good morning. good morning. ban lifted. hist are try on capitol hill as the senate repeals the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. what the landmark vote means for the troops and the president. amanda knox victory. the stunning decision that she has been waiting three years. her parents join us live. date night, prince william and kate middleton hit the town for the first time since announcing their royal engagement, plus details on kate's prechristmas lunch with the queen, "today" sunday you kate's prechristmas lunch with the queen, "today" sunday you december 19th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good morning, everyone, welcome to today on a sunday, i'm lester holt. >> aim jenna wolfe. can you imagine having to deal with that kind of attention every time you -- >> going on a date? >> you probably go through that every day. lester holt goes -- >> back in my dating days. what toward believe, get used to it a taste of what is in store for the future princess, she start hearse new life as a royal, under pressure, in the spotlight, the inevitable comparisons. today, we will look at what the date night is like for the prince and future princess. >> no that the long ago was it? >> it was. horse and carriage. >> he said it. i didn't. wow. back home, the west is getting hammered with a series of powerful storms, widespread flooding has been reported across california. in some areas, 15 inches of rain has fallen, also heavy snow and

blizzard conditions. we will have the latest on the weather and see what it means for your holiday travel. we brought you the story in september of richard edwards. >> on the third american to undergo a double hand transplant, his recovery nothing short of amazing. after months in the hospital, dr. edwards is planning to go home in time to celebrate the new year. we will talk to dr. edwards, his wife and the surgeon who gave him his life back, coming up. begin with the senate striking down the military's ban on gays openly serving in the military, the vote the commander in chief has been hailing this morning. mike viqueira is at the white house. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester, unexpected help from republicans, receipt peel of don't ask, don't tell passed with plenty of room to spare it is a second straight success for the president who is now pressing for passage of another top priority before christmas. for backers of repeal, it was a solemn day 17 years in the

making. >> no, sir dib look at those graves and say move this one because we just found out that soldier died in battle was gay? >> reporter: all but given up on just a week ago, the effort gained unexpected momentum as the saturday session wore on. >> when we are talking about worrying about having two wars and terrorism at every front, we need to know that all of our best and brightest, how many are not serving today because of this policy? >> reporter: opponents, led by john mccain, said changing the policy in the middle of two wars would harm morale. >> today is a very sad day. commandant of the united states marine corps says when your life hangs on the line you don't want anything distracting. mistakes and inattention are distractions, cost marines lives i. >> reporter: since its enactment, 14,000 men and women have been with expelled from the military.

when the vote came yesterday a surprise, 65 senators voted to end the policy, a larger total than expected, thanks to support from eight republicans. the measure now goes directly to the president's desk. in a statement, mr. obama said, "it is time to close this chapter in our history," but democratses were not successful in other last-minute effort. >> the smoke not agreed to. >> reporter: the dream act, offering a pass of citizenship to those brought to this country illegally as children went down to defeat. backers unable to break a republican-led filibuster. one more big-ticket item remains, ratification of the s.t.a.r.t. arms reduction treaty with russia. many senate republicans are opposed, but other top gop behind the measure, the white house is confident of approval before christmas. experts say the bipartisan vote was last few days could mean a little less political gridlock next year. >> could you see a mutually

beneficial agreement between the president and republicans, both showing they can compromise and get things done. >> reporter: lester, the president was supposed to be in hawaii for his second straight year of a vacation. the first family has gone on ahead the president stays here until congress adjourns. the senate is back in and at it today debating that s.t.a.r.t. treaty. lester? >> thanks. david gregory is moderate over "meet the press." good to he sue. >> good morning. >> framezed as a victory for democrats, but they got together on a controversial matter and got it done. >> both ends of the political spectrum feel a need to respond to the electorate that said we would like washington to work better and they worked better this this lame duck session, got an agreement on the tax cut deal, ended the chapter of don't ask, don't tell in the military. these are significant steps and maybe, just maybe, a down payment on a different kind of working relationship when

congress comes back, a more republican congress, a more divided washington. >> that was my next question, the numbers will be significantly different with the next congress is this a template of what's to come or a one-time deal? >> i think it will depend a built on the president, some on republicans as well. i think what you see from the president is a willingness to position himself as a bit more of a centrist, recognizes that politic suss the art of the possible. he had to say to his supporters, look, i wanted to get some of these things done, like denying upper income americans an extension of the bush tax cuts but i couldn't get it done. you may think i'm weak but that is the reality here in washington. he is going to have to figure out where to position himself in the new year, there will be difficult choices about government spending. >> he wants a strategic arm reese ducks deal with the russians to be done. republicans say, hold on this process going too quickly, are we seeing a line in the sand that republicans are willing to draw? >> a price to i for getting the

vick troin don't ask, don't tell, some of the same republicans may, in fact, have a problem giving them a victory here on the s.t.a.r.t. treaty as well. there are substantive concerns about the s.t.a.r.t. treaty moving forward with russia. some is political gamesmanship as well. the difficulty for the administration there is a feeling inside the white house if they don't get it done now, the whole process has to restart in january, could be difficult to get it ratted any the new year. >> i want to switch gears. you sat down with an interview with vice president biden, watching on "meet the press" later and gave his reaction to the wikileaks. let me play that and then i want to talk to you about t here it s. >> sure. >> need more difficult for us to conduct our business with our allies and our friend he is. for example in my meetings, you know, we meet with most of these world leaders there is a de sire now to meet with me alone rather than have staff in the room, it makes things more cumbersome.

it has done damage. >> what struck me in an interview in an earlier interview he seems to be downplaying the impact, is the administration walking a fine line, not wanting to give julian assange too much credit? >> you will hear you will hear from the president that he thinks assange is closer to a high-tech terror arist, a phrase used by republicans in congress, than somebody who is involved in leaking the pentagon papers. >> they are taking a hard line and looking whether they can charge assange as a criminal. i don't think any question diplomatically damage done here, a view of the administration, a view of members of congress as well. there are some in this case, talked about couple ber some effects of all that. some cases, more dire than that getting the nation's business done. >> look forward to more of your interview on "meet the press."

thanks. norah o'donnell at the news dessing with the headlines. >> good morning, everyone. we begin in israel where an american tourist visiting jerusalem has been killed while hiking. israeli police found christine logan's body bound with several stab wounds. her tour guide, susan wilson, told police they were attacked by two arab-speaking men. she was also bound and stabbed but managed to escape. an investigation is now under way. u.s., a series of winter storms bearing down on california saturday threatened parts of the state with flooding. southern california will be hit especially hard by the storms and officials were preparing for possible mud slides in los angeles, ventura and santa barbara county. blizzards shut down train tracks and highways on saturday, disrupting flights and leaving shivering drivers stranded on road sides. hundreds of flights have been delayed or canceled this weekend in london, paris, frankfurt, am officer democrat and brussels. for a few hours tomorrow night, there will be be quite a

show in the sky. a total eclipse of the moon will take place. the passage of the moon through the earth's shadow coincides with with the win officer solstice. this event hasn't happened in nearly 500 years. the eclipse has a potential viewing audience of 1.5 billion people. pretty cool. the national zoo beaming with new parent pride. the zoo saturday showed off its seven lion cubs born this summer in two liters. these cutis are the first lion cubs at the national zoo in more than 20 years. that's the news and i would say that is something to roar about. janice huff here with the weather. able to see this eclipse? always the middle of the night. >> depends on your sky coverage.

if you have storms or clouds. it will happen at 3:30 a.m. eastern time will be the actual peak. >> get up early. g>>ng to tivo it. >> let's check on the weather now to see what's going to happen. if it were happening tonight, you wouldn't see it on the west coast. pineapple express in full effect here. rain and snow for california. we're not talking inches of snow in the sierra and cascades, we're talking feet. six to eight feet of snow possible by wednesday in the mountainous areas and there will good sunday morning to you. i'm meteorologist nick owe kelly. tracking the latest storm system to hit the bay area. rain heavy at times on and off throughout the area and winds gusting to 25 and possibly 30 miles per hour, especially in the higher terrain. looks like the next several days

will be wet and unsettled. series of storm systems head our way. we have a transfer of somewhat drier weather toward friday. g >> now, here's jenna. >> up next on "today," remarkable recovery. we'll talk with the recipient of a double hand transplant right after this. of a double hand transplant right after this. if you live for performance, upgrade to castrol edge advanced synthetic oil. with eight times better wear protection than mobil 1. castrol edge. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. i built with my dad. (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste,

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uh, a little help... oh! you know shipping is a lot easier with priority mail flat rate boxes. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. plus, you can print and pay for postage online. and i can pick them up for free with package pickup. perfect! cause i'm gonna need a lot of those. wow! i knew i should have brought my sleigh. priority mail flat rate shipping starts at $4.90 only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. now to an update on a remarkable story we first told you about back in september. dr. richard edwards was severely injured in a brush fire and became only the third person to undergo a hand transplant in america. we'll talk to dr. edwards in a moment. first, here's more on what many call a medical miracle. it took a team of 20 surgeons over 17 hours to perform the complicated and rare procedure,

a double hand transplant. family members waited anxiously through the night for updates posted on twitter from inside the operating room. just two days later, with the first look at his new hands, dr. richard edwards did what was impossible just days before. he moved his fingers. >> i'm a blessed man. >> pull the index finger down. that's good and strong. pull that down. that's good and strong. >> reporter: a success that even impressed his doctors. >> look at that. >> reporter: now, with each new movement, edwards has more hope for the future. >> i love to hold my wife's hands and feel her skin and i want to do that again. >> joining us from louisville, dr. richard edwards, his wife,

cindy, and dr. warren bridenbach, that led the double hand transplant team. good morning to all of you. thank you for being with us today. dr. edwards, i want to start with you. four months since your big surgery. we talked to you earlier. your hands are feeling good. how are you feeling overall? >> i couldn't feel better. i couldn't be happier about the whole situation either. >> does it ever surprise you -- do you ever look down at your hands sometimes and think, okay, those are mine now. does it still continue to surprise you a little bit? >> absolutely. some days i look at them and i pick out a certain amount of scars and i think -- i just try to figure out what he went through to get all those scars, but now they're mine and i'm so thankful. they even look like my old hands. >> interesting when you talk about getting to know a part of your body again the way you're getting to know your hands. tell me a little bit about what you're able to do, how much flexibility you have, how much you can move your fingers. >> i can feed myself the entire

meal. i allow my wife to eat her food while i eat my food. i can move my fingers just every way. it's just unbelievable. >> dr. bridenbach, richard has gone through a lot of rehab and treatment and surgery. once he goes home now, will he have to continue that or is he in the clear now for the next, i guess, foreseeable future? >> well, he's going to need to continue his physical therapy. that's key to the advancements that we make. he's going to be on immunosuppressions and have to pay attention to these hands and be living a different lifestyle than you and i would. >> cindy, let me ask you. richard says it's nice to have a meal and eat on his own and you eat on your own. what are you most looking forward to, obviously than having the two of you together

on christmas eve? what are you most looking forward to? >> well, we won't be home christmas eve. that's changed. we will be with some family christmas eve and looking forward to being with family and grandkids especially. just looking forward to seeing him interact with family and -- because before the surgery, he was pretty low emotionally. >> richard, you mentioned in the piece earlier one thing you wanted to do for so long is reach over and hold your wife's hand. what has that felt like now that you are able to do that again? >> i love it. i love it. we've held hands every possible way you can think of. finger to finger. palm to palm. i just love it. it's a treat. >> cindy, you must love it as well. does it feel good? it wasn't the hands you felt years ago. they were different hands but they're still his, are they not? >> exactly. you got it right. they're his hands to me. and i wondered that before the surgery, how it would be like to have another man's hands touching me?

but you don't think about that. they're his hands. the emotion that comes through those hands come from richard's heart, so they're his. and it's wonderful to be able to hold his hand. i haven't been able to do that for almost five years. >> that's so great. it's such a nice holiday gift you are blessed to do that again. we thank you so much for joining us this morning. thank you and happy holidays. >> merry christmas. >> we'll be right back. first, these messages. [ female announcer ] experience dual action power with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only listerine® that gets teeth two shades whiter.

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still to come on "today," amanda knox and a big court victory she hopes might lead to her freedom. we'll talk live to her parents. the royal couple first night out since their engagement. first, these messages.

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good morning to you. taking a very rainy look at the golden gate bridge this morning, if you're heading out there, please be careful. lots of rain falling all about the bay area. let's see how long it's going to last with meteorologist nick owe kelly. >> good sunday morning to you. tracking the latest round of wet weather to push through the bay area, this time looks like winds will be in the 15 to 25-mile-per-hour range with some higher gusts, especially in the higher terrain. we're looking at readings in the mid 50s through the day and maybe an isolated thundershower. the high country seeing tons of snow. travel on 50 and 80 getting up

to the sierras is going to be difficult throughout the day today and looks like the fun's not over yet. the next several days, are going to be rather wet and unsettled for us. here's a look at the seven-day forecast. we've got a chance of rain, could be heavy at times, especially through midweek, drier weather towards thursday and friday and another storm for christmas day. as nick mentioned your day is probably off to a soggy start and some parts of the bay area wind gusts are also a problem for homeowners who are shouting tim ber. check it out. the montclair neighborhood of oakland, the ground was drenched with giant pine tree came crashing down. the people who live at this home had to call an arborist to help clear out the debris. the tree punctured a hole in the home's living room. the series of storms has people in the santa cruz mountains preparing for the worst. people in ben lohman say that that's because if there is a power outage it could last for several days. it often does. neighbors are picking up sand

bags and keeping a close eye on the river moving quickly but for now is rising only slowly. and, of course, rain in the bay area in sacramento often means snow is dumping in the sierra. we'll have more from tahoe on "today in the bay" at 7:00, including information you need to know about driving conditions or friends and family heading there or back to the bay area. tomorrow walgreens is teaming up with the federal government to give free flu shots to people who don't have insurance in the east bay. tomorrow public health offices will start handing out vouchers to people in oakland and eight other underserved cities across the county. the vouchers can be exchanged for one free flu shot at any walgreens pharmacy. for more information about how to get a voucher go on-line to flu.gov. and new this morning, president obama is making a last-ditch attempt to relieve concerns about a nuclear arms pact with russia as it moves towards a final vote in the senate. in a letter sent to the senate just hours ago, the president insists that the so-called

start streetty won't limit the development or use of the missile defense program. an amendment that would have killed the treaty was blocked yesterday by a 59-37 vote. we're watching this for you and have the latest at 7:00. also coming up at 7:00 on "today in the bay," another part of the new bay bridge span moves in ahead of schedule. that story plus all the day's top news coming up at 7:00. right now here's back to the "today" show. [ r brotr ]he tt's. ye.ok, 'lli [ female annouer made fresh, ight. thiss. that is not half. guys i have more. with cinnabon cnamon have such a sweet delicious aro that my family can wait ir hands on them.

enjoy cinnab cinnamon... now in all pillsbury cinnamon roll that my family can wait ir hands on them. >> we're back on this sunday morning, december 19t >> we're back on this sunday morning, december 19th, 2010. the rockefeller christmas tree is glittering. the crowd is cheering. feels like everyone is in the holiday spirit. and i am freezing. it worked out perfectly for everybody. >> it's a chilly morning. >> i'm jenna wolfe alongside lester holt. feeling good today? >> i'm feeling great. >> we're winding down. >> coming up in this half hour, stepping out. we're feeling good, but in london, they are feeling good too. >> date night and cameras in tow. prince william and kate middleton attended a charity event on saturday. first time they appeared in public since the engagement was announced.

everyone wants to know what the couple was wearing and what the couple did. we'll have details on the big night out. >> also ahead, good news for amanda knox. an italian court granted a review of the key evidence in the case. this morning, we'll see amanda's reaction when the court ruled in her favor and talk to amanda's parents live coming up. >> we'll switch gears. this is the last shopping weekend for christmas. with the clock running out, we'll give you advice to buy for him and for her. there's my gift right there. >> to who? >> to me. it's a video game. >> it's exercise. are you okay with that? >> as long as it's a video game, yeah. >> and then we've had a really fun year here this year. this has been a good one. some highs and lows. everything from vancouver olympics to our summer camp series. our year was lots of fun. coming up, we'll take a look

back and introduce you to the staff who makes us look good weekend in and week out. >> it's hard to believe it all happened in 12 months. let's get another check of the weather. janice huff is standing by with that. >> thanks, lester. the "today" show toy drive continues today. we're joined by a company donating more than $120,000 worth of school supplies. good morning, steve. how are you? you have your wife here with you to help you out. what do you have today for us? >> we're focused on health and education of kids all around the world, so we're donating these backpacks that kids can use in school activities and filled with school supplies, a radio, a very nice water bottle and lots of our products that will help keep the kids healthy. >> you have been donating to this cause for four years you said. how does that make you feel? >> it makes us feel great inside. it's a great opportunity for us. we hope everyone will take advantage of this opportunity. >> it makes us feel good, too, and all of the kids are going to get these products. >> absolutely. >> thank you to you and your

wife. good sunday morning to you. tracking the latest storm system to hit the bay area, rain will be heavy at times on and off throughout the area today and winds gusting to 25 and possibly 30 miles per hour, especially in the higher terrain. it looks like the next several days will be wet and unsettled. a series of storm systems head our way. we have a transfer of somewhat drier weather towards friday. okay. tonight is a big night here on nbc. it's "football night in america," sunday night football. you will watch it right here at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. green bay packers are visiting new england patriots. i know some people are going to be excited about this game. cloudy and cold with temperatures in the 20s. might be good to watch it on tv. and that's a check of your weather and football. now here's jenna.

thanks. now to prince william and kate middleton's night on the town. the couple made their first appearance since announcing their royal engagement saturday. norah o'donnell joins us with more. good morning, norah. were you there? were you the third wheel on that date? that would have been impressive. >> this was their first public appearance together and although he's the future king, all eyes, of course, were on the princess bride. it's the beginning of happily ever after as the future princess, katherine, stepped out with prince william last night at a charity event for cancer. in her first public outing since their engagement, the crowd seemed to approve. >> enjoying it and waving at the crowd. she'll do. she'll do. >> she looked absolutely beautiful. she was really lovely. they look so happy together. it's really nice. >> reporter: though kate middleton isn't officially a

member of the royal family, she's already been invited to participate in the annual formalities, like the royal christmas lunch with the queen at buckingham palace. >> a clever move by the palace. she looked at ease. looked like she had been a member of the royal family for quite some time i thought. >> reporter: being part of the royal family means a life of public attention and scrutiny that's unparalleled and kate middleton is already being watched carefully. everyone remember's princess diana's initial discomfort with the cameras and mcthey wathey w to be prepared. >> it's almost why i have been waiting this long is i wanted to give her a chance and to back out if she needed to before it got to be too much. >> i'm glad i've had the time to sort of grow and understand myself more. >> reporter: for kate, this is the first of many charity events she's expected to attend as she joins her new family and welcomes her new role. >> i hope i can make a

difference, even in the smallest way. i'm looking forward to helping as much as i can. >> jenna, the choice of a cancer charity for kate's first event is a possible indication of the type of charities she may focus on as she develops her royal role. >> she's going to be a busy princess. thank you so much. we're back after these meinpr.cs princess. thank you so much. we're back after these messages. ah, it's stinging a little bit more than usual! yeah, you'll get used to it. the longer you keep your high mileage car, the more it pays you back. get castrol gtx high mileage. it helps engines last longer by fighting the main causes of engine failure. i think a dime went up my nose. yeah, it happens. don't change your car. change your oil to castrol gtx high mileage. its more than just oil. it's liquid engineering.

twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. we want to turn to the new development in the amanda knox murder case. the woman was convicted in italy for the murder of her british roommate. knox has maintained her innocence. the court will allow a review of the evidence including dna. >> reporter: looking pale and watery eyed as she entered court, amanda knox broke down when an italian judge agreed to review her case. a decision her parents feared they would never see. >> she gave us a big smile. haven't had a chance to talk to her but there's now hope. it's not total despair.

>> reporter: convicted of murdering british student meredith kercher, amanda knox has been behind bars since her arrest in 2007. the 23 year old has always protested her innocence but now has a fresh chance to clear her name. >> she's been extremely stressed. three years in jail has definitely taken a toll on her. she stayed so strong for a long time but it's hard. >> reporter: the judge has agreed to look again at dna evidence police relied on to link knox to what they believe is the murder weapon. her attorneys argue that traces are so small they are unreliable. even the victim's lawyer seems to accept the need for a review. the court wants to get to the bottom of these findings says the attorney adding if the court has any doubt it is right the court remove those doubts. also in court yesterday, knox's former boyfriend, raffeaele sollecito, jailed for murder alongside her. both could walk free if the

appeal is successful but with prosecutors pushing for life imprisonment, if it fails, knox's sentence could be increased. >> with us now from seattle is amanda's father curt knox and edda mellas, her mother, joins us as well. give us a sense of what she is going through right now. >> you know, i think we were all just relieved that it looked like this court has an open mind. everybody was crying in relief that there is now a renewed hope. >> tell me about that hope. the fact that they'll review the dna evidence, how weak in the opinion of her attorneys is that evidence? how key will that be perhaps for this appeal? >> well, i mean, they absolutely

believe that if that evidence is truly looked at, her conviction will be overturned. that's why we have pushed from this from the start there have been experts all over the world that independently looked at it and said this wouldn't stand up anywhere. >> curt, talk to me about managing expectations. obviously this is a big moment for amanda and all of you in terms of hope and giving her a chance perhaps at freedom. are you a little concerned about becoming too optimistic at this point? >> this is the first step in the appeal process and it was a very good day for amanda as they are going to take a look at the evidence but we're still cautiously optimistic. they have to go through the process. we believe that when they do that this wrongful conviction will be overturned and she'll get to come home. >> edda, last week we watched amanda knox in court make a very passionate plea to the court and talk about mistakes that were made in this case.

how key was her speech to leading up to this decision do you think? >> well, i have heard that it was an amazing speech. i talked with her. she was finally relieved that she was able to get the courage to stand up and say what she's been feeling for several years. it took a lot of strength. she's terrified of the court and the whole process. it was a big deal i'm told. >> curt, how has amanda adjusted to life in prison? the broader question is how does she maintain during all this? >> well, first of all, you don't really adjust to prison. she's a young lady that's in prison for something she hasn't done. it's a difficult process day in and day out. she's been able to stay strong and we try to stay strong for her as well. >> how involved is she in this appeals process in terms of working with her lawyers or walking through the case? >> she's examined the motivation

papers that came out of the first trial and there are conversations that take place between her and her lawyers with respect to particular points but the real key thing that edda said is dna evidence and it's really nice that this particular court really wants to get to the bottom of the case and hopefully that will take place with this evidence review. >> edda, do you get a sense of the public climate over this case in italy and how people are viewing this appeal? >> you know, i think slowly but surely public opinion has changed since they found out the truth. the truth about amanda. the truth about the evidence. i think opinion has changed all over the world. >> we all continue to follow this story with great interest. thank you so much for spending time with us this morning. we appreciate it. >> thank you >> we'reus. >> we're back in a moment. first, these messages.

to christmas? and 2 mins wow! 19 days, 8 hours... [ mumbling ] ...enny days, 8 hours, 9 minutes... 18 days, 17 hours... [ mom ] let's go, young lady. 12 days, 18 hours... 10 hours, 12 minutes and 7 seconds. come on. it's no days! 5 hours and 59 minutes and 42...41... [ female announcer ] the hallmark "countdown to christmas" ornament. ...7...6... this christmas, make it joyful, at your hallmark gold crown store. with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only listerine® that gets teeth two shades whiter. and makes tooth enamel two times stronger. get dual action listerine® whitening® rinse. building whiter, stronger teeth. mmmmm... ( crash ) when you add velveeta to spicy rotel tomatoes and green chiles, you've got a queso so good, it'll blow 'em away. - ( crash ) - man, that's good! velveeta & rotel.

>> this morning on today's last-minute gift guide, we have last-minute shopping to do. >> whether for him or her, our panel of experts tells us the best last-minute gifts to buy. >> first up, last-minute gifts for gals. robin, good morning. >> good morning. >> let's get right to it. a lot of women on our list this year. let's start with mom. the most important one. >> proud moms will love this shoot and share from 3m. it takes pictures and video and you can instantly project them. >> can we lower the lights a

bit. if you're at a party and mom took a video or what not -- >> you can instantly show it right off the bat. she'll love it. she'll want to show you off. >> who are those two guys? is that joe and jim? very nice. easy to use. >> really easy to use. >> that's important. if you want to do more classic -- >> an amazing selection of diamond studs beginning at 275 and tomorrow a sale on studs. not too late to get a great gift. >> not too expensive because they can be affordable. next to get something for your sister. this is interesting. everyone is obsessed with personal devices. if you want to do something classic and nice, i love this. >> who wouldn't love to get something in this blue box from tiffany's. a practical gift but a nice way to infuse style into your work day. you look chic at your meeting. >> next up for your grandmother.

>> the thing about grannies is they haven't upgraded to hd tvs because they think they're too expensive. not the case. amazing picture. granny can see her stuff. if she gets it at walmart, she gets a $50 gift card. >> so my grandmother who has to put a pencil in the tv for it to work, is a great tv for her. >> very easy to use for her. >> there's the service gift. >> people love lip balms. this one is from a company that's organic. three different flavors made in the u.s. for every gift you buy with this company, they plant a tree. >> hardest person is the tween. >> you are a hero if you buy these watches. they're really popular. you can switch the color to fun.

you'll look super hip when you buy this gift. >> very nice. thank you so much. >> when in doubt, get this for everybody. never lose their value. they are great. >> great insight. thank you very much. now, lester. >> now to the guys. here with last-minute gifts for him is editor in large for "men's health" magazine. nice to have you. let's talk about the newest thing in video games. >> microsoft connect. the camera bank you see beneath the tv. we're going to use it to play a game that we developed. it detects you on the screen. that's me on the right-hand side. no controller. it's detecting what i'm doing in real time giving me feed back on my form, my rhythm, telling me how well i'm doing and how many camr calories you have burned. >> works with xbox and other games as well. >> a lot of other games. you can go whitewater rafting,

boxing, all this stuff. this one is to stay fit. >> if you want to be a couch potato, maybe you are interested in beer. one of the other things you have here is beer glasses. >> when you look at a pint glass, it looks like the surface of mars. craters everywhere. that makes beer taste bad. these glasses if you look at them close up are super smooth made from a very high tech glass making process. assortment of glasses perfect for different beers. we've got a lot of different ones. the basic story here is if your dad or your guy is into beer, go with nice glasses. >> you also have a scale here that works to weigh yourself on wi-fi. >> you can get a workout and get beer and see if you are on the level. what's great is that it ties into your wireless network at home in your house and then uploads everything to an iphone

app. this is my weight over the last three months. >> you have a chart there. >> instead of having top write your weight down, it keeps track of it. a lot of good things. >> action adventure time, you want to record it this is new. >> everyone is doing the helmet cam these days because if you're an extreme athlete you want to show your friends how you broke your arm, right? this is a camera from gps. not only does it record video but gps location with every frame so when you upload it people can watch on google maps to see exactly where everything went down. >> protective case to do extreme stuff. >> and waterproof. >> thanks very much. great to have you here. all right. once again, here's jenna. >> all right. thanks. finally last-minute gift deliveries. now you have to send them. how do you make sure they arrive on time? we have regina here. is it true the longer you wait the more expensive it will be? >> you have monday to work with

for standard shipping. amazon's deadline is midnight. target and toys "r" us same thing. following day you'll see best buy and gamestop. wednesday and thursday it's not just retailer and date that matters, it's the time and time zone. people get burned on that. >> some sites actually have shipping guarantees in time for christmas. how far do they go? do they factor in things like weather or other conditions like that? >> it means guaranteed to leave our warehouse on time. after that it's contingent on u.p.s. and fedex policies. i was at a distribution center yesterday and they said acts of god, inclement weather, all bets are off. >> if you miss that deadline, prices skyrocket to get there in time for christmas. is there a way to get around that? >> there are some gifts that you can e-mail so you can give the gift of music for instance and send an itunes gift card. also subscriptions. if you go to amazon, they are

giving away magazine subscriptions and there is netflix. >> and there are people here with christmas eve shopping. even possible to send things out christmas eve? >> probably at that point -- >> you're not the most popular family. >> i would take an iphone picture and send proof that you actually did it. buy as many items as you can at the same site. it's based on the size of the package and weight. you take the biggest hit on the first item. first sweater costs you $7.95 and second one is less. >> do it one time and one site. great insight. thank you so much for being here. and we'll be right back after these messages. like this. ever seen a storm [thunder crashes] i'm right here. and i always will be. - the love's embrace collection from kay jewelers. now you can surround her with the strength of your love. giver her diamonds in a design that captures the comfort found in each other's arms.

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>> the new year is right around the corner but we're not quite yet ready to say good-bye to 2010. >> it's been a good year on weekend "today." we've had a lot of fun. we want to share some of those moments to you and introduce you to the great folks that make it happen. ♪ >> california's picturesque highway 1. >> "today" hits the road route 66. blueridge parkway here we come. ♪

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>> good show, everybody. >> no matter how good or bad the show is, we hear the same thing in our ear every week. good show. don't you really want to work there? >> it looks like we all get along. it's all true. >> so fantastic. it's been a great year. i had a lot of fun. >> so much fun. >> horde to believe they pay us for that. did i say that on tv? it's been great year. great to work with all you guys. >> happy holidays to everybody. >> our thanks to norah o'donnell, janice huff, amy robach, everybody. >> we'll see you next weekend here on "today."

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