good morning, america. holiday havoc. the christmas eve travel nightmare for millions of americans trying to get home. the monster winter storm stranding thousands of travelers. airports shut down. blizzard conditions making driving impossible. this deadly massive pileup, a 50-car crush. plus, "gma" behind the wheel. >> i'm only doing 30 miles an hour. >> what to do if you hit black ice. massive power outages. nearly 1 million customers nationwide spending christmas eve in the dark. powerful winds taking down power lines. plus, the threat of rolling blackouts in other spots. breaking overnight, deadly shooting.

the largest mall in america packed with holiday shoppers goes into lockdown after gunfire erupts. crowds ducking for cover. spending bill approved. congress sends the $1.7 trillion package to the president's desk. what's in it, and the special provision about tiktok. guilty verdict. rapper tory lanez convicted in the shooting of megan thee stallion. how much time he could spend behind bars. tackling song. members of the philadelphia eagles showing off their musical talents in a new christmas album. ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ >> proving eagles really are songbirds. megamillions, the dreams of a very green christmas. plus, great gift wrapping. when your presents present problems and the simple solutions.

good morningamica. merry christmas eve. you know, the verdict is still out whether i'm on the naughty or nice list. >> oh. >> eva and whit are off. i'm the only one here, but i get to wake up with you two. >> i think the nice list. >> for that reason alone. right? >> there you go. looking forward to spending the holiday with you guys. but this holiday is going to be a struggle for millions of people facing the bitter cold. many of them without power. temperatures well below freezing for most of the country. >> oh, and that bitter blast, janai, is creating a nightmare at the nation's airports. 1,500 flight cancellations already this morning. over a thousand delays, and that is on top of friday setting the record for the most cancellations this year, nearly 6,000. it will almost certainly take days to get stranded travelers on new flights. and life-threatening extremes from coast to coast with heavy snow, high winds, coastal flooding and no warm relief until after christmas.

so we'll start with abc's phil lipof here in new york with more on how the weather is proving to bea holiday headache for those still trying to get home to loved ones. phil, good morning. >> reporter: hi, good morning, will. it is brutally cold out here and all across the country. we're still where close to a million are without power. depending on where you were, you saw feet of snow. you saw damaging winds, heavy rain, coastal flooding. this storm wasn't just powerful, in many areas, it was deadly too. this morning the death toll rising to eight. the storm wreaking havoc on holiday travel. >> flight got canceled six minutes ago. >> on the plane, all right, they're going to make it. no. >> reporter: flight cancellations soaring with weather alerts nationwide. more than 1,300 flights canceled across the country leaving travelers stranded just before christmas. >> what we've done is to make

sure our restaurants, our concessions have stayed open late. we have passed out blankets. we have tried very, very hard to make passengers comfortable who were stranded. >> reporter: crews working to keep runways clear. several airports stopping air travel for a time because of dangerous conditions. in buffalo, new york, residents getting nearly two feet of snow. the airport shut down, all evening flights canceled. harrowing traveling conditions from coast to coast forcing many to make alternative plans. like hitting the road. >> i pray to jesus that everyone survives. >> reporter: snow and ice on the roads in ohio turning deadly. white-out conditions causing this massive pileup. roughly 50 cars involved on interstate 80. state police confirming four people were killed. >> this is a stark reminder of what can happen when you get behind the wheel and try to drive in bad weather conditions. >> reporter: and in kentucky, hundreds of families stranded after an emergency highway closure. >> we're exhausted.

we're upset. we haven't seen any policemen. we haven't seen anyone. >> reporter: here in new york governor kathy hochul deploying the national guard and banning commercial vehicles from some major highways after scenes like this showing virtually zero visibility. >> we've had ice, flooding, snow, freezing temperatures and everything that mother nature could wallop at us this weekend. >> reporter: high wind causing problems too. watch as powerful wind tears the roof off this hotel in new hampshire, and this tree crashing into a car and trapping a man inside. >> all the neighbors came running out to help. >> reporter: back to the airlines now. some of the nation's major carriers say it could be days before they are back to normal and clear all the cancellations and delays out. u.p.s., fedex, usps and amazon all say that there could be delays in shipping leading up to the holiday as well because of this storm. gio?

>> yeah, phil, not the christmas so many were hoping for. phil lipof, thank you. and the other big part of this story, the deep freeze leaving nearly a million customers in the dark this morning. so many power outages. abc's elwyn lopez is in atlanta with more. elwyn, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, gio, good morning. an unseasonably chilly one for us here in the peach state, but before the arctic blast made its way here, it wreaked havoc. more than half the country seeing temperatures below zero. this morning, nearly a million in the dark. that massive winter storm battmo tn country. people now dealing with what it left behind. the northeast hit hard. that arctic air packing up to 70-mile wind gusts along the coastline knocking out power to more than 200,000. >> there's a lot of flooded roads. there's trees down. we have some broken poles. a lot of conductors down. >> reporter: crews working around the clock to get the lights back on. >> this will be a multiday restoration effort to get all our customers restored. >> reporter: and in massachusetts, trees toppling

power lines. >> electricity went off, i noticed it right away. it came down. saw the tree here. firefighters were already here. >> reporter: and those frigid temperatures making their way down south. nashville feeling subzero windchills. the music city grappling with single-digit temperatures facing one of the coldest christmases in more than two decades. and in morgan county, alabama, people there urged there to conserve power to avoid rolling blackouts. > our customers just being conscious of their use and reducing waste helps us to not have to do the rolling blackouts, but they are still a possibility while we're in this cold period, and we will do everything, as will every system, do everything they can to avoid that. >> reporter: and here in atlanta, people are bracing for what could be the coldest christmas in nearly four decades. now, the good news, janai, is that we're expecting temperatures to climb back up early next week.

>> all right, we'll see how high they go. elwyn, thank you. let's turn now to brittany bell from our new york station wabc for more on that deep freeze that we are all feeling. good morning, brittany. >> thanks, janai. we are starting out this weekend with an arctic blast impacting most of the country. let's take a look at some of those dangerous windchill temperatures. so across the northeast we have those numbers down into the teens, actually some spots have subzero windchill numbers. that's really the case especially across the northern plains, but those numbers ranging from 20 to 25 degrees below zero, and there was a drastic temperature change all thanks to a very strong cold front that moved through. notice across the northeast, especially in new york, we were about 49 degrees different compared to this time yesterday. also, those temperature change numbers ranging from 12 to 14 degrees. looking ahead for christmas day, it is still going to be very cold.

so in buffalo, 22 degrees on sunday. philadelphia, 29 and new york city, 28 degrees, and boston only 28 degrees on sunday. by monday we start to inch back up into the 30s. guys? >> stay warm if you can, everyone. now we'll turn to the massive $1.7 trillion spending bill headed to president biden's desk. the house approving the measure just before government funding was set to expire. abc's jay o'brien is in washington with details on what is in that spending package. jay, good morning. >> reporter: will, good morning. that bill on its way to president biden's desk, as you said. the house passing it yesterday just hours before their deadline avoiding a government shutdown. the senate had passed it the day before. let's take a look at what's in it by the numbers. it's got 45 billion in humanitarian, military and economic assistance for ukraine, 40 billion for americans impacted by natural disasters, 858 billion in there in new defense spending, including a pay raise for troops, and it also reforms

called the electoral count act. that is the law that former president trump and his allies are accused of trying to abuse on january 6th to overturn the results of the 2020 election overall. this legislation funds the federal government until september 2023. now, house republicans who were poised to take power in that chamber come january were angry over how the deal was pushed through congress. democrats saying it shows congress working for the american people. now president biden vowed to sign it as soon as it reaches his desk, which could take a few days. lawmakers even had to pass a short-term funding measure to keep the government open while that bill is formally processed and makes its way to the president, guys, because they had that friday midnight deadline. > and, jay, there's nearly $800 billion in this bill for domestic spending including a provision in the legislation aimed at tiktok. >> reporter: that's exactly right. it bans tiktok on u.s. government devices. that's something that had bipartisan support, particularly when it passed in the senate. lawmakers there saying they were concerned that tiktok, which is owned by a chinese company, could take user data and giver

it to the chinese government. that's something tiktok's parent company, bytedance, denies. >> jay, thank you. gio? we turn to the war in ukraine, and for the first time since launching the attack russian president vladimir putin is using that word, "war." he had been calling it a special operation, and now russia's ambassador to the u.s. says the risk of a clash between america and russia is high. so let's get right to our britt clennett. she is in ukraine with more. britt, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, gio. well, this morning, a deadly attack in central kherson killing at least eight people, dozens more are injured, and president zelenskyy calling it terror, killing, he says, for the sake of intimidation and pleasure. now the attack coming, of course, on christmas eve, which also happens to mark exactly ten months since russia invaded this country, and russia ramping up the bullish rhetoric following president zelenskyy's historic trip to washington, d.c. putin touring a weapons factory

in southern russia and telling the defense industry to step it up, and putin for the first time calling this war a special military -- a war instead of a special military operation, and the u.s. state department saying as the next step in acknowledging reality, he should withdraw from ukraine, and as the fighting grinds on, ukraine dealing with an energy crisis after attacks on the grid. it will be a cold and dark christmas for many here. janai? >> all right, britt, thanks for that update. staying overseas now to the deadly shooting in paris being investigated as a possible racist attack. abc's ines de la cuetara is live in paris with what police there are now saying about the suspect who we've learned had been charged with another attack just a year ago. ines, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, janai. clashes once again breaking out between protesters and police here where thousands had gathered in support of the kurdish community. we just saw protesters charging police. this coming just a day after a gunman opened fire on a

kurdish cultural center killing three people and injuring at these lee others. a man is now in custody. he is a 69-year-old man who was under investigation for allegedly attacking members of a migrant camp last december with a sword. they say this was racially motivated and trying to target foreigners. last night a vigil held by members of the kurdish community. that sadness turning to anger as protesters clashed with police last night. they were hurling objects at police setting trash cans on fire and police firing back with tear gas. today clashes once again breaking out at this demonstration. we can feel tear gas in the air. many pointing out that kurdish activists were also killed back in 201 and many questioning whether french officials are doing enough to keep members of the kurdish community safe here in paris. will? >> a frightening scene, ines, thank you. back in the u.s. breaking news overnight.

a deadly shooting at the largest mall in the country packed with holiday shoppers. abc's justin finch has more. >> reporter: overnight, a deadly shooting inside minnesota's mall of america sending terrified shoppers buying last-minute gifts running for cover just days before christmas. >> report of shots fired in nordstrom. >> we have reports of one victim. >> reporter: police saying the shooter opened fire inside nordstrom. nearby officers hearing the shots finding a 19-year-old man hit several times. >> this is before christmas, and now they're having to bury one of their loved ones. >> reporter: investigators saying it happened during an argument and fistfight between a group of five to nine people. >> we saw some people running towards us, and i've learned that if people are running towards us and a lot of them, like you don't walk towards whatever they're running from. >> reporter: the largest mall in the country packed with holiday shoppers under lockdown for more than an hour. taylor johnson hid in the back

of a store with other shoppers. >> the two girls in there looked younger, and they were calling their parents, and they were crying on the phone talking about how they loved them. >> reporter: and bloomington police have not yet named that 19-year-old victim, and they are urging that suspect and anyone else involved to turn themselves in. a sad story just before christmas, gio. >> such a scary moment there, justin finch, thank you. we're going to turn now to the guilty verdict for rapper tory lanez charged in the shooting of hip-hop star megan thee stallion. abc's zohreen shah has more from los angeles now. hey, zohreen, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, gio. this is the trial that divided the hip-hop community. megan thee stallion wrote about speaking up for black women and how they're often not believed, and then you had singer tory lanez and a lot of his well-known supporters calling megan a liar. remember, you had phone, text, witness evidence, all favoring megan. megan says tory shot at her injuring both her feet after a hollywood hills party two years ago.

in the end the jury believed the prosecution, and lanez was found guilty of all three charges including felony assault, and he was handcuffed in court. look, this is a case that has been faced with twists and turns, a lot of people changing their stories including key witnesses. one witness went missing, and the defense tried placing the blame on a female friend. lanez now faces sentencing next month, and he could face nearly 23 years behind bars. his lawyer tells us, they are shocked, and this fight is not over for them. janai? >> and many people believing meg the stallion now saying protect black women. zohreen, thank you so much. turning now to the worsening covid concerns gripping china, which changed the way it's handling the virus. abc lama hasan has more from london. lama, good morning. >> reporter: yeah, good morning to you, janai. ever since china dropped its strict zero covid policy this month, cases of covid-19 have been exploding. it's clear that china is now grappling with its largest ever wave of covid infections. shanghai's health authorities

are now urging residents to stay at home over the holiday period. it's difficult to get a clear of what's happening on the ground because of a lack of transparency from chinese officials, but in a rare acknowledgement by one senior health official on friday in just one city alone, a staggering 500,000 people are being infected by the virus every single day. there are images emerging of hospitals overwhelmed by the surge of infections. patients that are slumped on the floor and in corridors and in terms of care units are turning away ambulances. now, china has a low vaccination rate among the elderly, which could make a lot more people vulnerable, and with a lunar new year coming up in january, a time when many people will be traveling across the country, the fear is the number of covid cases are only going to rise. >> all right, i'll take it from here. thank you so much, lama. and it was no christmas miracle for megamillion players this year. there was no big winner in last night's drawing. that means tuesday's drawing will be worth an estimated $565 million making it the largest

megamillions jackpot ever offered in the last week of any calendar year. what a way that would be to end the year. huh? >> what a way, indeed, it would be. >> i wouldn't be her you'd want to be with us. >> are you going to be here anyway? >> yeah. [ laughter ] why don't we get a check of the weather now and back to brittany bell from our new york station, wabc. >> and that winter storm left behind some amazing images. let's start out with this video in maine. look at these waves crashing that's just a wild scene, also led to a lot of coastal flooding along portions of the northeast. next up, buffalo, your issue was lake-effect snow, also blizzard conditions. you can see whiteout conditions. very hard to see. that's why travel is just so dangerous. so those winter alerts still stretch from minnesota all the way to new york, even including a blizzard warning. speaking of more snowfall

through christmas day, we could see additional lake-effect snow falling across portions of buffalo. you could get an additional two to four feet of snow through >> christmas eve in the bay area looking pleasant with temperatures a bit above average. we are looking at that dense fog throughout the north bay and east bay, looking for dry and warmer weather today, tomorrow, and then things start to change. rain moving into the north bay as early as monday evening. low 60's along the bayshore. the and it's cold pretty much everywhere this christmas, so here's something to warm you up. at least in your heart. burly men with silky smooth voices, a few philadelphia eagles players recording a christmas album for charity. much like their season on the field, it's a hit. ♪ please come home ♪ >> end zone, touchdown.

>> reporter: the philadelphia eagles have so far dominated the season with a 13-1 record, and some players now proving they have musical talents too. ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ >> nailed it. ♪ baby, please come home ♪ >> reporter: it may have started off as a summer jokes amongst teammates turned friends. center jason kelce and offensive tackles lane johnson and jordan mailata, but it's become a holiday alum dubbed "a philly special christmas." >> we always love to sing like car singers, shower singers. once we got in the studio, it wasn't a joke anymore. ♪ i said i-i-i-i'm dreaming of a white christmas ♪ >> i can't believe he plays football. >> reporter: mailata known for his beautiful voice says music has always been a huge part of his life. >> music is just intertwined with polynesian culture, and, yeah, that's what i grew up with, singing in church.

>> reporter: connor barwin and the drummer for the grammy winning group war on drugs charlie hall enlisted the help of philly-based musicians to produce the record. >> they're so talented, and i just want to, you know, kind of make them look good. >> reporter: even bringing in a vocal coach for fine-tuning. >> ho, ho, ho, ho. >> reporter: the album selling out within minutes, but kelce says he wanted to make it even more meaningful. >> the big reason we kind of did this was to try and give back. >> we are honored to present you and cctc with a check for $250,000. >> wow. >> reporter: the album's proceeds going to the children's crisis treatment center, a philadelphia nonprofit that helps kids who have endured adversity or traumatic events. ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ >> to see so much happiness and joy felt as they made it, and i think when people listen to it, they'll feel it too. ♪ to town ♪ >> merry christmas, philadelphia. >> and a happy new year. >> merry christmas and a happy new year, indeed. well done, fellows.

now, the best christmas gift for eagles fans would be an eagles win against the dallas cowboys. they do that they clinch the number one seed for the playoffs which would bring them one step closer to the chance to record a new version of the 198 achicago bears hit song, "the super bowl shuffle." monday on "gma" i'll share the story of my day behind the scenes with some of the eagles including star qb jalen hurts as the team helped make an unforgettable day for a group of deserving kids. jordan mailata with that silky smooth voice was also there. he does it all. >> burly men, silky smooth voices just like my husband. we'll be right back. ♪ rich, indulgent chocolate with a luscious caramel filling. with love from san francisco.

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in the us bill. a better bay area moving forward finding solutions. this is abc seven news. good morning and merry christmas eve. i'm karina nova friday broke the record for the most flight cancelations into or out of the us with nearly 6000 flights canceled, and that's according to tracking site flight, aware the winter storm affecting much

of the nation as worsening travel conditions everywhere are happening even today, and three bay area airports are seeing delays and cancelations. right now, travelers are being forced to wait hours and some for days to get to their destination. so if you do have a flight. you want to check before you go to the airport? let's get a check on the forecast here in the bay area with lisa arjun. alright, good morning to you. we're looking at a lot of fog out there half mile visibility, santa rosa and conquered. it's going to be milder. today it's going to take a while to get to those sixties 37 in concord low to mid sixties today, corinna to mid sixties today, corinna alright it's hard to explain what depression feels like. but i can tell you what it feels like when someone offers help. every plan through covered california is comprehensive, with mental health coverage, and financial help for people who need it. enroll by december 31st.

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i want to wish everyone in here and everyone around the world a relaxing, peaceful and happy christmas. merry christmas to everybody. >> thank you, santa. welcome back to "gma" on this christmas eve. the big guy is on the move. that was santa, if you couldn't tell, getting a big send-off in his home village in lapland beginning his 24-hour journey to deliver gifts all across the world. coming up, we will have more on how to track his big trip and some last-minute gift wrapping hacks and a life-size gingerbread house. what more could you want? >> a life-size gingerbread house. can't wait for that. >> aren't all gingerbread houses life size no matter what size they are? >> allegedly. let's take a look at some of the other big stories

we're following on this christmas eve morning. happening right now, arctic air causing a life-threatening deep freeze for more than two-thirds of the country. nearly a million people left freezing in the dark as the cold weather wreaks havoc on the national grid leaving them without power. heavy snow, high winds and coastal flooding making for dangerous conditions on the roads and in the air as millions try to get home for christmas. also right now, former president trump responding to the january 6th committee's final 845-page report that places the blame for the violence and bloodshed that day on him and recommends he never again be allowed to hold public office. trump releasing a five-minute video in which he claims the committee, quote, did not produce a single shred of evidence. and some hockey history. washington capitals star alex ovechkin now number two on the nhl's all-time goals list. he scored two goals last night against the winnipeg jets. that gives him 802 for his career. he passes gordie howe. the only man ahead of him, the great one.

wayne gretzky holds the all-time record with 894 goals. they thought that record would be untouchable forever but ovie is on the prowl. >> oh, will loves him some sports. >> i do, especially hockey. it's my favorite. >> you get so excited about it. we do start this half hour with "gma" helping you navigate a real winter hazard, black ice. with freezing temperatures in all 50 states today, millions of us are likely to encounter this hidden danger on the roads. abc's mona kosar abdi has some advice. good morning to you, mona. >> good morning, janai. the infamous black ice, the thin coating of ice that glazes the road after frigid temperatures that can create dangerous and deadly road conditions. but you may be surprised to learn that your first instinct to slam on the brakes may be the wrong one. heavy precipitation followed by bone-chilling temperatures making conditions ideal for that hard to see thin patchy ice on roads, commonly known as black ice. >> it was very slippery coming down route 30. >> reporter: overnight officials from new york's nassau county

warning about those hard to spot ice patches. >> these freezing temperatures will create hazardous driving conditions with ice you can't see. >> reporter: more than 1,300 people in the u.s. die every year on snowy, slushy or icy roads. more than 100,000 are injured. >> i think i left the house at 8:00, and i seen a couple accidents. everyone was driving like 30 miles an hour. it was pretty bad out. >> i've seen three, four different crashes. people are just not even paying attention. >> reporter: abc's matt gutman visited the team o'neil rally school in february to show drivers what not to do when trying to avoid a hazard on icy roads. >> now, i'm driving at 40 miles an hour. there i register that there is a problem. oh, my god, i'm going to slam into the -- ooh, ooh. and slam into the snowbank behind me, you guys. i am okay. >> reporter: and gio benitez learned some tips

experts at general motors proving ground in 2019. the facility able to simulate treacherous road conditions. >> what should people do when they're on this road and see this black ice, and they hit the black ice? >> you should try to do one and only one thing at the same time. i'm only doing 30 miles an hour, but if i slam on the brakes, you can see that with no system active you can see that i don't have any control. i'm just sliding no matter what steering input i put in. >> reporter: experts say take your foot off the gas, and keep the wheel steady. if you need to brake, do it gently, riding it out until you're clear. steering as best as you can combined with braking or accelerating increases your chances of losing control. so while many will get that white christmas that they've been hoping for, the roads, they'll be covered in salt. transportation departments around the country have been prepping these roads for some traction. gio, i love that ride-along you did. >> you know, i mean, mona, one of the things that's so interesting about that is how hard it is to recover. so it's so, so dangerous. so thank you. i'm so glad you did that story.

>> one of the fascinating things is if you're around here long enough. you will see gio in multiple pieces. gio is an abc og. he does everything. everything. >> now i feel all right. let's go to brittany bell. >> guys, icy conditions continue for the pacific northwest this morning. check out this dramatic video of this car just sliding down a hill thanks to freezing rain that led to very slick roads. actually one of the airports had to cancel more than 600 flights to melt off the ice off the runway. now, there's another storm that is coming, and you can see those winter weather alerts all throughout the area. ice storm warning and winter weather advisories. temperatures do eventually warm back up into the 50s in some spots over the next few days. that's what's happening across

>> bundle up out there. well, coming up here on "good morning america," the nuns making music with a brand-new album and their inspirational message. >> i can't wait for that. and a behind-the-scenes look at a christmas tradition on wheels. it's "the polar express." it's coming up. . peaceful state. full plate. wait, are you my blind date? dancing crew. trip for two. nail the final interview. buy or lease? masterpiece. inside joke. artichoke. game with doug. brand new mug. come here, kid. gimme a hug. have you gotten your updated covid-19 booster? they're designed to help protect against recent omicron variants. schedule yours at vaccines.gov. ♪

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welcome back to "gma," and on this christmas eve, let's take a look at how a community of nuns is using music to make a message. abc's zohreen shah is in los angeles with more. ♪ >> reporter: in the midst of the bustling city of los angeles, a thriving community of nuns living and singing in a world of their own. it's music from the carmelite sisters of the most sacred heart transporting us to another place. ♪ >> reporter: their new album, "adoration from carmel," has reached hearts and the top of the billboard charts coming within the top ten for classical

traditional music. ♪ the sisters' hard work coming amid a record national shortage, a drop of more than 70% in the number of u.s. nuns over the past 50 years. >> what's the message you hope the music can make? >> really one of peace, so this music is supposed to reach the heart. ♪ >> reporter: the sisters hoping their voices raised in chorus inspire a new, younger generation. >> i think there's a real springtime happening. i'm not the only young one in my community. there's several. ♪ open the eyes of my heart, lord ♪ >> reporter: their music teaching students at this l.a. school. >> make it a little longer. >> what they remember is sister's presence and the love that she had for them. ♪ holy night ♪ >> reporter: and filling this nursing home with music lifting

voices and spirits, and just in time for christmas, the sisters now releasing their new holiday single, "the first noel," exclusively on "gma." ♪ noel, noel, noel, noel ♪ >> for us it really is not only a prayer, but it's an actual expression of our lives. >> reporter: so my favorite part of this interview is that none of them actually knew they were the top of the billboard charts. i asked if they follow that. they said, not at all. it doesn't matter to them. they said they do what they do for souls to be touched. they're like a modern-day "sister act." >> chart topping nuns on christmas. it feels right. >> anyway, coming up on "gma,"

all aboard "the polar express." we're bringing you behind the scenes of a very moving modern christmas tradition. that's coming up. coming up. ru e it stands for much more than just a car. (vo) through the share the love event, subaru retailers have supported over seventeen hundred hometown charities. (phil) have i witnessed and seen the impact of what we do? you bet i have. (kathryn) we have worked with so many amazing causes and made a difference. (vo) by the end of this year, subaru and our retailers will have donated over two hundred and fifty million dollars to charity. (brent) it's about more than just selling cars. (phil) the subaru share the love event going on now. the best part of christmas is basically the presents. -they always hide it in the same exact place. -i kind of want it to be a surprise, but i kind of want to know too. -i act like i never saw anything, that's why you call it being sneaky. what's the #1 retinol brand used most by dermatologists? it's neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair® smooths the look of fine lines in 1-week, deep wrinkles in 4.

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establishes the beginning of the journey and belief that comes with the christmas spirit. >> reporter: this season the immersive theatrical experience will welcome their 1 visitor and hosts their 3,000th performance. >> it was brought to life by our artistic director and writer, scott, and he did it magnificently. >> reporter: behind the scenes operation christmas magic. >> i'm in charge of the sound, both setting the ambience, making sure the music is right, working with the director to create these scenes. >> reporter: 500 cast and crew, 220 actors, 3,000 costume pieces, three to five shows a day spreading that holiday cheer like here in whippany, new jersey. >> i absolutely love it because they're always in their little matching pajamas. >> my favorite part is the hot chocolate song. i just get to come out, dance and sing.

♪ hot chocolate ♪ >> reporter: and, of course, what is a ride to the north pole without the man in red? >> ho, ho, ho. what was that you said? >> i believe. i believe i heard the bell ring. >> i see. is this the bell? >> yes, sir. >> well, then there's but one thing to do. the first gift of christmas. merry christmas. >> thank you. [ bell rings ] >> the true spirit of christmas lies in your heart for all who truly believe. [ bell rings ] >> aww, how much fun does that look. right away you were saying where is that? >> yeah. my kids would love it. >> they sold out pretty quickly for this season, but maybe you can get your ticket next year. we'll see about that. >> we'll see. hey, we'll be right back with our "play of the day" as we track santa's journey across the world. stick around. the day" as we track santa's journey across the world. stick around. got this mountain r only $11. dealdash.com the fair

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[baby yawning] let's get you home for the holidays. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ooh, merry christmas, santa ♪ we are back with our "play of the day" and what may be the most important news of the day, right? everyone wants to know where santa is right now. this is capital "j" journalism. folk, joining us this morning is general glen vanherck, a four-star general and commander of norad, the north american aerospace defense command at his operation center in colorado springs. general vanherck, what an honor to get to talk to someone of your stature this morning. where is santa right now? >> well, santa just entered russia. he's going to be there for probably the next one to two hours. we've been tracking him since he departed the north pole a couple of hours ago. >> all right, santa is in russia right now. where is santa headed next? >> well, santa will leave russia. he'll continue his westbound

journey into europe, but before that, he'll go down south into the asia continent as well, and so we look forward to seeing him here tonight, normally around 9:00 p.m. each night for the kids as long as they're in bed by 9:00 p.m., he should show up. [ laughter ] >> get to bed by 9:00 p.m. a general just told you, so listen to him. now, you are very confident you know where santa is, so you must have a lot of resources you're employing to track santa. what do you do to know where santa is? >> we utilize the systems we utilize every day to keep north america safe. it starts off with the radar systems called the north warning system across canada and alaska. they track him as he leaves the north pole. typically right after that rudolph's nose becomes visible. it produces an infrared signature, and we'll see him on the satellites, and once he approaches north america, we use fighters to track him and ensure his safe passage in north america. those will be canadian fighters, cf-18s. u.s. f-15s, 16s and 22s.

>> absolutely. infrared rudolph. i like that. hey, general, you know, u.p.s., fedex are having some trouble because of the weather. what about santa? he having any trouble because of the weather? >> no, he's been doing this a long time, and we're confident the sleigh has some upgrades to make it capable for all the weather that you see across the country right now, and rudolph's nose, quite frankly, will make it through any ice storm, so we're comfortable he's going to make it. he's been doing it for a long time. >> general vanherck, i must say, in addition to all of this great knowledge you have, how serious you are about it. how straight of a face you keep. >> it's serious business. >> yeah, we appreciate you. >> santa is a global icon. >> thank you for your service. >> general, thank you so much. merry christmas to you. >> you're welcome. thank you very much. >> all right. >> thank you. coming up on our "gma" second hour here, the christmas eve travel nightmare, of course, whether it's the roads or in the sy, we need rudolph's nose. our "gma" cover story, a look at why everyone is talking about nepo babies and the pushback this morning.

and christmas dinner crunch time. chefs dish out their best budget-friendly tips. chefs dish out their best budget-friendly tips. chefs give us their best tips. bill. a better bay area moving forward finding solutions. this is abc seven news. good morning and merry christmas eve. i'm karina nova happening today. nurses at the alta bates summit medical center will go on strike . it's set to last through january. 2nd it will be the third strike by nurses this year . they're demanding a wage increase, which the hospital is

calling unsustainable. they're also raising concerns over working conditions, continuing education and benefits. also today, the season of giving will be in full effect at glide memorial church in san francisco, abc seven, caught up with volunteers that they prepared meals for vulnerable communities over the holidays. hundreds of volunteers have been spending countless of hours getting thousands of meals ready to be served if you'd like to volunteer at glide in san francisco, get there before 10 am today or 10 a.m. tomorrow. let's get another check on the forecast with lisa arjun and it's gonna be a little warmer, right? yes, it is. you can see the blue sky here. karina from the golden gate bridge, where temperatures are libyan cooler this morning. we've had a lot of fog away, obviously from here. 49 san francisco 39 on the peninsula there. 37 santa clara , half moon bay a mile 50 and from emeryville. we're looking at some hazy conditions. the spare the air alert today with 39 santa rosa 36 by the delta with very foggy conditions from

the north bay in the east bay with a half mile from santa rosa to concord. look at the delta dense fog advisory through 11 o'clock there eight mile visibility. martin do you just over two miles, so we've got that light easterly wind in the upper elevations allowing for that tool box to drift into the area. we are chillier today, but by this afternoon with some hazy afternoon sunshine, modern air quality and temperatures 3 to 5 degrees warmer than they should be 62 in oakland, 64 in san jose, and then the rain begins. monday and karina alright, lisa , thank

good morning, america. it's our second hour. that historic winter storm wreaking havoc, life-threatening conditions coast to coast. blizzard warnings now in effect as air travel comes to a standstill delaying and canceling thousands of flights, what you can expect while on the move this christmas weekend. also this morning, nearly a million customers waking up without powe a deep freeze pushing the national grid to the brink. breaking overnight, deadly shooting at the mall of america. packed with holiday shoppers put on lockdown. it's the third shooting within a year at the nation's biggest mall.