good morning, america. deadly tornadoes tearing through the south overnight. >> heading toward holly springs. >> at least seven people killed and many more injured as nearly two dozen reported twisters rip apart homes. powerful winds taking control of this tractor trailer flipping it. these twin tornadoes forming one massive twister. the roof ripped off this home, but somehow the christmas tree left standing. americans on alert this morning as millions travel for the holidays. big changes come to chipotle this morning after those outbreaks that sickened dozens of people across the country. what the restaurant chain is now doing to keep its food safe for your family. madonna in a fight to bring her son home for the holiday. the material girl in a custody battle over the teenager expressing herself in court asking a judge to force him to come home and why he may not be staying long. jingle bells jingle bell rock santa is already rocking

christmas deliveries. "jingle bells" heard overhead. we'll track st. nick around the world and he'll even be making a stop right here in times square this morning. jingle bell rock good morning, america. you saw it there, the big man already hard at work this morning. santa working to get those gifts delivered. >> defying the laws of physics as he does every year. thanks to norad we're watching his every move. this is the 60th year they're tracking st. nick. we'll stay on top of this developing story all morning and speaking of developing stories we have one of a more terrestrial variety. one of the busiest travel days of the year. airports and roads packed looking live at o'hare airport in chicago. long lines already this morning. be prepared to wait. >> absolutely. but we do want to begin with powerful storms. it will be a difficult christmas for many families in the south with severe weather devastating

reported tornadoes. there's a look at the destruction and abc's phillip mena starts us off in hard hit holly springs, mississippi. good morning, phillip. >> reporter: good morning, lara. yeah, just pure devastation here. take a look at what that massive tornado did to this home. the roof completely blown off. furniture everywhere including all over the front yard and take a look at that car. severely damaged. one of many homes across the region destroyed by deadly tornadoes. >> still coming right at us. >> it's a big tornado in front of us. >> reporter: tornadoes taking aim and tearing through mississippi. >> back it up. >> no, you ain't got time to turn around. >> reporter: this incredible image, winds taking control and sending this tractor trailer out of control. knocking the semi to its side. drivers terrified as the frontal clouds begin touching down. >> oh, wow.

>> watch as these two twisters become one massive tornado. at least 24 reported tornadoes touching down across six states. >> monster tornado heading toward holly springs. >> reporter: holly springs hit hard. >> it hit. they've already got emergency folks out here. >> reporter: parts of the down decimated. two dead including a 7-year-old boy. 15 sent to the hospital. more than 40 people across the state injured. this motor home picked up and tossed onto a building. in the town of clarksdale, families evacuating taking shelter with neighbors. >> we in it but we made it. >> reporter: their house torn to pieces. the roof ripped right off, but somehow their christmas tree still stands. back here in holly springs residents are waiting for daylight.

christmas eve assessing the true extent of the damage done to this town. dan. >> phillip, thank you. joining us now kelvin buck, the mayor of holly springs, mississippi. mr. mayor, good morning. >> good morning to you. >> we've got some video of the tornado bearing down on your small city. how bad is the damage as the sun starts to rise there? what are you seeing? >> i'm seeing devastation that i haven't seen. i've never been in a situation where a tornado has come this close and been this devastating to a community. i'm really getting my first look at some of the devastation this morning. i'm just not believing what i'm seeing. >> are we talking about neighborhoods where entire homes have been destroyed? >> we're talking about a community that's been devastated. homes that have been flattened. i mean, vehicles, i mean, i just -- it's really very difficult to describe. i mean, you can see these kinds of things on television but when

where people are in the community that you actually know and see the devastation that they are going through right now, it is pretty tough to see. >> i'm sure it is. we know you lost a 7-year-old boy and in a city of your size, i believe under 8,000 people total, what kind of impact does a loss like that have? >> it's very, very devastating. people here are very close. we know each other. we speak to each other. we ride around in the same community, walk around in the same community so when we have something this traumatic happen, whether it's a death like in the case of this young person or the devastation to the homes of all of these people right here on christmas eve, it's very, very hard to deal with, but, you know, we'll pull through. we ask that the people pray for our community and the people here. >> and on this christmas eve, do you believe that your city can recover.

we had an out. pouring of support from surrounding towns when they came in yesterday to kind of assist our emergency staff. we still have some more searching and work to do this morning as soon as daylight hits but we'll pull through this and we'll be just as strong as we've ever been. >> mr. mayor, we thank you for your time and all of us here are thinking about you and the members of your community and wishing you the happiest christmas possible under the circumstances. thank you again. >> thank you. thank you. >> great positive attitude. >> they have a lot of work in front of them. >> absolutely. we do want to get to rob. the severe weather not over this morning. rob, this seems very unusual for this time of year. >> it is this far north. tornadoes and tornado outbreaks during christmas week but typically further south. 24 reported tornadoes and even in illinois and indiana. only two reports of tornadoes in indiana in the last years. parts of georgia, even a couple we have a tornado watch posted for alabama and parts of georgia and even a couple of confirmed tornadoes around

all of this in response to some of that warmth pumping up the east coast. records you bet. we'll see dozens fall. 69 in boston. a record in new york city, near 707 and near 80 degrees in many, many spots and tomorrow for christmas day, yeah, a front comes through but it's not very strong. temperatures only cooling a few degrees so those wishing for a warm winter so far, guys, you got it. >> yeah. >> yes. >> i'll say. >> the weather ranging from dangerous to bizarre, thank you. let's talk holiday travel. you're looking live at the highway in miami already very slow going there. the roads and the airports will be absolutely packed today and for many, it's been messy. thousands of flights delayed or canceled on wednesday and dozens more already. alex perez has that story. alex, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, good morning, dan. check it out, the line here already snaking through the security checkpoint. if you're going to get on a plane today it will likely test your patience.

last-minute travelers. overnight rain and fog causing thousands of flight delays and cancellations. nearly twice as many as a normal day in the country's biggest hubs. chicago, atlanta, boston, new york and washington. >> the flight's delayed. >> delayed. >> madness. this is crazy. >> reporter: in northern california, one plane literally went nowhere circling for four hours after taking off before landing right at the very airport it took off from citing technical issues. >> nearly one in three americans will travel for christmas and new year's. >> reporter: across the board the airline industry expecting a 3% increase in travelers this holiday season. >> i think i've never seen a line like this is all my years coming to o'hare. >> reporter: airlines taking precautionary measures hoping to get you home on time shifting the time of flights, adding red eyes. some airlines like delta even breaking out bigger planes and some cities using planes that can hold nearly double the number of passengers than usual. >> i'm hoping i'm going to catch

>> reporter: it's not any easier on the roads. 90 million americans are set to travel by car until january 3rd. according to the traffic app waze, the best time to return, december 28th before noon. and back at the airport, talked by phone with someone that made it on the other side and said it took them 55 minutes to get through the security line. all i can say if you're headed to the airports, just be ready. lara, dan. >> they say traveling on christmas is a good way to go. i've done it in the past. seamless. >> it would make sense. today alex said best, patience. namaste. you'll be 10% happier. >> thank you. we turn to the race for the white house. hard charging ted cruz defending his family this morning. cruz who has been gaining ground on donald trump in the polls is angry over a political cartoon featuring his daughters. this as donald trump intensifies his attacks on hillary clinton. tom llamas is in today for amy also covering the campaigns for

>> good morning, this is a big story. now "the washington post" has taken down that political cartoon from their website that targeted senator ted cruz's young children. the paper saying it has a policy to leave children out of editorial cartoons but the personal attack on his family may help cruz now fund-raising off this incident while some of his rivals come to his defense. senator ted cruz taking on a major newspaper saying it crossed the line for cheap laughs. cruz outraged "the washington post" ran this cartoon depicting his two young daughters as toy monkeys attached to his presidential campaign after the 5 and 7-year-old appeared in a christmas themed campaign ad on television. >> the grinch who lost her e-mails. >> i know just what i'll do, she said with a snicker, i'll use my own server and no one will be the wiser. >> reporter: several gop candidates quickly came to the senator's defense. in a tweet marco rubio called the cartoon disgusting.

but making fun of my girls, that'll do it. i mean, all of us learned in kindergarten, don't hit little girls. it's not complicated, don't make fun of a 5-year-old girl and a 7-year-old girl. >> reporter: donald trump telling fox news the cartoon was inappropriate. >> i mean it's one thing to talk about your children, but it's another thing the way they were depicted. i won't even mention how they were depicted but these are two beautiful children and you just can't do that. >> reporter: jeb bush saying this in an interview. >> this is off-limits and ted cruz was absolutely right to be outraged. >> reporter: cruz even extending the message of shielding kids from the press across party lines. >> don't mess with our kids. don't mess with my kids, marco's kids, hillary's kids, anybody's kids. >> reporter: donald trump and hillary clinton continue to clash on twitter. the republican front-runner tweeting this warning after clinton said trump is known for having a penchant for sexism in

hillary, when you complain about a pchl. >> mark: nchant for sexism, who are you referring to, i have great respect for women. be careful. and donald trump has shown the power of social media. he's even sending out some of his christmas cards via twitter and facebook. here it is, the donald trump christmas card, merry christmas and happy holidays of we are together going to make america great again. thumbs up from donald trump. >> thumbs up. >> thank you. big changes at chipotle. they announced new steps to keep its food safe after those recent outbreaks got dozens of people sick across america. abc's kendis gibson is on the story. >> reporter: this morning, changes are coming to fast food chain chipotle just days after the cdc began investigating a second outbreak of e. coli affecting customers in three states. the burrito giant with more than 1900 locations announcing overnight over the next few weeks it'll start adjusting the way it cooks and prepares ingredients including submerging onions in boiling water before they're chopped and covering with lemon or lime juice to kill

chopping tomatoes and cilantro in central locations. testing meat before shipping it to stores and marinating raw chicken in plastic bags rather than open bowls. chipotle telling abc news overnight with all of these program components in place we will be able to reduce the risk of contamination within our system to a level near zero. >> i do think some consumers are questioning if this is the best to do it, why was this not in place beforehand. >> reporter: they're coming as they're struggling to regain customer trust after two outbreaks of e. coli sickened people in several states and 140 college students sickened with norovirus after eating at a restaurant in chipotle. >> no closure until the customer feels they know what happened, this i've isolated it and figured it out and made the necessary changes i think this will remain a risk for this

>> reporter: that boston location where the nearly 140 people got sick with norovirus earlier this month finally cleared by inspectors and expected to re-open today. all of this having a major impact on chipotle's sales and stock prices both down double digits. lara. >> thank you. now turning to a massive hacking case targeting big name celebrities. a man charged with stealing personal information and trying to sell it. t.j. holmes has the story. good morning. >> think about the stuff in your e-mail accounts right now. the people you talk to. the things you say to them. if somebody steals our e-mail maybe nobody wants to pay for what's in our accounts but there was a guy, one guy in the bahamas with a computer stealing celebrity information and e-mail accounts and he was being pretty confident there was going to be a market out there and people willing to pay for the information he was stealing. this could have been a holiday disaster for a host of red carpet regulars. and entertainment industry folks. a new hacking case that could

information, scripts and even a sex tape. >> it was apparent to us from our initial contact with mr. knowles he had a great deal of sensitive information. >> reporter: federal authorities charged alanzo knowles with stealing private information from 130 people including three nba players, one nfl player and rapper 50 cent. >> it was our goal to include this as quickly as possible. >> reporter: an undercover operation according to authorities exposed knowles was trying to sell information for thousands of dollars. >> the question is, what are you going to make of yourself. >> reporter: including six scripts for 50 cent's show on the starz network "power," 30 unreleased tracks, five unpublished movie and tv script, even social security numbers and, yes, sex tapes. federal authorities acted quickly after last year's sony's hack released information daily embarrassing studio executive

jennifer lawrence, george clooney and angelina jolie including e-mails, associate security numbers and salary information. >> the government was able to shut it down before devastating damage was done. it could have been a very, very, very serious hack. >> in some cases we've seen they use tricks and hack into accounts and some of these cases he just tricked the celebrities into giving up their passwords, their e-mail accounts by texting them and they believed they were talking to someone legitimate. just always be careful. >> always be careful. thank you. high altitude survival story involves two hikers who got stuck in a massive snowstorm in the wilderness. rescue teams working furiously to save them. here's abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: this morning two hikers are finally safe after a harrowing night trapped by a monumental blizzard. >> it started snowing harder and harder. >> reporter: jesse hines and

pass in washington monday night but when they woke up tuesday morning, they were surrounded by over six feet of fresh powder with only a day's worth of food and no snowshoes they knew they had to call for help. >> it was up to his chest and he got a shovel and he was digging his way through. we both kind of just knew, all right, this is as far as we can go. >> reporter: rescue teams saying they worked for nearly eight hours making the dangerous mile and a half trek to the campsite, some on snowmobiles. >> the mountain is not in a condition where people should be doing anything back country at this time. if you do get in trouble we may not be able to send people in there. >> reporter: the same area where snowy conditions forced rescue teams to call off a search tuesday for a missing skier, but finally the two were rescued emerging cold, tired but unharmed. >> i don't know what we would have done. honestly i didn't want to think what we would have done if we didn't have cell coverage. >> reporter: clayton sandell, abc news, denver. >> this is why i prefer the couch, ladies and gentlemen.

we heard about tornadoes. more extreme weather across the country this morning including flood watches in the east and the south. rob has that. >> going to be difficult driving across i-85, i-81. i-95, as well. flash flood watches across northern georgia in through the carolinas. even washington, d.c. where you could see a couple of inches of rainfall this morning and through the afternoon as this moisture gets into the northeast, another system coming our way saturday could dump seven inches or more across the arklatex region so watch out for

saturday and sunday.a weak wave of low pressure will drift up and across iowa today. it may generate a few hours worth of rain or snow showers on us this afternoon, especially the farther north you go. highs should remain in the 30s. christmas day will be quiet across iowa with the potential for 40-degree highs. our next storm system arrives this weekend with temperatures generally in the 40s again on saturday, and a cold round of rain possible. we'll be cooler and drier for sunday. >> time to talk about the rain. it's christmas, we'll talk about snow in the next half hour. >> we'll talk about that and we do have so much more coming up including madonna's tight to bring her son home for christmas. the superstar's legal battle with her ex and the teen himself. they just want to have a nice holiday. nancy grace will weigh in. plastic presents. gift cards the secrets to

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first. the team's gear is already in california, the team's trailer left last week. the online prices for the rose bowl have significantly decreased on the secondary market in recent weeks. fans can buy upper end zone tickets starting at less than 150 dollars on stub-hub, down from roughly 500 dollars. and now here's your first alert forecast. two iowa soldiers were

welcome back to "gma." you're looking live at the hard hit town of holly springs, mississippi, devastated by that tornado outbreak across six states last night from alabama to illinois. nearly two dozen twisters blamed for at least seven deaths and they're getting a better look at the destruction this morning. also right now, several arrests during protests by the activist group black lives matter. the demonstration moved from the mall of america to the minneapolis/st. paul airport where officials said it caused a terminal to be shut down. christmastime is here again. thanks to the fab four. overnight music by the beatles becoming available for streaming online on nine service, an early gift for fans like dan. >> i'm a huge beatles fan. around the horn quickly, favorite song. >> "twist and shout." >> "let it be." >> "let it be." >> not a beatles guy. >> really? >> wah-wah.

beatles song. >> so young. >> i'm from memphis. i'm an elvis guy. >> fair enough. "dear prudence" just for the record. >> gifts just keep coming. norad santa tracker. that is it the man of the hour flying near the solomon islands right now, already he has delivered hundreds of millions of gifts this morning. we understand in a breaking news report. santa, don't forget my house. >> he won't. we also have the gift of music. it's not the beatles, don't worry, it's the new york city's children's chorus singing "jingle bells" for us. they'll perform for us all morning. >> they sound great but we do want to begin with madonna locked in a custody battle this morning. the pop star fighting in court with her ex-husband guy ritchie getting a court record to force their 15-year-old son rocco to come home for the holidays with her. linzie janis has the story. >> reporter: overnight madonna expressing herself in a new york

enforce the return of her teenage son from london where he's been visiting her ex-husband "sherlock" director guy ritchie. 15-year-old rocco who they share custody of reportedly doesn't want to live with his mom preferring to stay with his dad in the uk. but manhattan judge deborah kaplan granted madonna's request. the megastar seen leaving court wednesday. the judge ordering rocco to return to the u.s. the teen will reportedly get his own court appointed attorney allowing him to make a request to live with his father if he still wants to. >> reporter: the queen of pop who's in the middle of her rebel heart world tour reportedly just spent thanksgiving in barcelona with rocco and 10-year-old son david whom she adopted with ritchie in 2006. madonna and ritchie divorced back in 2008 ending their seven-year marriage. ritchie since remarrying model

three children. ritchie was not in court but his attorney according to "the daily news" telling the judge rocco does not want to return to new york. abc news has reached out to both madonna and ritchie, neither has responded. >> reporter: for "good morning america," linzie janis, abc news, new york. >> all right, thank you. we want to get more with nancy grace host of "nancy grace" on hln. good morning to you, nancy. this does not sound like a merry christmas for anyone involved. what do you make of this case? >> well, you know, it's easy to take pot shots at madonna. everybody wants to bring up her sex book, but news flash, that was back in the '90s before she had children. everyone wants to suggest she's a bad mother. but this may be a case of a 15-year-old boy rebelling against living with a controlling mother. but what 15-year-old boy doesn't think his mother is controlling? now, granted, apparently he's tired of touring with madonna.

heart" and toured with her years ago. he may be sick of that. for all i know, he's got a girlfriend in london. if this is not hammered out between the parents this could go all the way to an international court at the hague. >> nancy, for now the court sided with madonna. will this impact the custody in the big picture? >> i don't think it will impact the custody in the big picture and many people function under the myth there is a magical age at which the child, a minor, under the age of 18 can pick to live with one parent or the other. that is not necessarily true. at age 16 in most jurisdictions you can be emancipated. you know think about macaulay culkin, an example but the court very rarely lets a child choose who they're going to live with. they take into account what is the best interest of the child,

ritchie has more of a stable domestic life, but we don't know that. we'll find out as it unfolds. there will be a court hearing on february the 3rd and the court for now that's justice deborah kaplan has told the boy he must return home and talk to madonna face-to-face. if he has any hope of ever living with his father. >> yeah, all right. nancy, i hope for their sake they think about that he's still a little boy. >> don't judge madonna on her sex book, okay. >> no, agreed. that's a great final point. nancy grace, we thank you. dan. >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas. >> i agree. great final point. let's switch gears a little bit here with so many people rushing to the stores today, the atms of america will be humming with activity dispensing cash for last-minute gifts but this morning we're getting a glimpse of what could be the future. new technology that would render your atm card a relic. abc's gio benitez is here with more. good morning.

you really won't believe your eyes or maybe i should say you won't believe what your eyes can do and that's because your cornea may become your next debit card. >> agent confirmed. >> reporter: it's like a scene out of "mission: impossible" but biometrics are no longer the future. they're here. citi bank giving us a look where they're in the early stages of testing this high-tech atm that uses your eye, not a card, to verify your identity. >> we are always looking for innovations that will bring simplicity to your life. >> reporter: diebold, the maker shows us how it works. >> please present your eyes. >> okay. this is very 007. first, you must register your eyes. then you simply schedule transactions through a mobile banking app. >> let's say you wanted $60 and you'd say, okay. >> reporter: when you arrive at the atm. >> just identify yourself, get

there's no more card, no more pin. no more paper receipt. >> reporter: when it comes to cardless atms bane of america is also testing them and jpmorgan says it already plans to roll some out in late 2016. >> use your fingerprint and enter your p.i.n. >> reporter: citibank says it makes your bank account even more secure. >> the iris scan is the second most reliable marker in your body behind the dna. >> reporter: it may seem silly but when they're thinking of that they're thinking of grabbing an eyeball and putting it in front of a machine. that can't happen here? >> that cannot happen. no pictures, no videos. >> no eyeballs. cybersecurity experts agree. >> it'll add security by providing a level of uniqueness that just doesn't exist with simple passwords. >> reporter: but the electronic frontier foundation says there still could be vulnerability if an unauthorized person is able to hack into a system where your biometrics are stored. again, this technology is not out yet.

citibank says it's important they get it right before it launches. in fact they don't even know yet when it's going to be released but i kind of want it now. it's pretty cool. >> unbelievable bit of technology. >> yeah. >> gio, thank you so much. we want to say we have so much more coming up, correct? >> atm cards, the secrets on how to get the best deal on those popular plastic presents. the ultimate christmas surprise. this woman's family gave her a life-changing gift. wait until you see what it was.

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back now with some help, for all of the shopping procrastinators gift cards are the most popular gift this time of year and mara schiavocampo is at walgreens to tell us how to get the best deals on them. good morning, mara. >> reporter: lara, good morning. holiday shoppers are expected to spend $26 billion on gift cards

love, right, they're easy to buy, easy to use, but it turns out there are some ways to make them even more lovable and get the most bang for your buck. gift cards have become as much of a christmas tradition as eggnog and lit-up decorations. those little plastic presents the number one most requested holiday gift for nine years running. >> if you don't know what to get somebody who has everything. >> if you feel awkward about giving them money or buying a present you know they'll return. >> reporter: with millions of americans still not done with their holiday shopping, a quick trip to that rack of cards seems like the perfect solution. but how can you make sure you don't wrap up a bad deal? >> there's been a lot of confusion about whether cards lose their value over time and it's important that consumers read the kind of fine print. >> reporter: our experts say rule number one is watch out for fees. >> some cards that have a reloading fee. there could be an inactivity fee. >> reporter: rule number two, look for discounts. restaurants like outback and

cards when you buy a $50 card. >> reporter: some retailers will do if you buy one gift card you can get a percentage off another one. >> reporter: or cash in on discounts when you buy the online only e-gift cards. amazon.com will give you up to 20% off cards for shoes, movie tickets or even an oil change. but to really save, go to rule number three, get the card for free. at target, iphones, apple watches and ipads come with a free gift card worth up to $200. best buy throwing in $20 for fitness trackers and $25 for coffeemakers. most of all make sure the cards don't go to waste. starbucks expects to shatter records for its cards selling 1700 cards every minute to

now, one thing to watch out for, these cards are very alluring to scammers too so when you're buying one make sure you check for any signs of tampering especially along the back and, lara, since it's never too late i was going to pick up some for you so maybe we could go to the movies together. >> i would love to. thanks for the great tips. now coming up on "good morning america," talk about excited, this mom thought her gift was her military son coming home for the holidays. that would have been great, right? but she got an even bigger

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( ) just head around the corner to walgreens when you're searching for that perfect little something. walgreens has great gifts like toys, beauty gift sets, and photo gifts, and it's all just a hop, skip, and a bark away.

we have a really cool holiday surprise. a mom thought she knew what she was getting for christmas, but, man, she was wrong and in the best possible way. >> it's impossible to oversell this story in all seriousness i want everybody to sit back and take it in. the lady's name is eva. you see the video, kids come home and surprise their parents for christmas. that's one thing, yes, son came home but he brought someone with him. you all sit back and enjoy this. >> huh?

oh, my god. >> wait for it. wait for it. wait for it. >> i've been dreaming that it was a girl. >> oh. >> wait for the baby. >> oh! >> oh. >> all right. >> wow. >> let me explain. >> yes, please. the son and his wife, they adopted the baby girl and they kept it because things can go wrong in an adoption and didn't want to tell anyone until they knew for sure and they said it's not something you can tell over the phone or e-mail. we had to go there and that's the result. she just found out she's a grandmother. >> congratulations. that is a christmas gift. all right, so much more coming

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their extraordinary acts of former specialist brian swedberg led a six-man team through an ambush, eventually a separate incident, former sergeant justin schmitt led fellow soldiers through enemy to retreat three times. those stories earned both men the army commendation medal of valor. army officials awarded the medal to the men in front of family and friends at a ceremony in waterloo. puppies that almost didn't make it have new homes today. the dubuque regional humane society took in an injured dog named avery in october. avery had a lot of serious injuries after someone attacked her. she was also pregnant, and then gave birth to her litter of puppies. the humane society put all ten of those puppies up for adoption yesterday. and people who wanted to take them home lined up outside before the doors even opened. the puppies were a big hit on social media, and that's why some people showed up hours in advance to get their picks of the litter.

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good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. and the driver who crashed into tracy morgan's limo now charged with manslaughter. the walmart employee facing more than a decade in prison. coming to town home for the holidays. severe weather affecting millions of travelers snarling highways and delaying flights. what you will face as you make your way home just in time for christmas. it's the final countdown the clock is ticking. just 15 hours until it's time to gather around the tree. but there's still time to get massive bargains on gifts. we have the last-minute deals to help you save. all i want for christmas is you and as we tart to celebrate the merryiest time of the year we'll take a look back at all the amazing moments that made this "gma's" best year ever as

>> all: good morning, america! >> ho, ho, ho. and heaven and -- >> there's the chorus singing christmas carols and saw the man himself. that is the official macy's santa stopping off here in times square before getting back in his sleigh for some epic deliveries. >> the chorus. this is the new york city children's chorus, great to have them here demonstrating that it is possible to sing well with a scarf on. so much to get to on this christmas eve, we have some last, last-minute deals to gifts you can still get before the big day. >> these deals are making me think it pays to be a procrastinator. if it means family, feasting, how you can eat well and eat right. there he is, dave zinczenko has surprises for us in the gift boxes. >> right here. >> can't wait to see what is in here.

on the holidays i stuff myself sick. >> that's what it's about. >> cookie crumbs on my face. a bad look. morning rundown. >> the big story this morning, the death toll rising after a tornado outbreak across the south. violent storms spawning nearly two dozen twisters killing at least seven people in mississippi, tennessee and arkansas. reducing dozens of homes to that right there, rubble. a monster twister in holiday springs, mississippi, killed a 7-year-old boy riding in a car with his family. the winds were strong enough to toss this tractor trailer on its side and today more torrential rains are expected from atlanta to north carolina. and the south isn't the only part of the country facing travel delays this christmas eve. abc's alex perez is at chicago's o'hare airport. alex, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, tom. it has been pretty much nonstop. take a look at the mess behind me. the line is snaking through the security checkpoints.

them about 55 minutes to get to the other side. now, mother nature creating problems across the country. overnight, rain and fog causing thousands of flight cancellations and delays, nearly twice as many as you would see on a regular day. more than 38 million people are expected to fly this holiday season and more than 3.5 million of them will pass right here through o'hare. if you're headed to an airport today, you better be ready for some frustration. tom. >> that's right. all right, alex, thank you very much. the homeland security department is reportedly planning a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants from central america. "the washington post" reports as soon as next month, federal agents are planning to carry out raids targeting hundreds of families who have ignored orders from an immigration judge to leave the country. in politics now donald trump firing back at hillary clinton in a series of new tweets, trump warns clinton, quote, be careful, hillary, as you play the war on women card in response to clinton saying she

of trump's campaign, trump said, quote, i deplore the death and destruction she caused. and check your credit card statement carefully if you stayed at a hyatt hotel recently. hyatt is the latest to report a braep of its payment processing system by hackers. no word yet how many hotels have been affected. a walmart truck driver has been indicted in last year's crash that injured comedian tracy morgan and killed morgan's friend. the charges include aggravated manslaughter and investigators say he had not slept, for get this, 28 hours and was still driving. a terrifying keen when this helicopter carrying tourists ss lurched off the ground while landing. all seven people on board were okay. alec baldwin is back in the headlines, this time, guys, it's for something good. he and his wife rushed to help a man after he fell unconscious hitting his head on the sidewalk.

comforted the man placing their child's blanket under his head. a live holiday nativity scene, a goat decided the manger looked pretty comfy so hopped right inside it. everyone burst out laughing. even the actors. luckily baby jesus wasn't occupying the manger yet. i don't remember the goat in the story. the goat last night at least stole the show. >> thank you so much. over to t.j. >> i'm relieved to hear that baby jesus is okay, guys. well, coming up on the "gma morning menu," yes, you can still get last-minute gifts, believe it or not. also a gift coming to us from dave zinczenko telling us that we can actually indulge and watch your waistline, whatever, man. tell me something he. all right. we got the 2015 "gma" year-ender coming up. you do not want to miss the best moments we've had this year and

man, the man himself, santa is here. we got the new york city's children's chorus. merry christmas from "gma." we're back in times square. stay with us. take a ride the challenges facing the country never stop. so neither does the u.s. army. we train. adapt. and get smarter. every soldier. every unit. every day. not to keep up with change; but to drive it. nobody knows what problems tomorrow will bring. but we do know who will solve them. this just in. the final countdown to christmas is here. wait what? gary, is this teleprompter right? sweet molasses! i need to start shopping immediately.

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i've been a very good girl. announcement: this storm promises to be the biggest of the decade. with total accumulation of up to three feet. roads will be shut down indefinitely. and schools are closed. campbell's soups go great with a cold and a nice red.

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 can i just say i know how george feels now.

>> works for me. welcome back to "gma" as we get ready to celebrate christmas and ring in the new year. we want to dell great a fantastic year here on "gma." it's our 40th and here's a look back at the biggest news and the biggest fun. >> good morning, america. >> good morning, america. >> good morning, america. >> good morning, america. >> good morning, america. >> oh. >> exclusive. >> exclusive. >> exclusive first look only on "gma." >> only on "gma." gloat a lot of fun to look forward to but like every morning for the last 40 years we'll start with news. >> breaking news. >> on the south lawn of the white house. >> dolby theatre. >> oregon. >> here in cuba. >> here is tehran. >> now to those attacks in paris and the hunt for the most wanted

>> in perfect french the man said you killed our brothers in syria and now we're here. >> the gunman walked in during the bible study and suddenly opened fire. >> this church is directly behind me. >> the naacp is holding a rally to get this confederate flag taken down. amazing grace >> california massacre. >> you can still see the vehicles, the cars left behind by all those employees who raced out of that building. >> i heard a lot of my colleagues running and stomping and crying. >> the huge field of presidential hopefuls. >> the american people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails. >> thank you. >> should corporate america love hillary clinton? >> everybody should. >> are you running for president? >> yes, i am running for president. >> but why you?

>> you suggested voters don't want an amateur hour. >> people want someone there to make these digs. >> donald trump. >> they're bringing drug, they're bringing crime. they're rapists and some i assume are good people. >> complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states. >> you're increasingly being compared to hitler. does that give you any pause at all. >> no, we are now at war. >> the war against isis. >> isis. >> the fight against isis. >> isis is gaining strength, aren't they? supply don't think they are gaining strength. we have contained them. >> the latest on jihadi john. >> believed to be dead. >> crisis in syria. >> millions have already been made refugees. >> the train attack thwarted by those american heros. >> here in paris. >> what was going through your mind. >> acting on adrenaline doing what we had to do to survive.

here in boston. >> we are getting blasted, indeed, the blizzard in full force. >> 10,000 people without power. >> i want to go straight into that tornado. >> look at the damage to this roof. >> the winds knocking over this truck weighing tons. >> miraculous stories of survival out of nepal. that massive earthquake. >> they didn't think anyone here was still alive and then this morning they heard a voice. >> bombshell developments in the deflategate. >> defleetgate. >> defleetgate scandal. >> coach, have you spoken to tom brady since the decision. >> i talk to the team every day. >> have you spoken to tom brady? >> i talk to the team every day. >> exclusive interview with hulk hogan. >> are you a racist? >> no, i'm not. i never should have said what i said. >> naacp leader under fire for pretending to be african-american. >> are you african-american? >> i don't -- i don't understand

>> the pope will be here in just a couple of hours. >> we are curious if you have a message before your visit to the united states. [ speaking a foreign language ] >> historic decision by the court on gay marriage. >> the county clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses. >> kim davis. >> is your boss god. >> the main authority that rules my life is the lord. >> bruce jenner's emotional roller coaster opening up. >> i am a woman. >> what if someday i could make a difference in the world. >> three brave women held captive for a decade in cleveland. >> share with us your emotions when you first realized it's over, i made it. >> this is it. i think we're free now. >> the team wins. we are team. >> yes! oh glory

>> i felt like we were paying honor to dr. king. >> jennifer aniston's top secret weding. >> how did you marriage to keep it a secret? >> where there is a will, there is a way. >> live on "gma's" 40 for 40 live stream event. baby you're perfect ooh i want the time of my life >> our marathon 40 for 40 celebration, the epic good morning america live stream. >> 40 years in 40 hours. >> unprecedented the access we've been given. >> a lot of big things. >> i've been up for almost 24 hours he and i'm getting delirious. i'm going to get loose tonight >> this was done for your anniversary, everybody. it took two days and two guys to pick this beautiful -- [ laughter ] >> nick watt has been on our 40 for 40 express. [ cheers and applause ] see you on the rebound broke up with the ex >> everyone you know and love

>> good morning, america. >> i'm here with weather royalty from "gma." >> the "gma" news anchors, come join me behind the desk here. >> happy -- >> happy -- >> good morning, america. happy birthday. i'm burning up pump me up that's how i'm feeling when you're next to me >> you're on right now. >> hello, am i on? i have no idea if i'm on or not. >> oh, sorry. for reading our notes here. >> i believe this is a 2015 -- >> honeycrisp. >> welch's. >> a baby. >> we're not allowed to do that. >> you can touch the baby. you are allowed. we're tight. you can come at me like this --

>> oh, auntie george -- auntie george? >> uncle george. will baby-sit. so sorry. >> marciano. >> robach gets a robach, strahan gets a strahan, i never get a stephanopoulos. >> i'm short on time. >> cover your ears, people. >> whoa! living on a prayer something in the way you move shake it down now shake it now watch me whip now watch me nae nae >> watch me nae nae. my amour la la la la la >> that is a drop the mike moment. >> quiet on the set! >> are you trying for birdman or

>> what is that wig? >> what did you say? i can't hear you. >> oh, ah. not my bun, these buns. >> i don't know how to drive this thing. >> chewie. >> monster mash dubsmash. >> taylor swift. >> the hulk. >> ed sheeran. >> cookie lyons. >> this cookie don't crumble. >> donald trump. >> your ratings will be huge! >> wake up. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning, america! >> good morning, america. i'm taking over "gma." >> good morning, america. >> hi, george. >> here we go. turning the tables. whoa, whoa, whoa. okay. >> crazy. >> look who is here.

>> i challenge you. >> oh, really? wa waagh. >> oooh. >> i've been hiding under that desk for three hours. >> what is he doing over here. >> be proud of his eyebrows. >> george, you have really good bone structure. why don't you do a look? >> i'd call that one grecian burn. >> i'll take it. go big or go >> here they are your world cup champs. >> please welcome team usa. so proud of you. so happy. you bring us all to tears. [ cheers and applause ] >> aaagh! go big or go home >> look at the water. here's a big one. >> whoo!

>> hungry hippos, the speed and timing. >> no hands, ginger. >> whoa! >> yay! i i did it all >> good morning, america. welcome. i'm standing on this colossal stalagmite, the jewel of the crown here in this cave. >> ginger will take us into the mouth of an erupting inging volcano with the help of a drone. >> look at this. we're just getting inside that crater. >> it is time for us to go above and beyond, to celebrate the unsung heroes, all across this great country. >> we got about a thousand folks here to honor you. i did it all >> oh! >> it's overwhelming. how do you put it into words?

>> the viral phenomenon "fight song" inspiring people all across the country. >> for these kids heroes and fathers are one in the same. who is that? >> that's my dad. >> that's your dad. >> richard, how are you? >> good. how are you, sir? >> i love you and i miss you. i hope you come back. >> i love you too, guys. >> in 2008 cheryl action jackson started a tiny food pantry for people in need in her hometown of plano, texas. >> aaagh. >> we want to bring home to your hometown, we're coming. we cannot wait to meet you. my fight song >> changing my life. >> a very special coach helped turn around a high school football team and a community. >> all these students have something they want to say to you.

>> going to disney world. >> ginger zee, how much we love you. especially because you'll do anything. >> anything. >> my most extreme adventure yet, motherhood. this is going to be the best day of my life my life [ cheers and applause ] just keep your eyes on me i said you're holding back she said shut up and dance with me this woman is my destiny she said ooh shut up and dance with me >> ooh. >> dance. >> this. >> that is one of the songs from the show too. that you listen to. >> is that the dancing? >> ooh.

dare look back just keep your eyes on me i said you're holding back she said shut up and dance with me this woman is my destiny she said ooh shut up and dance with me >> good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning, america. >> good morning, america. >> good morning, america. ooh shut up and dance >> roll 'em. [ cheers and applause ] >> wow. makes me terry. >> it's an incredible year. 40 years too. >> yeah, and -- >> it flies by. so much news. >> i just have to say our team, i mean, look at the production, the work that went into all those fun celebrations, those moments that we can dance about, that's the team behind the scenes. you guys rock. i'm so proud ofto be part of this family. >> the emotional stories are what get me when you reunite somebody. never a dry eye in the house.

t.j. dance, i'm always thrilled. >> you know, some of those things i forgot about. some of those things i wanted to forget about. the show had a baby this year. how do you top that? >> we'll try. 20% -- >> what a great team we have. i want to thank the amazing team that put that piece together, matt knox, amanda keegan, dan and saval, marcello, yu-jin kim and, rob, what do you got for us? >> i feel after that -- >> i think it's going to be huge! >> there we go. >> some flash flood watches across the southeast and tornado watches. slow moving front, the record-breaking east will pump up temperatures in the 70s, oh, my goodness. santa will have a hard time skidding on the rooftop. take the train because christmas is coming to the northern plains and rocky mountains where it will be white. >> you're busy.a weak wave of low pressure will drift up and

generate a few hours worth of rain or snow showers on us this afternoon, especially the farther north you go. highs should remain in the 30s. christmas day will be quiet across iowa with the potential for 40-degree highs. our next storm system arrives this weekend with temperatures generally in the 40s again on saturday, and a cold round of rain possible all right, are you ready? last-minute christmas deals you can get under the tree. there is still time.

>> procrastinators, unite.a meat processing plant in edgewood is recalling a beef product because of possible listeria contamination. edgewood locker has recalled more than 200 pounds of beef sticks with cheese. the plant packaged the product earlier this month - and customers may have purchased it at the plant or greenwood grocery in farley. the american civil liberties union is worried a new online voter registration system coming to iowa might leave some people out. some a-c-l-u members met with the voters rights commission yesterday to voice concerns with the new system. it will require people to have an iowa department of transportatio n i-d to register online to vote. but the a-c-l-u says about 150 thousand people in iowa don't have those i-ds. the group says people should be able to register by providing different identification. and now here's your first alert

that is the new york city children's chorus getting us in the spirit for christmas all morning. their record is called "simple gifts" available on amazon and itunes in case you need a last-minute present, t.j., rob and i don't need any help if we need last-minute presents because we have santa right here. we just raid the sleigh. >> we got the man. right now santa told me he's a little hot. it's 70 degrees in new york and the suit is still working for him. we'll be hanging out with santa with the folks for last-minute gifts, we turn to lara and tom for that. >> we have to find santa a pair of surfer shorts. 15 hours to go until christmas. tom is here to bail you out with the deepest discounts and last-second deals if you haven't gotten your shopping done yet,

>> no, i still have some big gifts to do after this broadcast. >> you'll use some of these tips? only some. >> some are really good. >> most people can. i've been talking to my sources in the retail world, got some amazing deals. the big board, the limited, right now, storewide you can't beat this, 50% to 60% the entire store. if you have teenagers, some at home may have teenagers, abercrombie & fitch, that store, 40% to 60% off the entire store, the models are not for sale, 40% to 60% off. game game boreworrybore gymboree, all their clothing is $14.99 and under. >> individual items, what do you say for today. >> lara spencer, do you have one dollar. >> i have one dollar.

best plan, get an iphone6s. you have to sign up for a plan. you work hard, you work long hours, doing the antique thing, you need a break. how about a recliner. i have a recliner for you. 50% off series recliner plus $50 off once you buy it. great deal, take a load off, lara. >> i agree. the first thing on my list was recliners so -- >> nothing says i love you or merry christmas like a hammer. lowe's, 45% off tools, screwdrivers, hammers, chisels, whatever you want, 45 bucks, bust out of jail, there you go. >> well, they are great gifts for both men and women and then christmas? >> you know, this is a tradition that goes back to the 19th century going back generations to cuba and spain, the white sale, linens, linens in january, you can get linens after christmas deals, spectacular, you can get all kinds of thing, twin beds, queen bed, king beds, everything you want. >> if this news thing doesn't

>> i'm auditioning for the shopping network. >> the home shopping network. >> but real quick outerwear, we know it is so warm so you can get great deals on coats so expensive. >> wait till after christmas. >> mock turtlenecks are flying off the shelves they're so cheap. >> is there a deal on a dickey? >> possibly. fitness equipment because we eat so much, we want to work out, the thighmaster is on sale if you want it, fitness equipment, t.j. wants some tank top, he'll look good in them, dumb many bells for rob, if you need a treadmill -- >> any reason why we should wait until after the holidays. >> people work out and eat so much and want to look good after christmas. >> deeper discounts. >> deeper discounts. >> okay. >> especially outerwear, mock turtleneck, trust me on this. >> you know what a dickey is, right? >> i have no idea. >> a turtleneck that goes to here and can tuck it into a shirt. >> a dickey.

>> which is very cool -- >> thank you for that sartorial advice. we appreciate it. we should say nobody does christmas like disney. they're in the business of making dreams come true and robin went behind the scenes and met one very deserving family. >> reporter: it's the most wonderful time of the year. in the most knowledge cal place on earth. awesome crowds, toy soldiers were in place and ready to kick off christmas disney style. santa claus >> the performances are magical. >> reporter: ariana, seal, oh, my. even the wicked cast of "descendants" came to play who could ask for more. >> you know janel parrish from "pretty little liars" but she

the musical, how did that go. >> so much fun and got to meet people i admired. >> what's the most unforgettable moment. >> let's make one right now. >> five, four, three -- >> on main street i had the opportunity to meet the rogers, a family with six adopted children who spent the entire week in the park, a holiday treat for a deserving family. i mean, what's it like to be in this family. >> we all love each other so much and it's just like having a bunch of characters balled up into one. it's really fun. >> tell me what this experience was like for the rogers family. >> it was a chance of a lifetime and it was unbelievable, the kids, the smiles, the quirky little moments and the shows and things that we saw, the moments created that we couldn't have done on our own, we're so thankful. it was truly amazing. >> great family. our thanks to robin for that.

the joy of the holiday season but the unforgettable moments it has created over the past 60 years. disney park's unforgettable christmas celebration airs on abc at 10 a.m., noon eastern, air times vary so check your local listings and let's get it over to rob for another look at the weather. it is crazily warm out here. santa doesn't break a sweat. breathable. protects him in the elements. look at this beautiful christmas sweater. come on. where are you from? >> ohio. >> we take them all sorts and shapes and sizes and all the states. we love them. you know, how about christmas cities? it's an annual tradition. tom spoke about his. christmas, florida, 86, rudolph, wisconsin, 33, santa, idaho, 27, evergreen -- sorry, colorado, 27 and minus 4 in alaska. the snow is out west. will drift up and across iowa today. it may

worth of rain or snow showers on us this afternoon, especially the farther north you go. highs should remain in the 30s. christmas day will be quiet [ cheers and applause ] >> this weathercast brought to you by ashley furniture. it is christmas eve and feels like the fourth of july. dan. >> santa is definitely not sweating. >> santa is sweating bucks. >> it's the most wonderful time of the year. >> right. >> say it like you mean it next time. coming up our health and wellness guru dave zinczenko talks about having a christmas feast without derailing your diet. what's in the boxes? that's ahead as we hear the lovely voices of the new york

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and we are a week away from making new year's resolutions, one of the most popular one, of course, is losing weight and this is the time of year when many of us do a lot of grazing at holiday party -- >> grazing, is that what we call it. >> i'm not really eating. >> tips on guilt-free grazing, dave zinczenko, man, it's the holidays. ki just drink copious amounts of wine and go with the salt and the ham and the fat, just one day.

the average christmas day is 7,000 calories. i'm not going to grinch it up but we're going to have a lot of healthy indulgences. >> appetizers. >> starting with shrimp. this is the number one shrimp and prosciutto wrapped melon balances. here's the thing, just one of these, this is so much protein, it's just ten calories so you could have a dozen of these or you could have one fatty pig in a blanket. the protein will fill you up. the prosciutto wrapped melon ball is fantastic because you're getting the italian ham but it's packed with vitamin c and in-laws talk politics, this helps bust stress. pass me another melon ball. >> you threw some ham in there. >> these are 25 calories each so

or three little like swedish meatballs. >> main course. >> what we got? >> right here. >> ah. okay. okay. >> we're going with the ham. this is just 106 calories per serving and 85 of those calories is protein. this little piggy will not go to your waistline, okay. right here and, again, you're getting protein which is going to help fill you up without filling you out so that you have -- >> so far so good. i was a little skeptical. i kind of like what we're doing. >> we got another one. so these are the sides. we've got brussels sprouts, the great thing about brussel sprout, 38 calories per cup, zero fat. zero fat. which means that you can then bring the decadent add-ons like maple syrup and sizzling bacon and you're still only at 180 calories. >> even with the bacon. >> even with the bacon and the maple syrup. >> you know, t.j., don't just go for the bacon.

>> don't get me started on mashed potatoes. it could be cream, it could be cheese. here the parmesan roasted potatoes. what's great, you know what you're getting. it's fresh slices, it's finally grated cheese, olive oil, heart healthy. >> if you haven't created menus think about the roasted potatoes instead of the more traditional mash. >> all coming under 1,000 calories. >> including -- >> including the coconut cream pie. >> come on, man. >> 240 calories per slice. and it's an egg based filling. we use meringue instead of flipped cream and it's just a great way to -- >> one plate. one plate. i start at that end and make it to this end. how many calories. >> 900. >> come on. >> as opposed to 7,000 calories. >> here's a tip. use that handy device called a plate and a height restriction is in effect. >> right.

that's it. >> because people who don't use plates eat 100% more when they park themselves in front of the food table. >> i was skeptical but you brought me around here.

and ariana grand have whoo! all season long we've been celebrating macy's believe campaign helping to bring joy to children with life-threatening medical conditions and donates $1 to make-a-wish for every letter dropped or submitted online. this morning is our christmas eve grand finale so let's take a look back at everything they've accomplished. our 2015 believe campaign started nearly eight weeks ago right here in times square. >> it all starts with a letter to santa claus. >> since the launch we've seen the power of your letters. that one dollar for every letter to santa dropped into a mailbox

quickly enabling scores of wishes to be granted to children with life-threatening illnesses. >> oh! >> this year we watched as 9-year-old danae was brought face-to-face with her personal hero, pop hero ariana grande. >> you're so strong. >> we were there with devine when his dreams took flight as he helmed the controls of a flight simulator usually reserved for official military pilots. >> you're flying. >> and tagged along with william as he spent the team with a islandlife loving team that he claimed for getting him through his illness and heard from a previous wish recipient. 17-year-old taylor hay now cancer free who getting a role in "yes, virginia" made all the difference in the world.

spirits and amazing chances of a lifetime. >> so from all of us to all of you, thanks for making this another great season and for making some amazing dreams come true. >> thank you, macy's. >> thank you. good morning, america. >> thank you, make-a-wish. there he is the man him. . but we are joined by martine reardon, chief marketing officer of macy's and john crowley, board chair of make-a-wish america and you're holding a very large check, all of your hard work has culminated in how much money for make-a-wish? >> $2 million, i am so proud to say. the man i am congratulating, $2 million to the make-a-wish foundation. macy's believe campaign, the best campaign that i believe macy's does to help the make-a-wish foundation for all of those children with life-threatening diseases to

true. >> so, i want to ask you, john, what does this mean to make-a-wish? 2 million must go a long way. >> the generosity of macy's, martine, is remarkable. we are going to be able to provide wishes for over 200 children with this gift and, you know, i'm honored to be the national chairman of make-a-wish but i'm also the wish dad of two very special children, megan and patrick, so we know as a family the impact that a wish can have not just on the children but on the families themselves, so to be able to provide that a couple of hundred times is really remarkable and special and thank you so much, macy's and martine, for making this happen. >> you know firsthand, we just saw it in the piece, the impact it makes for them fighting for their lives. so generous of macy's to match and so generous of folks who decided to participate. >> we really want to thank our customers because it's our customers and employees who really help make this happen to raise $2 million, 1 million in one day on national believe day while we were granting 50 wishes simultaneously across the country.

foundation. this is one of the greatest assets that macy's has in their dna, which is to really give back to all of our communities across the country so i thank "gma" for helping us do this. you know, i am a board member of the make-a-wish foundation so near and dear to my heart and john and i work really hard to make sure we can grant these wishes. >> we've been talking about food and about shopping but this is the meaning of christmas. >> this is what it's all about. >> thank you. >> the ability to share the power of the wish, which is just great so merry christmas. >> i think we should button it with a simple statement. santa, what would you like to say to our viewers? >> it's the most wonderful time of the year and happy christmas to all and to all a good morning. >> yeah! congratulations to martine, to john, the entire teams at macy's and make-a-wish. learn more about the macy's believe campaign at our website, goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! oh, santa is jingling away and coming up we've got the new movie pushing its stars and our

stay with us. "good morning america" is brought to you by prudential, prudential, bring your challenges. >> action fans including as i've just learned tom llamas have a major christmas gift heading their way when "point break"

tomorrow. it's the reimagining of the classic featuring extreme athletes pushing the limit and abc's nick watt got to ride along with some of the stunt men. >> reporter: "point break," the most stunt-tastic movie opens with this ridiculous ride along a ridge filmed from a helicopter and under the helmets of these guys. >> there was a few times i got literally blown off the trail and just went down the side of the mountain because of the rotor wash. >> reporter: if you're going to remake a classic like "point break," you have to go big and live to tell the tale. you guys do not have a death wish. >> no. >> it's calculated over many, many, many years of riding. >> reporter: there's dustin, steve. who's the third guy? ah. they taught me how. and i'm still alive. >> whoo! >> you cleared the tabletop. i'm proud of you. >> reporter: i'm riding the actual bike dustin rode in "point break" mercifully not on the virgin trails in utah they picked for the movie location.

>> a couple times, yeah, and i think it was probably more terrifying for him. >> because he was in your dust. >> yeah, he couldn't see anything. >> 90% of it almost completely blind. some of the ridges are literally as wide as your tires. >> reporter: but they claim this, even this is safer than riding a motorcycle on a public highway. >> people still get hurt really bad, but you don't have to worry about cars or things in the road. >> there's not going to be people texting and riding on the tracks. >> yeah, nobody is texting and driving on the tracks. >> reporter: for "good morning america," nick watt, abc news at the l.a. county raceway. >> i'm suddenly very impressed with nick watt. >> yeah. >> by the way, "point blank" is in theaters tomorrow. >> break. >> what did i say, "point blank"? >> it's been an incredible morning. thanks for being with us on this christmas eve. we're wishing all of you a wonderful holiday. >> point-blank we'd like to wish you that and also would like to thank the official macy's santa for spending time with us. he was a good sport even though

>> and a warm good-bye and a special thank you to our graphic artist wendy hirsch, she is retiring after 35 years here at abc news. wendy, we wish you the best. >> yes, we salute you, congratulations. now to sing us into the holiday here's the new york city's children's chorus with "o come all ye faithful." merry christmas, everybody. sing all ye citizens from heaven above this unusual december weather is creating a problem in eastern iowa: high lake levels. the coralville lake is 15 feet above its normal winter level and slowly rising. the army corps of engineers is worried about it freezing at this high level. if it does, it would create a

of ice, then air, then water. and that would make it easier for the ice to break if anyone walked across. so, the corps is opening the flood gates to try to lower the water. today, children undergoing treatement at the university of iowa children's hospital will wake up to presents and cheer in their rooms. hospital employees decked the halls and brought carts full of presents to kids throughout the hospital yesterday. the father of a young patient with an extended stay at the hospital said all of the elves and hospital employees have been a big help during the holiday season. and now here's your first alert forecast.

-hey. something new has arrived. and it works in the middle of anywhere. the iphone 6s on u.s. cellular

hurry in and get the iphone 6s today, and save $550. the iphone 6s on u.s. cellular. together you can do more. announcer: it's "live with kelly and michael." today