tonight. we'd like to thank everyone at west points and especially the west point band for letting us share the holidays with them. for everyone at fox news, have a great holiday and good night. hey everybody. merry christmas. we're going to try to ease you out of bed with a smile. i'm anna kooiman and this is "fox and friends." the faithful flocking to the pope. we'll take you there on this christmas morning. santa sweting it out as he delivers gifts. >> santa is sweating profusely and needs a cold glass of milk badly. >> holiday heat wave breaking records this morning. do you prefer a white or a warm christmas? >> the answer is yes.

>> it's a christmas surprise. this mom never saw coming. oh, my gosh! >> the gift that left her son -- mornings obviously better with friends. >> this is tony danza, and you're watching "fox and friend friends". merry christmasnd a happy new year. have yourself a -- it's magic in the heart of new york city here on this christmas morning. thank you so much for joining us on "fox and friends." >> if you are in manhattan right now, this is the best chance you have to go out and see those lights. 6th avenue is loaded much it's the most festive spot in manhattan. but you can't get there with all the people around. right now is your shot. >> i'm anna kooiman at your

service today. i used to live near central park south when i first moved here. it drove me nuts trying to walk home from work. it was only a ten-block walk >> but it would take an hour. >> it would. >> i drive in every day and the commute doubles from 48th street to 48th street. trying to get through with the tree and rockefeller center. people have not been deterred. they come here and enjoy it. you think about the times we live in, the headlines, people celebrate christmas and the families and still come to new york. it's beautiful. >> we particularly need it this year. friends at home, what are you getting for christmas what did santa bring to you? what was under your tree? e-mail us and on facebook and twitter. >> people who have torn through the gifts, made a mess at home already. yeah, we want to see what santa got you this year snimt santa has been busy all night long but he decided to soldier through

and waking up with us this morning. santa, good morning. how are you doing? >> good morning. merry christmas. i'm doing pretty good right now. i'm going to be crashing probably in a little bit. >> i bet you are. >> deservedly. >> we're so lucky every year you take this extra time after this incredibly long night and join us. what was the hardest part of the overnight? was there any one spot with really bad weather and made it difficult for you? >> the worst part right now i think is more the heat. not the snow, we can handle that. rudolph, his nose being so bright leads me. i wasn't sure how to dress. maybe shorts and sneakers. >> santa, more kids on the naughty or nice list this year? >> more on the nice list. it makes my job so much easier. >> send us your questions for santa and send us your pictures

obviously with your kids and santa's clis. he -- list. send he'll be with us all morning long. >> celebrating the birth the jesus christ today, pope francis just started his christmas blessing at st. peter's square. tens of thousands of people are gathered there. the pontiff gave a midnight mass last night in front of 10,000 faithful. >> his homily, he told the catholics around the world to live a simple and balanced life. this has been one of his messages from the beginning. in just a few moments, we'll hear more about this from father jonathan morris. i can't wait for that. >> the world needing more of this. >> there are some security

advisers that said with isis out there and threatening putting these threats out against you, you ought to wear bulletproof vests. >> not this pope. are you kidding me? >> right out there in the middle of the people. >> it's hot. we're breaking record aren't we? >> you always wondered what santa looked like without the vest on. >> maybe we didn't want to. >> yesterday was crazy across much of the eastern seaboard. we had the severe weather. look at what you're looking at 59 degrees in new york city this morning. 67 in raleigh. it's chillier out across parts of the western -- i'm from arizona, 50 degrees in phoenix. normally i would go home to arizona to get nice sun for christmas. noft the case. across the northeast, another warm one. it will cool down by monday. today and tomorrow we'll enjoin warm temperatures. rain down across the

mid-atlantic and heavier rain again today across the southeast. get ready for that. texas, you're looking good today. get ready. snow by the time we get to saturday night. the northern plains, the snow across parts of western nebraska and south dakota and the west remains snowy. great if you wants to ski. just hot across the east. >> we should break another record today. yesterday shattered records with all the temperatures. santa was sweating it out on christmas day. you just showed this. hot in new york city. we got this right there. >> yeah. he's been eating good. >> oh, yeah. >> yes, sir. it feels weird. i walked around in my apartment building in my wool coat this morning and i was hot. >> that was a mistake. >> do you prefer a white christmas or warm christmas or something in the middle? >> i had to turn on the air

conditioner in the apartment last night. it was hot and sticky. it felt like a miami day across the east. really humid. >> for the last few winters, we're endured. i love the warm winter. i love the notion of a white christmas and on postcards and in music. but in reality, when you have to shovel an entire corner, i love it. i feel bad for the climate people in hysterics, they're -- we should have stuck with global warming. >> west has been incredibly cold and normally in the east they're used to the cold. >> el nino thing? >> it is largely attributed to that, for sure. >> in the east coast, you've had enough winter, you think okay i'll take one that's warmer and nice. people haven't had to spend a

lot on heating bills. you could spend it on gifts which is good for the economy. >> when it's march and snow on the ground, you're going to be it's okay, back in december on christmas, i was wearing a santa hat. >> send us comments. let us know if you like a hot or wet or white christmas. what is your thing. you think a big deal, the weather played a part in some people not getting their gifts. >> you know, all the severe we they're that we've had, fedex is blaming that and also blaming people for ordering gifts too late. fedex is not going to be making some of their deliveries on time. they admitted this yesterday. customers online are going nuts. >> here's one tweet. thanks to fedex, we'll be one gift short for joseph's first christmas. golly. then the fedex arrived -- it is

a christmas present for my daughter. >> that's wide. that was ten days ago. >> fedex just ruined my 10-year-old cousin's first christmas in new york city. >> we might be passing the blame on if you -- >> you have 364 days in the year to prepare for christmas. >> although this is not last year. fedex and ups and amazon is considering buying their own 747s. they're considering their own cargo planes right now because it's not -- they can't keep up with demands. >> all the severe weather two days ago across parts of the south and memphis was fedex hub and that was the bull's-eye for the severe weather. it did cause delays. you'll have to blame fedex maybe but also the weather. >> friends, we hear you. that's a tough line to have to -- >> two of the tweets were about first christmases. >> i don't think the 1-year-old will remember. not the 1-year-old. >> therapy later on?

>> a little bit of a learning lesson about what christmas is about. >> we have to remember the reason or the season. christmas every day. we're following news for you. to get to the headlines friends, an arizona man accused of helping two men plan an attack in garland, texas, now charged with supporting isis. abdul malik, abdul kareem. he's accused of asking about explosives to attack this year's super bowl in phoenix. christmas is chaos. as gunfire erupts inside a packed north carolina mall. an off-duty police officer forced to fire on an armed man. >> you can see this mass crowd running into our store. then we hear about five gunshots. >> i was running for my life. >> after a fight between rival groups, officer ferguson trield to break up the fight. that's when 18-year-old westbrook turned the gun on ferguson.

westbrook has an ex tense tensive record. it was not random. the officer was not hurt. hundreds of black lives matter protesters gathering in downtown chicago disrupting christmas eve shopping. it's what's called the black christmas march. police did scuffle with pro tess sters blocking the entrance with department stores. they're calling for mayor rahm emanuel to step down for the delayed charges against a police officer. an nba player showing what the holidays are all about. >> oh, my god! shut up! shut up! >> glenn robinson, iii, a second year player on the indiana pacers buying his mom a brand new car. it was a mercedes-benz too. her reaction here it priceless. >> a mercedes. >> wow.

>> you have to provide for your parents after they provided for you. >> a mercedes with a bow on it. who wouldn't be thrilled with that one? >> more coming up on the program. >> you're looking live pictures from the vatican. pope francis delivering his christmas blessing right now. father john is here to react to the pope's message and deliver one of his own. that's next. first, a christmas message from our troops serving oefr jaes. >> greetings were djibouti africa. i want to say happy holidays to my family, wife and the rest of my family and friends back at home. can't wait to see you soon.

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the faithful flocking to vatican city as the pope delivers his christmas blessing. tens of sthous gathered there to hear the holy father's message. >> joining us now fresh off a late night of midnight mass and services, father john. >> one hour of sleep. merry christmas. >> look pretty good. >> christmas eve, midnight mass, what a special moment. >> it was beautiful to see so many families coming after their christmas eve dinner and coming to mass and giving priority. i love that it's a beautiful, beautiful moment. and also because it's christmas. we celebrate not only the things that we've been seeing on the streets here in new york city and all the sound and the smells. but also and most importantly what christmas is all about. we'll talk about that. >> two years ago pope francis called on catholics to not be afraid. last year he was focused on the tenderness of the christ wild.

>> he's giving the speech right now. i'm following it on twitter. he's balancing on the one hand giving a message of christmas which is that god becomes man. he enters into our world, our messiness and he offers us a second chance or a third or a fourth or a fifth chance for redemption. for saying yes to love and no to anger and hatred. on the other hand, he's also recognizing what's going on in the world. which is a lot of this acre and hatred and talking about the persecution of those around the world. he's talking about the conflicts in the middle east and africa. so many places. he's balancing is that act of the message of christmas, at the same time the reality of the world. >> that reality in 2013 he talked about catholics not being afraid. i think that this year could be such a thing. there is so much fear in the world right now because of the

attacks that have happened. >> yes. anna mentioned, that tenderness goes together with that decision of not being afraid. we're going to offer the love and the tenderness of god that he showed us by coming to us in the form of a baby. who is afraid of a baby? nobody is afraid of a baby. that's the most beautiful -- what happened to me last night coming out -- or this morning coming out of midnight mass, there was a couple who had a little baby. for whatever reason, the baby wanted to come to me, because because of the vestige and the baby would not go back to their parents. everybody came out of mass, i greeted everybody with the baby. the mother came and pushed away. you can't live in the rectory. nobody is afraid of a baby. >> is there a way you would treat your message differently than the pope since it's more u.s.-senn trick. we feel like america has fallen

down a step or two. we're still the greatest country in the world by far. there are certain things we need to be reminded of specific to us as americans. >> as you point to, charles, there's a tremendous amount of faith in the united states of america. 90% say they believe in god. doesn't mean that everyone is going to church, doesn't mean that everyone recognizes the religious traditions of their parents or grandparents and there's faith. the message is very simple. let's get back to the brass tacks of the faith. let's say yes to god, no to sin in our lives and yes to love and compassion and tenderness to everyone. that's a great way to begin christmas and the new year. >> father, for a lot of people who don't go to church, christmas and easter are the two times they have their booties in the pew and listening to an amazing message. how can congregations capitalize on that and try to get people to

come back more often than twice a year. >> what i say is welcome. you might only be here for christmas or easter, but we're happy you're here. i tell them to go to facebook and twitter and follow and people laugh and say okay. it's a chance to connect with them and make them feel at home. >> it's a community. >> it is. we have to make it a family. not just a community. a real family. that's not easy to do in craziness of our world. >> i'm in the bronx, new york city, it's a crazy place. we have to, everybody needs family. everybody needs family. i think the fact that jesus came into a family as a baby with a mother and a father and a stepfather -- >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas. >> thank you very much. >> thanks for waking up early with us. coming up on the program, it's one of the most popular christmas movies of all-time. >> no, no. i want to -- you'll shoot your

eye out, kid. >> but does a christmas story make our kevin mccarthy's top five? find out next. first, a christmas shoutout from our fox family. >> to our friends and "fox and friends," merry christmas from the five. >> we want you to watch the five. watch at night too. happy holidays everyone. just kidding. merry christmas "fox and friends." see you at 5:00 in the afternoon. >> thanks for making 2015 a good year. >> i like eggs. >> he does. a lot.

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quick headlines for you. a big mistake by the washington state department of corrections. three prisoners released early in june by a computer glitch have recommitted crimes. the prisoners were some of the 27 inmates released early by the error. they're not saying which new crimes they've committed or if they've been rearrested. the government issuing a safety warning over one of the hottest gifts of the season. hoverboards. they're known for catching fire like this one.

the feds making it illegal to travel with a board that hasn't been properly inspected. merry christmas everyone. nothing says home for the holidays like a classic christmas movie. >> some of his favorites, kevin mccarthy is here. good morning. >> anna kooiman, merry christmas. it's an honor to be on. i wore this suit today. it's awesome. >> you've got me singing o christmas tree right now. >> your first favorite movie is a christmas story. do you have a favorite scene. >> top five of all-time. christmas story is one of the best ever made. bb guns and the skooen wicene w tongue on the flagpole. those are two of the best scenes in the history of movies.

i watch it every single year. it brings me back into the christmas spirit. it's a wonderful film. that's my number five. a christmas story. >> how about nightmare before christmas. number four. >> this movie has been a big deal in my life. my fiance and i got engaged with a theme to this movie. jack and sally. i love this movie. tim burton produced it. it was done with stop motion animation. the music, danny elfman did the greatest music ever for this film. i love every aspect of how it was shot and the love story between jack and sally. it adds a special place in my heart. when i got engaged earlier this year, i got engaged at a nightmare before christmas themed -- >> of course you did. >> yeah. this movie is so amazing. one of the best casts ever. liam neeson, keira knightley.

he tells keira knightley to -- that's one of the eyes i used when i proposed. i love this movie so much. it's a beautiful film. i love the way it was done. i love all the stories intertwieng. there's so much going on in this film. bill nye hi when he's singing. the movie balances comedy and drama. not everybody ends up extremely happy but it's realistically. it's a wonderful film. next up is home alone with mccauley culkin. roll the tape. >> i can't seem to find my toothbrush, so i'll pick whatever i go out today. other than that, i'm in good shape. ah! >> that's the scene everybody remembers. >> i mean, absolutely. iconic. that movie, chris columbus did a wonderful job directing it. i don't know if you agree with

me. it is so violent for a pg movie. what he does to joe pesci and daniel stern stepping on ornaments and the iron hits daniel stern's face. the music is so beautiful. but the messages at the end, mccauley culkin is classic in that film. it works and it's so much fun to rewatch over the holidays. no question, it's a wonderful life. there's a line in the film that no man is a failure who has friends. i always found that fascinating. so many life messages in this movie. you can take away with. back in the '40s. 1946, it was not a box office smash. jimmy stewart, this movie did not do that well on the box office. st. wasn't until years later and it became a cult classic and classic in everybody's heart. this scene, i got to mention, one of the best at the end, when he's yelling merry christmas. >> merry christmas!

merry christmas emporium. >> i love that scene so much. my number one of all-time for christmas movies. i got to mention as a movie fan, i love diehard. >> kevin -- >> i agree. >> it does take place on christmas day. i see where you're going with that. i love the classic miracle on 34th street and will ferrell and elf. >> i love that. i lovel of. >> merry christmas to you, anna. santa, i know him. friends, kevin just told us his favorite christmas moifs. now we want to hear yours. e-mail us the movies you'll be watching this morning to friends at fox news.com. 28 minutes after the hour. if you recognize the person on the left, oh, no, that's me. it's a nice moment there. happy to share it with you. we'll share some of our favorite christmas memories coming up. do you need last minute recipes for your christmas

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♪ rocking around the christmas tree ♪

hey everybody. merry christmas. you're looking at some of our staff and their families. >> that's right. this is one of the family christmas cards. tech manager with his brother jonathon. >> maura levy, that's her and her family there. beautiful tree in the background too. >> production assistant rachel rosenbaum with her family. nice and warm in that picture. >> segment producer matt leech and his family. this is really fun for us. you only see a lot of sthees guys in this one singular setting. now you get to see people with their families, where they come from and how much they look like their family. my favorite thing. >> how about you guys. i want to hear yours. i've heard a lot of yours. your christmas memories. years past. >> i guessne would be the hot wheels track. i think for some reason that was a gift that stuck in my mind as

early as a kid. then i think my favorite without a doubt, my favorite was a briefcase. i was a weird kid. i wanted to be a businessman. my parents divorced. we came to new york. we had nothing. me and my mom and two brothers. we lived in an apartment. it was four of us in a room in the middle of harlem in the '70s. when it was the most dangerous place in the world. we had no money, zero money. i didn't expect a gift that year. not only did my mom get me this briefcase. there was a bonus. inside was a calculator. i was a weird kid. it was the best christmas. >> you're still taking care of your mom. in the 8:00 hour, we're going to hear about a christmas miracle you had with her. >> what about you, your favorite memories? >> growing up we made peppermint christmas pecans. i made some last year. we have old pictures of me with my family -- actually, this was a couple of weeks ago. i celebrated early since i knew i would be working.

bosses gave me off a couple of weeks ago. i went do charlotte in north carolina. we saw billy joel. i took them to see him. not quite as good as at msg. this is all my cousins. i'm in the left in my limited -- my cousin ben is next to me. he looked like mccauley culkin in in picture in home alone 2. we would be at the mall at south park mall, people would go up and say are you mccauley culkin. he would go like this. >> i'm the youngest of five. the thing i loved about christmas is it was the one time that everybody would be together and i knew my siblings wouldn't leave the house. i always wanted just everybody to be together and christmas would mean nobody was leaving, nobody else was coming. it was just the family. and that was the thing that i looked forward to every year. >> beautiful. you mentioned the photos of our staff and our team. we want the audience to send in

their favorite. >> that is my mom and dad. >> they came last year for the macy's parade. it was a really cold, wet day. they're so cute. >> you had a really good spot that you got to watch. >> it's been my mom's dream to see the macy parade. she was able to come. we got great seats for them. it was wonderful. >> merry christmas to our families. we want the viewers to send pictures of your favorite christmas memories or send us what you're opening right now. e-mail us friends at fox news.com. 35 minutes after the hour. stories making headlines now. extreme weathernews. 14 people are dead after storms and tornados sweep through the south. seven people were killed in the devastation. in arkansas, some folks spent their christmas eve picking up what was left of their homes. grateful to be alive. >> get my bag. my dog -- helped me get out.

>> one person was killed in the storms in arkansas. on to the campaign trail now. donald trump has a few choice words for other presidential candidates this christmas tweeting poor jeb bush spent $50 million on his campaign. i spent almost nothing. he's bottom and gone. i'm top by a lot. that's what the u.s. needs. as for hillary clinton, he says, next year will be an interesting one. i look forward to running against hillary clinton, a total flawed candidate and beating her soundly. meanwhile he avoided cameras while attended a mass in florida. he did announce his christmas plans on social media. taken off the naughty list for christmas, robert downey, jr. >> you mind if i take a picture with you? >> yes. >> california governor jerry brown pardoned the actor for a

'90s drug conviction is that sent him to prison for more than a year. in 1996 he was caught speeding on a california highway with heroin and cocaine and violated probation in 1999. a christmas phenomenon that's makes an appearance on the window of a small church in georgia. take a look at this. parishioners believe the virgin mary touched the windows of this catholic church. some chalk it up to faulty coating, some consider it a miracle. >> it was first spotted on the feast day of our lady of guadalupe. those are your headlines. let's eat, charles. >> you need that last minute recipe to complete your christmas meal. it's time to feast your eyes. we have celebrity chef and there food tastic, jay jackson. you just added another title to your name. mr. food tastic. >> thank you. >> merry christmas guys.

happy to be here. >> you're thinking i got to put together a big meal now. >> you want to do something simple. we kind of overdid it at thanksgiving. now it's a little bit lighter and healthier. i start you off with brussel sprouts. i like them because you can do so many things with it. i like it with bacon on it because i put bacon on it. >> of course. >> literally everything. i used to keep parmesan. i grate a little bit of that on top. >> what did you do to the brussel sprouts? >> i roasted them. it concentrates the flavor as opposed to boiling or steaming them. this is a simple way to concentrate the flavor. you use tastic spies because it's the best. >> it is amazing. >> it is delicious. >> i like pork loins. we did turkey. pork is a great alternative to that. i'm making a compost for st.

this is an apple and cranberry compote. saute is really quick. this goes on top of the compote. it's delicious. i put fresh sage in it as well, which is always good. >> what does compote mean? >> it's almost the same thing as a relish. it just kind of means it's compiled together. it's a wonder of everything put together. >> sweet and savory. >> sweet and savory. this goes great on top of that. try that. >> also, i like sweet potatoes are delicious. >> my wife loves those. >> who doesn't like sweet potatoes? >> i don't, actually. >> really? >> i'm a cheesecake man. >> i like souffle because i whip a lot of eggs into it. it makes it really light, airy. instead of putting a strew sell

on it, you -- >> does that change your mind? >> listen, we've got one more eat to eat like crap. we need to go all out for one more week before we turn it around. >> there's decadence. it's rich and full of flavor. also stuffing. we do stuffing. we're sort of used to how we do the stuffing. i made it into a pear stuffing and put it in a bundt pan. you eat with your eyes first. this is a pear stuffing with leeks in it, celery. all the things you normally put in stuffing. >> a really smart idea. >> i knocked the sweet potatoes. >> but -- >> i love the line, you eat with your eyes first. >> thank you chef jay jackson. mr. food tastic. you can find his recipes on fox and friends.com. coming up, has this ever happened to you when you give

someone a christmas gift? >> merry christmas martha may. >> why do you have a bag on your head? >> up next, an expert will help us avoid the awkward christmas moments that we all dread. jusdoes that mean they have toer grow apart from their friends, or from the things they love to do? with right at home, it doesn't. right at home's professional team thoughtfully selects caregivers to help with personal care, housekeeping, meals, and most of all, staying engaged in life.

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good morning everyone. skris tans around the world are celebrating the birth of jesus christ. >> violence is toning down. the very city where jesus was born. we're live from jerusalem with more. >> definitely the violence and political tension, guys, certainly resulted in things being scaled back in bethlehem this year. for now, it's very quiet here in jerusalem, in bethlehem and other parts of the west bank. at least for now. hopefully that remains the case. take a look yesterday. despite the ongoing violence, the marching bands played on in bethlehem. and the latin patriarch of jerusalem leading the annual procession through manger square. then also midnight mass at the church of the nativity. the message was about justice

and peace. that said, though, christmas festivities, as i said were scaled back because of the violence. and because of the political unrest. violence that continued yesterday in the west bank with several stabbing attacks on israelis and clashes between palestinian protesters and police. you guys may remember that back in october, there were riots in beth re le hem. we were there. we covered it. they were close to the square and some of the hotels that are usually fully booked or at least in the past this time of year. that is not the case. nonetheless, sthothousands of pe went to manger square. as i talked to people, they said it's one of things they check off their bucket list. of course, today, christmas mass is being held at the church of the nativity. as i said, you guys, for now things are quiet here in jerusalem and the west bank and hopefully that remains the case. >> back to you. >> thank you.

it's tough to be away from your family. sometimes we think we've given the perfect gift. but it doesn't quite work out. watch. >> everyone given a gift. >> i haven't. >> merry christmas martha may. >> why do you have a bag on your head? >> probably because he's -- >> here to help us handle those awkward gift giving moments. relationship expert rachelry alto is here. guess we've come across that, bag or no bag. >> last night at my house. >> you've got tips to help us get through this and not start any more family fights. really to get an understanding of what it's really all about also. first thing you say is to practice grace. >> grace isn't something you say before you eat a meal. it's something you can practice

in every area of your life, including when you're receiving a gift. last night was rough. i told them i was going to talk about this. my brother is the worst gift receiver ever. he always has a comment regarding the gift. it's the wrong size, the wrong color. be thankful. practice grace. thank you. >> don't lie. don't say i love it if you don't. >> thank you is a complete sentence. you don't have to add to it. we have a tendency to fill airspace. you don't have to add on, i can't wait to use this x, y, z. you need to understand if you say something that's a lie, you get caught in it. say thank you. >> you're threading a needle carefully between practice and grace and not lying. >> keeping perspective. >> this is not about the gift. this holiday is about love and connection and spending time with family and appreciating each other. understand that the gifts don't matter. if you look at it in terms of i'm here to enjoy everybody, you have the perspective it doesn't matter what i got underneath

this. >> what about number 4, be prepared? what's that about? >> you never know what's going to happen. it's about if you get a gift from someone that you didn't get a gift for. always be prepared. you can work around that. let them know in your inbox, you're going to have an amazing gift coming to you. >> it could be an amazon gift card or our friends at bass pro shop. you can still do it right now. >> i'm going to practice this right now. i received a lovely gift in the mail from anna this week. anna yours is coming in the mail. thank you. >> that's okay. you koo >> you can blame fedex too. you didn't get it? >> you fedexed it. on its way. >> thank you so much, rachel. >> grate stuff. it's a true story of american troops who brought christmas back to one town during world war ii. the author of the american st.

nick shares a heartwarming story about us next. >> first a christmas message from our troops. >> what's up, everybody. it it's mike williams from brooklyn, new york city. want to give a shotout and happy holidays and god bless everyone back home. especially my mom. love you, mommy. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,

and that's what we're doing at xfinity. we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around.

it was during the dark and painful days of world war ii that the soldiers, knowing they wouldn't be home for christmas, decided the next best thing would be celebrate the holiday, unknowingly creating a holiday tradition that continue this is very day. peter lion, author of the american st. nick, true story. thanks for being with with us. >> thanks for having me. >> tell the story. back in 1944, handful of soldiers decided to hand out candy to the kids instead? >> after nearly five years of nazi occupation, they found out st. nicholas day, which had been

forbidened for them to celebrate, they could now celebrate it, but they didn't are anything with which to celebrate. it was a town wide celebration focusing on the children. the soldiers banded together and said there's got to be something we can do. they got permission from command to throw a christmas party or st. nicholas party and they dressed one of the soldiers up as st. nicholas, paraded him through town on a jeep so everybody could see that st. nicholas had returned. the kids had a wonderful time. it was a wonderful day for both the soldiers and the children. ten days later, the battle of the bulge erupts. and in the fighting that ensued, the town was all but destroyed. 80% of it was destroyed or damaged. sadly, some of the children who were at this party were killed. it was their last best memory of that time. still, the town vowed they would never forget the kindness and generosity of this handful of american soldiers that one st. nicholas day. they rebuilt the town in 1947

and decided from that moment on they would re-create the original procession through town like they did during the war in 1944, and they ended up at the castle just like they did in 1944 and passed out candies and treats just like they did in 1944 to honor those soldiers. they continued this tradition to 30 years. >> to this very christmas even. >> we just had the 71st anniversary. >> american exceptionalism and how this is a true example. >> these soldiers, i think, represented the best of us. they didn't have to do this. they didn't expect anything from it. they wanted to do something nice for these kids and for this town. they handed out these treats, banded together, got their -- everything that they could get from home and things like that, just to make these kids happy that one day. >> it just so happened that the first time this tradition began in 1944, a jeep was going by

with a couple of combat guys and they say what is st. nick hanging out -- they just decided to roll on it. now we have the ability to have this documentary. >> that's right. the film we're seeing here is the original event from 1944, the documentary film, based on the book and entitled after it goes into, obviously -- you can see the faces of the children. you can see the story come to life. you hear from the people who -- some of them were there during the -- some of them were children during this original event. you can hear them, see them and see how it's continued to this very day. >> how can our viewers watch this documentary and read this story? >> they can buy the book at all the usual out lets, amazon, barnes & noble, and they can watch streaming video of the documentary or go online and buy it at the world war ii foundation.org. they're the ones who produced the documentary. >> the american st. nick. thank you so much, peter lion.

>> thanks for having me. thank you so much, annie. do you know the answer to this question? the wisemen gave the baby jesus three gifts. gold, myrhh and what else? >> and we have a different question on the screen. who wrote the famous "twas the night before christmas" poem? >> and we'll answer that question, too. this season do not forget when you are spending time with your family to take some time and remember the men and women who don't have that privilege. it's the most important thing you can do. we thank you all for your service, and our viewers for making out numbered a smash hit. ♪ [ male announcer ] pain not sitting too well? burning to feel better? itching for relief? preparation h offers the most maximum strength solutions for all hemorrhoid symptoms. from the brand doctors recommend most. preparation h. don't stand for hemorrhoids.

but he's a chaos candidate. from the brand doctors recommend most. jeb bush: donald, you know, is great at the one-liners. and he'd be a chaos president. two months ago, donald trump said that isis was not our fight. donald trump: let syria and isis fight. why are we... why do we care? let isis and syria fight. jeb bush: he said that hillary clinton would be a great negotiator with iran. donald trump: hillary's always surrounded herself with very good people. i think hillary would do a good job. jeb bush: and he gets his foreign policy experience from the shows. chuck todd: who do you talk to for military advice right now? donald trump: well, i watch the shows. i mean, i really see a lot of great, you know, when you watch your show and all of the other shows... jeb bush: i don't know if that's saturday morning, or sunday morning. donald, you're not going to be able to insult your way to the presidency. that's not going to happen. if i'm president, i'll be a commander-in-chief, not an agitator-in-chief or a divider-in-chief... that i will lead this country in a way that will create greater security and greater safety. announcer: right to rise usa is responsible for the content of this message.

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hi, friends. good morning. merry christmas to you. this is "fox & friends." flocking st. peter's square to hear his holiness. and then after delivering all those gifts -- >> santa is sweating profusely and needs a cold glass of milk very badly. >> holiday heat breaking records. in short, runners, good morning,

bare legs. do you prefer a white or warm christmas? e-mail us. a school crowd is blown away by their lunch lady. ♪ >> love when you find somebody that has a hidden talent like that. >> she make ace mean meatloaf, too. >> she does. >> christmas morning is better with friends. >> hi. i want to wish you a merry christmas from all of us at "fox & friends." ♪ >> santa claus came to town. he's not coming. he actually came. he's actually here this morning, too. a big merry christmas to you

from all of us here at "fox & friends." anna korman at your service. >> so glad to be here christmas morning and share this with you this morning. we know the kids have gone in, and torn up the house. we've been asking for your pictures and have a few of these in. eddie sharing this. >> that's great. mike and nancy sent in the picture of their best gift. their daughter and husband surprised them with an ultrasound photo of their future grand baby. that is the best gift ever. >> and thomas sends in this picture of daughter, addison, who just got a brand new two-pound teddy bear, schnoodle, from santa. >> they have a lot of work for them. >> rick just actual ly got two new puppies. >> really? >> yeah, who bee -- peed on the

floor last night for no reason. >> they go backwards sometimes. santa has visited all the boys and girls around the world. thanks for being with us, santa. >> welcome. merry christmas, everyone. >> are you sleepy from eating so many cookies and sleeping so hard? >> i did take a bit of a cat nap there, but i'm doing okay. >> we have a question from one of our viewers who wrote in. this is from dubai. where do you get all of your gifts from? >> well, we make them up at the north pole. i have all the elves, just production lines there, the wooden toys, the electronics. everything is made at the north pole. >> was it difficult to transition from wooden toys to electronics? that's like a completely different machine there, santa. >> i'm still learning. i still keep a naughty and nice list with pencil and paper, but they're teaching me.

>> how about the weather last night? >> i know. we saw you on the front page of the paper. you had actually taken off your gear. but you put it back on. >> i mean, saw that picture? >> yeah. >> i had to put it back on. >> that wasn't you. that was an imposter, santa. >> merry christmas! >> looking pretty good, santa. you've been working out, man. >> yes. a lot of cookies and milk. >> protein shakes. santa, thanks so much. we'll get back to you in just a bit. and thank you for visiting all those kids on the nice list last night. >> merry christmas. >> we're breaking records. >> santa claus. ho, ho, hot. >> that's exactly what it was. it wasn't just hot. it was humid. would you rather have a white christmas or a warm christmas? and rick tweeted us and said i

would rather be cold with a little snow but thankful to be with my family regardless of the weather. merry christmas. >> larry e-mails, usually we have eight inches of snow by now. this christmas is a miracle. christmas miracle, guys. >> and wayne e-mailed, from the warm, soggy south i would much rather have a white christmas than a wet one. >> we rarely have a white christmas in florida. yes, i like it to be warm otherwise we wouldn't be here. >> come on, florida don't be greedy. golly. >> it felt like florida across so much of the east yesterday. >> seeing the water-skiing santa pretty much every year but have you seen the reindeer? this is new this year. wow! >> i've got to tell you, i would rather have a white christmas than a wet christmas. i don't think we'll get one viewer response that says wet christmas. either a little bit of snow, cooler temperatures or warm, like we're getting here because

it's so unusual. >> or a wet one if you're jumping into the ocean. >> if you're like those people at the beach that's a whole different thing. that's cool! >> if you could have a white christmas and warm day after christmas that would be ideal. >> sure. >> often that white comes with a lot of headache and lot of work. but certainly that's the ideal. white christmas. that's what everybody dreams of. >> that's what we sing about. >> absolutely. >> we are following news for you this morning. let's get right to these headlines now. tens of thousands flocking to the vatican this morning to hear pope francis' annual christmas blessing. the pontiff taking the opportunity to address worldwide politics. >> translator: god is born. peace is born. where peace is born there is no longer room for hatred and for war. >> he directly called on israelis and palestinians to reach a peace agreement. an alert now. at least 100 people feared dead after a massive explosion at a gas plant.

tanker truck bursting into flames in southeastern nigeria, predominantly christian area, fire raging for more than five hours, leaving many trapped inside the factory. witnesses say the driver of the truck didn't wait for gas to cool before emptying it, possibly leading to the deadly blast. christmas eve chaos as gunfire erupts inside a packed north carolina mall. off-duty police officer forced to open fire on an armed man. >> you see this mass crowd running into our store. then we hear about five gunshots. >> i was just running for my life. >> this happening near charlotte. this happening also a fight between two rival groups we understand. officer thomas ferguson tried to break up that fight. that's when police say 18-year-old dequan westbrook turned the gun on ferguson. the officer was not hurt. philadelphia high school lunch lady revealing a hidden

talent in the cafeteria. ♪ on the highest bough >> we should invite her on the show. it's becky aldefer, bringing the house down with her rendition of "have yourself a merry little christmas" as part of a fund-raiser. she has been the music director at her father's church for three decades. i'm just hearing from producers that she will be on the program this weekend. >> wow! >> can't wait to have her. >> that's amazing. absolutely beautiful. christmas, we know it's the merriest day of the year. >> now it's time to put our holiday knowledge to the test. >> here with some christmas trivia, fox news videos, todd starr. >> good morning. >> rockin' tie there. >> are you ready to test your

prowess when it comes to the yuletide season? question number one, how did norad begin its tradition of tracking santa claus? a, a pr campaign to promote the military? b, president eisenhower wanted to boost his approval numbers or c was it a type in a sears newspaper ad. >> b. >> i'm going to go with a. >> the correct answer is c. it was a typo -- >> no. >> yes. they printed the wrong number to santa land and connected folks with air defense forces. >> when was that? >> 40 years ago. it was back in the day. >> i bet they were not happy when they started getting all those calls. >> it was interesting. when the child called the guy played along and said he couldn't find santa but they were tracking him on the radar. now it's so cool -- >> now they come on our program every year. >> there you go. question number two, who wrote the famous "twas the night before christmas" poem?

charles dickens, clement clarke moore or edgar allen poe? >> b. >> c. >> you're the literally folks here. clement clarke moore was the author of that great poem. the wise men gave the baby jesus three gifts, gold, myrhh else? a, frankincense, b, diamonds or c, a tree? >> a. >> you went to sunday school. here is another one, why was the grinch so mean? was his heart two sizes two small, his brain was two sizes too small or c his shoes were too tight? >> he was running for the gop -- no, sorry. >> a. >> a. >> i'm going to go with a as well. >> it turns out it's b, his brain was -- >> really? [ buzzer ]

>> i'm a rudolph guy myself. which popular christmas movie is based on the gene shepherd book "in god we trust. all others pay cash." miracle on 34th street, b, it's a wonderful life or c a christmas story? >> i'm going to go with a. >> i'm going to guess c. it's just a guess. >> anna, you're right. that's why we started eating chinese food, because of that movie. >> let's watch a clip of that. >> i want a red ryder -- >> you'll shoot your eye out, kid. merry christmas. ho, ho, ho. >> no! >> we've been asking everybody about their favorite christmas movie.

>> peter billingsley was actually in "elf" with will ferrell. >> no way. >> that's my favorite movie. >> i'm 0 for 5 right now. one choice, easy one before you go? >> you got frankincense. >> distracted by the -- >> the ho, ho, ho of santa there? >> you'll be back there to do this morning at 9:00. >> that's right. >> tell us about your special. >> a great christmas special. 3,000 of our listeners turned out in memphis and filmed my all-american christmas show. they're all on our show which you can watch on demand at foxnews.com. >> it was unbelievable last year. can't wait to watch it this year. >> lot of fun. >> thanks, guys. one minu-- 11 minutes after

hour. think donald trump is taking a hiatus? think again. a christmas message from our fox family. >> merry christmas to you and your family, share iing the holy with us across the united states and around the world. fox news team at home with their families today and we'll see you in the new year. it's here, the first gummy multivitamin... ...from centrum. a complete, and tasty way to support... ...your energy... ...immunity... and metabolism like never before. centrum multigummies. see gummies in a whole new light. jusdoes that mean they have toer grow apart from their friends, or from the things they love to do? with right at home, it doesn't. right at home's professional team thoughtfully selects caregivers to help with personal care, housekeeping, meals, and most of all, staying engaged in life.

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still on the campaign trail this holiday. >> good morning. >> good morning, merry christmas to you, as well, rick, anna and charles. it's normal that candidate also wish everyone a merry christmas and happy holidays. while marco rubio has done that as well yesterday he had a more substantial message saying christians across the globe are being persecuted and the united states isn't doing enough to help them. he said this in an op-ed. we are reminded of the fact that tens of millions of our fellow christians face violence, harassment in more than 100 nations around the world making christianity the most persecuted religion on earth, according to pew research center. while donald trump isn't doing any campaign event he's not taking a break from the campaign or twitter for that matter. he sent out tweets, criticizing

reporters for what he called bad reporting and tweeted poor jeb bush spent $50 million on his campaign. i spent almost nothing. he's bottom and gone. i'm top by a lot. that's what the u.s. needs! and on hillary clinton, he said next year will be an interesting one. i look forward to running against hillary clinton, a totally flawed candidate, and beating her soundly. while the candidates will certainly be joining the holidays, the next gop debate is less than two weeks away now, can you bet that's not far from their minds as well. >> merry christmas to you. thanks for working with us this morning. >> absolutely. coming up on the program, a story we can't get enough of. we're revisiting one of our favorites. remember the man who walked 21 mile ace day? >> oh, yeah. >> to get to and from work but never missed a day on the job? he will be spending christmas with a man who now helps him commute. they both will be joining us next. conquer the weather.

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hey, everybody. merry christmas. 20 minutes after the hour. news by the numbers santa edition, how many miles santa travels around the world each year, 317 million. next, norad says that he delivered 1.6 billion gifts and 150 billion calories will be consumed by santa claus if he eats milk, cookies or mince pies at every house. do you remember back in february we heard the inspirational story of a michigan man who walked 2 is miles to and from work every single day? >> there was a time i was thinking that sometimes i didn't want to go on. but then a voice inside me said leave it alone, because your girlfriend don't want to hear about it.

your boss don't want to hear about it. your co-workers don't want to hear about it. your friends don't want to hear about it and you have to go out there and do the next day. >> he inspired an entire community. and this man noticed him walking rain or shine. they raised $270,000 for him, part of which he used to buy a car. now they're spending christmas together. they raised a lot of money for you. you got a car. what's different now as you enter the new year than it was a year ago? >> i don't even know where to -- actually, you know, i think i'm living in a different city, the suburbs. and, you know, spending my first everything that you can think of. >> right. >> my first winter outside of

detroit. my first summer outside of detroit, you know. and, you know, just looking around at the surroundings and see what it looks like. i'm still getting adjusted. i'm still getting inting adjust everything where i'm at right now. >> when you talk about the fact that no one wanted to hear -- whether it's a girlfriend, boss or anyone. that's so different than society in general. when they survey business owners, they say after their advanced math skills second hardest thing they have is finding employees that will get to work on time. this is with subway cars and everything else. you are a throwback to a different era. do you think you've inspired people? >> what's that again? >> you're the kind of person -- jam james, your work ethic, your determination to get to work, and you saying no one would

understand if you complained about it. in this world right now where we live in, a lot of businesses are complaining they don't have enough people like you. do you feel like you're inspiring others to say you know what? i've got it pretty good. i'm going to get to work on time and do what i've got to do. >> i don't know about the inspiration. it was just, you know -- simply matter of fact. you get to work any way you can. >> you saw james all the time. it just piqued your curiosity. tell us how you approached him. >> i ran into him at the front door of my office. i had seen him for months and months walking up and down a particular road at various points on it. and i saw him. but i'll tell you, this guy is -- in a way, he is the embodiment of the american work ethic. by the way, merry christmas to everyone. i will tell you, he is not normal to some -- as far as i'm concerned, in some respects.

he shows up an hour early every day for work now. if he's doing something -- if i'm on the phone with him at 11:00 in the morning, he says i've got to hurry up and get ready for work. i say james you start work at 2:00 pm and you have a car now. what's the big deal? he's like all about getting to work. getting to work. getting to work. that's all he cares about. it's just really funny. since he now has a car, i call it exploring that he does. he has come to my kids' hockey games, basketball games, my kids' baseball games. sometimes he goes there and i'm not even there. it's crazy. he loves to go out and about around town. he loves his sports. he loves keeping a really nice, clean house. and he loves his job. i mean loves his job more than anybody i've ever met. so i just -- i'm still inspired by him every day. i hang out with the guy. i feel like, you know, i should be doing better at everything i do. i guess that's what inspiration is, right? >> i was inspired when i heard this story.

and, james, we should mention you have perfect attendance. what would your message be to people watching, james? you might not realize how you touch so many people around the world, but particularly in america. what would your message be for someone who might need that little bit of help on christmas day? >> well, to go with your other question, that i inspired everyone, you know -- really, i've been doing this since i was 8 years old. that's why i would say to people do it. i figure if i -- it's like i said earlier on another show, if i could inspire at least one person to keep going, to not lay down and die, if i could inspire at least one person. >> right. >> i would be the happiest man alive. because i feel if you give one

person, it can go to another person, you know, and grow from there. >> you should be overjoyed. you inspired a lot more than one person. we love your work ethic, how humble you are. you are, indeed, a throwback. james and blake, thank you both very much and merry christmas. >> thank you. merry christmas. >> did you forget somebody on your christmas list? you can still get them a gift. that's right. we got some really last-minute ideas for you. first a message from our troops. i would like to wish my nephew, anthony vernon, in des moines, iowa, happy holidays. and we love you. and take care. fact you won't find the brand pharmacists recommend most for cold and flu relief at the shelf. advil cold & sinus is only behind the pharmacy counter.

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sleep in heavenly peace sleep in heavenly peace ♪ ♪ silent night holy night shepherds quake at the sight glory streams from heaven afar heavenly hosts sing alleluia christ the savior is born christ the savior is born ♪

>> beautiful rendition of "silent night," the girls from the nassau county girl scouts performing their song, "silent night." love that. so peaceful right in the middle of midtown manhattan where it's normally sirens and honking horns. >> exactly what you want to hear. we want to share some of our staffers pictures of their families with you. this is producer kelly may with her parents, joe and sandi and brothers andrew and michael. >> and sarah sonic and her uncle carl. >> producer megan mcdonald with her family. >> new babies and producer jeff field with daughters and wife. >> mom, joann, brothers dan and jim and rose, of course. and my favorite field producer, samantha hoenig with

her mom, dad and sister aj. and this is my husband and my grandma. we decorated the tree. did all that. if you're watching grandma, love you. merry christmas. >> merry christmas. we have to talk a little bit of weather. bottom line is worry sitting outside right now in new york city, midtown manhattan, not wearing a coat. >> you're like the toughest one here. >> i know. all right. to talk about the weather where you are as well, here are the femp temps. 61 in memphis. eastern part of the country, two more days of warm weather. we will cool down eventually by monday. the west, you're cooler. 45 in dallas. the forecast through the northeast today, warm. for the time of year, it is

warm. 68 d.c. with scattered showers. tomorrow we warm up even a little more. lot of places back up to 70 degrees. pretty heavy rain across parts of the tennessee valley. watch that for additional flooding. very nice across texas and oklahoma today, tomorrow. west texas begins to cool down with snow coming by saturday night. into the northern plains, little bit of snow, parts of nebraska, south dakota. overall, pretty mild this time of year. out across the west that's where all the action has been. more snow. great skiing. great for all the reservoirs that need to be filled up and the drought going on out there. you'll dry up a little bit after this storm. >> it feels like spring. do you hear those birds over there? >> you're like the bird whisperer. as soon as you started speaking they came to life. they started chirping. look. >> it's not easter. it's christmas. we'll get to news headlines now, christmas eve shopping disrupted by black lives matters

with what's being called the black christmas march, protesters blocking the entrance to several department stores. calling for mayor rahm emanual to step down for delayed murder charges against a police officer in the shooting death of laquan mcdonald. major scare at one of the busiest airports, tsaing as finding an ice pick hidden inside a man's cane. they took it away and gave him a new one from lost and found. the 72-year-old said he had no idea it was in there. airport already on alert as they caught two people trying to sneak loaded guns into carry-ons just this month. congress going head first into the concussion debate. >> repetitive head trauma shocks the brain, turns you into someone else. >> sports-related concussions early next year. it may help shine a light on preventing head injuries as the

controversial movie "concussion" comes out in theaters today. best christmas gift ever. dog missing for three years is returned to his family just in time for the holidays. the green family thought they lost little rex nichlt forever when he escaped from a relative's home in ohio. somehow he just turned up some 200 miles away in michigan. >> he just walked up to somebody's porch. >> i called the number really skeptical, like i think you found my dog. >> after a trip to the vet, rexin is happy and settling back in with his family. those are your new headlines. you always say if you bring a sign you're going to get on. >> i saw this sign. i want you to tell this what this is. >> our friend of ours who came back overseas, well known in our community and we want to thank him for his service. >> where has he been serving? >> overseas in afghanistan.

>> we're so happy he's back as well, back safely. >> awesome. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> charles and anna, let's head over here. >> absolutely. so did you forget someone on your christmas list? we always do, right? don't worry. you are not out of luck. lifestyle expert and founder of trends girls.com has ideas for gifts we can still give. not too late. >> not too late. there are still places that are open. grocery store, drugstore and the liquor store. they're all open. something from each place you can still get today this morning. >> where can we get this last minute? >> you can get -- the new keurig 2.0 compact brewer. this one you can get at any grocery store or dunkin donuts sell them. they come in a bunch of different colors. today you're probably only going to be able to get black one. coffee lover in your life, great option. >> is that expensive? >> about $110. it's not too bad. pick it up with a k-cup pack and you're good to go.

>> how much you're saving from the lattes. >> $4 drinks every day. >> you'll have that paid off in about three weeks. from lindor chocolates. >> way too good. hostess gift. this is the lindor deluxe, seven different flavors of their lindor truffles. smooth, melty. i can only eat a couple of them otherwise i'll eat the whole box. $19.99 and it's ready to give. >> of course, the chandon, right? >> something for the ladies and for the guys. we have chandon, limited edition holiday bottle, sparkling wine. >> that's a cool bottle. >> chic white, winter white with gold script. great for all the ladies out there. for the guys -- i didn't forget about you. bourbon. super popular right now from woodford reserve, their distiller select.

$ $39. great gift. >> or you can have it neat. >> gift boxes, you can put together an entire gift box? >> i went last night at 10:00 to make it -- i got a gift card. i made a movie gift basket. itunes gift card and bought all different snacks, sour patch kids, kind bars, twizzlers. fill it all up. instead of giving a gift card you'll get a whole gift. >> probably the cost is like what you would get one large coke, one large popcorn. >> totally. >> movie pass.com, i do this for 35 bucks a month you can see unlimited movies. >> in the theater. >> in the theater. it's amazing. around the country. it includes almost all theaters. >> it's really great. >> i've been doing the $8 matinees. >> you know what? i'm at home. i'm a surround sound guy at home, big screen tv.

this is more like -- i want to chill out at home and, you know, whatever. >> exactly. >> tranquility basket. instead of getting one thing you can get a whole bunch of different products. faux fur throw, coloring book for adults. led lights. again, really -- >> i used to think it was really weird too. >> they say thist destresses you as an adult because it reminds you of what it was like to color when you were younger. it really puts you in a zen environment. i read a whole article about it. >> coloring inside the line makes me so anxiously nervous. >> i think the ones that are super small are a little hard for me. i want ones that have -- i don't need a fire truck but i need something a little bit bigger, little bit bigger. >> all the rage these days. marquee lights.

i got s for my last name. $9.99, letters or shapes. >> ten bucks? >> now we can all have our name in lights, right? >> i couldn't find all the letters. i just got an s. $10 at cvs and the heart was at wa walgreen's. >> what about last resort? >> last resort -- i'll probably do this for a few people. i apologize in advance. buy something online, print it out. get a really nice card. not like -- you know, like the $10 card. write a really nice note, print a picture of it, put it inside. and give it to them and say it's coming in a few days. my birthday is on january 1st and my birthday didn't come in time. he said i heard on the news that you can do this thing. sent me a picture. >> be careful the things you tease. >> i know. totally. >> thank you so much.

>> thank you. >> really great job. >> coming up next, fox & friends, peter johnson jr. and his daughters share their christmas message. holiday travel, it's hard enough especially when you have christmas gifts. what you need to know before you head to that airport today. it might be a tough one. we've got help for you coming.

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...and cars twice as efficient as the average car today. ideas exxonmobil scientists are working on to make energy go further... ...no matter how many tries it takes. energy lives here. got some quick hollywood christmas headlines for you. remember donald trump's spin "hotline bling"? ♪ you used to call me on the cell phone ♪ >> another celebrity has a take on the lyrics. taylor swift, the singer showing off this on instagram. the caption is "he used to call me on the elf phone" and robert downey jr. has been taken off the naughty list. in fact, just in time for christmas. >> your kid needs a hand up, right? >> mind if i attack a picture

with you? >> yes. it's very cool. >> partnering actor that sent him to prison for more than a year. 1996 nabbed for heroin and cocaine possession and violated probation in 1999. top of the hour in time for one of our favorite christmas traditions here on f fox & friends. >> joining us with our special christmas greetings, peter johnson jr. with his daughters, veronica and blanche. >> here on fox & friends, the johnson family has shared a lot of christmases with you and your family. >> today, to us, a child comes. our wonderful counselor, our prince of peace. >> i wanted to hug and reassure them that the strongest, most nurturing garden of fallen angels i know, my own lost father, would be standing among those at the gates of heaven. >> the price of admission is neither power nor riches, but

mere faith. >> that's the christmas gift that will never be returned. >> timeless, ageless gift of christmas. >> and we understand as well that you know the true meaning of christmas, the christ child. here with me this morning is blanche johnson of fox news.com, entertainment reporter there, and veronica johnson, junior and screen writing student. girls, good morning. veronica, what is your favorite christmas movie? >> "elf" with will ferrell. buddy the elf travels to new york where he's working in the north pole gift shop. kind of reminds me of my own excitement of seeing our tree when i was 5. >> okay, people, tomorrow, 10:00 am, santa's coming to town. >> santa? oh, my god! santa here? i know him. i know him.

>> oh, that make mees laugh so much. so when i told gavin and sarah this was your favorite, they said they love it and a lot of producers on the show love it, too. does america love it as much as we all do? >> america loves it. it made $173 million nationwide making it the third most successful holiday movie. >> wow, i didn't know that. blanche, what is your favorite christmas song? we heard her favorite christmas movie. >> mariah carey's "all i want for christmas is you." ♪ baby all i want for christmas is you ♪ ♪ that's all i want for christmas baby ♪ >> mariah has been the queen of christmas for the past 20 years. this version with justin bieber from 2011. she has reinvented this song

with everyone from jimmy fallon to michael buble. >> justin bieber dancing in macy's. it's pretty cool. even i like that. so i have a bunch of -- i just listen to the radio all the time during christmas. i love "white christmas." sometimes it's a little sad. one that makes me happiest, though, even though it doesn't mention christmas, is dean martin's version of this particular song, swinging dean on christmas day. what do you say about this one? ♪ when the snow comes a tumbling down ♪ ♪ it's a time to play it's a whipped cream day i wait for it the whole year round ♪ ♪ in the arms of the evergreen tree ♪ >> why don't you girls dance like that? they refuse. this holiday standard has been sung by many artists, but dean

martin's version continues to place on the billboard top 100 holiday charts. i love that song. makes me so happy. what do you say, veronica? >> fantastic. >> we hope you enjoy your christmas favorites as much as we enjoy ours. so from our family to yours, we wish you a merry, merry christmas. i leave you with the most important christmas memories that i have. the girls think they're a little hokey. i think they're precious and forever. i know you have those same photos in your albums. mariah carey, justin bieber. they're saying it all. we dance out with you, america. merry, merry christmas!

>> one of my favorite families zblarnd peter johnson has such good move. >> giving dean martin a run for his money there. coming up, santa has his sleigh. how will you get all your christmas gifts? will you be getting them all at home? will you be able to fly home with them and bring them on the airplane? we have that up. up next, tips that travelers need to know about getting those gifts home. first a christmas message from our fox family. >> you are waking up christmas morning to "fox & friends." now my favorite christmas memory is going to haiti. reverend franklin graham and my husband, john and i, have been going there the past few years to give presents to children. it's so much fun. how could you not love those smiles? yes, we are headed to haiti again this year. merry christmas to you and yours. ♪ no matter where you look, you won't find another

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well, we all know that santa has his sleigh. how will you get all of your gifts home for christmas, or from christmas? expedia travel expert courtney scott is here with what you need to know before you board. >> that's right.

merry christmas. >> merry christmas. so glad to have you here with us this morning. >> yes. >> you have to figure out how to get all your gifts home. >> that's right. >> and maybe you only brought one bag. >> exactly. first of all, it's important to know what you can and can't bring in your carry on and your checked bag. tsa rules say anything above 3.4 ounces liquid cannot go in your carry-on bag. any sharp objects. aeros aerosols, food products, pies and cakes get extra scrutiny at tsa. make sure those things either don't go with you at all or go in your carry on. >> is there a tsa app? >> yes. can i bring is the app. it allows you to input anything you're thinking of bringing and will tell you the specific rules on that item. app and website really handy tool. >> that's brilliant. you say keep your gifts unwrapped. >> tsa will search everything. if it triggers an alarm, they have to unwrap all your beautiful handy work. we recommend keeping gifts

unwrapped and shipping them home from your holiday vacation is a great tip. it's actually not that much more expensive. baggage fees are $25 to $35. shipping a large fedex box is about $16. >> a second bag with $75 so it was cheaper. >> exactly. it's important to keep your gifts safe. electronics, big ticket items, laptop jewelry should never go in your checked luggage. when you are tasselling with anything breakable, hard cases are fantastic to keep your thengs safe and also throw in that sticker. >> even if it's not? >> always, always travel with a fragile sticker. >> these boxes are great. >> and tsa approved lock. only locks you should use on your luggage. some people try to use other locks but then they may be cut and that opens up your luggage to threats and security breaches. you can get them at the airport.

>> there's an app to track your luggage? >> it is. it's called tile. it goes in your luggage, syncs with your mobile device and you can track your luggage, wherever it may be. airlines track your luggage for you. of course, that's not foolproof. it's always good to have something to track it with you. >> right. so when the airline says it's here you can say no. >> exactly. you got a cold on a flight so airborne. >> e-boost, too, all-natural health remedies. stay safe and healthy. >> merry christmas, courtney. >> thank you. christmas classic movie. >> no, no, i want a red resider bb gun and i won't shoot my eye out. >> you'll shoot your eye out, kid. >> christmas story, is it your favorite? we're reading your e-mails at the top of the hour.

plus santa has had a very busy night. we'll check in with kris kringle at the top of the hour. first a message from our troops. i'm sergeant crystal perry deployed to air base qatar. merry christmas and happy new year to all of my friends, loved ones, extended family at st. paul baptist church. gospel international. i wish you all a merry christmas.

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we wish you a magical christmas morning. i'm anna kooiman. this is "fox & friends." major fedex fail. and those angry parents share tharg anger on twitter. why fedex says not everybody will get their gifts on time. >> unseasonably warm this christmas, causing some problems for santa. >> santa is sweating profusely and he needs a cold xwlglass of milk very badly. >> do you prefer a white or warm christmas? and it's a christmas surprise that mom -- this mom, she never saw coming. >> oh, my god! shut up!

shut up! >> the gift that left her screaming for joy. mornings are always better with friends. it's kevin mccarthy. we want to wish you a merry christmas. you're watching "fox & friends" and, of course, i give the show a 5 out of 5. ♪ holly jolly christmas it's the best time of the year ♪ >> we're wishing you a holly jolly christmas. thanks for waking up with us on "fox & friends." peaceful, serene midtown manhatt manhattan. >> and still warm. >> working on getting an ice cream truck to come out here. normally we would want apple cider or hot chocolate. >> santa is here and he could use some ice cream probably after all that to get a little cooler. we asked for your pictures to let us know what you got from santa this year. here is one.

kristen sends this picture from across the pond. santa reached her all the way in madrid and xwav her some awesome bear pajamas. >> steve and elizabeth, the best gift they've gotten, celebrating their first christmas with their daughter, emma. >> big congratulations. gavin's sons, gavin and cole this christmas morning. they were up super early. >> i bet they were. cutest kids. all right. so, santa, you're here. santa, are you awake? >> you had a busy night last night, right? what did you think about the weather? did you have any problems with that or was it just hot? >> it was just extremely hot, yes. i think i changed into my shorts a couple of times. going over the alps and back out that way i did get into my winter gear. >> we have a lot of questions for you, santa. one from 5-year-old matt. he said my house has no chimney.

who you do you get the presents inside? >> well, i have a magic key and that let mees through the front door. sometimes with no chimneys or those that have a fire, i have to make sure i stay away from that. that's for sure. >> just like at a hotel. there's a master key. >> i never thought of that. he has the master master key. the ultimate master key. >> this question for you, santa, comes to us from alyssa. she e-mailed in to say how do your reindeer fly? >> that's the magic on christmas eve. elves bring them all over, donner and blitzen, rudolph out in front. a little bit of magic and off we go to make the delivery. >> from arnold what if my family moves next year, will you still be able to find our house? >> definitely. the elves will be out there. we'll make the changes and i will definitely be there in case you do move. >> a lot of these kifds are really worried. you've soothed a lot of these kids. they want to make sure that you

find them even if they move. >> on the naughty list, santa, real quick, i know you have r e rules did you give those kids on the naughty list, too? >> they got a little note for me but no gifts this year. >> santa, we'll be checking in with you in a little bit. >> santa down to congress on these spending bills. he draws a line in the sand and keeps it there. >> sticks to it. >> santa was a success. maybe your parents didn't get everything there on time. fedex has played the role of the grinch. some people who orred their gifts through fedex and not santa may not get their gifts in time because of wild weather. it's infuriated a lot of customers online. >> a lot of kind of hate mail on twitter. adriana said thanks, fedex.

we'll be one gift short for joseph's first christmas. >> package arrived at your ohio facility december 15th and i still haven't received it. it's a christmas present for my daughter. i do feel bad for the guy we keep showing on the video. not his fault. >> that's the other thing. we have 364 days in the year to prepare for christmas. start getting ready for 2016 right now. >> i did a lot of my shopping yesterday and the day before. i get it. but you can't then blame somebody else for it. if i didn't find a gift at that point, it's my fault. and there were really bad storms. 14 people lost their lives in these storms. they want right through memphis, which is the hub of fedex. that really did cause a lot of problems. >> to find the silver lining in all of this, too, with not having the gifts under the christmas tree, the failed deliveries and remember the real reason for the season, the teaching moment. >> i agree 1,000 percent. the whole thing, too, the gift is going to come. you're able to buy the gift. you live in a great country.

this is the place where we can do these things, celebrate with our family. i think we take for granted sometimes -- it's good to complain about fedex and whatnot but it's a beautiful thing we were able to do what we were able to do. >> the land of opportunity. >> absolutely. we're asking for your favorite christmas movies all morning long. my favorite -- the top five search of all times. christmas story, elf, home alone, it's a wonderful life and love actually. my favorite made the number two slot, "elf." >> okay, people. tomorrow morning, 10:00 am, santysan san santa's coming to town. >> santa! oh, my god! santa here? i know him. i know him! >> i love that scene. and the snowball scene and even the very beginning when he's in santa's workshop with all the elves. his daddy elf is like riding on his back because he's so big. >> i never watch this had movie.

>> i watched it with my son. you have that $35 thing, you can go -- i go back old school. "a wonderful life." it never gets old. absolutely it represents the season. >> merry christmas! >> merry christmas! >> merry christmas, george! >> merry christmas, movie house! merry christmas, emporium! merry christmas you wonderful old building and loan! >> i was also a huge jimmy stewart fan, too. i used to have a pretty good jimmy stewart impression. >> it's still pretty good. >> brave for breaking that out. >> yeah. >> i love movies and don't really watch very many christmas movies. one that i think is a little christmassy. it's "the family stone." >> we will try to behave like a

civilized family. >> i don't care whether you like me or not. >> oh, of course you do. >> all-star cast for sure. >> i come from a really big family. the whole family gets together. i'm sure you have that same thing, nothing necessarily perfect. everybody is different. you get together and it's chaos. >> and you have to fight for your food at the table. >> exactly. >> people are going for seconds and thirds and you haven't even had your first helping. >> so true. >> heather from florida sent in her favorite movie saying the classic christmas movies are "the christmas vacation" "elf." we still lol every time. >> and "it's a wonderful life." my favorite movie of all time. timeless message. i just adore it. >> and from aubrey, original "miracle on 34th street."

>> they don't sell that enough anymore i would like to see that on air more often. the real reason for the holidays today is the birth of jesus christ. >> pope francis celebrating the occasion with tens of thousands of facebook followers at the vatican this morning. >> christians flocking to the birthplace of jesus and bethlehem. >> john honey is live with more. john? >> that's right. tourists, christian pilgrims and locals packed in the manger square, undeterred by the violence and political unrest. the celebration went on as usual. they were scaled back. they were scaled back this year. perhaps it wasn't as busy as year's past. latin patriarch of jerusalem, we showed you this earlier, led the annual procession and ongoing parade, marching band through manger square and later midnight mass at the church of the

nativity, place of jesus' birth. the message in midnight mass was about peace and justice. of course, in light of the wave of violence and attacks. as i said, there were several israelis in the west bank yesterday and a deadly one in the city of jerusalem at a very busy tourist area earlier in the week as well. i wouldn't necessarily say rick, anna and charles, that the violence has overshadowed the celebrations and christmas eve celebrations yesterday but certainly the political unrest. everything has been on people's minds. that was part of pope francis' christmas message. listen. >> translator: may israelis and palestinians resume direct dialogue and reach an agreement which will enable the two people to live together in harmony

ending a conflict which has long set them at odds with grave repercussions. >> he also addressed the brutal acts of terrorism in paris and other parts of the world as well, calling it, quote, a monstrous evil. back to you. >> thank you so much. and thanks for being with us on christmas morning. we know it's tough to be away from your family. merry christmas. to other stories making headlines, fox news alert. brand new video out of nigeria. 100 people feared dead after a tanker truck burst into flames at a gas plant. fire raging on for more than five hours, leaving many trapped inside the factory, destroying nearby homes. witnesses say the driver of the truck didn't wait for gas to cool before emptying it, possibly leading to the deadly blast. christmas eve chaos. gunfire erupts inside a packed charlotte, north carolina, mall.

off-duty police officer forced to shoot an armed man. >> you see this mass crowd running into our store. and then we hear about five gunshots. >> i was just running fo r my life. >> this after a fight between two rival groups. officer tom ferguson tried to break up the fight. 18-year-old dequan westbrook turned the gun on ferguson. the officer was not hurt. warmest christmas on record across the east coast. summer-like conditions stretching from florida all the way to eastern canada. here in new york, we've seen temperatures hit the low 70s. we asked about your warm weather plans. stephanie from nashville sending a nice morning in myrtle beach, south carolina. look at the puppy looking out at the water. and from jay, i live in tennessee. it's looking pretty good. it's 55 right now and will reach a high of 72. and nba player showing what

the holidays are all about. >> oh, my gosh! shut up! shut up! shut up! >> a new car! second year player on the indiana pacer's team brie biing his mom a brand new mercedes-benz. her reaction, priceless. mine would be, too. amazing. >> ever wonder how the first lady celebrates christmas? inside look at white house traditions. first, christmas shout out from our fox family. >> best gift that i ever got december 13th, 1995, i got a little baby for christmas. >> happy birthday to your daughter. and merry christmas to everybody out there. thank you for being such a big part of our year here on america's newsroom and throughout the entire fox family. >> grateful for your support. we wish you and your families

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started by jackie kennedy, each first lady since has added her own style to the white house holiday decor. >> christmas with the first ladies author, kristen. >> it's really amazing. the day after thanksgiving, about 100 volunteers and designers from around the

country show up for work. we get that place looking great for christmas. what's really amazing is that this is a tradition that's been going on for over 50 years. christmas is really important at the white house. >> you've had three opportunities to do this. >> yep. >> laura bush and michelle obama. let's take a look at laura bush's actually. >> sure. >> tell us what we're seeing here. >> i was lucky enough to bring my mom with me. that's who is in that picture. this was a red, white and blue christmas. it was all about getting that snow right on those trees. mrs. bush really cared. too much snow, too little snow until we got exactly what she wanted. i was really amazed as first lady she really cared and took the time to decorate the white house. >> each one of these a vision of the first lady and how they want to decorate it each year? >> it is actually. first lady is the commander in chief of christmas i like to say. she has a vision. she has an experience she wants the american people to have and she brings it to life. it's really amazing.

100,000 people go to visit. >> for barbara bush, it was the star on top of the national tree that really mattered to her? >> you know what? she has the distinction of putting that star on more times than anybody else. i think she did it like 12 times. she would take her grandchildren with her in the cherry pucker and ride it right up to the top of the tree. the bushes were all about family at christmas. and they were about their grandchildren. so, it was a really wonderful experience. >> such a big family. another family that's been so iconic for us, the kennedys. >> sure. jackie kennedy start this had whole thing. if we're going to have 100,000 people over for christmas, maybe we should think about it. there's now a christmas theme. first theme was the nut cracker i love these pictures, jfk giving john john his stocking on christmas morning and the kids are re-enacting the nativity. >> you say nancy reagan was all about the glitz and glamour, bringing hollywood to the white house but also teddy bears? >> yes. she was about children at the

holidays and making it about what kids experience, snow flakes and teddy bears and really cute teddy bears, hats, missiletoe and really, really sweet. she was all about the glamour, that nancy. she had lots of celebrity santas. one of them one year was mr. t who came to the white house. there he is! >> about perfect for that time. >> right. >> wearing the necklace, of course. >> michelle obama and all of her health stuff. cookies? >> this year -- >> a little bit of sugar in those cookies, right? >> little bit of scandal, there was sugar in the state dining room and there really hasn't been before. that was a little bit of a break. 200 nut crackers in the state room, a nod to jackie kennedy and her very first theme of the nutcracker and sonny and beau are always really popular with the obamas. >> thank you so much. "christmas with the first ladies" is the book again. >> thanks for having me. come up on "fox & friends"

we've all heard of christmas miracles but we share one from our very own. charles payne will share a story about his very own mother. >> don't miss that. emotional family moment you'll have to hear, coming up. ♪ can't afford to let heartburn get in the way? try nexium 24hr, now the #1 selling brand for frequent heartburn. get complete protection with the new leader in frequent heartburn. that's nexium level protection. i built my business with passion.

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we all hear about christmas miracles but charles, you experienced one in your family. >> tell us all about it. it was about your mother. >> yes, it is. my mother went to the hospital for a relatively routine operation to unblock some arteries in her legs. i got a phone call about 5:00 our time, operation was fantastic. everything is well. i did my show, which airs from 6:00 to 7:00, leeb the studio. i'm in the garage and get a phone call. your mother has 30 minutes to live. 30 minutes. and, of course, we all understand the inevitability of life.

to go from she's doing great to that, i don't even know how i made it home. i drive home. i race home. i'm crying, screaming, sounds i never made before. i go pick up my wife and my brother. we fly to atlanta, rent a car and drove to montgomery alabama and the entire trip i was asking god, if it's her time can i at least see her alive? we go through the emergency room. and i mention her name. they tell me she's in a room. i'm thinking that's a good sign. she was in icu. she was alive. the doctors there said not long after the operation, she went into cardiac arrest three times and her lungs expeled. they thought it was a miracle she made it to that point. i stayed for a week. she started doing better. came back here. got a call she wasn't doing well. went back down. stayed for a few days. she started doing better. came back home. finally, two weeks ago, i get there on a saturday and one doctor calls me on the phone and says, listen. you should think about letting

her die. and i said, well, when i left last night, she was breathing pretty well, 12 hours off the ventilator. he said she can't even breathe two horse now. another doctor called me on the phone and said your mother is reaching for the tracheotomy. we think that's a sign she wants to die. i said it might be a sign that you guys have tied her up and she has this thing jammed in her throat. maybe it's just that's what it is. my mother woke up and she saw me, she was very frail. there's no doubt she looked bad. she reached out her arm and hugged me and cried. i knew she wanted to live. later on that day, there was a respiratory tech. this guy was beautiful. he said, listen. i befriended him the last time i was there. he said charles i've been watching your mother, talking to you. i'm a christian. and i think she can make it. he said why don't we just take her off the vent tomorrow and see what happens? okay. so we took her off the ventilator.

she breathed on her own for 12 hours with no problem. monday comes around. the one doctor, he can't even look at me. i said this isn't going to work. we took her off the next day, and she has been off ever since. we flew her up here last tuesday, put her in palisades medical center. the way they're taking care of her -- they have a policy of never tying up their patients. last night in the hospital she introduced me to the nurse and her eyes, looking at this nurse -- she love this is nurse. she loves this nurse because she knows that the nurse and nurse's aide love her and take care of her. and, you know, for me it's a tough one. there were members of my family who were leaning with the doctors and i know people are going through this. and it's a tough decision that people will have to make. i just say first and foremost you have to know who your family members are, obviously. my mother is a fighter. for us it's been a real strong

belief in god and listening to messages from her that they would never be able to interpret. but it's been tough. so, she's doing extraordinarily well. in fact, she's hungry. all she talked about yesterday was she wants to eat real food, particularly a steak. >> she wants a steak. >> she wants a steak. >> wow! >> i talked to you a little bit over the last couple of months with this it's been such a struggle. to think your mom might be gone when you get on a plane and you have 2 1/2 hours must have been the longest 2 1/2 hours of your life. >> it was the longest. you know, just the nervousness and a soldier was in the airport. and, you know, came up to me and said listen, thanks a lot. i said no, thank you. i hugged him and started crying. again, the way it went -- you know what i'm saying? for someone to call you on the phone and say your mom has 30 minutes to live when you thought she was doing great. and i want to thank people out there, particularly on twitter.

i tweeted about it and the prayers that came were absolutely phenomenal. i know a lot of people have gone through this. i'm shocked at home folks have a similar story. so for me it's a christmas miracle. i want to share it with people. i think if you haven't come across this, you may at some point. it's a tough decision that you may or may not have to make. but, you know, i wouldn't go first or foremost with the doctors is what i'm saying. >> they have a really tough job. >> they do. >> they save a lot of lives but won't get it right 100% of the time. >> i have to give one heck of a shout out to the in yours. the look of love thatmy mom gave to the nurses that she wanted me to meet -- one of the nurses, her son is a pilot in the air force in afghanistan. >> your mom was telling us one of the best presents she ever gave yous with a briefcase and c

calc ucht lator when you had nothing. >> and she has the gift of you being her advocator. >> this hospital said we don't tie up our patients. that was amazing. different hospitals have different policies. she's alive and well and everyone out there, if you're in a similar situation, keep praying because prayers work. >> this christmas means something extra special. >> thank you. >> thank you for sharing that. all right. coming up, it is the season of summer. i mean, it's christmas morning. across the country, people are wearing shorts. how do you feel about it? do you prefer a white christmas or warm one? your e-mails next. >> christmas in july but it's december, like it's supposed to be. christmas dinner earlier on the show. now time for dessert. celebrity chef jay jackson shares his eggnog recipe next. first a message from our troops serving overseas. >> from the 454th air wing.

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"fox and friends," everyone. merry christmas to everyone who is watching right now. i believed in santa claus for a long time. it wasn't until i graduated from college that was that the news was broken to me, along with my diploma. maybe 10, 11, i really hung on. the reason was, it was so thrilling. i remember -- i had to be 4 years old. i had a room upstairs in leavi t town. my sisters and parents were downstairs. i went doupsz very quietly, sat there looking at the tree, all the presents under the tree. it was so magical to see all of this stuff and know that santa had brought it. and i guess that's one of my earliest, earliest memories. so, anyway, i want to reach -- i want to wish, i should say, all of you a very merry christmas, happy new year. and have a great time.

>> merry christmas to you, too, bill o'reilly. and merry christmas to all the production people on fox & friends that you never get to see. you're going to get to jordan herr, sister, jetta, and mother kim. next up -- >> production assistant lauren with her parents barbara, george and sisters brittany and lindsay. >> and writer gina anunziano with her parents. >> shawn gorman with his wife and son. >> brand new baby. >> he is working this morning. thank you for putting together a great show for us. >> absolutely. >> and jen roche with her third child, luke hunt, his first christmas and our other fearless leader, lauren petterson and her husband and son. motherhood looks good on her. doesn't it? >> cutest baby. >> guess what?

>> it's hot outside and it's christmas. >> it's hot out. >> we're going to eat ice cream. >> new holiday christmas tradition. only if it's 70 degrees every christmas. >> we have been asking if you would prefer a white or warm christmas. john e-mailed us. when we moved to florida, i hung our christmas wreath in shorts and t-shirt and i knew then that was my kind of christmas. >> i hear you. amber tweets i would like to see another white christmas georgia had one year. it feels like christmas in july. i would rather bundle up. >> i have seen enough cold, snowy christmases to last me a lifetime. warm is great. >> yeah. >> let's see what our friends in midtown manhattan think. what's your name, buddy? >> garret. >> where are you from? >> north carolina. >> me, too. what part? >> monroe-charlotte. >> i'm from charlotte as well. i think it's a little bit warm out there and seasonable there. what do you think about now? you almost don't need that coat, do you, bud? >> no, not really. >> do you like it when it's cold or warm on christmas?

>> i like it warm. >> we have that thin skin because we're from the south. >> real quickly we need a shot of this guy. let's be honest here. it's christmas morning. >> good morning! >> in new york city. >> it's awesome. >> you're sh shorts and a shirt. >> my running gear. running every day here when possible. >> you're not cold? >> a little bit but, hey, this is awesome. i'm used to georgia. >> you're used to georgia. there you go. santa is in the green room. what do you think, santa, about this warm christmas? >> oh, i need the cold. i need the snow and, hopefully, we'll get about a foot of snow down here one of these days. >> it will happen, trust me. >> it will. >> we have a long way of winter to go. when you are done with christmas, do you take a break? do you go to an island, some place warm for a bit or do you want to get back to the cold? >> i will take a little bit of a break. right now we're going to make sure we get everything closed down up at the workshop. we'll make sure that everything is disinfected with the clorox

disinfecting wipes and then we'll take off. >> okay. >> i don't have a mike. but can i -- santa, speaking of islands, what about the island of misfit toys? i always felt bad for -- do you still have that island or did you bring everybody back up to santa land? >> we brought everybody up. we take care of it and fix everything. everything is okay. >> santa, we'll check in with you in a little bit. other stories making headline this is christmas morning. hundreds of black lives matter protesters disrupting christmas eve shopping in chicago. black christmas march was peaceful but protesters had to be kept from blocking department store entrances. >> a woman who devoted her life to giving soldiers hugs has died. she died christmas eve after a decade-long battle with breast

cancer. she estimated she gave half a million hugs to our service men and women as we set off for deployment to the united states. little goat steals the show during a church's live nativity scene. church goers at dallas' presbyterian church giggled uncontrollably when the goat leapt into the jesus manger scene almost in perfect time with the music. baby jesus wasn't played by a real baby so nobody was hurt by this. if you're still looking for the perfect drink and dessert to complete your christmas feast, look no further. >> sharing holiday recipes. >> it's warm outside. but i wanted to bring the snow. i'm mr. food-tastic.

let's make it snow, everybody. it's a white christmas! that's as good as it gets. homemade eggnog with a tastic spice. you can hold that there. it is a sweet combination, like your replacement for cinnamon. it has orange peel in it. it's delicious. it goes on top of things like eggnog. it's great. have that there. >> could you even put it in savory dishes? >> you could. i have an original version that's also in savory. this is a ginger cocktail. because it's so warm, how about a mojito? club soda. mint in there. that's a great alternative to a regular mojito. kind of like a holiday mojito. >> never too cold for mojitos. and then a red velvet everything. red velvet brownies, bundt cake, cookies. because you like cream cheese so

much, i know that -- >> what am i decorating? >> anything. put it in a piping bag. there you go. >> little dab will do you. >> you have to have arm strength. >> very nice. always great stuff. these recipes are on our website. >> yeah. >> and there you go. thank you very much. >> you're welcome. >> merry christmas. >> i put the food in my mouth as so comes up. does this ever happen to your family during christmas? >> he did it on purpose. >> look what you did, you little jerk. >> awkward moments like eating when you're supposed to read. next. nexium 24hr is the new #1 selling

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merry christmas. sometimes christmas doesn't go as we plan. >> people have anxiety around it.

>> they do. >> people might ask somebody why are you still single? >> really not a favorite of people who are single. one, understand they're not doing it because they want to be nosey. they just really want to see you happy. answering it just saying i haven't met the right person yet and leave it at that and just understand that they're just wanting to support you. >> yeah. little diplomatic. politics this year, thanksgiving, it was crazy. people were arguing, fighting. a lot of things revealed about your relatives that you didn't know about. >> it's not necessary to have that discussion at a holiday dinner. absolutely not. you can handle putting it aside for three to four hours. we don't have to divide your family the way that the nation gets divided over these topics. just avoid it. direct the conversation to something else. >> i love to talk politics with my family. it always comes up around the dinner table at thanksgiving and christmas. we don't all agree 100%. >> can you get along? >> yes. >> okay.

that's different. >> talk about that with your family then talk about it with them. >> there are a lot of families that can't understand that people have different opinions and then it becomes way more about those political views than about the holiday itself. if your family can do it, that's awesome understand that there are people who are a little more hot headed. >> what about picky eaters? >> this is a favorite. gluten free everything and dairy free and vegan and all these different options. if you're hosting you want to be a great host and make things that everybody can eat. if you have someone that's really, really picky, one, don't get offended. they're making choices for themselves and that's cool. if you really need to eat something specific, ask them to bring a dish that they can share so at least they know there's something they can eat. >> if you don't eat the beef, bring some fish. i'll put that out for you. >> or put that in the oven and then bring it over. >> what about the phone? people are texting. >> we are. we are. i understand how attached we

are. it's a couple hours. that facebook post, instagram post, that can wait until it's over. if you have something urgent that's occurring, go to the bathroom. hide in the bathroom. don't make it so present. i think it definitely gives that vibe of i'm not interested in spending time with you. >> we just saw a new ad from at&t. they actually are encouraging people to put down the phone and be present. give the present of being present. >> it's the greatest gift we can go iv. >> and dealing with the drunk relatives. that drunk uncle. >> poor uncle bob, he gets a bad rep. one it's a liability issue. if they are drinking at your house make sure they have a designated driver to go home with. >> harder to kick it out. >> or you could be sleeping over. prepare that couch. otherwise understand that that's his thing. you don't have to get stuck in the corner with him. go find another relative to attach to. >> so true. all great, great tips for us.

merry christmas. >> merry christmas to you. coming up next on the program, we are striking up the band. ♪ ♪ just hear those sleigh bells jingling ring tinge tingling too ♪ >> a christmas classic for us next from the new york tenors. first a message from our troops serving overseas. >> my name is sergeant nikki irvingson. i want to send a message to my family, loved ones in great falls, montana and say hi, i miss you. wish you very merry christmas and happy new year. see you soon. it's here, the first gummy multivitamin... ...from centrum. a complete, and tasty way to support... ...your energy... ...immunity... and metabolism like never before. centrum multigummies.

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♪ o come let us adore him o come let us adore him christ the lord ♪ >> the new york tenors are

spreading the christmas spirit all over town. they are joining us this morning for a very special christmas performance on the heels of being at carnegie hall. andy cony, daniel rodriguez and christopher macchio. how did you know that a trio of tenors in new york city would resonate and be so successful? >> i just had a feeling. >> you started the group. >> i did. >> and called these two individually? >> it was the tenth anniversary of 9/11 where i had this idea. it just came to me to come together with daniel rodriguez and also bring the italians in with us. we had an italian tenor with us who is in florida now. chris has just joined our groups. we're having a ball singing together and brought a lot of new york together with our three nationalities. >> danny, you were a new york cop? >> i was. i was a cop for ten years. after 9/11, in -- after pray for

america and all the things that happened after 9/11 on fox & friends back then, it just continued to develop that people wanted to hear more of me and so i continued to do that, continued to sing. and then meeting up with andy was just a real great blessing to do this together and be able to share something, a camaraderie amongst guys doing this tenor thing. >> chris, you never actually wanted to be a singer. >> no. >> your high school choir director said you have to do this, get over the stage fright. >> chorus was graduation requirement. once he heard me sing individually, my secret was out. the genie was out of the bottle. i've had such a wonderful experience, connecting with people through music. such a uniform language. to have the privilege of singing with these two fine gentlemen, accomplished artists it's a great honor. >> such a big, huge sound and i want our friends at carnegie

hall to be able to hear you. "silver bells." take it away. ♪ city sidewalks busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style ♪ ♪ in the air there's a feeling of christmas ♪ ♪ children laughing people passing meeting smile after smile ♪ ♪ and on every street corner you'll hear ♪ ♪ silver bells silver bells ♪ ♪ it's christmastime in the city ♪

♪ ring-a-ling hear them ring ♪ ♪ soon it will be christmas day ♪ ♪ strings of street lights red and blue lights as shoppers rush home with their presents ♪ ♪ hear the snow crunch this is santa's big scene and above all the bustle you'll hear silver bells ♪ ♪ silver bells

it's christmastime in the city ♪ ♪ ring a ling hear them ring ♪ ♪ soon it will be christmas day ♪ ♪ ♪ christmas day just rockin' it. which president started the annual lighting of the national christmas tree? millard millmore, calvin coolidge or theodore roosevelt? ♪

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andrea: fedex says not everyone will get their get some time. >> little girl's christmas emergency goes viral.

where are the batteries? >> we have been talking about a lot of our christmas memories walking down memory lane. one of my favorites, a couple weeks ago for my family to see billy joel, and i knew i was working this morning, great producer of of the weeks ago seeing billy joel, that was a lot of fun. and grandma's fireplace here, my string he blonde hair and all my cousins every ear we get together when we can. if you are watching this morning

merry christmas. >> got a picture of my mom and dad, this came up, going in the macy's parade, they came up last year and we had an amazing time watching the macy's parade which was running. one thing you talk about, those the so important. and and start new things. they're still so young. >> are they are both on the shelf? is that in their household? >> don't know how to answer this question. >> it was a trick question. it scares me. >> we have a photo here, me and my mom, my wedding, she was always athletic and beautiful and giving caller back.

i was so happy when i went yesterday. she was there every christmas and i would be with her later today. >> had a nice christmas miracle, thank you for sharing that story. you have given a lot of viewers -- andrea: some great tweets and e-mails. it is unfortunate but something we more or less go through. >> it is tough having to work on the holiday. a lot of you, thank our first responders and military's, it is stuck having to work on the holidays but producers take it easy because -- >> your husband will call in 30 minutes. merry christmas. we want to check in with santa. we are so happy you are with us every christmas after your long night, we don't know how you'd do it but we are happy you are here, you are asking your e-mails this morning as well so keep sending in those e-mails.

how are you doing? >> doing fine. i think i am getting ready to take that long nap as soon as i get back to the north pole. i was thinking hot chocolate but being so warm i thought i would have something cooler. >> not before you take a trip going right there. >> the cookies were outstanding. >> there were more kids on a nice list than the not nice list. santa, you keep manning face book and twitter for us. >> i will keep an eye on that and answer those questions. >> merry christmas. on to other stories making headlines, tens of thousands to hear pope francis's annual christmas blessing at st. peter's basilica, taking an opportunity to address worldwide politics. >> where god is born, easter is

born and where peace is born there is no longer room for hatred and war. >> pope francis called on israelis and palestinians to reach a peace agreement, and it is the warmest christmas on record across the east coast, summerlike conditions from florida to eastern canada and in new york we see temperatures hit the lower 70s. we asked about your warm weather plants, teresa said i was near santa fe, and saw no one hundred inches of snow so far. david in chapel hill sent a picture in saying four inches of rain, we were blessed with glorious full rainbow just before the sun came up. it may not be as holly or jolly for every one this morning thanks to fedex. >> this is now the page. >> bolivar resurfaced that helps out santa claus missed thousands of packages, not arrive in time

for christmas blading too many late orders and bad weather. customers flashing on twitter saying this, jan for example package arrived in your ohio facility at 12:15 and i still haven't received it. a christmas present for my daughter. julio says that it's just ruined my tenure mack cousin's first christmas in new york city. thanks. one little girl's letter to santa claus heard by the city's finest, she wrote to the police department asking them to make sure santo got her letter saying the mailman may have lost it in years past and she doesn't think that her family would be able to afford any present. police officers showed up at her door with dinner and dozens of presents from santa claus. merry christmas. the merriest day of the year or supposed to be. >> we are ready to put our christmas knowledge to the test. we did not do well earlier, we

had another shot. andrea: we have fox news radio, christmas quiz. >> it is timeless and cut was not very happy so i think we will try -- here is the first question. name the president who started the annual lighting of the national christmas tree? was it millard fillmore, calvin coolidge or theodore roosevelt? >> coolidge. >> i am afraid the answer is calvin coolidge. congratulations. question number 2, 1659 we didn't have states then but this area is now a state today but what state passed a law providing a fine for anyone who celebrated christmas? massachusetts, pennsylvania or virginia? >> these questions are really

hard. massachusetts. >> i will go with virginia. >> this is a fox news alert. rick got it right. it was massachusetts. it was interesting, back in the day it used to be, they used to drink a lot of eggnog back in the day. the puritans outlawed christmas. in massachusetts. >> cornell university -- >> posted a list of holiday decorations that are not inclusive. name one of the decorations. if you read my column you know the answer, poinsettia, mistletoe or candy cane. >> mistletoe because maybe you don't want to kiss whoever it -- >> i don't understand. >> mistletoe. >> one thing they said was not

inclusive at cornell university. >> you are not going with your reasoning, here is another one of my favorite christmas movies. who got the electrocuted in national lampoons christmas vacation, clark griswold, a cousin eddie or the catch. >> the cat. >> i just watched it last night. >> we have video here. see if we got the right answer. >> honey? i told you you had too many plugs in one outlet. >> got to watch those plugs. let's get to the last question. in the song winter wonderland, what kind of bird, a jailbird,

black bird or bluebird? >> bluebird. >> you guys are spot on. congratulations. thank you very much. >> you have a special american christmas special coming up. >> you can watch online at foxnews.com, all-american christmas show, bellevue baptist church in memphis, tennessee had had some amazing musicians of jazz, kurt whalen and laura story who you see right now and receive, one of the hottest christian bands in the country. we have a great time and we were really celebrating. >> people can watch the entire thing online. >> or this and on radio stations around the country, fox news radio affiliate's carrying the show today. andrea: it looks amazing, congratulations.

or the answer. andrea: had a special christmas blessing from pope francis, thousands get the deer the pontiff's message at the vatican. robert john is here to react to the holy father's words, he is next. ♪

>> the people flocking to vatican city for the people christmas blessing from st. peter at square, tens of thousands gathered to hear the old the father's message. >> joining us is father jonathan morris. merry christmas. >> the name of the message pope

francis gives. >> it means to the city and to the world because he is -- we are talking about it now. >> tell us about what his message was, different. >> he mixes the explanation, the meaning of christmas, what is christmas, talking about the situation of the world, this year he talked about the violence in egypt, the downing of airliners, talked about the brutal terrorism, referring also to the paris that tax, what is going on in beirut, the holy land, persecution of christians, annihilation of christians, it is a somber message, very somber, at the same time a message of hope. isn't that a little like what it is like in our own minds? we have good things and bad, highs and lows and the message of christmas is god became 9. not only did he come to reveal himself in an esoteric way but

he became a baby. in the person of jesus of nazareth he came to be among us and suffer everything we suffered and offer as redemption. that is christmas and that is why we can rejoice in a day like this. >> when you think about traditions and traditions are so important in our lives, but everything stops and comes back to one simple thing and makes us check in. there was a poll taken this year that 92% of people celebrate christmas but 81% of non christians in the u.s. celebrate christmas. it is a tradition that we all go back to. >> i think it is because with the we a christian or not the message of christmas is love. it is love of god towards us and us towards god but also love among each other. that is why i think pope francis was saying what a strategy -- tragedy there's so much strife, non christians are saying i want to be on the side of good, not

the side of evil. >> when you are getting ready to deliver mass on christmas is one of the most important days as a priest that you are delivering mass, each year the message doesn't change but your approach to it does. >> also looking into the congregations and recognizing people who are not usually there. i love it and it is not the time to say where have the been but welcome home, welcome back and it is an exciting time. might devise a something, a more personal thing, i wasn't able to go home for christmas this year because friday was christmas and sunday i had services, so many pastors and priests but this morning i decided to buy a ticket and go home to ohio tonight and i will only be there for one night and my parents ane back tomorrow night but i said

why not? it is not much time but christmas is a time to recognize the most important things in life and i love you so much and july and joy and christina and bobby, love you so much and can't wait to see you tonight. 16 nieces and nephews and one on the way. they are probably out going -- we thought we were going to get away without having that. >> you are going to sleep on the plane. you look great and look fantastic. it is so interesting that 81% among christians celebrating christmas, also you like the embodiment of that. people who are catholic or christians, when you come on tv, it is the message. >> i love when people contact me on facebook and twitter and say i am not christian, i am jewish cuomo muslim, but we need to

hear a message of love and peace. >> coming up, you definitely want to hit the theaters today, we have two big movies, concussion angeles is the the one in your christmas cash? kevin mccarthy joins us with his review coming up next. santa has a magic snow globe for every family. and this year, look at what he put in our driveway. the lexus december to remember sales event is here. lease the 2016 es350 for $349 a month for 36 months and we'll make your first month's payment. see your lexus dealer.

>> the british royal family celebrating of the english countryside today, queen elizabeth and the bright red coat. she and the rest of the world brave the rain for a church service of prince george and princess charlotte. imagine what looks like an image that looks like the virgin mary appear in on a window of a small church in georgia. parishioners gathering at the transfiguration catholic church to pray and calling the image a miracle. looked up to the sky.

it will be the first time there has been a full moon on christmas since 1977. better check out because next time you get a chance to see it will be in 2034. over to you. >> christmas day is one of the most important movie release dates of the year. if you are headed to the box office for the holiday weekend human will want to know which reviews are oscar worthy. here is kevin mccarthy. i knew you were going to bust out when you heard famous holiday. >> i always do. merry christmas to you, an honor to be with you this christmas day. this is just for you guys. i love you guys so much. >> let's talk about concussion, the new will smith movie. >> a lot of christmas day releases are very serious films and concussion, based on the true story of a forensic

pathologist who uncovered the connection between brain damage and the idea that repeated concussions nfl players get during normal nfl play. will smith plays in the movie and this incredible, the best performance of will smith's career hands down. he becomes the character. when you look on screen you never see will smith, it is a very intense film, a creates a lot of conversation, asks a lot of questions and you walk away thinking about the sport of football, a very intense film. and ask him about becoming him and the transformation he took and how they made him look differently and carry himself differently. i was surprised to hear how they transformed will smith. check this out. >> that is part of the benefit of being able to spend time with the actual person because i watched how he walked and how he used his hands and my hair and makeup looked me up. we did a thing my ears were glued back.

>> i was wondering that. >> we had prosthetics on that that glued my years back. these years are distinctly will smith. and i had a small airline adjustment on the front the changed the shape of my airline. >> self-deprecating, you got to love him. >> give the movie four out of five, well-made movie, a little bit of script issues. >> x up, the movie juoy has a star-studded cast. >> a very interesting story, jennifer lawrence phenomenal in the film, the cast is fantastic and i love edgar ramirez, robert deniro is underwhelming but the first there is lacking but after that the movie gets going, gave a 3.5 out of 5, it is not as

good as american hustle but very styled and she is great. i spoke to robert deniro. a great question in the movie, isabella russell been asked jennifer lawrence about her financial wordiness. she said were you in high school? robert deniro wanted to know who was robert deniro in high school. >> i didn't even graduate high school. i am not even in the running. >> any sports? >> you played basketball. >> easier in new york city game outside the courts and stuff. >> want to see robert deniro -- >> not that big. >> how many stars did you give it? >> 3.5 out of 5 and merry christmas, thanks for having me on your show and an honor to talk to you all year long, thanks for adding me on. >> merry christmas to you and your fiance. a little girl has a christmas emergency so she calls 911 after

knocking over her self on a shelf. >> don't come -- >> we accidentally dialing 911? you made a mistake? >> yes. >> that little girl joining us live but a christmas message from our troops serving overseas. >> i am stationed in kuwait. i would like to say happy holidays to my friends and family in indiana.

hey fox and friends from washington, merry christmas. the fox bureau came together and collected for weeks and weeks a ton of toys. my family was privileged enough to bring the toys to children's national hospital down the street in washington, d.c. my son has spent a lot of time in that hospital having three open heart surgeries. and he had a blast with his little brother passing out the toys to kids who have to be in the hospital over the holidays. that is a moment and a special moment this christmas.

thanks to all of those military families that are separated because their loved one is overseas. >> love that message. >> he is such a good father. >> and taking the presents to the hospital? what a great thing to do. >> it is christmas and we have a surprise caller on the phone. we have anna's husband tim who is celebrating christmas morning at home alone right now waiting for the wife to get home. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> merry christmas. >> how are you? >> very well. >> we just got married a few months ago. how am i doing so far? >> it will be nice if she was here christmas morning but i can

watch her on tv. >> if you are having a hard time understanding, tim, it is because he is from australia. >> yeah, and this is australian weather. >> of course because it is summer in sydney where tim is from. his family sent us picture and we skyped with my niece and nephew. >> can you share things about anna that maybe -- everyone thinks they know people they watch on tv in the morning. >> anna is exactly like you see her. she is very excited to get up and go to work and that happy when she comes home. it is amazing. i am trying to figure it out. she is exactly what you see and here. >> i am so glad you said amazing because i thought you would say annoying. you do have this infectious

happiness and cheer. and that is one thing tim loves about you. >> we are looking at pictures of us when we were dating. tell our meeting story. >> we met during hurricane sandy in new york. it was literally a whirlwind. back and forth between london and new york for a year. finally worked it out, i came out here, and we got married a few months ago and it is all happy time. our first christmas together as a married couple. >> how did you pop the question, tim? >> we were in a nice hotel. the sydney harbor bridge upper house with the sun rising so i thought it was the opertune time. >> i heard you put together

christmas stockings? >> i have been employ -- embroided them. >> he did not do that. >> you need a hobby for the plane trips back and forth. >> i will be home soon, babe. >> merry christmas, guys. >> we have santa clause here. he had a really busy night. he was sweating in all of the heat. we have been asking for your e-mails and questions for santa. who was the mvp reindeer last night? >> rudolph. with that nose? >> that is like michael jordan

winning the mvp every year. eugene wanted to know where does santa use the rest room? i saw you flying over china i don't think they will let you take a piss stop there. >> if i to use a bathroom i will use somebody's but i do clean up for sure. >> if you use mine, leave a glove or something. >> i might leave a bell. >> cookie crumbs or something. >> and this says will santa always bring what i ask for? >> i try to do the best i can. and i know how good the children have been but sometimes it is difficult to fill that list. but i will always try my best to do that. >> good to know. >> e-mail from jason says how many elves do you have?

>> over 150-200 and that is just in the workshop. but i have the elves that come to the houses and check up on the children. >> 200 to make billions of toys and gifts is remarkable. you run one heck of an operation. if you go public let me know because i want stock. >> it is the milk and cookies. >> and you mention the elves we have an elf on the shelf story. >> merry christmas! >> 35 minutes after the hour we are following news headlines. christmas eve chaos in south carolina with a duty forced to shoot an armed man at a mall. >> you see the crowd running, heard five gun shots. >> i was running for my life. >> this happened after a fight

between two rival groups. the 18 year old turn the gun on officer and the officer wasn't hurt. robert downy, jr. is off the naughty list just in time for christmas. >> hand up? >> you are kidding me with the hand up. >> california governor jerry brown pardoned the actor because of the success of he has seen since being rehabilitated. he was caught speeding with heroin and cocaine and violated a probation. three prisoners released early in june by a computer glitch already committed crimes since getting out. they were some of the 27 released early by the error. they are not saying which new crimes they committed or if they were rearrested.

and the new york police department spreading christmas cheer. >> can't drive with a kid? >> officers from brooklyn pulling over parents to hand out gifts to their children. they boarded buses and knocked on doors even. those are the headlines. >> a 7 year old frantically called 911 after accidently knocking over her elf on the shelf. >> don't come to my house. >> were you accidently dialing 911? >> yes, i was trying to call my dad. i called on accident. >> these things happen, honey. >> she apologized about her elf on the shelf. >> the family is here with their

story. welcome guys. >> you must have been panicked when you touched the elf? >> i didn't touch it. >> what did you notice? something was different that made you worried? >> he fell out of the stocking. >> how did you find out this happened? >> she came in my room in a panic telling me there was a man at the door. and i opened the door and it was the police man. >> and they said isabel called and i said the elf fell. do you want to do the talking? >> you can do the talking.

>> he said can i help you? and they told me santa will still come. i got gifts today. >> so you got all of your gifts today? from the time that happened and this morning were you a little panicked maybe something would go wrong and you would not get the gifts? >> yeah, but yesterday and today i saw santa. >> so it is like old times? >> and what happened to your elf? >> santa left it on the table.

>> so mom and dad, you get a knock at the door, and it is the police. >> my dad wasn't there. >> wow. mom. >> i was very shocked. i was like can i help you. and he said your daughter called 911. and i said why would you do that? she was nervous, panicking, and thought she killed her elf and it was an emergency. the cop reassured her. >> so this was a teaching moment for you. how did you explain when to call 911? >> when it is a real emergency. >> don't call 911 for

non-emergency. >> i am glad you are okay and santa came to see you. >> the elf is all right. he is not -- he didn't tell the truth, he will not give you a kiss. >> words of wisdom. >> thank you guys so much. merry christmas. >> merry christmas. >> that is wonderful. >> coming up, we are heading to the presidential campaign trail. mark rubio is not christmas off. what message does he have for childrens today? a live report from washington next.

>> merry christmas, everyone. 7,000 calories is the expected amount what people will take in. and we will gain on average six pounds between christmas and new year's day. eat more carbs and crave less

sugar. hormones in your liver send signals to your brains whether the carbs are high and you crave less sugar. >> that hasn't worked for me so far. most of the 2016 presidential candidates are on holiday break but some are continuing to press forward. senator mark rubio and donald trump making the headlines today. >> garret is live with more. >> in the age of twitter candidates are still campaigning even not on the trail. on christmas eve donald trump was busy on social media. in between church and spending time with family he called out journalist for what he called bad reporting as reports came out the department of homeland

security is preparing deportation rates donald trump tweeted wow, because of the pressure for me, a large deportation report. it is about time. bernie sanders spent the day talking about the issues and hardly talked about the holiday. he quoted our nation has been a refuge for the oppressed and we need to take steps to protect children and families not cast them out. and mark rubio had a heavier holiday message. in an opt-ed in the washington post rubio said christians across the globe are being killed and persecuted and the united states isn't doing enough to help saying this year more americans should go into the the advent center with a sense of weight knowing the bloodshed erupting where jesus was born and this is especially true in

the middle east. some books that existed since the book of acts are on the brink of ruin over there he said. the next gop debate is less than two weeks away. january 14th on fox business network. >> america's tenor steve anderson is back and he will perform for us when we come back. >> first is a christmas message from someone serving overseas. >> just wanted to say hello and merry christmas to my family in michigan. happy new year and merry christmas. today people are coming out to the nation's capital to support an important cause that can change the way you live for years to come. how can you help? by giving a little more,

to yourself. i am running for my future. people sometimes forget to help themselves. the cause is retirement, and today thousands of people came to race for retirement and pledge to save an additional one percent of their income. if we all do that we can all win. prudential bring your challenges® it's gotten squarer. over the years. brighter. bigger. thinner. even curvier.

but what's next? for all binge watchers. movie geeks. sports freaks. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv.

>> welcome back. the ultimate christmas surprise this mom never saw coming. >> oh, my, god, shut up! shut up! >> shut up! glen robinson of the indiana

pacers buying his mom a brand new benz. and a soldier deployed in alaska comes home to oregon for the first time in nearly six months to give his girlfriend a gift she will never forget. and army private bill griffith getting on one knee to ask his girlfriend to marry him. the soon to be bride said she had no idea. >> it is christmas and here to serenade us is steve anderson. he has been traveling and performing for all ages and we are lucky to have him here for cheer. >> he is singing the title song from his newest album "thankful"

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>> to your friends at fox and friends, merry christmas. >> big hugs. watch the five. >> happy holidays, everyone. just kidding, merry christmas, fox and friends. >> thanks for making 2015 a great year. 2016 is supposed to bring a lot of fun so join us at 5:00 every day. >> i like eggs. >> he does. >> a lot.

>> merry christmas and we want to give a big shout out to staffers and their family. let's see your puppy. >> i have two dogs. they are unbelievable. i never thought i would love an animal like this. >> they are almost twins. >> they are brothers. they are rescue dogs and about nine months old. they peed in the living room on the wood floor in front of the christmas tree. >> i have three yorkies. >> next up, we have producer tammy miller, husband bill, and children samantha, chance and

lucas. >> and our writer with her sister and parents here. and producer stephanie freeman face timing with her family from florida. >> and director sean mcgunness with three children. and head writer kyle here with his mom and sister. >> and former massachusetts senator scott brown with his family this morning. i just he is hosting fox and friends -- >> he is on the couch with me tomorrow and hillary. >> all right. i like the bling. >> i want to say merry christmas to everyone. it was a great, great season. >> we'll hear more from you in the after the show show. we will be opening to up the

guest right now. >> this is from me to you. >> personal delivery from santa? doesn't get better than that. >> see you tomorrow. >> survivors are picking up the pieces and counting their blessings across the south after devastating tornados tore three several states. as of now, christmas morning, 14 people are confirmed dead in mississippi, tennessee, and arkansas. good morning to you. >> kevin: tha-- thanks for join us. abby: merry christmas. i am abby huntsman. many survivors say it is a miracle they alive. one tornado damaged over a