this is kpix5 news on kbcw. >> an un expected christmas present for a grieving family. the gift that brings back a special memory of their lost little girl. >> someone is peeking at the presents and it's not the kids. the warning from one bay area police department after a rash of holiday burglaries. >> it's christmas eve, there's still time for a miracle. >> the ruling today that left them with heart ache. >> i'm allen martin. a coldhearted grinch stole some nomes with a very special meaning to a concord family. now those nomes are back just in time for christmas. kristen ayers with a happy holiday ending for one family in one neighborhood.

>> reporter: maybe it's the sign they left in their yard. either way, they got their christmas wish to get those nomes back just in the nick of time. christmas eve and people are coming from all over to see the concord home that the man known as mr. christmas lights up every year. >> it's cool and very bright. >> it's beautiful and it's very pretty. >> i have never seen any kind of light like this in my life. >> while all eyes are focused here, a true wrist mas miracle is unfolding at the house across the street. the one with no lights. >> i call it a miracle. >> look closely, the miracle frank is talking about, the only decorations on the lawn. a couple nomes that mean the world to him and his wife. carolyn died in a motorcycle accident two years ago and they

put the nomes on their lawn as a tribute. but right after halloween, a grinch made off with them. >> i really didn't think they would come back. >> still, he put up this sign asking thief to return them. >> there sat the nomes and i couldn't believe it. you know, i mean i know miracles happen, but it was happening to me. >> it seems the crooks conscious kicked in. >> i would like to say thank you to whoever brought them back, because they mean so much to us. >> they brought the nomes indoors tonight and gave them a new home. safe on the fireplace. outside, they replaced the sign with this one, thank you, our faith in humanity is restored. now we spoke to the couple a few weeks back about whether they would have any hard feelings toward the people if they return them back. they absolutely would not. they are happy tonight to have

those keepsakes back. reporting live, kpix5. >> new details tonight about a rash of autothefts in fremont. six toyota, and a mercedes taken right off three dealership lots in a little more than a week. at least three of the toyotas have been recovered. police will be looking at surveillance video to identify the thieves. >> a community is saving christmas tonight for a union city family burned out of their home. chopper 5 captured the aftermath of the fire yesterday. what you can't see is the damage inside. the fire destroyed everything, including all the christmas gifts. the alameda county fire department decided it needed to come to the rescue. >> especially when we have a traumatic event. we're trying to put smiles on faces for christmas. >> no one was hurt. >> police say some thieves acted like real life grinches in san jose, creeping through

multiple homes in a single night. how the suspects allegedly got inside and what residents are doing now to prevent anymore break ins. >> i was here asleep in this bed. >> scott had no idea he was just a few feet away from some christmas-time crooks when they ransacked his west san jose home and stole presents from others in the middle of the night last week. >> i was lucky. i'm sure if i would have woken up, i would be scared to death. >> they stole a clock, two watches, and cuff links that police later recovered. and tonight they broke into six houses on the 2,000 block. police say the victims were sound asleep. the thieves came in through the window, the garage, or right through an unlocked front door. >> i make sure i lock my front door. that evening, taking cold medicine. i sat on my couch. i had taken cold medicine, i passed out. woke up, said oh, it's time to go to bed. >> saw two suspicious people

in the backyard and called 911. the pair didn't get far with the stolen christmas presents and valuables. police found their car nearby with most of the goods inside. >> one of my first points of confusion is the fact they picked this neighborhood to do it. because it's mostly a working class neighborhood, not a bunch of jewelry, artwork, easy money to take. >> whatever the reason, a few neighbors have since installed alarm systems. others are mindful of what they put under the tree. >> betty in san jose tonight. procrastinators may be scrambling to get last minute gifts, but won't be enough to salvage this holiday season. retail sales fell in stores. however, they did take off on the internet. in store sales are down 3.7% from a year ago. online, they are up 37%. but tonight, it was a bit late to do any holiday shopping, but patrick found a few who at least tried.

>> it was the night before christmas. wait, where is everyone? >> i thought, i'll come out on crust mas christmas eve. >> this is the one shopping day, specifically for guys, do you agree? >> i agree 100%. when they invented guys, this day showed up. >> every store at the broadway plaza was closed. but that didn't deter a few last minute hopefuls. chris calhoun admitted he waited. >> yes. got busted, but you know what? everybody should be happy with everything. >> these two found themselves almost out of luck, but were quick with another option. >> money. gift cards. >> that's right. >> we are not empty handed. >> oh no. >> that's correct. >> i soon found out that procrastination isn't strictly for men. these late comers came home with long stories. >> our husbands don't know we haven't bought them a thing yet. >> go to safeway, quick.

>> the most important lesson was that it's the thought that counts. and being with loved ones on the hole dais is the best gift of all. >> merry christmas. >> if you didn't make it on time, rest assured, the stores will be open again. then, you can say, i meant to do that. reporting from walnut creek, kpix5. >> well, the malls were not the only spots crowded with frantic shoppers. grocery stores also packed with people picking up the last minute items for the christmas feet. whole foods dealing with double its usual business and the hottest item you saw there was crab. new at 10:00, some of santa's helpers are working all night to collect toys for needy children. the 13th annual christmas eve toy drive continues at this hour. carolers and snow machines are setting the mood as volunteers attempt to collect 10,000 toys.

we give them to the fire department. the firefighters toy program to distribute and we also have partnerships with the san francisco police department and the pal and other organizations that we can get these toys out to all the kids. >> the toy drive started at 5:00 this morning and will last until 2:00 a.m. on christmas day. checking bay area headlines, that puppy that was rescued in san francisco sparked dozens of offers from adoption. three month old, gem, went down the conveyer belt. gem will be nursed back to health. a violent crash that sent a man to the hospital. witnesses say a pontiac gto and mitsubishi were speeding down this morning when a third vehicle pulled into their path. the gto went into the house

causing major structural damage. the driver of that car suffered minor injuries. no one in the home was hurt. >> san jose police looking for help in their investigation of this incident. it was last easter, a man drove his car into a wal-mart store, then started attacking customers. the driver was arrested. police released the surveillance video today in hopes of identifying witnesses and victims. >> an oakland family is spending this christmas eve at their daughter's bedside while they pray for a miracle. today a judge ruled jahi can be ruled from life support. more than two weeks after suffering complications from a tonsillectomy. >> she meets all the criteria for brain death. >> the two pediatric neurologists testified they did extensive tests. >> and what did you see in reviewing the eeg for jahi?

>> there was no brain activity. >> and both concluded 13-year- old, jahi did not have any clinical signs of life, according to scientific criteria. the judge ruled against jahi's family while he did not say the hospital should pull the plug. what he did say is give until december 30 at 5:00 p.m. for the family to decide what to do. after that, barring an appeal, the hospital would be allowed to remove jahi from life support. >> our sincere hope is that the family, between now and december 30, finds peace and comes to grips with the judge's decision and reaches the conclusion that jahi is deceased and the family are able to cooperatively take steps before then. >> with the decision, it's heartbreaking to hear that, of course, but our faith is still strong. it's christmas eve, there's still time for a miracle. we haven't given up.

it's just a judge ruling. >> will they appeal the judge's ruling? jahi's family needs time to think about it, and they have a message for other families. >> for everybody, love your children with all your heart. if you haven't told them today that you love them, go home right now, call them. call them on the phone. tell them how much they mean to you and how much you love them. >> make sure you hold them a little bit tighter. >> and jahi's family will spend this christmas by her side praying a z they decide what to do next. in the newsroom, joe vasquez, kpix5. >> what went wrong with the surgery remains under investigation. >> something old, something new, and the pope's first christmas. the first of its kind in counter at the vatican. >> finishing up critical repairs. the work before the international space station that included international cooperation. >> and rewarded for his

honesty, the good deed by a los angeles cab by that defies that sin city reputation. we all know it's christmas eve. didn't feel like christmas eve outside. we had lots of 70s out there today. including livermore at 70. and i just changed the forecast for tomorrow making it warmer. wait until you see the numbers coming up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

bethlehem for midnight mass. they filled thousands of christians from around the world gathered in bethlehem for midnight mass. the church stands on the site where christians believe jesus was born. the turnout in beth bethlehem was the highest it's been in years and also huge crowds where alfonso says worshipers flocked to hear the prayers of the new pope. >> pope francis walked up the main aisle of st. peters basilica and greeted with a sea of smart phones. hundreds tried to capture an image during his first christmas eve mass. the pontiff may be a celebrity, but his emphasis remains at the place of the poor. he noted jesus' humble

beginnings. you are rich and you made yourself poor. >> this christmas eve provides another first for the church. having two popes living in the vatican at the same time on the holy day. he visited with benedict resigned in february. people have come from around the world to be part of francis' first christmas. those that couldn't get inside the basilica have gathered here. boston resident brought her daughter here. >> what he believes in and the barriers he is breaking is just something i want to believe in again. >> pope francis built a reputation for doing things his own way, such as riding in a simple car or being more accessible, but this christmas eve, the catholic church's newest pontiff kept with the traditions carried out for hundreds of years. at the vatican, kpix5. >> large crowds are expected tomorrow as well when the pope

delivers his christmas message from the central balcony overlooking st. peter's square. >> if you are wrapping presents, take note, no rest for the weary. even in space. tara says astronauts were busy making more emergency repairs to the international space station. >> two american astronauts completed their christmas eve mission. floating out into space to fix the international space station cooling system. >> you said you got yourself a new purpose module. >> the astronauts spent more than seven hours outside the station installing a new ammonia pump. this was their second space walk in four days. the astronauts removed the faulty pump saturday after one of the space station's cooling line shut down. the crew was not at risk, but the astronauts had to turn off all nonessential equipment, including experiments. the work to install the new pump was scheduled for monday, but delayed after he

accidentally got water in his suit at the end of saturday's walk. he needed time to assemble a new suit. >> they have to work. this is an extremely hostile environment and obviously, you want a space suit that is in good shape for that. >> the astronauts didn't encounter any major problems. requiring decontamination as they reentered the station. >> merry christmas to everybody. it took a couple to get her done, but we got it. >> the christmas eve mission was an international effort. a japanese astronaut and russian cosmonaut helped americans complete the walk. tara for cbs news. >> this is the second christmas eve space walk in nasa huesly. the first one happened four years ago when astronauts repaired the hobble telescope. >> nasa, but also norad is busy tonight. they are tracking santa's progress around the world tonight delivering presents to

all those good girls and boys. children in places like australia are ripping open those packages. right now, he's in mexico. so, boys and girls go to bed, he's getting close. if you'd like to see where santa is for yourself, go to norad -- santa.org. >> he is making good time, as usual. >> and, weather could not be more perfect for everybody outside. clear skies are helpful. we don't want fog. rudolph is still necessary. >> rudolph can do his thing. he looks good in front. all right, here's a peek outside. here's what we have going on. clear night, it will be chilly tomorrow morning. i know were were talking about 70s during the day, but that's because of dry air. cools off quickly at night. beautiful shot from our rooftop toward the bay bridge and san francisco bay looking glorious on a christmas eve evening. earlier today, folks were out and about enjoying the day before the big holiday.

maybe wrapping up some shopping. walking the dog and enjoying the beautiful tree. a great week to be in the city. so much energy in the city this time of year and the weather has cooperated. christmas morning tomorrow, the kids tearing through the presents. you might as well know the temperature outside when you get up. san rafael 39 degrees. fremont 39. oakland, you'll start off the day at 33. you will double that tomorrow. you're going to be up near 70 degrees. bad air quality tomorrow. the south bay will be very unhealthy. that could be a problem towards san jose. watch for another spare the air day. the dry weather, the warm weather, and the smog is all because of this, the big ridge of high pressure. it's been here for a long time. we've been talking about this since mid august. nine days out of ten, we had this off to the west. the weather you had today, you will get again tomorrow and the next day and the next day.

high pressure ridge not moving. the high is not moving. as a matter of fact, tomorrow is warmer. rough surf at area beaches tomorrow. the bad air quality continues. the sunny and dry weather. great stuff to get outside. we're looking at upper 60s tomorrow. san jose, close to 70 degrees. union city 67. how about upper 60s for walnut creek, 66 for san francisco. san rafael and kent field, warm tomorrow. 66 degrees. cool off a couple degrees, but stay into the mid and upper 60s. we are staying dry and through the end of the year, not a drop of rain. it's all about the sunshine. so let's enjoy it. >> it will change eventually. >> we need the rain. but we will enjoy it while it's pretty. >> from the ballpark to the police station. 49er memory that some fans would rather forget. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

ended up with a reward for s honesty. taxi driver in las vegas made a surprising discovery, but ended up with a reward. gerardo stopped at the belagio. a valet handed him a brown paper bag that was left in the backseat. he peeked inside, found six bundles of hundred dollar bills. it was $300,000. he turned it in, police traced it to a poker player who gave him $1,000 for his honesty. >> quite a sendoff for candle stick. chopper 5 surveyed the mess left behind by tailgaters and

celebrating fans. the litter was quite the feast for sea gulls. also fair amount of damage inside from people trying to take home a piece of history. about 100 seats were broken and dozens of signs damaged. 30 people were arrested. >> forget soap operas, the raider season is turning into a reality show. how happy did last night's 49ers win make jim harbaugh? the answer next in sports. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

else could they possibly top last might not be a bad thing if the 49ers have to play on the road. how else could they top last night's finish at candle stick? bowman may have whipped on the on side kick, but he held on to the biggest interception to

clinch a playoff first and provided jim harbaugh with a birthday gift he'll never forget. >> i'll remember that until the day i die. i got to 50. i couldn't have had a better birthday present. right at the half way point, i'm shooting for 100. i got it right at the half way point. happier than a pig in slop. >> the mood isn't as festive in oakland thanks to a five- game losing streak. dennis allen responded who said allen is setting prior up to fail. >> i would say that's the stupidest thing i have ever heard. no coach in their right mind. this isn't the real housewives of beverly hills. this isn't made for tv drama. this is football. >> best sound bite ever by dennis allen in two years. >> great. >> didn't know he had it in

him. >> somebody in this household watches. has to. >> ought oh, santa is coming. >> go to bed. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

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