♪ ♪ city sidewalks busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style ♪ ♪ in the air there's a feeling of christmas ♪ ♪ children laughing people passing meeting smile after smile ♪ ♪ and on every street corner you'll hear ♪ ♪ silver bells silver bells ♪ ♪ silver bells silver bells ♪ ♪ it's christmastime in the city ♪ ♪ ring-a-ling ♪ ring-a-ling hear them ring ♪ ♪ soon it will be

christmas day ♪ ♪ ♪ see the street lights see the stop lights ♪ ♪ blinking bright red and green ♪ ♪ and the shoppers rush home with their treasures ♪ hear the kids say this is santa's big scene ♪ ♪ and above all you'll hear ♪ silver bells silver bells ♪ ♪ silver bells silver bells ♪ ♪ it's christmastime in the city ♪ ♪ ring-a-ling ring-a-ling ♪ ♪ hear them sing hear them sing ♪ ♪ soon it will be christmas d day ♪ ♪ soon it will be

christmas day ♪ >> what a great i would to start your christmas morning. great music, and boy, great smiles. that was the award winning chorus from p.s. 22 here in new york city. silver bells. our thanks to them for joining us on this christmas morning. inside studio 1a i'm lester holt with amy robach. merry christmas. >> merry christmas to you, too. >> i love this group. a little over a week ago anne hathaway was co-hosting the oscars, invited them to appear, p.s. 22. they're going to perform at the oscars. >> i loved all their animated faces, they were just really into it. i felt very much the christmas spirit just watching them. >> like you're an american idol. we're judging them now. we're so happy you're here. christmas morning, what happens typically? >> well, first of all, it usually starts at about 4:00 a.m. because my oldest daughter wakes the entire house up and there's no getting anyone back to sleep. >> is she trying to do it

subtly? >> there's nothing subtle about her. we end up opening all the gifts and the sun still hasn't risen. how about you? >> we're kind of an empty nester. one home from college and the other one is working. for the second christmas in a row, kind of a skype moment of virtual, you know, and you're opening the presents. but, it's all the same. it's all good. all good. we're happy you're all here to join us. it is a tradition here at "today" to start our christmas morning with you. >> and we have a lot to get to including what's being called a magical garden and how it's bringing people together on this christmas day. we're going to show you how families across the country are celebrating this joyous holiday. >> plus 'tis the season for regifting. you've never done that before, have you? >> no. >> of course not. what are the rules? it's not always easy giving a present that was for you to someone else. so how and when should you do it? we'll show you, and the question is, can you get away with it? >> then favorite holiday films of all time. "it's a wonderful life," a "a christmas story."

we're going to look at the most popular and also share with you our own personal favorites. >> that and much more on chris christmas morning. first let's get a check of the 207 stories with peter dan ter at the news desk. good morning to you. good morning to you at home. and merry christmas. we begin with midnight mass at the vatican. pope benedict xvi celebrated christmas eve at st. peter's basilica. the pope led mass with a prayer for peace around the world. the traditional vatican midnight service was held amid heightened security following last week's postal bombings in rome. and in bethlehem, worshippers gathered to mark this holy day. tens of thousands of people filling the streets outside the church of nativity. the site where christ was believed to have been born. officials say a record crowd made the pilgrimage this year for what was one of the most peaceful celebrations for christmas in bethlehem in recent memory. a different scene in pakistan where christmas arrived with more violence and bloodshed. authorities there say a suicide bomber killed at least 38 people, injuring dozens more. this attack happened as crowds

were waiting for food in an aid distribution center. reports say the suicide bomber was a woman. those reports prove true, it will be the first time a woman has carried out a suicide attack in the tribal region of that country. now back here at home, many americans are waking up to a white christmas this morning. the snow was falling in st. louis and throughout parts of the midwest and southeast. it may be pretty but the weather is also causing a lot of pain at airports. hundreds of flights have already been canceled. there are more cancellations expected today as a massive storm moves across the country. the wintry weather has not slowed down the holiday shopping frenzy, though. you've certainly seen it in stores. crowds hit the malls in stores in droves this season. all good news for retailers, and for the nation's economy. businesses are on pace to tally the best shopping season in at least three years. the national retail federation said spending could reach more than $450 billion this year. now while the roker family

enjoys a quiet christmas together, the storm system will bring snow to the south. in the mid-atlantic more rain and snow expected in the northwest. below normal temperatures in the northeast, and the pacific northwest. that's seattle and portland. should be in the 40s. that is a look at the national forecast. now here's a look at weather in your area. . thundershowers imbed as well. winds gusty, especially at the coast and the highest rain, winds to 45 miles per hour. tomorrow, the storm is history. a w lingering showers in the north bay. otherwise, dry. >> peter, thank you. the business of running the

country doesn't stop on christmas, and as always, there's plenty of politics to talk about. cnbc chief washington correspondent john harwood joins us from washington. john, good morning and merry christmas. >> merry christmas, amy. >> let's start with president obama. he signed health care reform into law. he wanted tax cuts but he took what he called a shellacking in the polls and on the international front he fired general stanley mcchrystal and he was dealing with the fallout from the wikileaks scandal. how would you sum up the president's year? >> well, legislatively, he got a lot done this year, and put that together with 2009, but politically, he took an awful lot of lumps this year. of course, you can point to the state of the economy, unemployment near 10%, what's interesting, though, is that the president has closed this year on a very strong note, despite that shellacking in the election. you get the tax cut deal with republicans. each side gave something. but each side also showed to the country that they were prepared to govern and not just fight and bicker, which is one of the

things that americans said in the results of the 2000 election they wanted. >> all right, let's turn to republicans and democrats in congress who, of course, will play musical chairs at the first of the year. how would you sum up their highs and lows of 2010? >> well, republicans kept say very disciplined opposition to this president, and it paid off for them politically. it started from the very beginning of barack obama's term in office. they held together on the packet right through in solid opposition through the health care bill. and through all of 2010, as they ran up to november. but republicans also now have got to share responsibility with this president for governing the country, and one of the challenges, one of the dramas that we're going to see play out in 2011 is to what degree do they want to continue to confront this president and his agenda? very unpopular on the base of the republican party, and to what extent do they want to show independence? >> you know, obviously we have the republican party and the

democratic party, but this year we heard an awful lot about the tea party, and the impact it had on the november elections. the midterm elections. what was their ultimate impact on the political conversation in this country? >> well, they certainly turbo charnlgd the republican turnout in the election. they firmed up republican opposition to this president and put the issue of deficits and spending squarely on the table. which was an interesting divergence in this lame duck session of congress that we just experienced. yes, they got a tax cut deal through but the democrats' effort to pass a big spending bill at the end of the year, that collapsed, and it shows that one place where republicans want to draw the line is on spending. now president obama says he wants to cut spending, as he looks forward to 2011, 2012, deal with those long-term deficits. we'll see whether they can come to the. a lot of contentious, particular issues when you get to specific programs. >> and quickly, we can't not mention sarah palin when we talk about 2010. she had a reality series, a new

book, the list goes on and on. was she laying the groundwork, that's the big question, for a possible presidential run? >> well, certainly she's trying to keep her options open, and she's going to have a big impact on the republican campaign, whether she runs or not. some of the things that she's done, the reality show, even the prominence of her daughter bristol on "dancing with the stars" are things that you wouldn't normally associate with a presidential candidate. could be problematic for her. if she gets into the race and tries to appear presidential alongside some of her republican rivals. but, sarah palin has kept herself in the national conversation. she's made a lot of money. she has become a celebrity of the first order. politically, and otherwise. and i think you have to say she had a pretty successful 2010. >> all right, john, thanks. once again, merry christmas. >> you, too. >> now here's lester. >> amy, thanks. it was exactly one year ago that a passenger allegedly tried to blow up a plane heading to the

u.s. it was billed as an attempted terror attack that had a major impact on all of us. as umar farouk an due mu tal an waits in federal prison, the prosecution is showing up its case against the alleged christmas day bomber. two more counts were recently added to the indictment against him, bringing the total to eight. the charges include conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism. attempted murder of 281 airline passengers and 11 crew members. and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. if convicted abdulmutallab could face life in prison. one year ago on northwest flight 253 from amsterdam to detroit, shortly before landing passengers heard an explosion. >> i saw the smoke coming out of his body. >> and you were the first to stand up and yell fire? >> yes, i was the first one to report the fire. and the other passengers then

stood up and started jumping over, and within a minute or so, we saw big flames coming out higher than his face. >> court documents say abdulmutallab detonated an explosive device containing petn hidden in his underwear. he was subdued by fellow passengers and flight attendants. his father, a prominent nigerian banker, had warned u.s. officials about his son's extreme islamic views. and though he was on a low-level terrorist watch list, he was never put on a no-fly list. >> rather an a failure to collect or share intelligence, this was a failure to connect and understand the intelligence that we already had. >> so, what have we learned from the christmas day bombing attempt? let's bring in terrorism analyst. good morning and merry christmas. >> merry christmas to you. >> i think and you must think how the world would be much different this christmas if that attempt had been successful last year. >> well, absolutely.

omar farouk abdulmutallab came very close to blowing up that plane. and we think what type of aviation security measures would have been put in place after that? >> and you look at that and think of all the consternation over the new enhanced pat june, and imaging devices at airports and that would probably be a different argument today, wouldn't it? >> what's ironic is some of the things that were put in place in november were a direct result of flight 253 and it took that long to come up with procedures to actually do something that they thought made sense. but you think of all the debate and all 9 argument over what happened last november, and that would pale in comparison if flight 253 -- >> you look at these new imaging things. are we better off now with something like what farouk had had been detected under the new procedures? >> it would have increased the chances of detecting it. the ait equipment, as its called, might have identified omar farouk abdulmutallab. no guarantee, but it speaks to a bigger point, there's no silver

bullet here. it's all about layered defense. >> we saw the suspicious package of a cargo plane and that led to thought that these are dry runs. is all of this a reminder that the terrorist elements continue to favor aviation as their target of choice? >> appears to be the case. i mean that is still the brass ring for them. they were so successful on 9/11. they continue to go after that sector of the transportation area. but you've got to keep in mind that there are so many different plots that have been uncovered over the past year by al qaeda central, by the affiliates like in yemen, and by individuals like we've seen in the united states, that it's very difficult to point in one specific direction about where the threat's coming from. >> and we dodged another bullet with the attempt in times square here in new york. again, it wasn't any security procedures that prevented it, it was just that the bomb didn't work. so what does that tell us about our ability to prevent these things? >> you've got to have a little luck. you always have to have luck in counterterrorism. you think about the three big plots over the past year, flight

253, the times square plot and then the cargo plane plot. two of those came out of yemen and the other one was a result of pakistani taliban. so it's not been bin laden per se, it's everybody else involved. >> historically our direction, our focus has been the war in afghanistan, the threat in pakistan. but things have changed a lot since 2001, haven't they, in terms of where this threat's coming from? >> there's been a tremendous evolution. we've seen the threat has evolved. it's adapted. we've seen individuals being self-radicalized now over the internet with no ties to bin laden and now try being to develop the capability. we've seen the affiliates like in yemen who are far more operationally active. who would have thought an al qaeda affiliate in yemen could twice try to attack the u.s. homeland? and yet we still have bin laden at large inside pakistan. he's plotting and planning as well. so it's a full plate that counterterrorism officials have to deal with. >> what do they always say? the terrorists only have to be lucky once and we've got to be lucky all the time. that mantra still holds true after all these years.

thanks so much. good to have you here. now here's amy. >> lester, thank you. let's switch gears now, to the upcoming royal wedding of prince william and kate middleton. it's major news in britain, but is the monarchy even a bigger deal for americans? nbc's lee cowan reports. >> reporter: it's a quintessentially english as the royals themselves. a pact the bottom of which some claim to have found love. pub love, anyway. so a pub seemed a fitting place to test public opinion about the royal wedding. >> it's way more exciting than anything that we're doing. so why not be obsessed with it, right? >> reporter: here at the old kings head pub the fairy tale of william and kate is like cinderella on steroids. >> i was so excited, because i followed the royal family. and i remember where i was when diana was wed. nothing's going to be bigger than this wedding. it's every girl's dream.

>> reporter: this pub isn't in england. it's near los angeles. a walk from the beach. but this is the tale of two pubs. and the reaction to the wedding we got at this one, the king's head pub in the heart of london, was far different. >> it's great we've got a day off. >> it's too much like a celebrity wedding now, you know. >> reporter: how is it that we in the colonies are more royally raptured than britons themselves? >> i think americans love buying the dream or kate middleton and prince william. >> reporter: we're fascinated by the royals in movies. love and will read any royal intrigue. >> diana was on our cover of "people" magazine for more than 100 times. 120 times. >> reporter: we're a proven royal market, just days after the couple announced their engagement air and hotel packages popped up. americans may shell out more than $100 million this year on

tourism related to the monarchy like visiting buckingham palace. >> truth is they are like our distant relatives, only with an accent that makes them sound a lot smarter and a lot better mannered. but when it comes to the royal wedding itself perhaps the absence of a monarchy just makes the heart grow fonder. >> i think if the americans had a royal family they might think fairly differently about it. >> reporter: so happily ever after as charles and diana were supposed to enjoy never came. and many are still bitter. >> i think the american people are probably a little bit more realistic about human nature than the stiff upper-lipped brit. >> reporter: in fact, many brits are opposed to the monarchy altogether. and see a lavish wedding in a bad economy as royally out of touch. >> it's hard to see taxpayers' money being thrown on the wedding. >> reporter: we have our version of royalty, too. the glow of paris hilton or david hasselhoff may have long faded here, but in europe they remain as bright as ever. maybe an american culture obsessed with the dark side of

celebrity, the royals offer something hopeful. >> no matter where you're from, to love. >> reporter: not pub love, but the real thing. for today, lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. >> so that wedding is in the spring. maybe by then i'll have all the christmas songs out of my head. do you keep humming them? ♪ it's the most wonderful time >> anyway, we have got a holiday play list to sing along with. take a look. ♪ jingle bells jingle bell rock ♪ ♪ >> wonderful classic pianist. my favorite things. whitney houston does a rendition of joy to the world. ♪ it's not just -- ♪ joy to the world ♪ it's the gospel version. i mean it's a get up and clap and, you know, praise the lord in church kind of song.

♪ are you listening always ring are you glistening ♪ ♪ >> i'm jewish. i love the hanukkah song. i could sing that 50 different ways. >> i like those old school holiday songs that new age artists have recreated. like bruce springsteen when he went crazy. that one. i really enjoy the mariah car carey -- ♪ all i want for christmas is you ♪ i can't sing, but she can. ♪ all i want for christmas is you ♪ ♪ jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way ♪ ♪ oh, what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh ♪ ♪ hey! >> any time i hear the alvin and the chipmunks, because i remember as a kid, that was, you know, one of my favorites. nothing says christmas. alvin!

♪ joy to the world the lord is come ♪ >> i like james taylor. i like some jazz stuff. and i like christmas carols a lot. one of my all-time favorites is actually the nutcracker. >> dreidel dreidel dreidel. you made it out of clay. >> i love all of those old school christmas songs, with these deep, raspy voices. some of my favorites, chestnuts roasting on an open fire. i'll be home for christmas. and then of course rudolph the red nosed reindeer. ♪ rudolph the red nosed reindeer reindeer ♪ ♪ had a very shiny nose now i'm forgetting what it is. like a light bulb. yeah, like a light bulb. >> my personal favorite. little drummer boy, bing crosby featuring david bowie. ♪ a newborn king to see pa rum pa pump pump ♪ ♪ it's christmastime

>> run-dmc. it's christmastime in queens, mom cooking chicken, and collard greens. >> we want to say merry christmas and happy new year. >> love that he remembered that. >> that's the best part. so what is it like a light bulb? >> you don't even know it? the pressure's on. and just pops into your head. >> that's what we do for a living. still to come on this christmas morning from holiday music to movies, what's your choice? we'll tell you ours. but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ r brotr ]he tt's the last. 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

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still to come on "today," planning on regifting a present you opened up this morning? we're going to tell you -- >> plus holiday trip bargains. where to find the best deals you're planning to get away this holiday seon. bufirst t these messages.

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with the money i saved, i bid online -and got exactly what he wanted. -a robosan 4000! [ television ] introducing the new robosan 5000. [ mom ] at least for now. [ male announcer ] make your happy holiday stories come true with citi specials. what's your story? citi can help you write it. mutallab. good morning, everyone. i'm scott budman. merry christmas. we are going to start with are weather forecast on this saturday morning. let's get the forecast from meteorologist, nick owe' kelly. heavy rain possible with this storm, maybe an isolated

thunderstorm embedded as well. by tonight, it will be moving out of our area. a few lingering showers into sunday. rainfall accumulation, could be rather impressive in the santa cruz mountains. maybe .25 to .33 inches of rain. caltrain wants to remind everyone fairs are going up on january the 1st. they jump by 25 cents per zone. that means a one-way ticket between san jose and san francisco will increase from $7.75 to $8.50. it is cutting two northbound and two southbound trains in its mid-day schedule. about 38,000 people use this train. if you plan to hit the road to visit family, you may notice something different at the pump. the highest gas prices in more than two years. the average price of gas this

month, now, $3.28. that's up 76 points from the low point back in december of 2008. gas prices are creeping up. right now, more than halfway towards the peak price. your natural gas at home may be going down. energy experts say natural gas rates are about 15% lower than they were at this time last year. that means the average consumer could see its bill drop by 7%. electric customers could save money this winter. about half the electricity in texas is generated by natural gas plants. that will translate into lower electricity prices. your cereal could be less sweet next month. they say they will reduce it from 11 grams to 9 grams and

offer children a healthier option. they will also certify both cereals as gruten free. a protein in wheat, barley and rye that causes allergic reactions in some people. an nbc bay area exclusive for you. confronted by a man with a rifle after a desperate bay area mall robbery, how a san jose man kept his cool during a carjacking. for now, back to new york and more of the "today" show on this christmas day. have a good one!

♪ ♪ a shadow of the wind ♪ the children know the children snow this ♪ ♪ that he will come to them

to love ♪ ♪ snow angels snow angels ♪ ♪ he'll make a way and he will stay ♪ ♪ for a time for a time ♪ ♪ ♪ in the dark

a shadow ♪ ♪ of a wing the children know this ♪ ♪ the children know this ♪ that he will come to them to let to let ♪ ♪ snow angel snow angel ♪ ♪ snow angel to make a way and he will stay ♪ ♪ for a time

♪ and it's time >> and we're back on this christmas morning, december 25th, 2010. how is that for a wonderful way to start the day? the chorus from p.s. 22 right here in new york with snow angel. what a great group of kids. their bright smiles. their moves. >> makes you want to start doing that song. >> want to thank mem. back inside, studio 1a i'm amy robach along with lester holt. merry christmas to all of you. we're glad you're sharing part of it with us. >> if you're under the tree right now i don't want to cause any problems but are you sure the gift you're opening hasn't been around before? we're talking about regifting. it's a question a lot of folks, probably are wondering about. some folks are comfortable with the idea. others are not. and if you're going to be regifting we've got some essential tips you should know. >> how not to get caught. plus, tiz the season to travel, whether on the road or in the air. millions of americans will be on vacation in the next few weeks, if you have not booked your trip or if you're looking for a great

last-minute deal we have both of those. >> how does my gift work? if you received a new i something, digital camera, phone, something with a memory card, and you're probably a little frustrated, how does it work? we're going to walk you through it. >> that looks complicated right there. first let's get a check of the top stories with peter alexander who is at the news desk. good morning. >> amy, thanks. that does look complicated. we begin with an oceanfront christmas for president obama. the president and first family are celebrating this day with friends and family in hawaii. mr. obama and his daughters also spent time together friday relaxing at the beach. elsewhere, the brutal winter weather that's crippled travel in europe is easing this morning. that's the good news. flight schedules are slowly returning to normal after hundreds of delays and cancellations left travelers stranded. snow and freezing rain brought airports across europe to a standstill for days. finally, bringing some christmas joy to american heroes on the front lines. this was the scene in kabul, afghanistan, where american troops celebrated the holiday.

they sang carols, lit candles. even got a visit from santa claus himself. an estimated 90,000 americans are currently serving in afghanistan. here's wishing them and all of our men and women in uniform a very happy and safe holiday season. now here's a look at the national forecast. the storm system will give atlanta its first white christmas in a century. expect below normal temperatures in the midwest, the northeast, chicago will reach a high of 32 degrees with mostly cloudy skies and a chance for some

that is the news and weather. now back to lester. >> all right, peter, thanks very much. this morning the story of christmas magic and how it is bringing two strangers together. here's nbc's michelle kosinski. >> take my hammer. all right. >> reporter: the world of isiah zagar is one partisan to's workshop and 14 years of unbridled work. >> i studied painting and graphics, and it all is here. >> reporter: in the heart of philadelphia, on land once neglected -- >> it is like a universe game. >> reporter: now filled with bits that were also abandoned. >> watch your head. >> reporter: piles of glass from around the world, discarded figures, things that isiah finds a million little homes for. so what about tile and mosaic inspires you? >> feeling that tiles have been through the fire. and now will be around forever unless they disappear into landfills.

>> reporter: and that's where the world of r.j. bond collides. at lowe's in new jersey, once he laid eyes on isiah's work which has grown into the landmark magic garden and isiah's murals around the city featuring unsung heroes like this plumber. >> i said wow, someone could take all this discarded material and turn it into something that looked amazing. >> reporter: he was inspired. realized how many pieces of potential are thrown away every day from his store and others. >> we have, you know, broken mosaic mats, porcelain, to natural slate tiles. >> reporter: so he created a plan to give all this trash to the one person who calls it treasure. >> if it wasn't for seeing what could be done with it, i never would have had the idea. >> receiving the gift i want to make it valuable again. >> it's a win-win situation. we don't have to throw out any tile and put knit the landfill. >> if you stand in one place

long enough you get tile. >> can you turn to the camera? >> like that? wow! >> just look at what's around you and see where it can go. >> reporter: from a local big box, a unique christmas present to the place where broken is beautiful. >> the brokenness of it, my gosh, is what its strength is. >> reporter: for "today," michelle kosinski, nbc news, philadelphia. >> looks like a palace. >> i know it's beautiful. >> still to come this morning, regifting 101. what to do before you rewrap it. >> and small wonder, miniature museum rooms decorated for the holidays. but first these messages. [scraping] [piano keys banging] [scraping] [horns honking] with deposits in your engine, it can feel like something's holding your car back. let me guess, 16. [laughing] yeeah.

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knowing no one looking to freeze or concentrate you... will ever set foot in this paradise. simply orange. honestly simple. ( chirping ) some of you may be waking up this morning, unwrapping gifts that may not necessarily be to your liking. instead of throwing it in the back of your closet to never be thought of again you may want to think about regifting it. >> reporter: well didn't he regift the label maker? >> possibly. >> well, if he can regift, why didn't you he can gift? >> the present you unwrapped this morning could just be the gift that keeps on giving. >> i regifted toys, books, little toiletries, and just makeup. >> reporter: polls show that at least a quarter of americans have no problem regifting. >> regifting, oh, yeah.

>> if you really can't use it, why not give it to somebody else? >> i wouldn't regift food. or, you know, anything personal. but other than that, you know, if you can't use it, then i wouldn't feel one bit guilty giving it to somebody else. >> regifting? >> regifting. >> reporter: what tops the regifting list? industry insiders say wines, candles, and even candy are easy giveways. >> i think it's perfectly great to regift it. >> joining us now with some regifting dos and don'ts is lifestyle expert robin loreno. good morning. >> good morning. >> so in terms ofregifting etiquette, do some items make better regifts than others? >> yes, everyone has gifts they could regift, like wine they said is very common. candles, as you can see, chocolate, board games, ipods, home appliances. the thing is if you have these things you might not need them but people would enjoy them and

regifting becomes recycling. >> yeah, it's green. >> exactly. there are some items you say you should probably avoid regifting. what are they? >> anything that's personalized, monogrammed. >> yeah, that would be a dead giveaway. >> unless someone has the same initials as you. if they made something for you, gave you a blanket, or brought something back from travels, that's just in bad taste. not something that's been broken or opened. sort of pay attention before you stuff it in a bag. >> you've got to make sure you don't give it to the person who gave it to you. >> that's sort of, you know, you didn't enjoy in the first place, you might think this person enjoys this, now he's -- >> okay. >> you also say an important part of regifting is to take it out of the original packaging, and make it your own. >> well the thing is it's all about personalization. regifting, people think it's a bad word. but it isn't necessarily. it's just having a little thought like, you know, if you love the color, you know, take it out, personalize it, that's going to become, have some meaning. >> you say there are some things

you can do, some tricks that if you want to make the gift look more like you really put some thought into it, even if you are regifting, what are some ideas for that? >> if you don't have time to buy a gift, spend some time gift wrapping. like wine we said is very common. rather than put it in a bag, have a little thought to it, i always have vintage scarves around my house. so what i do is get a vintage scarf, and then, you know, there we go, and just tie it. >> that's really two gifts in one at that point. >> it is. >> because the scarf on top of the wine. >> if you're a guy and you had a vintage bow tie that could be a really good idea, as well. >> i like that. >> give it a little personalization. if someone's crafty, little buttons you have around your house. recycle ornaments. by tomorrow you're not going to be using them anyway. spend some time with the gift wrapping, and then that regift has so much more meaning. >> bottom line when it comes to regifting what are some of the -- oh. >> i got you this for christmas. >> no. >> super cool friend. >> oh. >> i'm not buying it. >> so i just saw -- >> how about that?

all right. good one, lister. if you're looking to regift. >> again, it's all about personalization. it comes with a little thought and some good gift wrapping. the regift has become the best gift they received this holiday season. >> super cool friend. >> i love that. >> it's not flying. >> all right, robin, thanks so. and merry christmas. coming up next, back in time, a special exhibit on christmas in america. with the capital one venture card

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at the art institute of chicago, a small holiday treat is leaving a pretty big impression. the museum's famed thorn miniature rooms, showcasing american furnishings for centuries are being decorated for christmas and as john yang reports, it is a sight to see. >> reporter: at the art institute of chicago they've decked the halls for the holidays. ♪ but these rooms measure no more than two feet square. miniatures painstakingly constructed in the 1930s on a scale of one inch to a foot. they depict furnishings from the late 13th century to 1940s. this is the first time they've been altered since going on display nearly 70 years ago. lindsay mccann morgan oversees the collection. >> every morning we have to clean the windowpains of the room, because people smush their noses up to peer all around the

rooms, and we welcome that. >> reporter: morgan researched the decorations to make sure they're historically accurate. the detail's remarkable. this is the col owian williamsburg room. there's snow on the floor as if someone has come in and stomped their boots off. >> exactly, exactly. they're in a rush. they've perhaps missed their hat and run in to grab it. >> reporter: decorations were crafted from around the world, toys from germany, holiday treats from italy and a wreath and mistletoe from south africa. morgan made others. >> probably one of the hardest things i constructed was a pair of wooden clogs for the french room. i think the shoes probably took me about eight hours, over two, three nights of carving. >> reporter: holding the items in the room also took time. >> garland going up the bannister took many hours, as well as this room happened to be summertime outside. so we had to make it winter. >> so cool. >> reporter: morgan has her favorites, too. >> i have to admit that i love

the little dolls. >> reporter: only six of the 68 rooms have been decorated. >> the mistletoe hanging there. >> reporter: in the future the museum wants to add more each year, creating a new holiday tradition. >> oh, my goodness. >> reporter: monique walters first brought her children years ago. >> my daughter's always enjoyed it immensely, and now i'm getting to come back with my grandchildren. >> reporter: a favorite holiday stop for visitors of all ages. for "today," john yang, nbc news, chicago. >> and we'll be back on this christmas morning. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪

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still to come on "today," thanks, great gifts. how does it work? from ipad to your new laptop we'll show you how they work. >> plus holiday movies. what's your favorite? we're going to tell you ours.

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stream hd video and rule the air on the fastest 4g network in america. good morning. merry christmas, everyone! it is 5:56 on this saturday morning. i'm scott budman. you are looking live at auiet golden state bridge. a lot of weather. we are going to check that with nick. good morning. tracking another powerful storm system to move through the bay area packing gusty winds at the coast and higher terrain. we could see winds as high as 45 miles per hour.

heavy rain possible. maybe an isolated thunderstorm embedded as well. the good news, the system is moving quickly. by tonight, out of our area. a few lingering showers into sunday. rainfall accumulation could be rather impressive in the santa cruz mountains with upwards of an inch, 1.5 inches. tomorrow, we are looking for dryer weather. a drunk driving arrest is presented more than a bump in the road for a well-known oakland city counselman. we have a live look at north town 101, 580. chp officers out in force today as part of their christmas maximum enforcement period to keep roads safe. we mentioned drunk driving arrests. two-time mayoral candidate and current councilman now faces a misdemeanor charge after being arrested at the fruitvale exit on 580. an officer says he was drifting

between lanes and going 80 miles an hour in a 65-mile-an-hour zone thursday night. he was issued a citation. police say it has nothing to do with his position. >> not so much of who he is but because of the circumstances of the stop. it was a misdemeanor. he had good identification. there were no outstanding warrants for his arrest. he was very cooperation. the violations ceased when we contacted him. >> we are told that he submitted to a blood test and was released. if you are planning to be out and about, making merry, make sure to bring along a designated driver. police and highway patrol officers will step up enforcement against suspected drunk drivers. it is an annual crackdown. you can expect dui check points and increased patrol through the 2nd of january. santa is delivering free parking to parts of san francisco on christmas day.

meters in almost every part of the city will be shut off. that meechans you don't have to carry around any spare change. street sweeping rules will not be in force. the port will be the only part of san francisco where motorists will have to feed meters tomorrow. they will run their sunday schedule today. service begins at 8:00 in the morning instead of 6:00 a.m. 7:00 on "today in the bay," clint is home for christmas. a missing dog turns up safe. we will tell you who had him and why police are puzzled. meanwhile, we will be back with more local news in 30 minutes after sending you back to more of the "today" show. have a very good saturday!

♪ ♪ silent ♪ o holy night the stars are brightly shining ♪ ♪ ♪ it is the night of the dear savior's birth ♪

♪ till he appears and the soul felt its worth ♪ the thrill of hope the weary world rejoices ♪ ♪ for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn ♪ ♪ fall on your knees oh, hear the angel voices ♪ ♪ o night divine o night when christ was born ♪ ♪ o night ♪ divine

♪ o night o night divine ♪ ♪ fall on your knees o hear the angel voices ♪ ♪ o night divine ♪ ♪ o night when christ was born ♪ ♪ o night divine ♪ ♪ o night o night divine ♪

♪ o holy night holy night divine ♪ >> that was beautiful. certainly puts you in the mood for the holidays, doesn't it? the award winning brooklyn youth choir singing o holy night. i know we did our play list a little earlier. that's one of my favorite songs. >> i love it. >> beautiful song. our thanks to them for joining us on this christmas morning. they'll be back a bit later with one more time. meantime i'm lester holt along with amy robach and merry christmas. >> merry christmas to you and to everyone out there. "today" show tradition is spending part of the morning with you. and we have a lot to get to this morning, including holiday travel. it's the busiest time of the year. but it may also bring you some great bargains. if you're putting off a vacation because of high prices, we may have some good news for you, so stay tuned. >> also they tug at the heart and make us laugh and cry. we're talking about the greatest holiday films of all time. all of us have our own favorite from "it's a wonderful life" to

"frosty the snowman." we'll tell you our choices. >> and what's christmas day without a christmas feast? coming up ed brown joins us with a twist on a delicious christmas day dinner. i can smell it already. >> i've been eating so many holiday cookies that are stacked around the studio, i'm not sure i'm going to have the appetite. looking at that i probably will. before we get to all that let's begin this half hour with traditions. what would christmas be without them? this morning we want to share our holiday traditions with you. ♪ >> so here's the deal, and here's why this is tricky, not only am i jewish, so there was no tree, but i grew up in the caribbean, so there was no snow. so around christmas every year was 85 and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. ♪ christmas in the caribbean so we had this tradition where my parents would fly us up to new york because that's where my grandparents lived in the middle of winter and we would get in the car and we would drive up and down neighborhoods and we

would just look at the lights. basically we moved off other people's christmas traditions. but it was really nice. and i was a kid and i'd be like look, daddy, dad i, lights, lights! ♪ merry christmas time >> i spent christmas, every christmas, in michigan. and not just any place in michigan, but lake-effect snow area michigan. all the cousins would go, we knew where all the best hills were and we would sled all day long. and that was such a great memory for me growing up. ♪ let it snow let it snow ♪ ♪ let it snow so i remember it was just like the earliest bedtime ever christmas eve and my parents would come in and say, you can hear hooves on the rooftop, you better go to sleep now. we always hated that we had to go to bed extra early on christmas eve. my parents just needed time to wrap the presents. >> we have aluminum christmas tree from sears and row buck and

tradition every year was, you know on saturday we'd go bring the box with the christmas tree out and i used to sit there and my mother and i would screw in the branches. and i didn't discover that there were natural trees until much later in life. ♪ walking around the christmas tree have a happy holiday ♪ a new tradition we started last year, because my oldest son now is out of college and he's moved on and working outside the new york area, is skype. you know, last christmas was our first skype christmas morning. having him in his apartment via skype opening his presents as we opened the presents he gave to us. >> my mom started doing later in my life and then she's been doing it with my children, is the gingerbread house. she has been making gingerbread houses with them every year and that's been really fun to watch. >> i am blessed to have spent the holidays with my family, which is the most important thing, as long as you're with family, it doesn't really matter

where you are. ♪ all i want for christmas is you ♪ >> it's fun to look back. you said your kids are waking you up early. >> my brother and i would make all these noise oh, like, be quiet, you might wake mom and dad. >> maybe we'll have to go open the presents. >> after about an hour it worked. >> mine isn't even that subtle. mom, get up! >> it's 4:00 a.m. >> exactly. who isn't up? >> we've got more reminiscing to do. we need to get another check of the top stories. peter alexander at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning to both of you. merry christmas to you at home. just a short time ago, pope benedict xvi offered his christmas message to the world, delivering it from the balcony of st. peter's basilica. with thousands of worshippers in attendance the pope prayed for peace in the middle east, and urged christians in china to be courageous. in pakistan today, a suicide bomber killed dozens. at least 38 people were killed, scores of others injured after a

woman blew herself up. this attack happened in a tribal region of that country. authorities say the terror attack targeted people waiting for food at a distribution center. back home, a man with a gun was arrested at miami international airport. police say a screener detected the gun in the passenger's fanny pack. that man, the suspect, a 48-year-old florida man, was on his way to cuba. he was charged with carrying a conceal weapon. he's now being held on $10,000 bond. now, to holiday shopping, and for retailers, this has been a very good season. whether looking for bargains or last-minute finds, americans have been in the spending mood. the national retail federation says sales are up 3.3% from a year ago. and analysts predict it may be the best shopping season. in many years. in iraq, u.s. troops were treated to christmas mass. this was the scene at the military base in northern baghdad. americans attending the service prayed for peace and hoped that this would be the last christmas u.s. troops would observe in

iraq. all u.s. forces were expected out of that country by the end of 2011. now here is the national weather forecast. the storm system is giving atlanta its first white christmas in a century. more rain and snow expected in the northwest. you'll look for below normal temperatures in the northeast. the pacific northwest, there you can see the temperatures in the 40s, 36 degrees in spokane. good morning to you. i'm meteorologist, nick o'kelly. this is spreading in heavy rain. winds, very gusty. especially at the coast and the higher terrain. we could see winds to 45 miles per hour or better. by tomorrow, this storm is history. we are looking for a few lingerinshowers in the north bay. otherwise, dry.

the roker family enjoying a good holiday to the. that's the news and weather. let's head back to lester. >> peter, thanks very much. gadgets and gizmos continue to be the hottest holiday gifts this year. receiving them is one thing. getting them to work can be another. here to help is mark mccluskey from wired magazine. good morning. merry christmas. >> merry christmas, lester. how are you? >> i'm great. people like to get technological gifts. sometimes that initial setup is difficult. we're going to start off with, we've got an ipad and an -- >> ipod touch. >> same principle, right? >> the first thing you're going to need to do out of the box is get it connected to your computer using itunes. so they'll be on the screen sort of a thing that says hey, plug me in. >> they'll come with a cable. >> plug it in. and that's where you do, you register the device and do sort of the initial syncing and setu and then you're ready to start. >> make sure you have a computer that's on the internet to get you going. >> exactly, if you don't have that, they don't sort of work out of the box until they phone home to apple. >> a great pc laptop. this is --

>> this is the hp np 14, terrific laptop that we really like at wired. but with any pc, a couple of things that i really want everyone to promise me they'll do, install some anti-virus software. >> right away. >> before you start doing a lot of different things with it. we like a program called avant, a great free program. download the windows updates. >> it's been sitting in the store for even a few weeks it might not be up to date. >> it might not have all the security updates that have come out. you really want to make sure -- >> and you get prompted along. >> microsoft will certainly say, hey. but please do that. because we want you to be safe with your new computer. >> the digital cameras have gotten so good here. there's a lot to know about how to use them. and you just want to get out of the box and start shooting. >> and actually, i kind of love just getting out of the box and start shooting. that's one of the great things about digital, that there isn't that cost of taking pictures, you're just sort of taking pictures. >> this is a canon 7-d. >> astonishingly awesome camera.

takes video, as well. just start playing with it. there's no cost. you're not just developing pictures. and sort of commonsense thing is read the manual. there's a ton of information in the manuals. >> boring! >> i know, but especially there are a lot of settings and a lot of things you can do creatively. the manufacturers are pretty good at letting you know. >> understand the sd cards that go -- >> the sd or the memory cards, when you buy it, make sure you're getting the right tikind because there are a couple of different standards out there. >> okay. let's talk about video games here. >> talk about, we're going to put you to work here. >> this is a new one that a lot of people may have under the tree this morning, comes with the xbox and it's this control? >> that's the xbox kinect controller. >> kinect, okay. >> you're now the controller. it's a camera. let me have you come over here. and it's going to see you there and we're going to say, go ahead, you're going to jump. >> oh, okay. we're using our hands. >> we're using our hands. >> all right.

the game. >> it doesn't quite want to see me here yet. >> okay. i'm here. >> move forward a step. >> move forward a step. oh, move backwards. it's telling me to move backwards. >> move over and hold that there. all right. and give it a second. hit continue down below. right there. >> oh, okay. now you're going to be on a raft and you're going to jump up to start the game. >> you sure? >> oh, wow. >> and there you go. and jump to make the raft jump. >> oh, this is cool. >> there you go. >> this is way cool. it's really an amazing technology. it's a series of web cameras and video cameras. >> what would you need to know about setting this up? obviously it will come with instructions on how to hook it into the actual box? >> yes, plugs right into the xbox. the software will walk you through the setup. it's pretty darn easy. there you go. >> got them all. cool. this is very, very cool. so you get the box and the -- >> you get the xbox and that

just plugs in to your tv, with usually an hdmi cable and into the power and the kinect just hooks right into that. >> are these sorts of things hooked into the internet, as well fl >> these are hooked into the internet. they're pretty sophisticated computers so you are going to want an internet connection. >> if you get one of these under the tree, my birthday's just a few months. mark mccluskey, thanks. merry christmas. still to come, deals and discounts. the best travel bets for the holidays right after these messages. if your racing thoughts keep you awake... sleep is here, on the wings of lunesta. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here, on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day,

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♪ i'll be home for christmas ♪ this morning on "today's travel," holiday travel. believe it or not, there are last-minute bargains to the best destinations to ring in the new year. senior editor of "travel view" is here. gabe, good morning. >> good to be with you. >> we're going to get to hot destinations for 2011, but let's

talk about last-minute travel deals. >> there are procrastinators out there. >> it's going to be a busy season so if you're looking for last-minute booking, what's your best advice? >> pick your days wisely. at this point we're dealing with high demand. prices are going to be high over the next couple of days, couple of weeks. the best, probably the best odds of getting cheaper airfare, wednesday, december 28th. and then come back on the 4th and 5th of january. all the other days everybody else wants to fly. >> let's move to 2011. mexico's yucatan peninsula, it is kind of surprising for some people, is it considered a safer option in that country? people are concerned about safety in mexico. >> well, certainly mexico's dealing with an image issue that it's trying to correct. i mean there is a travel warning to mexico relegated primarily to border towns. when you look at the yucatan peninsula, cancun, playa del carmen, the number one safety spot in mexico. very aggressive deals. mexicana folded earlier this year, a lot of american carriers

have increased their service to cancun. so some phenomenal savings. the ritz-carlton cancun, one of the few five diamond resorts in all of mexico, $429 a night. but with a daily $300 credit so use on meals, spa treatments, so it becomes extra affordable. >> absolutely. all right the next hot pick is actually a cold one. >> yes. >> iceland. why is that becoming such a popular destination? >> you covered this at length earlier this year with the volcano erupting. it causes a nightmare globally. really put iceland on the map. after the volcano settled, september an uptick in bookings to iceland. there is a 20% increase expected in tourism to iceland come 2011. delta will be starting service out of new york in june. iceland air will be starting service out of d.c. in may. so increased air availability. greater competition. lower airfare. there's packages by the way from iceland, $499 for airfare, a weekend, four star hotel, breakfast and a blue lagoon tour which is a beautiful geothermal spa and lava field in western iceland.

>> all right and if you're looking for truly warmer waters you can head to bermuda. why this one? >> this is great sex appeal with her mud today. cruise lines are increasing their itineraries. royal caribbean replacing their baltimore to bermuda run with a larger ship later in 2011. and for the airfare front, we're seeing increased competition. american, united, jet blue, continental, all offering one-way fares as little as $69 each way. air tran starting service later in 2011 out of baltimore and atlanta to compete with delta. so again, greater competition, cheaper to get there. >> and cheap as always, it seems, las vegas. >> well, this was on our list for 2010. we were talking about this destination last year. since then, 9,000 new hotel rooms have opened on the strip thanks to brand-new resort including the cosmopolitan earlier this month. you can expect greater ava availabili availability. we're looking at prices as little as $19 a night. five star resorts under $80 a

night. and big shows, 30% to 50% off. you can do cirque du soliel two for one if you're visiting sin city. >> gabe, thanks so much for joining us, and merry christmas. coming up next, the hottest-selling christmas albums. but first this is "today" on nbc. so, we book a flight to hawaii using our points from chase sapphire. last minute... on christmas. and sitting next to us, chevy chase. and we really hit it off. we play golf, and then the luau. he's like da vinci with ice. and after, we help hang christmas decorations. wait, wait, wait. you flew last minute... on christmas... with points from chase sapphire?

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by a lot. 40 million drivers. more savings. and discounts up to 40%. where else you gonna get discounts like that? call an agent at 1-800-state-farm or go online. good morning. it is 6:26. i'm scott budman. merry christmas, everyone! . you are looking live out of san francisco. a lot of people are wondering what the weather is going to be like for this christmas weekend. let's check in. tracking another powerful storm system to move through the bay area. packing winds at the coast and higher terrain. we could see winds as high as 45 miles per hour. heavy rain possible.

even an isolated thunderstorm embedded as well. the good news, by tonight, the system will be out of our area. a few lingering showers sunday. rainfall could be impressive in the santa cruz mountains with up yards of 1.5 inches. tomorrow, dryer weather for the bay area. thank you, nick. new this morning, it's been an all-nighter of sorts for pope benedict. the pope is celebrating christmas day mass hours after praying for peace at midnight services. this morning, 50,000 people gathered in st. peter's square to hear the annual sermon. pope benedict prayed for peace. we are calling the birth of jesus. calling on personal responsibility as well as the importance of helping others. he told catholics in china to face limits on freedom. at midnight, the pope walked

down the aisle and stopped several times to bless babies. during the same service in 2008 and 2009, a mentally disturbed woman lunged at the pope. that and two bombings have put the vatican on high security alert, metal detector checks and extra police and inspections of bags and bag pops. bombs exploded thursday at the chilean and rome facilities. this morning, top military leaders are praising the tsa's new warnings about insulated mugs. they say it is an example of federal leaders doing their best to anticipate terror tactics. they announced that terrorists could use the cups to conceal explosives. carrying one could slow you down at the security gates. passengers have some doubts about the new precautions.

>> it is just another hassle we have to deal with as travelers. it is kind of annoying. the next thing, you can't bring your purse or your lip gloss. it is kind of annoying. if it keeps us from being blown up in the air, we will deal with it. >> homeland security adds, no threats have surfaced. a scare in the skies. an emergency landing out of sfo and our reporter is on board. we will have that and all the days top's stories coming up at 7:00. right now, back to new york and more of the "today" show. have a very good christmas day!

♪ you better watch out you better not cry ♪ ♪ you better not pout >> we're back on this christmas morning, december 25th, 2010, with a look at the rockefeller center christmas tree. inside studio 1a i'm amy robach, along with lester holt. merry christmas to you. >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas to everyone. it's a very festive day and we're glad you're sharing part of it with us. christmastime for you? >> eating. yeah, eating. >> always good. >> really. it's the last chance. and then after that it's like okay, enough. >> hit the gym. >> but one more big day of feasting. still to come, what's the holiday season without a good holiday movie? from white christmas to how the grinch stole christmas.

this morning we'll look at some of the best and tell you our favorites. >> and then right up lester's alley the perfect feast for christmas day dinner. ed brown is preparing a quick and easy christmas day meal that everybody's going to love. >> plus a special holiday performance from figure skating champion todd eldredge. that's all coming up. >> but first let's get a check of the top stories with peter alexander who is at the news desk. peter, good morning. >> good morning to both of you. merry christmas. it is shaping up to be a very white christmas for many people this morning. fresh layer of snow fell near indianapolis. and it is expected to blanket a lot of the midwest and southeast by day's end. here's a little history this holiday. atlanta could actually get its first major christmas day snowfall since 1881. the snow may be wanted but it is not exactly welcome news at airports across the country. a winter storm is already creating chaos for holiday travel. delta has canceled 300 flights scheduled for today out of atlanta alone. hundreds of more flights have been grounded or delayed. overseas in england, queen

elizabeth delivered her traditional holiday speech, wishing everyone a happy christmas. as for prince william and kate middleton they are spend\ing christmas apart from each other this year. kate will be home with her family. william is away on military service. now here's a look at the national weather forecast. you can expect normal temperatures in the midwest and northeast. snowing santas in many places. chicago, 32 degrees with mostly cloudy skies and a chance of some snow. the southwest remains slightly above normal with temperatures good morning to you. i'm meteorologist, nick o'kelly. another powerful thunderstorm heading towards the bay. heavy rain from north to south. winds, very gusty, especially at the coast and in the higher terrain. we could see winds to 45 miles per hour or better. by tomorrow, this storm is history. we are looking for a few lingering showers in the north bay. otherwise, dry.

that is the news and weather. we're double dipping today. lester, back to you. >> all right, peter thanks very much. as hollywood rolls out another batch of holiday movies we can't help looking back at the most memorable christmas movies ever made and how this time of year simply wouldn't be the same without them. >> look, daddy, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings. >> that's right. >> hands down, favorite christmas movie, "a christmas vacation." the tree, and grandma. when the turkey just gets completely ruined. looks gorgeous. and he sticks the fork in, and it just -- >> probably my all-time favorite is "a christmas story." one of the things that really makes me laugh in that movie is they get a flat tire.

ralphie spills the hubcab full of lug nuts and in slow motion he lets out this expletive, and his father looks at him, and he knows he's in trouble. and i remember a similar scene when i was a little kid, and i let out an expletive and didn't realize my mother was standing right there behind me. and i got the same punishment. never forget the taste of the zest. >> i loved "elf." i loved "elf" like it was going out of style. 10,000 funny lines in scenes in that movie. we walked up to that dinky little like disgusting coffee shop and says world's greatest coffee. and he's like gratd lagss, you did it. >> world's best cup of coffee. great job, everybody! >> i love that. >> he's working at a department store and he finds out that santa's coming and of course, it's not the real santa. and it's a hilarious scene where he's exposing this guy. >> i love "a christmas carol." i always did.

as every kid was the ghost of christmas to come. he's like waaah. it really messed me up on christmas eve, sometimes. "love, actually" is probably one of my all-time favorite movies, holiday or not holiday. my favorite scene was this scene where this guy is in love with his best friend's wife and he comes up to her house and he knocks on the door and she answers. >> oh, hi. >> who is it? >> it's carol singers. >> and he moves this cards and on the cards he basically says i'm in love with you, i'll always be in love with you. she runs outside, and she runs to him and she just gives him a little kiss. all he cared about was making sure she knew how he felt. >> enough now. >> would you be santa claus? >> "miracle on 34th street." my girl's have gone to the macy's parade almost every year of their lives. it's a fun thing for them to watch because it's new york city. >> the santa claus, with tim

allen, that movie, because my oldest son at the time was on that kind of the cusp of, do i believe in santa, do i not believe in santa, and in that movie santa kind of viperizes to go up and down the chimney and i remember him saying something to the effect of ah, that's how he does it. that movie helped keep santa alive in his memory a little longer. >> there's some great films out there. >> you can watch them every year and it's like you're watching them for the first time. >> i forgot about the squirrel scene in christmas vacation. >> how about when she wraps up the cat? there are a million great, great moments in that movie. it's good to have a laugh. >> the rest of christmas day, i'm going to watch those movies. up next a christmas day feast from start to finish. first these messages. i had this idea. to make baby food the way moms would. happybaby strives to make the best organic baby food. in a business like ours, personal connections are so important. we use our american express open gold card

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this morning on today's holiday kitchen a christmas dinner feast that you can enjoy any time of the year. ed brown is chef and collaborator at ed's chowder house here in new york. also a senior vice president of restaurant associates. good morning, merry christmas. >> merry christmas to you. >> we've got kind of a nontraditional christmas meal but i think everyone decided because it looks amazing. >> it's festive food. i don't travel anywhere, first of all, without my crab cakes or my shrimp from chowder house. >> okay. >> great, boiled shrimp. crab cakes. it's a great way to start. our friends while we're preparing our nantucket-based scallops. this is the time for nantuckets. they're beautiful just off the coast of massachusetts. these are beautiful examples. >> what is this dish we're making? >> we're marinating this very quickly. i'm squeezing fresh orange. >> wow.

those limes look really good, too. >> fresh limes, if you have extra limes you can use them with your tequila. >> nice tip, thanks for that. >> and then a little -- just a little sea salt. >> this is kind of a special kind. >> a slice of salt. so it's a little crunchy. >> like that. and those peppers? >> jalapenos. a little bit spicy. >> wow. >> and if you could start tearing me just some herbs. >> what kind of herbs are these? >> i've got mint and basil. and mint and basil are a great combination of herbs to use. >> you just sprinkle it on top. >> bare them, sprinkle it on top. >> as much as you'd like? there's no rules? >> keep going. keep going. cover it so it keeps going. >> basically what's happening right now is that the citrus joyces are cooking that. salt by a little quick cure. >> okay. >> we serve this in five minutes, it's ready to go. >> don't put this in -- you just leave it as it is and let it marinate? >> just like this. leave it as it are. >> crab cakes easy to make?

>> they are. crab meat, egg, mayonnaise, old bay seasoning, mustard, salt and pepper. that's it. coated in corn flake crumbs. and baked in the oven so they really taste like warm mounds of crab meat, not fried or anything. >> okay. >> roasted salmon. another chowder house special, we roast the whole salmon, cut a nice piece, serve it with brussel sprouts. >> okay. >> endive salad. very festive. >> this looks amazing. you got pomegranates in there? >> endive, pomegranates and watercress. then for a main course, duck meatballs with creamy polenta. >> that looks adventure. how tough is that? >> simple. you could make regular meatballs if you prefer. these are duck, pork and ricotta cheese. creamy polenta is simple to make. and then for one of my favorite ways to end a great holiday. >> yes. and i think i'm going to like this one. >> i think you're going to like this one. >> drumroll, please -- chocolate souffle. >> look at that. >> wow. those are beautiful. and again, i would think that that would be way out of my

league. here comes one -- >> lester comes. >> wow! >> sue fly, the crab cakes, i don't know where to start. >> and what are you putting -- >> pistachio ice cream. just let that ice cream ooze right in to there. >> oh, that looks good. >> we've been smelling these all morning long. it's been really hard to stay downtears. >> i've been eating treats all morning. >> and still didn't have it. >> this is a great way to celebrate. >> it's good to be with you guys on the holiday. >> what's the trick from keeping it from falling. it's so perfectly positioned. >> get your whites nice and firm, stiff peaks. butter your sugar and molds evenly and cook them a little bit slower than you think. usually they cook 400, 425, we cook them at 350, 375 and they come up nice and gentle and if they come up gentle they'll set as they're cooking. >> how about if we taste this? oh, they're so warm. yum. i'm sorry, am i blocking you?

sorry. >> so we're celebrating our one-year anniversary at chowder house. hope everybody comes to visit. also starting a brand-new program at the wright, our new restaurant at the gugen heil, museum. >> congratulations. ed brown, thanks for joining us. coming up next a holiday treat on ice. first this is "today" on nbc. verizon 4glte. download a song in 4 seconds. rule the air on the fastest 4g network in america.

try mini crescent dogs. just unroll the dough, roll up,

bake, and present. very impressive! and very easy. for this recipe and more, visit pillsburycrescents.com. start with cookie dough. add sugar. then hershey's kisses milk chocolates. [ son giggles ] [ female announcer ] fun. easy. [ child ] wow. [ female announcer ] at pillsbury.com. this morning on "today," it's a special holiday performance. later today on nbc some of the best skaters in the world will showcase their talents on the caesar's tribute special, including six-time u.s. national champion todd eldredge. todd, good morning. great to have you here. >> thanks. >> you've got a lot of talent in this show. what makes this one so special? >> well, i mean, you spent so many different generations with this show. it's amazing. from dick button all the way to evan lysacek from the 40s to

now, that's, you know, it's amazing to have all that talent in one place. >> you come down to this rink on any given day around the holidays it is filled with people. why is skating so synonymous with the holidays? >> it's one of those things. all the different norman rockwell pictures and everything you see skaters out there. you know, it's a fun activity for families when they get together, they can go and do and have a good time. >> this particular show is called a tribute to a golden age of skating. is this in fact the golden age? >> i think so. you know, with that show there were so many different national world, olympic, gold medalists there that it really has been the golden age of skating. so it's been great to be a part of it. >> i'm going to let you head out and set up for your routine here. i want to remind folks that you can watch todd and his skating buddies on the caesar's tribute special that airs today at 4:00 right here on nbc. ladies and gentlemen, here's todd. ♪

♪ jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way ♪ ♪ ♪ oh, what fun it is to ride in a one horse sleigh ♪ ♪ jingle bells jingle jingle all the way ♪ ♪ oh, what fun it is ride in a one-horse sleigh ♪ ♪ dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh ♪ ♪ over the fields we go laughing all the way ♪ ♪ bells on bobtail ring making spirits bright ♪ ♪ what fun it is to ride and sing ♪ ♪ a sleighing song tonight ♪ oh, jingle bells jingle jingle ♪ ♪ jingle all the way ♪ oh, what fun it is to ride in that chevrolet ♪ ♪ jingle bells jingle jingle jingle all the way ♪ ♪ oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh ♪

♪ ♪ dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh ♪ ♪ o'er the fields we go laughing all the way ♪ ♪ bells on bob-tail ring making spirits bright ♪ ♪ what fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight ♪ ♪ oh, jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way! ♪ ♪ oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh! ♪ ♪ jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way! ♪ ♪ oh what fun it is to ride

in a one-horse open sleigh! ♪ >> todd eldredge. congratulations. wonderful merry christmas. we'll be right back. but first, these messages. believe again... shake it up, shake up the happiness. (ho ho ho) wake it up, wake up the happiness. (ho ho ho) c'mon ya'll.... it's christmas time ho ho hooooooo... pride. pizzazz. sass! [ laughter ] [ woman ] i'm feeling that! [ female announcer ] the special k challenge begins january 1st. free personalized plans at specialk.com.

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youth chorus singing a christmas medley. merry christmas everyone. have a terrific day. bye-bye. ♪ ♪ ding dong ♪ christmas bells are ringing christmas bells are ringing snoend ♪ ♪ ♪ gloria in el celsius gloria gloria ♪ ♪ glory

through all the earth ♪ ♪ glory gloria ♪ ♪ gloria ♪ ♪ the christmas

a new creation sing ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ on christmas night christmas ♪ ♪ creation sing glory ♪ ♪ christmas ♪ gloria

christmas ♪

good morning. we are coming up on 7:00. merry christmas to everyone! we are going to start your morning with a live look inside glide memorial chu