still being in your life this year. tomorrow our better with friends series ends with an update from the ferguson bakery owner whose business was destroyed in the protests. she got more than $250,000 in donations to rebuild. how is she doing now? you can find out tomorrow. and now coming up, most kids go to college to get an education and to get away from mom and dad. but not so fast. helicopter parents are moving in, too. the outrageous trend ahead. and they are some of america's most famous war heros and today their stories hit the big screen. so what do critics think of "unbroken" and "american sniper"? kevin mccarthy has his review next. >> hands it to the kid. can you confirm?

>> negative. your call new santa ♪(the music builds to a climax.) more people are coming to audi than ever before. see why now is the best time. audi will cover your first month's payment on select models at the season of audi sales event. visit audioffers.com today.

you think it smells fine, but your passengers smell this... eliminate odors you've gone noseblind to for up to 30 days with the febreze car vent clip. female passenger: wow. smells good in here. vo: so you and your passengers can breathe happy. you owned your car for four you named it brad. you loved brad. and then you totaled him. you two had been through everything together. two boyfriends. three jobs. you're like "nothing can replace brad!" then liberty mutual calls. and you break into your happy dance. if you sign up for better car replacement, we'll pay for a car that's a model year newer

with 15,000 fewer miles than your old one. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. good morning, everybody. it's a furry friends edition of our shot of the morning here on "fox & friends." christmas morning. here are a few of them. linda says her picture of charlie the dog. >> alan is in trouble for making a mess. >> and guess who stopped by this morning? santa paws. >> here is sophie. >> sophie the elf. >> we've got pictures to share with you of our staffers and all of their families. everybody that puts the big show together. it's a big show today, four

hours today. our live producer will be celebrating in chicago. he's with his dad. mike, mom, joanne and brothers dan and jim. >> oh, my gosh. they all look alike. >> head writer kaitlyn with her siblings, nieces and nephew. >> line producer kelly and her family. newlyweds this year. and line producer marissa dunn and her brother, thomas, mom and dad. >> and coming up, producer john and his entire family. >> wow. >> producer lauren and her mom, sister, grandma and aunt. >> and writer nicole and her brother, matthew and sister. >> good to see you. >> all right. there are a lot of movies people are talking about that always come out on christmas day. joining us again o review three more is kevin mccarthy, founder of nerdtears.com. still rocking this super cool suit. good morning. >> that's right. merry christmas to you guys. i love starting my morning with you guys. merry christmas to everybody

watching. thank you so much. >> first up, we have "american sniper," the chris kyle movie. how do you think it will go? >> this movie blew my mind. i'll tell you right now, it's based on chris kyle's autobiography, the most lethal sniper in american history. it's so well crafted. bradley cooper did a brilliant job becoming chris kyle. the brilliance is he interprets him. he doesn't impersonate him, he becomes him, and you honestly cannot see bradley cooper whatsoever in the performance. he disappears. he gained 40 pounds for the role. this is the best clint eastwood movie i've seen since "mystic river." so well done. everything about this movie really works. there is some times where i thought it dragged slightly. but overall, one of the best movies this year. the movie really, really focuses on his legacy and legend and the balance of being at war his whole life. but it really focuses on who he is, the legend that he was. i think it's a phenomenal film about a true american hero and

incredible patriot. everyone should go see it. 4 1/2 out of five. i definitely recommend it. it's the best movie i've seen this week out of all seven films. deserves best picture, nominations and best actor for the academy award this year. >> well said. tell me about "unbroken". >> another american hero, incredible hero. he was an olympic athlete who spent 47 days at sea after his plane crashed during world war ii. he then spent two years in a japanese pow camp where he was tartared. he was released and lived 'til the age of 97. it was directed by angelina jolie and jack o'connell takes on the head role. he became him on screen. just like bradley cooper. it really works overall. amazingly epic story. i gave it four out of five. i want to mention that angelina jolie did get to work with the man in making the movie. in july before he passed away, she was able to sit down with

him on his hospital bed, bring a laptop and show him the movie. i asked her what that experience was like for her. check it out. >> i knew him and i knew how loving he was and nonjudgmental. so i was very happy to bring it to him and have something to bring to him at that moment in his life in the hospital. so it was beautiful, in fact, to watch him watch his life and his bright blue eyes watching in this state where he couldn't really move very well, watch himself cross the finish line and fight back against all odds. i think maybe in some way, it helped to prepare him for the end of his life. >> right. >> you give how many stars? >> i gave it four out of five. those are two great movies about two incredible american heros that everyone should support and go see. i gave it four out of five for that movie.

>> all right. what about "into the woods"? >> yeah. this is based on a musical. for me, remember the movie "les mis"? they were live singing. here, it's mostly record singing. i'm kind of spoiled by what they did with "les mis." meryl streep did it live. it engages you. this musical is one of steve sondheim's best one. the problem with this is that the song kind of all sound the same. i thought meryl streep did a great job. what makes it great is the production design. it looks fantastic. everything about the effects are fantastic. it really works. i've seen the stage play at a local production here in dc, which i thought was more imaginative in how they dealt with the giants. overall, if you're a fan of the musical, definitely see it. i gave it 3 1/2 out of five. i didn't love it. i liked it. i just found issues with the pacing and also some of the

singing that felt like i was watching a music video versus live singing. >> good point. thank you so much. merry christmas to you. we'll see you in about 50 weeks. >> i'm seeing "the interview" tonight. i will tweet out my review. i'm seeing it at 8:10. i will tweet out me review. i'll have a full review. merry christmas to you and everybody working at fox news. you guys are all wonderful. i appreciate you having me on your show. it really changed my life. i love you, guys. >> thank you. >> merry christmas. and on other stories making headlines. a christmas terrorist attack in africa. reports of heavy gun fire and explosions as gunmen storm a military base in mogadishu. a target a christmas party. al-shabab claiming responsibility. so far no word on casualties. we will keep you updated as this breaking story develops. and another case of stolen valor caught on camera.

21-year-old man noticed this guy at the fresno airport wearing an army hat indoors, which is against protocol and also jammed his hands in his pocket, another strike against him. listen to this guy's first excuse. >> you were in the military, right? >> yes. >> i have nothing else to do. i have no other clothes right now. i got here like four days ago. >> blame it on the laundry detergent. a little more questioning and his story changed again. >> that's an army uniform. why would you have an army uniform -- >> that's all he had. >> what's your mos? >> oh, my god. because what you're wearing, i actually recently got out of the army and it's called stolen valor. >> i am not stealing anybody's valor. >> the man eventually walked away and that starbucks coffee you saw him holding?

he apparently got 20% off thanks to that uniform that apparently doesn't appear to be his. a passenger tossed off a plane after a airline passenger wished him a merry christmas. the man was reportedly waiting to board a flight to dallas when a gate agent welcomed him with the you'll tide greeting. he got angry, saying, you shouldn't say that because not everyone celebrates christmas. once on board, a flight attendant also wished him a merry christmas. the man then started shouting and was escorted off the plane. >> merry christmas to that guy. >> right. and parents are following their kids off to college. a new report says the trend started a few years ago. but now it's get morgue popular. one family saying they moved from denver to oregon and now share an apartment with their college sophomore daughter. the surprise thing? well, the college student says it saves her money. >> i'm sure it does. >> and mom is cooking for her, making her bed potentially.

>> so much easier on the college campus. here is what's coming up, it is the gift that has women fired up this year and it's not what you think. >> and how does anna kooiman spend her christmas? we go down to north carolina to her childhood home to find out. you don't want to miss this tar heel hero getting it on at christmas time. ♪ ♪

we've got quick headlines for you. new information on that lie steer i can't outbreak. a missouri company is recalling caramel apples. they believe are contaminated. happy apples says those bad apples could have come from a california supplier. the recall covers these 31 states that you're looking at. at least three deaths and 29 illnesses have been linked to the bacteria. and men and women are waking up to firearms as christmas gifts. huh? husbands are actually gifting hand guns and assault rifles to their wives. many of them in bright colors and it's a trend going on nationwide. nearly 80% of firearm retailers have seen an uptick in female

customers. ♪ ♪ we love seeing how all of you are spending christmas at home with your families. >> we have one of the traditions of our own. >> yeah. we all have them. this year i'll be spending christmas with my favorite puppy dog, baxter. he's looking at all those presents going, are those for me? he dug into a couple of them. but earlier this month, i went home to north carolina where i had christmas a little bit early. take a look. i hear the jingle bells. >> welcome. >> we're discovering some of the old things. >> walk down memory lane. >> this is definitely anna. >> mom, we're going to open the stocking. >> do you have coal in there? >> no, i don't have coal in there. >> this is something that i dug out to help celebrate you coming

home again. this is from 1986. you were two years old. >> isn't it funny that the christmas tree and the stockings and the tv, everything is still in the same place. 28 years later. >> we should reenact it. >> you want to? >> haldane. do we look the same? >> one thing we haven't done yet. >> sandy patty. ♪ come let us worship the king ♪ . >> mom and i always make time to make these peppermint christmas pecans. it makes the house smell absolutely amazing. >> mom and daughter teamwork here. >> this is where all that goodwork and aerobics comes in. >> the secret ingredient. mulling spices. can i do the honors? okay. here we go.

>> i wish we had smellavision. >> we'll box them all up for the customers so they can enjoy the kooiman christmas tradition. here we at the family biz, peppermint forest christmas shop. dad, how long you been around? >> 34 years. >> if you're a kooiman here, there is 65 days a year. >> it is. people come out and ask about what your traditions are and ours always included working. >> but we had each other. >> right. together with family and that was just part of our tradition. >> michael and i had another sibling with the store. >> your mother and i had another child also because of that. we put in a lot of hours here and so did you and michael. you grew up in this place. >> i dug out one of the aprons that you used to wear when you worked here as a teen-ager. >> merry christmas. >> i love that your family owns

a christmas store. >> yes. retailing can be a tough business, but at least you're selling something that makes everybody smile. >> it does. of course, it's the happiest time of year. >> every day at your home. >> it certainly is. literally my brother and i grew up in cribs in the showroom while my parents were serving customers. as i got older, i was allowed to price the ornaments in the back and serve the pecans and sold christmas trees. >> the hard work of a family, a small business and then produce ago child that turns out like you. >> he ran away to new york city. i am going to tweet out the recipe for those pecans because they're amazing. >> they are. you gave us some and i ate the entire bag in my office. >> in one sitting. >> one minute. >> they're dangerous. >> that's really good. we have a lot more for you coming up. it's christmas trivia time. can you answer this question? >> who got electrocuted in national lampoon's "christmas vacation"? we're testing your knowledge

next. >> 11 years old, this kid is the youngest eagle scout in the country. he'll show us how he earned those badges and watch what happens when he puts rick to the test. first a special message from our troops serving overseas. >> merry christmas from kuwait. my name is staff sergeant andrew webb. i wanted to say merry christmas and happy new year to my beautiful wife say are and our two boys in savannah, georgia. i miss y'all and love you all. see you soon.

become an eagle scout, one must earn 21 merit badges, have camps experience and a project by the time you're 18. but 11-year-old guest put the pedal to the medal did all that and became the youngest eagle scout in the organization's history. his ceremony was this past november and he joins us to show us his merit badges. you tripled what you needed. >> yes. >> that's amazing. so you've became an eagle scout when you were still 11 years old and you started when you were ten years old. you became a boy scout. >> yeah. i started when i was ten years old and then i got it when i was 11 years and 11 months. >> as the youngest that's ever happened. how does that feel? >> it's so awesome.

i love being the youngest and part of the boy scout history. >> okay. i have a question, how many merit badges are there in total? >> i think there is about 130 something. >> you have 60. do you have a goal you want to get all of them? >> i haven't set that goal yet. but it would be fun to get. >> that's amazing. so i hear that you have a test for me because up with of them is the citizenship in the nation merit badge? >> yeah. that was the hardest merit badge that i earned. >> why was it so hard? >> well, it was just kind of hard learning about the constitution and doing all the hard mailing the senators. >> right. so there are some things here that are some quizzes and you want to quiz me to see how i would do. >> okay. >> so what's the first question? >> so first question is name the three branches of government. >> okay. so it's the president, the executive branch; there is the legislative, congress, senate and house. and the judicial.

right? >> yeah. >> so far i've got it. >> you want to do the life saving badge. i was life scout, right below eagle. i didn't make it. i'm impressed by you. knot tying. you want to teach me how it tie a knot. >> i want to teach you how to tie the one handed bollen. so if you can stand up. >> all right. >> so i'm gog demonstrate first. this knot is used for when you and your buddy are hiking and you fall and broken your arm or something so you can only use one hand. >> that makes sense. >> so if i can have you hold this end of the rope. i'm going to demonstrate. pull it tight. >> i'm watching closely. okay. yeah. oh, yeah. you lost me there. yes, i see where you're going with this. that's it. okay. so i'm going to try this.

you're going to hold that tight. >> there we go. you did this. something like that. and then i bet i do that and pull it through. is that it? >> that's it. >> nice. >> is that it? >> yeah. >> at this it. i got it! you have a good future. i want to see 137 merit badges coming from you when you come back next time. >> okay. >> you're awesome. congratulations on this. this is a huge honor. youngest eagle scout ever. merry christmas to you. >> merry christmas to you. >> appreciate it. >> thank you. great guy. coming up on "fox & friends," odds are you're getting a gift card for christmas. but what if you don't like where that gift card is from? don't toss it. trade it. one place you can do just that. >> can you trade up? it goes without saying, santa had a long night.

but he's a trooper and he's hanging in there. he can never get enough of kids. he's answering all of their questions straight ahead. ♪ ♪

hi. merry christmas. today is the 25th of december, 2014. i'm anna kooiman in for elisabeth hasselbeck. the world celebrating the birth of jesus today, including pope francis who delivered his special blessing overnight. we'll tell you his faithful words straight ahead. then the movie that set off an international fire storm hits theaters today. "the interview" now playing. and one theater chain is offering a a patriotic twist. the plan that will make you proud to be an american this morning. you're going to like that. i'm kelly wright. it was growing christmas trend

around here. the gift that has women all fired up. my, my, my. and it's not what you think it is. mornings are so much better with friends. >> this is kenny rogers wishing everyone a happy holiday and to our troops serving oversea, stay safe. ♪ ♪ ♪ sleigh bells ring ♪ are you listening ♪ in the lane snow is glistening ♪ ♪ a beautiful site >> all acappella. "winter wonderland." >> kelly wright will be doing some of his music coming up this hour for us as well. >> hope you enjoy it. this is a dear friend of mine battling something. don day, i love you and i'm glad you're doing great. >> good. >> merry christmas. >> christmas miracle. hope you're celebrating the christmas herbalife day.

send us your christmas morning pictures. how are the puppies holding up? >> here is one from the mcdonald family this christmas morning in florida. that is a big family. all these people on the staircases look like the bradies today. >> that's all i can say. >> the harris family celebrating in ohio here. another big family. >> huge and beautiful. >> santa claus is here. this is huge. he's worked all night long. he stayed up us. you've been here answering our questions. everybody email or tweet us your questions for santa claus. we have a couple of those questions right now. >> nancy on facebook for example, says my nephew would like to know if santa used rudolph because of storm? >> yes, his nose was so bright red this year, especially during the fog and heavy snows that i encountered on my deliveries.

>> all right. santa, we want to know, i don't know if you and your wife yet exchanged gifts, mrs. klaus, but what did she get you? >> i don't know what mrs. klaus has gotten me yet, i can tell you it we keep a secret, i got her some jewelry this year. that is secret clean only us right now. >> cartier love bracelet, extra diamond added to her ring, what is it? >> i got her topaz gems. earings and a bracelet along with a ring. >> how many years have you guys been married right now? >> oh, quite a few. been over 90 years. we've been together. >> all right. santa, we'll check back in with you just a bit. >> merry christmas. >> earlier this morning pope francis delivered his christmas blessing in st. peter's square.

he used his address to denounce the brutal persecutions of religious and ethnic minorities. >> he highlighted the atrocities of war and called on god to serve with tenderness. >> fox news correspondent john huddy is live in bethlehem with a look at celebrations there. john, merry christmas to you. >> reporter: merry christmas to you guys back there and to everybody who is watching. this is my first time being here. is awesome. it is really beautiful to be here in bethlehem. take a look, the sun is set on manger square and church of the nativity, built on top of the birthplace of jesus. this is absolutely beautiful. as i said earlier this churc bah century. it was damaged after that. sections were rebuilt in the mid 7th century. you're looking at history, folks.

this is just an incredible area in terms of history. earlier outside of the church there was continued christmas celebration. there is a large group of people singing, dancing, singing hallelujah as you see there. that has been the case pretty much all day. yesterday as the christmas celebration kicked off in the afternoon and then culminated with midnight mass. there has been, as we political turmoil. christmas this year, as i said earlier, comes just four 1/2 months after the war in gaza. so that is still fresh on people's mind, including myself who was there covering the war and my colleagues conor powell and rick leventhal. this is all about prayers for peace. all the people here from around the world, remain undeterred by the violence and political struggle including one woman i talked to from south africa. here is what she had to say about being here.

>> the church of the nativity, jesus being born here, this is overwhelming. we're privileged to be site. we're privileged to be here. not everybody can be here on christmas day. >> reporter: we're all privileged to be here. again, you're taking a live look at the church of the nativity as the sun sets here on bethlehem. another christmas celebration and the celebration very much continues. kelly, anna, rick, merry christmas to you and merry christmas to everybody who is watching. god bless. >> john, merry christmas to you. >> are we ready to christmas knowledge to the test? >> we're about to find out. here with christmas trivia, fox news radioed to establishes. todd starnes. >> you did pretty well last time around.

>> this is little more difficult. this is christmas 2.01. name the president who started the annual lighting of the national christmas tree? was it millard fillmore, calvin coolidge or theodore roosevelt. >> i will go with unknown on this one. i have no idea but go with this. >> anna, kelly are correct. it was calvin coolidge. >> lit hit himself to save 500 bucks. we had historian on the show. i wouldn't have known that. >> here is the next one, 1659, what state passed a law providing a fine for anyone that celebrated christmas? massachusetts, pennsylvania or virginia? >> sound like this one. >> and the correct answer, anna gets, i'm sorry, a, massachusetts. people's republic of cambridge. no surprise. in a charlie brown christmas, charlie brown tells lucy he has

pant ophobia what is that? fear of heavy breathing, the fear of pant or fear of everything? and the correct answer is c, the fear of everything. you got -- >> i got two right. >> one of my favorite movies. who got electrocuteed in national lampoon christmas vacation. it was b, the cat. funny movie. here we go, name the three reindeer whose names begin with d. is it dasher, donor, dancer. dasher, dancer and ditzen or dancer, donor and dory. the correct answer is a. this is too early.

>> donor or donder. >> is donor. >> i was watching miracle on 34th street. i thought i was wrong. you have christmas special. >> todd starnes all american christmas. 4,000 people came out. >> did you have sandy patty? >> our family used to sing that song at christmastime. we had al robertson from "duck dynasty." sarah palin. karen kingsbury. we had cast of 300 singers and dancers. we have a little clip much our young people doing a salute to the military. check this out. >> we'll check it out. ♪

>> i love the trumpet. >> that tree is, i'm sorry, 60 feet tall, 140 young people singing on the christmas tree. you can see it this morning. two-hour show. online at todd establishes.com and or foxnews.com. it was family friendly. having good old-fashioned fun time. >> why didn't we get invitation? thank you. merry christmas. >> you too. >> other stories making headlines, overnight a quadruple shooting in st. louis. one person is dead, three others in critical condition. this just a day after the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old black man by a white police officer just a few miles away. protesters in berkeley, missouri, taking to the streets for a second straight night. there were reports of gunfire as protesters clashed with police. multiple arrests were made. surveillance cameras at the gas

station tuesday night capturing the moment antonio martin pulls a handgun and points it at the police officer and pulls his own gun and fires three shots. 34-year-old officer is on administrative leave as the department investigates. former president george h.w. bush waking up in a houston hospital on christmas morning. doctors are positive saying he had quote, a good day yesterday. the 90-year-old was rushed to the hospital late tuesday night after having trouble breathing. president bush has parkinson's which keeps him in a wheelchair. he is expected to be out of the hospital before the new year. ebola may still be in america. a cdc lab worker in atlanta under observation for 21 days after a mix-up of ebola samples. that person does not have any ebola symptoms at the moment. the centers for disease control says there is no risk to the public. santa is clause is a man of many talents and apparently can pilot a lot more than just a sleigh.

didn't get wet. the water skiing santa claus. he took time before his big delivery night to join in the annual water ski event on the potomac river. getting sea legs, the grinch, jack frost and wart skiing elves. >> that is nice. >> have to ask santa about that. that is always tough as you get a little older. coming up, from anti-police protests to isis, requests, you know what? if you followed that, the world is a dark place but on this christmas day there is light. dr. robert jeffries is here next with a positive message this holiday. >> did you get a gift card in your stocking? if you don't like it, don't toes it. you toss it, you can trade it. there is one place to do that and we'll tell you where. >> first a special message from our troops serving overseas.

>> hi. currently deployed at camp lemon in djibouti, africa. i want to say high to my friends and family in spring hill, florida. i want to wish you happy holidays and wish you a great new year and i miss you guys so much and i i'll see you home.

then you'll know how uncomfortable it can be. but did you know that the lack of saliva can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath? well, there is biotene, specially formulated with moisturizers and lubricants... biotene can provide soothing relief and it helps keep your mouth healthy too. biotene, for people who suffer from a dry mouth. if every u.s. household with here's aa computerfor you: used sleep mode when they weren't using it, how much could we save on electricity each year? up to $1 billion? $3 billion? $4.5 billion? the answer is... up to $4.5 billion. using your computer's built-in energy-saving features can generate real household savings. take the energy quiz -- round 2. energy lives here.

♪ >> my fellow prisoners don't like me because i'm a convert and pastor. they look at me with shame, someone who betrayed his former religion. the guards can't even stand the paper cross i made and hung next to me as a sign of my faith and in anticipation of my savior's birth. >> that was american pastor saeed abedini's wife on fox news yesterday. he is spending his third christmas in iranian prison.

with rise of persecution, it is important to remember the true meaning of christmas. dr. drove just is here now and to share another one. thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. merry christmas. >> saeed abedini's wife was telling us about paper crosses and the prison guards took them from him. that despite that his faith was strong and what can we learn from that. >> that is inspiration with all of us. we look around the world and see persecuted christians like this, atrocities of isis and police killings and racial tensions, we have to ask the question what relevance does a baby born 2,000 years have today? the fact this wasn't just any baby. christians believe he was god in the flesh. god who came to our broken world, filled with broken people, to offer us the gift we need most, the gift of forgiveness. but christ came also to offer

another promise, and that is, of a better world that is yet to come. jesus said, one day he is coming back to recreate and reclaim this world. you know a lot of our viewers may not know this but the carol we sing at christmas, joy to the world, was written by isaac watts, not as "a christmas carol," he wasn't talking about the first coming of christ at bethlehem. he was talking about when christ would come again and rule this world with truth and grace. you know, anna, if we're honest, we have to say there is no peace right now. goodwill toward men is in short supply. the good news it won't always be that way. there is a better world coming. that is the hope of christmas. >> absolutely. pastor, a lot of us will be opening our presents this morning. we're excited to find shiny and new things under the christmas tree but that is not the real reason for this season, right? talk about the humble beginnings of jesus christ and what we take

away from that message? >> well there are a lot of people out there, if we're honest who would say this isn't the most wonderful time of the year regardless of what the christmas song says. there are people out there who are hurting right now. people who may feel alienated, distant from god but the good news of christmas is, god still loves us. jesus said, for god so revolved the world that he gave his only son. somebody who said if man's greatest need was for money, god would have sent an economist. if our greatest need was for technology, god would have sent a scientist. if our greatest need would have been for education, god would have sent a teacher but our greatest need is for forgiveness. that is why god sent a savior. the angel said to the sheppard, for unto you is born this day in the city of david is a savior, christ the lord. that is truly good news for all

people. >> pastor, i want to ask you about a new survey that came out t basically says it pays to pray. if we go ahead and show that. people who attend religious services weekly say they're about 84%, they're very happy or somewhat happy. if we can show the next survey, if we can show that one, okay. well it shows, as the least, the less you attend church, the less happier you are. so what does that tell us aside from sitting in the pew on sunday, more than on just christmas eve and easter? >> i think certainly there is some residual benefits being with people in a church setting but i like to remind people, you know, being in church doesn't make you a christian anymore than being at mcdonald's makes you a hamburger. what is really key is, those who are if church who have a personal relationship with god. and that is what we're all longing for. whether we know it or not. the philosopher said, god has create ad god-shaped vacuum in

each one of us. i think it is really that personal relationship with god that brings that happiness, that this survey is talking about. >> pastor, merry christmas to you. thank you so much for joining us and taking the time today. >> merry christmas. >> 18 minutes after the hour. coming up on fox and friend, a movie that set off an international firestorm hits theaters today. "the interview" is playing today. one chain is offering a patriotic twist. the plan that will make you proud to be an american. we're going into the danger zone. >> the pattern is full. >> how the military is getting in on the top gun action ahead. ♪ [ fishing rod casting line, marching band playing ] [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life.

[ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. [ m'm... ] great taste. [ tapping ] sounds good. campbell's healthy request. m'm! m'm! good.® you think it smells fine, but your passengers smell this... eliminate odors you've gone noseblind to for up to 30 days with the febreze car vent clip. female passenger: wow. smells good in here. vo: so you and your passengers can breathe happy.

>> good morning and happy christmas. some quick headlines about isis right now. a jordanian father pleading with the terror group to release his pilot son. he is in the clutches of isis after crashing in syria during coalition air raids. isis saying shot the plane down

with a missile but u.s. intelligence says that is false claim. thousand those of u.s. military vehicles are getting ready for another fight. the gear was originally going to be sold or scrapped. the military is reportedly ready to ship it to iraq for a huge spring offensive against isis. >> the movie that has been making headlines. >> i'm agent lacy with central intelligence. you two are going to be in a room alone with kim. >> we have got the interview. >> the cia would love it if you could take him out. >> huh? >> take him out. >> like for drinks? >> like to dinner. >> out on the town? >> no, take him out. >> you want us to kill the leader of north korea? >> yes. >> what? >> what? sony announced that it would finally release the view in over 2000 theaters and even online after threats from north korea. our next guest is not only showing movies in theaters but taking patriotism a step further

by handing out 1000 american flags. >> we have the president and ceo of high rock holdings and owner of the cinemas in hagerstown, maryland. you drove up to tell us about the incredible thing you're doing. >> this is basically fun. we're handing out a thousand american flags to anyone who buy as ticket to "the interview." basically way to show freedom of speech. it should be fun. >> you have the little flags with you. >> basically if you come to the theater, pass it out, a little patriotism. >> how did this happen? you're an independent theater owner. you're not part of a big chain. sony called if you. >> sony basically called the flame buyers. said we'll release it. it will be on-demand and as well as in select theaters. major chains it was too late to show the movie. a light of independents like us stepped up and said we'll show it. >> have you received ticket sales yet. >> yeah, we have.

when we went online day before, they started he ising online. >> what was the thought process when you get a call from them? was there any part of you, maybe i'm afraid to do this because of the initial threats they received? or did you debate that? or did you, were you confident, no, we are going to show this? >> we had aholiday party at our company, high rock on the fourth floor. when the call came in from the buyer. i said, hey i need to take a poll. we asked everyone what you do. it was unanimous, everyone had their hand up. let's do this so. >> so looking back after the hack took place and sony backed off and they wouldn't rao lees it, and they got criticized by president obama and hollywood execs. what did you think about that? did sony handle it right way? >> it's a tough situation and monday morning quarterback stuff to say whether they made the right decision. i think they made the right decision in the end. i think president obama coming out in support of it actually

helped matters. so at end of the day i think sony should be applauded for saying we're not going to stand for this and we'll show the movie. >> for patrons showing up to see this, are you changing security different from what you might normally have on regular day? >> yeah. we've been in touch with the county sheriff's office to step up security as abundance of caution. our first priority is safety of our patrons and i'm sure every other independent and major chain is the same way. >> what kind of response are you getting from people around? >> it has been overwhelmingly positive. on facebook it blew up. almost 1,000 likes now and comments and shares. so really the community around hagerstown, maryland, really sort of rallied around the whole thing. from hagerstown perspective, we don't like to be pushed around and we're probably a little scrappy and i think that was shown in our response on facebook. >> so wave the flag loudly when you go to -- okay.

>> great story. about not being put down. we will not be put down and you guys as a small business are taking that to short. >> thanks. >> thanks for having me. >> we appreciate what you guys are doing. we hope it's a big success for you. thank you so much. coming up this veteran is a true definition of a good samaritan, he pays bills power bills of those in need during christmas season. the inspiration behind his amazing deed. >> they are the christmas classics with love. ♪ why are almost all of the holiday songs still stuck in the 1950s or before? ♪

♪ i'm dreaming of a white christmas ♪

♪ >> well it is a fury furry and fox and friend christmas. >> they are wishing the best very merry christmas. >> hayley and abby are best friends. here is harley watching "fox & friends." >> keep those pet pictures coming and we will retweet some of those. we appreciate it. we want to give a big shoutout to staffers and families.

we had some of our producers sending in pictures. executive producer of "fox & friends" and lauren pederson. her family is growing. >> peter doocy's kids, peter, mary and sally. such good kids. >> executive producer jennifer roche. jackson and makenzie. >> my goodness, they're growing. >> senior producer as kids gavin and coal. >> clayton morris, weekend anchor, whose kids put cookies out for santa claus. >> senior producer shaun gromana and. >> that's nice. >> heather nauert, ice fishing in minnesota. >> brian story and his family. >> production assistant, sara freeman. her 101-year-old grandma and cousin sara. >> so nice. looking at children, they are growing so fast. >> that's what happens. kelly.

you have kids of your own. you know. that. >> we're wondering at christmas songs that you loved seem to be stuck in the '50s? did you ever wonder why we love all the classic as and are the classics? it is interesting thing. we do classical songs but there are very few flue once. >> they have been around the longest. christmas is all about tradition. you want what you're familiar with. the number three song on the list is from 1941, "white christmas". ♪ i'm dreaming of a white christmas, just like the ones -- >> let's go back to 1946. you do know what the hit was? it was a christmas song, chestnuts roasting on an open fire and the famous nat king cole. ♪ jack frost nipping at your nose, yuletide carols -- >> so good.

the number one christmas song of all time is from 1934. "santa claus is coming to town ♪. ♪ >> makes all the kids happy throughout the year. >> can i point out something though? the class, oh, my goodness. frank, got nat and you got binge bing. >> so clams around their voices. >> all i want for christmas is you by mariah carey. ♪ >> i like anna's sister girl act. >> i wish i could sing like that. >> we asked you some of your favorite. george on facebook says, i can't

believe, "i'll be home for christmas" is not in the top three much. beautiful song written for world war ii soldiers. ♪ >> and daniel on facebook, "mary did you know." by pentatonix. ♪ >> that is the ahca pella group. jim on facebook, says, "grant ma got run over by a reindeer." ♪ she had hoof prints on her

forehead of. the lyrics are so funny. >> that is what scares me, you know the lyric. >> christmas is all about traditions, this year the weekend crew gone home for christmas to show what some of our traditions were. i got to go home last week and see my family and do hiking and eat some good food. look what my family does around christmas. welcome to my hometown trisket also known as arizona's christmas city and here's why. ♪ when you live in arizona, one of our things we do, we hike. >> there is mistletoe everywhere. that is what you were looking for is mistletoe. ♪ >> look at that. this is mountain that everybody hikes but very few people go to the top. would you feel good if you made it all the way to the top? >> that is pretty far.

>> dad ended up staying behind but my niece, sisters and i decided to tackle the steep and pretty scary climb. [shouting] >> oh, my gosh, look at these views. >> hey, mom! >> oh, my gosh. >> nothing like hot chocolate and coffee after a cold hike. >> it was time to head home and reminisce about christmases past before dinner. >> what are the favorite christmas traditions. >> fill the them with candy. >> always open one gift night on christmas eve. some of us could not even control ourselves after one gift. let's do a second gift. >> i remember one year i taught myself to knit and i wanted to

knit you mittens. >> i have those mittens much. weren't those mittens you made for somebody else and you washed them and they shrunk? >> probably. >> you made all the stockings. i still have my stockings. >> i do too. you always made something, some hand made gift. >> a lot of times we get together and have a german meal. ♪ >> that's pretty. >> merry christmas everybody. >> now we know why you're such a good cook. >> i have these mittens my mom made. i always pull them out every year. >> how big is your hand? >> they don't quite fit anymore. there is real good thing we found. there was a letter i wrote to santa claus, got published in the local newspaper. we have this. dear santa claus, how are you.

halves it been very cold up there? this is what i want for christmas. two piece style pajamas. evil knievel. fake radio, with fake radios and snoopy teddy bear. if i'm good and take a bath every day, and brush my teeth, work really hard, clean my room an make my bed i give me a snoopy toothbrush. i want to know how many letters you get this year. please be careful. watch for dirt. some of our snow is gone. see if you i'm awake on christmas eve. ricky. i love i had two weather references in my letter. >> i love that you were so polite at the beginning. hi, santa, how are you? is it cold up there? you were very polite. i want this, this, this. >> that is so you. >> speaking of weather references to santa claus, maria, you got anything? >> yeah, that's right, good morning. hello, everybody, merry

christmas. we have a great crowd back here. hello, everybody. we have folks from florida and folks from alba. i want to ask you guys a couple questions. did you get what you wanted for christmas? >> yes. >> what did you want? >> american girl, christmas ticket and -- >> american girl doll and some taylor swift tickets? wow, santa was very good to you. you must have been a good girl this past year. merry christmas to all of you. the rain moved out. that is welcome news. we had a big storm system impacting many areas along parts of the east coast and there was flooding concerns. watches are still posted across portions of new england because of combination of rainfall and also that snow that is melting due to very warm temperatures. now with this storm system we also have some strong winds. we have number of advisories in effect and several high wind warnings because of wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour. there are already reports of branches that have come down

across parts of the buffalo area. temperaturewise, take a look at this map. it is very mild right along parts of the east coast. new york city, you're at 50 degrees. youryou're in the 50s in raleigh, north carolina. behind the system, much 40 in city of dallas and only in the 30s in minneapolis and denver. overall not too bad this time of the year. storm systemming rolling through the rockies. we have winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings issued across that area. let's go back inside. >> maria, thanks so much. to other stories making headlines today. she is at it again. judge releasing cop haters on the street. the criminal court judge releasing this man, travis may, without bail, after he allegedly punch ad cop and threatened to kill others. this coming a day after the judge released this suspect. police say coley, posted this

photograph online, along with a caption threatening cops. jetblue stepping up to offer police free flights to attend the funerals of the two murdered nypd officers. the airline is even working to fly liu's family from china, no charge. >> manhunt for a truck driver comes to a close 100 miles away. they picked up mike cook in colorado springs with more than $200,000. he took off from amarillo, texas after grabbing money out of this armored truck and ditching it. call him santa's helper. a georgia man giving strangers a helping hand by paying their power bills to stay warm this winter. what inspired steve to help all these strangers? here is what he told us earlier. >> my wife, who i love very dearly died, almost coming up on three years ago now and, when she passed away, i already set aside money for christmas presents. i tried to think of something i

could do that she would appreciate. >> he says they both hated being cold. they figured paying bills was the right thing to do. the uss ranger featured in topp gun, headed to the scrap yard. the nabe very paying one cent for the a texas company to dismantle the aircraft carrier next year. it is so cheap because the company taking it apart will make a huge profit when they scrap the metal. some vets hoped to get the ranger into a museum but they couldn't come up with the funds. >> coming up, getting the whole family together is great but it can be awkward if the conversation takes a wrong turn. your christmas survival guide coming up next. >> a growing christmas trend. the gift has women all fired up this year. it is not what you think. >> first a special message from our troops serving oversaves. >> hello, everyone. this is captain wright from kuwait with the 49th mcb. i want to wish everyone in

el paso, texas, a merry chris mavs and happen new year to include my wife tina, and my d kids, and everyone at the fort smith. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. the fact that it reduced the urge to smoke helped me get that confidence that i could do it. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some people had seizures while taking chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix or history of seizures. don' take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea,

trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. i love myself as a non-smoker. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. when electricity is generated here's awith natural gasu: instead of today's most used source, how much are co2 emissions reduced? up to 30%? 45%? 60%? the answer is... up to 60% less. and that's a big reason why the u.s. is a world leader in reducing co2 emissions. take the energy quiz -- round 2. energy lives here. is a really big deal.u with aches, fever and chills- there's no such thing as a little flu. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-counter remedies. attack the flu virus at its source with prescription tamiflu.

and call your doctor right away. tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people 2 weeks and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. ask your doctor about tamiflu and attack the flu virus at its source. >> some quick christmas consumer headlines for you right now. santa's favorite meal is on the decline. new study shows americans are buying 24% less cookies than they did a decade ago and how is this going to wash it all down? milk sales, also hitting record

lows. and unhappy with the gift card that's in your stocking this morning? here's what you can do. you can actually exchange it at walmart for store credit. the mega-retailer will trade any gift card from over 200 stores, restaurants and airlines, for walmart gift cards of the same value. and, many women are waking up to firearms as their christmas gifts. here is what is happening. husbands are actually getting handguns and assault rifles. they're giving them to their wives as exists. many in bright colors a trend nationwide. 80% of firearm retailers have seen an uptick in female customers. >> there you go. season of goodwill an festive cheer and sometimes family arguments. >> as you gather with loved ones for christmas dinner, what merrimaners can you use to help keep the peace? here is weigh in, psychology expert, gina lowden.

>> nice to be with you. much merry christmas to all of you. >> we're happy to have you. one of the big things that comes up is politics at the dinner table. is it do or don't or maybe both? >> most psychologists say don't discuss politics and religion over the holidays but i have to say, our world is in some serious trouble right now and i think sharing faith with your family and in the perspective of what's happening to our world and our freedoms, this christmas might be a little bit different on that. however, if you have that one relative who kind of always bates you, you know that one? if they're going to bait you just so, you can kind much escalate, ahn you know that is what will happen, you can say to the person, isn't it so great we can disagree on politics and still love each other on christmas. that is way to divert the topic. >> what about for the big

christmas feast and allow people to come in graze all day long and once everybody gets there decide the time to eat or what's the deal with that? >> yeah, i think having a really well-defined start and finish time, i think that you have to be really clear about we're going arrive at this time. we're going to leave at that time so there is no guilting or no disagreement afterwards what you had agreed to previously. put that in writing, even in the form of a text to the host. can't wait to see you at 2:00. you know we have to leave at 7:00, you have to stick to that, you avoid that uncomfortable, you know, we have to go. be sure you figure time in there to help with prep and help with cleanup. that is important to your host. >> if i hear you correctly then you're talking about perhaps consideration and some tenderness when you're talking and planning and getting there? >> yeah. so you also say, i think often, as happens at my house, one person can do all the work and that can end up causing some frustration. you say show up with a gift or at least be a part of the

process. that means everybody? >> i think that's everybody. and especially if you don't know the family very well, you're a guest, bring a hostess gift, if you will, considering your host tess gift, you don't want to give the host that doesn't drink a bottle of wine and homemade cookies, consider gift you bring or contribution to the meal to target the host of the party that you're going to. and that is the other thing. think people really need to get in there to be part of it unless the hostest like myself i want everybody out of the way because i'm so add and i'm distracted. we got this you're free to go. definitely help with the prep and cleanup if you can. >> gina, how do we know how long to stay if the host doesn't give us solid start and end time? how do we know we're not wearing out our welcome? >> yeah, i think's important. less than two hours might also hurt feelings but more than five hours especially if there have been problems in the past people

might start to get tired. you know the cache crash sets in if we plan ahead, these christmas and holiday incidents kind of like labor for moms, we forget before we have the next child. we forget the tensions last holiday before we do this holiday. careful planning to allow for personal space. things like consider getting a hotel room if there are problems in the past and out of town away from home. those kind of things can divert a lot of problems we see typically over the holiday season and lend itself to a lot more peace for everybody. >> yeah, which is what it is all about having peace at home this time of year which isn't always there. dr. lowden, thank you very much. >> merry christmas you all. >> coming up, the performance you've all been waiting for this christmas morning, our own kelly wright takes the stage with a very own special holiday

tribute. kelly wright. >> we'll see how that goes. ♪ hey what are you doing? i was thinking about taking this speed test from comcast business. oh yeah? if they can't give us faster internet or save us money, they'll give us 150 bucks. sounds like a win win.

guys! faster internet? i have never been on the internet and i am doing pretty well. does he even work here? don't listen to the naysayer. take the comcast business speed test. get faster speeds or more savings, or we'll give you $150. comcast business. built for business.

>> good morning, everyone. we are honored and thank you so

much for spending your christmas morning with us. >> but it would not be complete without one more christmas song. here to sing this christmas. kelly wright. take it away. >> don't ruin the show. >> it is all you. ♪ >> wish you and yours a very merry christmas from fox and friend. -- "fox & friends." ♪ honk on the mistletoe, i'm going to get to know you better ♪. ♪ this christmas and as we trim the tree, how much fun it's going to be together ♪. this christmas fireside is blazing bright ♪. ♪ we're caroling through the night ♪. ♪ and this christmas will be a

very special christmas for you and me ♪. ♪ ♪ presents and cards are here, my world is filled with cheer and you ♪. ♪ this christmas, and as i look around your eyes are shining, that's how they do ♪. ♪ this christmas, fireside is blazing bright, and we're caroling through the night ♪. ♪ and this christmas, will be, a very special christmas, for you and me ♪.

♪ yeah, oh . ♪ shake a hand, make a friend ♪ . ♪ this christmas ♪ oh fire side is blazing bright and we're caroling through the night ♪. ♪ and this christmas, will be, a very special christmas for you and me ♪. ♪ yeah, oh . ♪ shake a hand, make a friend . ♪ all over the land, merry,

merry, merry christmas ♪. ♪ from "fox & friends." ♪ yeah, oh, yeah. merry, merry christmas ♪ ♪ come on y'all. ♪ merry, merry christmas, to you and yours and all the of yours and all around the world. ♪.

♪ >> merry christmas, everybody. live from new york city, we have enjoyed spending the holiday with you on "fox and friends."

>> thank you. >> i have one that is a gospel cd. working on a new one for the coming year that will be phenomenal. >> you are that good. such a pleasure. >> what are you going to be up to later today? >> hang out with some friends. >> we are going to go have dinner tonight. >> enjoying the holidays, we're away from our family. >> we will all be back here tomorrow morning. >> regular time, since god to 9:00 a.m. watch the fox news channel today, we have our special. the grinch, several choirs and bands.

>> you can now logon to fox and friends.com. there is more. >> good morning and merry christmas. thank you for being with us for a special christmas in addition of "america's newsroom." it is like we both planned to wear red. >> it is like we think it is christmas. merry christmas to all of you. we begin with some news at the top of the hour around the world celebrate in the birth of jesus christ. >> the movie "the interview" already streaming online and opening in limited release to sold-out aie