storm heading north. we are life with a look at blizzard conditions that could blanket the east coast. >> treacherous travel. the dangerous weather is wreaki havoc on the roads and airports. many flights have been cancelled and day after deals. the post-christmas holiday rush is about to begin with shoppers soon redeeming gift cards, returning presents and searching for the best buys of the year. today is sunday, december 26, 2010.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a sunday morning. i'm lester holt. >> i'm jenna wolf. merry day to you, the day after christmas. i was going to get you something for christmas and i realized you had literally everything. >> i could have used boots. >> today you could have. >> we are all going to need boots as we talk about the massive storm heading up the east coast. no snow here in new york at this moment, but this raleigh, north carolina. that's what's heading north. >> how do you pick out boots for a guy? i don't know how to do that for you. let's talk more about the storm because it is a nasty one. the nor'easter will have heavy amounts of snow falling from new york to maine with amounts ranging from 12 to 20 inches. >> this is the same system that gave atlanta the white christmas for the first time in more than 120 years. it may be pretty but it is a

mess for holiday travel across the airports. you saw the guy sleeping in the airport. i'll have more on the story in a moment. then president obama nowhere near the blizzard. he and the first family are on vacation in hawaii, but he is gearing up for a major shakeup with plenty of new faces coming into the oval office. we'll see who is coming in and who is heading out. plus, the latest on the royals. we'll tell you how they spent christmas and why kate middleton and prince william were not on hand for the queen's traditional ceremony. and the rescue of the chilean miners. we'll look at the stories from 2010 that we will not soon forget. we'll begin with the massive winter storm rolling up the east coast with heavy snow, freezing rain and blizzard conditions. we have full coverage beginning this morning with the weather channel's adam berg live in raleigh, north carolina. it is already coming down pretty good.

adam, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, guys. it is coming down pretty good. thank goodness a lot of folks are on vacation right now, but the roads are passable. we have three to four inches on the ground right now in raleigh. you can see the snow behind me. it is picturesque as long as you don't have to travel in this mess. it is good snowball making weather, too. the kids are having a blast with all this. this is how it will play out. by the way, this was the very same system that pushed into california, so some of the energy from that system tracked right along the southern u.s. and brought a lot of snow to a lot of places. memphis got a trace of snow. chattanooga, tennessee, four inches of snow. even georgia and the atlanta airport picked up an inch and change of snow. tons of flight cancellations there. then the system continues to move our way. we have three to four inches right now. maybe about six-plus before everything is said and done. and then, guys, it moves your way, maybe a foot of snow and strong winds. >> fun, adam berg. thank you very much. now to the storm's impact on travel being felt from coast to

coast. more than 500 flights were canceled on christmas day alone. the weather channel's eric fisher is at new york's laguardia airport. eric, good morning, what's the story there? >> reporter: good morning, lester. the song "we wish you a merry christmas" doesn't mention the day after christmas. that's going to prove to be a travel nightmare for a lot of folks. we are outside of laguardia, quiet at a moment, but we have seen a bit of a rush this morning. a lot of people changed their flights to get out early to beat the storm as things change in a big way this afternoon. i went to check the boards a few minutes ago. very few cancellations for the morning flights, but around 10:00 or so:30, good news for you. later as the snow moves in we'll see many cancellations and the airports could be really brought to a standstill across the northeast as we are looking at hundreds of canceled flights between delta, continental, united, airtran and others. >> we are talking laguardia, kennedy and newark. what's the timing of this storm hitting new york? >> reporter: well, i'm expecting

the snowflakes to start falling down in the next hour or two. it will start light, but by the time we get to lunchtime, early afternoon, it will bring down visibility. so bring train, plane or automobile, travel is just going to be a nightmare. and the blizzard warning have been hoisted up for the area, meaning it will be a miserable go. this is not what you want to see the day after a big holiday. >> eric fisher at laguardia airport, thank you, eric. what's the path of this monstrous storm? we have our affiliate from philadelphia here with us. michelle, lay it out for us. >> hi, jenna and lester. we have warnings, advisories and blizzard warnings extending from the coast of maine down to parts of southern new jersey. you can see all of this red color. we have advisories further down to the southeast. it will be a tough travel day for many down to the yellow and down to parts of northern georgia. here's a look at radar. this is a six-hour loop with the

coastal low going up the coast. it is going to strengthen and bring lots of snow to the major cities in the midatlantic. and it will be extensionive extensive through tonight. we are going to call it the storm totals. up to two feet in some spots. we'll talk more about the snow and also other stories a little bit later. jenna? michelle, thanks. if you have nowhere to go, don't. now to politics, switching gears on the president's post-vacation plans making changes to his staff with new faces in the oval office for the new year. here to talk about that is nbc's analyst richard wolfe. good morning. >> good morning, jenna. >> we heard david axelrod is leafing, possibly defensive secretary robert gates. how important is this in the coming year? >> it is important for him and his team. they had two years on the campaign. two years in the white house. new faces, new energy, that's important for this sort of

momentum inside the white house, but it is important for the politics. we saw a flurry of the activity at the end of the section in the last congress, but coming into the new one there's all this mood of change, the sense of change, the newly-empowered republicans are going to bring that, the staff changes are a way for the white house to get ahead of that and say, we are adapting to the new environment. we are moving ahead with the voters as they wanted us to from the last election. >> so it is not uncommon for this to happen. and one of the new names coming into the house will be david plouffe. here's obama's former campaign manager. you covered that cam pan extensively in 2008. tell us a little about plouffe. what does he bring to the table here? >> plouffe has a singular focus. he's an extraordinarily disciplined person, but he also has this strategic sense of how the game gets played out over the longer term. it is east to talk about this, but inside the white house you get buffeted by crisis and news. here's a guy very successful on the campaign about saying i don't care what the pundits say, we have a plan, we are going to

stick to it. and that's been very much lacking, i think, inside the white house where they have been buffeted around. here's a new chance with the campaign of 2012 starting up. a lot of people moving away for him to try to hold this white house down to a core message and core plan for his own re-election. >> well, the president has been in hawaii with his family and is doing much more than working on his tan there. "the washington post" says he's working on his state of the union address that he'll give in the next few weeks. what message does he need to hit home to gain attraction with republicans here? >> a couple different things. first of all, he needs to reach out to end pen depth voters. so republicans, if you look at where the polls are, they have made their mind up about this guy. independent voters liked him in 2008, they need to win him back. that bipartisan leadership he got in the last deals, very important. above all, he has to hit the mark on the economy and show that what he's done in terms of

reviving the economy so far in terms of the tax package moving forward, he just signed that into law, but also that is his focus no matter what else happens. he has a plan moving forward to create jobs. that's what voters clearly have wanted to see the last two years. >> richard wolfe, thank you for your insight. happy holidays and thank you so much. >> happy holidays, jenna. >> okay. all right. the day after christmas means one thing, sales. whether online or in person. today is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. retailers are opening the holiday frenzy continues into the weekend. kerry sanders is live in florida with us. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning. we are at the jcpenney where they had a steady flow of customers since 7:00 when the doors opened. the good news for the retail christmas season is that sales are up actually 2007. it looks like gross number of sales, a record.

that's good news for retailers. this despite unemployment. lee silverstein is an expert in retail sales. good day to go shopping? why? >> great day, kerry. lots of bargains. retailers are anxious to move what didn't sell during the christmas season to make room for spring receipts. >> what discounts are we talking? >> you can see 50 to 75% off throughout the store and that's not exclusive here. you will see it in retailers all over the country. >> inventories being cleared out, explain it. why is there a need to sell out by the end of the year? >> because the inventory ages. they want to make room, get rid of coats and sweaters and the holiday merchandise to make room for spring goods that will be ship after the first of the year. >> i got that ugly sweater from -- i'm not going to say who. >> you, too? >> i want to return it but i don't have a receipt.

first of all, i think it might have been at x store, but i'm not sure. >> bring anything you can to help identify the product. many stores attach a small return label. bring that, the tag, anything that you can do to help are retailer identify that it came from your store and get you the price that was paid for it. >> thank you very much, lee. lester, i hope you don't have any of those sweaters. >> memo, no more sweaters to kerry for christmas. >> he was this close to saying that sweater from le -- i don't remember who gave me that. >> i didn't give him anything, that's right. >> exactly. time for a check of the top stories this morning with peter alexander at the news desk. >> good morning to you at home. we begin in egypt where an awful bus crash is believed to have killed eight american tourists. nbc's martin fletcher is live in london with more this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, pe buses in today's convoy stopped

their journey. peter? >> martin fletcher, thank you very much. overnight in australia a serieselped to save the people caught in flash floods there. they had to hold on to tree limbs to avoid being swept away. a powerful cyclone has now dumped more than a foot of rain in the last 24 hours. the founder of wikileaks signed a book deal worth $1.6 million for his autobiography.

julian assange tells britain's "sunday times" newspaper says he needs the money to defend himself against allegations of sexual misconduct made by two swedish women. american prosecutors are also looking to sue him for leaking several classified documents. christopher tyranny says he took steps on friday and can't wait to return to the show after this fall where he dropped 30 feet. tyranny has to undergo rehab first. the spider-man show is back on schedule but with new safety measures in place. and finally, he's taking the plunge again. hugh hefner is not afraid of marriage at the age of 84. he popped the question to his 24-year-old girlfriend, crystal harris. hefner and his second wife

divorced earlier this year. he tweeted this is the happiest weekend in memory. nothing says love like a tweet. that's the news, back to lester, jenna and michelle. 84, 24, it's all good. >> hey, whatever works. peter, thanks. michelle grossman is back with a check on your weather. a busy morning for you. >> yes, i'm coming in on blizzard day. we are going to see a lot of snow going throughout the day. we are going to see up to two feet in some spots. here's a look at the maps. we are looking at the area of low pressure off the coast. later on today the midatlantic coast is bringing winds over 45 miles per hour and snow up to two feet in some spots. we are seeing a front off the northwest bringing wet weather as here's a look at the santa cruz mountains on the radar view. see showers around the highway 17 suit. he t cold air aloft don't be surprised to run into small hail. most of the bay area from the peninsula to the east bay now even the north bay most of the showers starting to shut down.

highs in the mid to upper 50s. slight chance of a shower today, for the north bay and tomorrow morning, patchy thick fog could slow your morning drive. i should have gotten you the boots. >> i don't know how to pick them out. i have been working with him for four year us now. up next on "today," royal christmas. why are prince william and kate middleton apart this christmas? we'll tell you right after this. come on... isn't it time an auto insurer gave it to you straight? that's why you should talk to state farm. but not yet. first, talk to any one of the 40 million drivers who already have state farm. 40 million. yeah, that's more than geico and progressive combined. 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.

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i bowed to the queen and she said thank you, he said. a christmas the 8-year-old will never forget. fergie's daughters in the blue and black coats. noticeably absent the young couple of the moment, the queen's grandson prince william as the new officer was on christmas duty in north wales. his fiance, kate middleton spent a regular christmas holiday at home in berkshire. her last christmas as a commoner. next year they will presumably be here with the queen. at least kate won't have to worry about what to buy her. >> what can you buy the queen that she hasn't already got? ♪ >> reporter: surprisingly the queen's speech to the nation didn't mention the wedding. she chose a drier subject, sport, and how good it is for health. >> in the parks of towns and cities and on village greens up and down the country, countless

people every week give up their time to participate in sport and exercise of all sorts. >> reporter: she wrote the speech herself and enjoyed the attention of a line of 50 children, accepting flowers and laughing. the 84-year-old monarch who in the next few days will become a great-grandmother, the best christmas gift of all. martin fletcher, nbc news, london. >> it seems one of kate's resolutions is to take sailing lessons. her goal, to join prince william for one of his favorite past times. still to come on a sunday edition of "today," a year in news and a look back at the stories we won't forget. first, these messages. research hospital. at st. js we're 'the three musketeers'! three friends... each with a brain tumor. they came from across america to st. jude where we've helped raise their survival rates to as high as 85%. do you wanna be the fourth musketeer? oh, do i! one for all and all for fun!

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still to come on "today," the miracle in chile, one of the top stories from 2010, our year in review is ahead. >> plus, what to wear when ringing in the new year? first, these mess sajs. 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. cozy up, spread joy.

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good morning to you. on this early sunday morning. it is 6:26. here's a live look at the beautifully lit bay bridge as people are making their way into san francisco already this morning. we're going to take a look at your sunday forecast with meteorologist rob. >> good morning. and happy or merry day after richmas, i should say. >> that's right. >> ri what we got going on, in terms of the weather, still seeing showers outside. you'll find those awaing a around the suit. some pretty heavy showers showing up there. the yellow and orange heavy downpours and cold air aloft maybe hail with the showers

around ben loma this morning. from the peninsula to the eastway, things calm down. some patchy fog towards the tri-valley and north bay widely scattered showers. chilly this morning, still keep the umbrella on standby. it's not going to be like yesterday where you had all the rain for the afternoon. today mix of sun with widely scattered showers. by tonight the showers shut down and thick fog could slow down the commute for tomorrow morning. more rain due in late tuesday into wednesday. marla? >> thank you very much. here's a look at some of the stories we're following on this sunday. pg&e is investigating a possible explosion that knocked out power to part of san francisco. people who live in the marina district say they heard a loud noise about 5:40 last night and then they saw smoke coming from a manhole cover. at the same time, 150 or so customers lost power. the lights were back on an hour and a half later. crews are investigating what exactly caused that power outage.

gas prices in the bay area are at a two year e high this morning. the average for a gallon of regular unleaded is about $3.34 a gallon, up about 70% from december of 2008 when gas fell to about $2 a gallon, partly due to the economic downturn. now here's a look at prices. as of this morning in san francisco, the average is $3.37 for a gallon of unleaded. in san jose, it's $3.31. oakland, $3.30. one cab driver says he's definitely noticed the increase. >> i used to drive 150 miles and pay for gas like 30 dollars now it's around 40 bucks, $10 more, $8 more. it really hurts, you know. i hope it's going to go down soon. >> don't we all. we are still far from the peak price of gas in the bay area back in the summer of 2008 to when prices for gallon of regular hit $4.50.

there is a happy ending to a terrible dog abuse case in oakland. clint and kevin are back with their family this morning. the two dogs ran away last thursday. one day later an oakland police officer found kevin beaten and shot with a pel let gun. there is no sign of clint until friday night. the owner says the dog ended up wandering to a nearby backyard. that family took him in, gave him a bath and decided he looked like a dog from craig'slist and nbc bay area. clint is not hurt and kevin is expected to make a full recovery. "today in the bay" is coming up at 7:00. [ female announcer ] yoplait's real fruit and the goodness of dairy... gives you a little slice of happy. and happiness cos in 25 decious flavors. explore them all.

yoplait. it is so good. now the yoplait you love in a new four pack. try it today. ♪ we are back on sunday morning, december 26, 2010. we are winding the year down slowly. this morning the calm before the storm in new york. by this time tonight, rockefeller center should be blanketed in more than a foot of snow. beautiful now. >> just rockefeller. the rest of new york will be fine. >> just this part of new york city right here. outside on the plaza i'm jenna wolfe with lester holt. many thanks to the folks who came out. it's a cold one. >> i think they're stuck here. they can't get home because of the snow. we're thankful to have them but we're going to get hit. >> up and down the east coast

we'll completely get hit. they have been getting it coming up from the south. coming up we'll talk about the year that was, looking back on 2010. we had heroes and villains, secrets exposed, lives lost and changed forever. what a year. we'll look back coming up. also, christmas 2010 is in the books. new year's eve just days a way. a lot of questions whether it's a night on the town or spending the evening at home. what are you going to bring to your party? what are you going to wear, think about? we have answers to many of your questions. >> if you have more immediate concerns like what to do with the left overs from christmas dinner we have that covered, too. we'll have quick, easy and delicious ways to enjoy the holiday meal. that's coming up as well. >> reporter: first another check of the weather. i'm now slurring my words it's so cold. michelle grossman is here from wcau in philly. aren't you glad you came today? >> what a day. not good for the hair and it

wakes you up out here. it's chilly and windy. the snow will be starting. we want to talk to people. hi there. >> hi. >> they're cozy, bundled up together. enjoy the snow and cold. let's get to the maps. we have a blizzard warning up and down the east coast from maine to parts of the -- southern new jersey. low pressure moving up the coast. radar showing us a six-hour loop. lots of snow in spots. up to two feet including major cities. boston, new york city. be careful if you are traveling and here's a look at the santa cruz mountains. still have good showers coming off the ocean aroundhe t highway 17 summit. with some of theseeaervi showers and the cold air could have small hail. nitice from east bay towards the nsula, things are kind of drying out and during the day we will see a mixed bag of scattered showers and sunshine today. cool temperatures, though.

highs mid to upper 50s for most of the bay area. snow showerspe ongoing around truckee, heading out to the sierra, seven-day forecast, tomorrow we'll have patchy fog. next round of rain comes in late on tuesday. weather channel. football, football, football. it is sunday and we are looking at a cold game in philadelphia, my home team. we are looking at snowy conditions and windy conditions. vikings versus eagles. heavy snow, strong winds. should be cold for the players and everyone in stands. if you want to track weather go to weather.com. back to lester. >> all right, michelle, thanks. this morning we take a look back at an extraordinary year from the earthquake in haiti to the miracle miners in chile. these are the stories that defined 2010. ♪ >> a major earthquake has hit

haiti. >> desperate hours -- the devastation is immense, the loss incomprehensible. >> the situation along the gulf of mexico. >> the biggest tragedy for this area. >> a miracle at the mine after 70 days. >> there is the hug that every family member has been waiting for. >> just before midnight it was official. the effort to reshape how americans pay for health care. >> the republicans have control of the house. >> the american dream. >> the last u.s. combat brigade in iraq. >> president obama and nato allies are meeting to figure out a way forward here in afghanistan. >> do you love your freedom? [ cheers ]

>> good morning. let the games begin. the 2010 vancouver olympics officially under way. >> and now to the wedding of prince william and kate middleton. ♪ >> the high profile divorce. >> celebrity divorce. >> officially divorced. ♪ whoa ♪ caught in a bad romance ♪ >> can you fly this plane and land it? >> surely, you can't be serious. >> i am serious. and don't call me shirley. ♪

>> what a year it was. here to take a look back at 2010 is time magazine's editor-at-large and "us weekly" ian drew. thanks for coming on. there was a lot of controversy. what do you think the biggest scandal was of the year? >> it's almost old hat now to cheat on your spouse. to make a big scandal you have to do something outrageous. this year it was the one who tried to return her son to sender. if you remember, she put her 7-year-old adopted russian son back on a plane with a note. that's something, i think. people are still shocked by that. >> she said, i'm sending you to russia, but she was tired of him. >> she was like, i no longer wish to parent this child. he has something wrong with him. of course he's fine now. he's been returned. those good for his mental

health. >> a lot of celebrities grabbed the headlines from break ups to rehab to comeback. who is celebrity newsmaker? >> sandra bullock started the year with a bang winning the oscar. a very teary speech dedicated to her husband at the time, jesse james and a month later he cheats on her with an immense scandal. i mean, he cheated with a tattooed woman, nazi pictures that came out and she emerges with a baby. she kept the baby under wraps. she had adopted the baby and then said she would raise the baby on her own. >> this was a short amount of time this all happened to her. >> it catapulted her to the top of the a-list. she already was, but she overcame so many things that women identified with her and urged her on. >> who ran the pop spotlight? >> definitely two people. we have to share it between lady gaga and justin bieber.

gaga became the queen of twitter with the most followers. she was on everyone's lips. justin bieber had the number one youtube video of the year just made the kids go crazy. >> he didn't have a meat dress though. >> he did hug the dress. he met gaga at the vmas and got close. >> the meat dress was a number one fashion statement of the year. it's the dressing, the songs. they stick to your mind like velcro. >> they do. real musical talent there. >> and to dress like that takes tall lee talent, too. >> this was a big year for reality tv. snooki is a household name. who were the big reality winners? >> three main shows duked it out for the top spots. you didn't see "survivor" and "american idol." it was narrative shows like "jersey shore" and the real

housewives shows took off. beverly hills, atlanta, new york. it was just taking off. >> in your mind, belinda, was there a top reality tv moment of the year? >> in the fairy tale that is "american idol" the beast has left the building now that simon cowell is no longer there. it's like trying to do snow white without the evil stepmother. that was a big moment. we were also shocked by the invasion of the white house by the issalahis. >> people think it's amazing that reality stars are as big as traditional stars. you don't have to go to acting school or be a good singer to be a star. >> you just have to want it badly. that's classic america. >> sure. >> andy warhol's dream realized. he started it all. >> the story to watch in 2011? >> definitely william and kate, the wedding of the century.

it will eclipse everything else. everyone is counting down, waiting to see every detail of how it plays out. >> we should report some of that. more. good to have you both on. have a great new year. >> you, too. >> up next, new year's fashion. style after these messages. [ dog ] she's not coming, is she? [ pony ] she had a fever yesterday. [ elephant ] well, her pediatrician recommended new triaminic fever reducer syrup. [ dog ] so she'll feel better! [ female announcer ] with the #1 doctor recommended ingredient to help bring down children's fever... trust in triaminic. everyday i eat your soups, i save a lot of money. that's great. so, your rich and hearty soups have made me, rich and hearty. that's funny. i'm hearty because of your juicy steak, your potatoes... you're really, rich and happy. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

you're really, rich and happy. ♪ i'll stop the world and melt with you ♪ ♪ i'll stop the world ♪ ♪ i will stop the world ♪ ♪ you've seen the difference ♪ ♪ and it's getting better all the time ♪ ♪ i will stop the world ♪ ♪ i'll stop the world and melt with you ♪ ♪ i'll stop the world ♪ ♪ i'll stop the world, i'll melt with you ♪ ♪ this morning on "today's style," secrets for women to find a sharp look for men. you can start on the hottest trends for 2011. we have the fashion director for people's style watch. kate, good morning. >> good morning to you. >> we have gone through the holiday parties. there is one big one left. that's new year's eve where it is okay to be trendy. >> if you're going for it, go for it on new year's eve. >> we have a couple of models

with different looks. we're going to start with ashley. she's wearing our first look. metallic. is this the trend for next year? >> metallics have become a classic. we see it every season for both winter and summer. gold is always happening. what's great about the dress from robert rodriguez, we have given you two trends in one. one-shoulder is also big now and into 2011. >> can any page pull off this look? >> i think so. a shiny metallic is probably more appropriate for somebody in their 20s. if you're in your 30s and 40s and want to wear it, go for something more of a burnished gold or a muted metallic. >> thank you so much, ashley. next up is ali. she's wearing a lace dress. how do you make lace not look dowdy. >> people associate it with their italian grandmother but lace is sexy. this is a great dress with the

"mad men" vibe. i love her little peep-toe shoe. cute bag. >> save on the dress and splurge on the accessories? >> that's it with lace. don't go cheap. >> do it right. thank you so much, ali. next up is rebecca. >> rebecca is sporting festivity which is sequins. >> how do you pull sequins off without going over the top? >> nothing says new year's eve like sequins. >> she's gorgeous. >> what we love about the dress is it's from jc penney, $79.99. you can go there without spending too much money. the way to do sequins without going over the top is to pull the hair back. tone everything down and let you and your sequin dress shine. >> beautiful. thank you so much. next up is melissa. it's easy to go with a simple black dress but you go with color here and it's gorgeous. >> who wouldn't notice melissa?

this color is sophisticated. it's a deep purple and it doesn't look cheap at all. this is a great dress from threads. you know, again, going into 2011, color is huge. >> this color is bright, fun, festive. >> exactly. as we started the segment by saying it's new year's eve, have fun. >> melissa, thank you so much. to the guys. first up is julio. you like this look. >> i do. for a guy you can never go wrong in a well cut black suit. what we did to have more fun was did a more dressed down oxford shirt, not as sort of formal as a white shirt. i love the tie which is just a little bit of gray. we made it more fun than just a classic work look. >> he wears it very well. next up we have pierre. you would think he's dressing down with the jeans but he makes

it work. >> doesn't he? guys are generally going to want to wear jeans. we want to say, go for a darker wash, a slimmer cut. that's going to look for formal. layering is a big trend. >> love the vest. >> if you choose a pattern or textured piece it will pop the look. >> let's bring everyone out for one last look at the trends for the coming year. we have covered our bases. >> i believe so. >> kate, thank you so much. wonderful to have you here. we'll be right back after this. [growl] i met my husband here. i got to know my grandkids here. we've discovered so much here together. but my doctor told me that during that time my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why i'm fighting my cholesterol... with crestor. along with diet, crestor does more than help manage cholesterol, when diet and exercise alone aren't enough.

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i want a robosan 4000. [ mom ] the one no one could get. toy stores are reporting long lines and empty shelves. a robosan 4000. [ mom ] and i mean no one. so i did most of my holiday shopping on citi specials. 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. this morning, party planning for your new year's celebrations. from the drinks to the decorations we have great ideas

to ring in 2011. here to help us is mark addison. happy new year. >> happy new year to you. >> we don't want a party where people at 11:20 are like, what time is it? >> no, definitely not. we have five days to plan the new year's eve party. >> i like the first idea. give people a job. when they come in -- >> this is the only time to do that. one of my party don'ts is don't make guests work but this is a flawless system for a perfect countdown. attached to the party favors you have tasks you want your guests to do starting with turn on the television to nbc at 10:00 p.m. >> i like it. >> going through the time callout, 15, 10 minutes. then turn the radio up, turn the tv down and also pour champagne. >> when you walk in, get the party favor it tells you what to do. you know your job is at 11:45. >> you can't monkey around with countdown. >> let's talk about party decor. >> we all make new year's

resolutions. we make them and break them. this year i propose a new year's wish. it's great because it doesn't have to be about you. it's about making a bigger wish. >> you want to use a christmas tree? >> repurpose it. take the ornaments off. have hanging tags to write a wish down and put them on the tree. >> if you don't have a tree, you say use the wall. >> grab post it notes and an empty wall and start the condition with i wish -- this is fun because you can builden everyone else's wishes. >> watch throughout the evening as more are added. >> you have a great alternative to flowers. this is pretty. >> this year we have seen a lot of people who are suffering from natural disasters. i created an inexpensive easy centerpiece that gives back. i have a collection here of glass containers. i colored water with ordinary food coloring and floated candles in here. i made a sign saying money we

would have spent on the decorations will go to charity -- in this case, drinking water for children. >> let's talk about what we are drinking here. >> champagne gets really expensive so i came up with fun, festive champagne cocktails using white wine and prosecco. first we have a cherry kiss which is great to pucker up. it's drunken cherry with limoncello topped with prosecco. >> and this? >> this is the pink pom-pom using sparkling wine, pomegranate juice, seeds and elder flower liquor. >> and lastly? >> this is a nonalcoholic version. you can make this yourself using a beverage cash nay torbonation. i filled it up with white grape juice, club soda and tea.

>> what's the big mistake people make with new year's parties? >> i think people don't plan ahead enough or you don't get things ready to go and have a festive time. take a breather, relax and enjoy. >> thank you very much. great to have you here. have a happy new year. >> you, too. >> here's jenna. this morning on "today's holiday kitchen" christmas day leftovers. it's an important part of the holiday. the executive chef and managing partner at porter house new york joins us to smell up -- in a wonderful way -- our studios. good morning. >> nice to see you. >> leftovers are a big part of the holiday. >> you hope for it but then think, what do i do with it? we're making roast beef hash. you can make sandwiches, but hash with cheddar baked eggs as a side dish. i took some of the beef.

i diced it into a half-inch dice. we have onions and mushrooms, cremini mushrooms which are beautiful. >> if you didn't have prime rib you can use turkey or something. the recipe works with both. >> hash is one of the great american dishes of a sunday dish. >> sure. >> it's simple, easy. >> those were roasted potatoes. we cut them up to add back in. the onions are sauteing. >> i'm a good helper. those will get hot while i finish this. the beef gets crispy. >> what are you seasoning it with? >> i have diced tomatoes. let those cook out a little bit. >> i wish this were smell-o-vision. it smells so good. >> these are green chiles right out of the can. they are so good. maybe a little bit of cilantro if you like.

>> yeah. >> and put a little bit of white wine, vermouth because it went from my martini. a little bit of the hair of the dog, right? a little bit white wine or nothing. >> what's happening there? >> this is sour cream. some people use heavy cream. i'm putting in a little bit of sour cream. i will kick up the heat a little bit. >> you're going to mix it in? >> help me with your spoon. >> we're mixing it all together. my kind of meal. >> you can make individual portions. >> this is pretty much done once you stir it and cook it. >> oh, yeah. all hot. you're doing great. that's what hash is about. if you want to pat it down and let it get crispy like a cake on the bottom, you can do that. perfectly good. maybe vermouth.

>> raise your hand if you had too much last night! >> i told you. a little bit of salt. let's check the salt and pepper. >> perfect. >> now let's go to the back. so great. how's that? >> these eggs -- tell me about the eggs. >> so beautiful. they call them hen's eggs from a farmer's market. they can be any eggs or a quail's egg if you want to be fancy. a little ramekin like this. two eggs with butter, cream and cheddar cheese. if you do one egg it's eight minutes, two takes 15 to 17. >> 15 minutes in the oven. >> baked eggs. our hash on the side. i think that it's tasty. you can have more herbs if you want. >> that's it? it's finish edfinished? >> roast beef hash. the mushrooms are in there.

>> and it doesn't go to waste. can i taste it? with some eggs. >> ready? >> little bit of cheese. very good. >> that might be the best thing i have had all morning. that's amazing. >> left overs for a great brunch. >> nothing goes to waste. michael, your going to lick the counter to make sure nothing goes to waste. thank you so much. happy holidays. we'll be right back after these messages. 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 to further those connections. last year we took dozens of trips using membership rewards points to meet with the farmers that grow our sweet potatoes and merchants that sell our product. we've gone from being in 5 stores to 7,500. booming is using points to make connections that grow your business. start with cookie dough. ♪

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year. where does the obama team go from here? with us, senior adviser to the president valerie jared and taking stock of 2010. our political roundtable examines the coming year. >> thank you very much. >> we have wonderful fans we have had throughout the year old and young. one of my favorites comes to visit all the time. what's your favorite show? >> "today." >> what do you say when i visit? this is today -- >> only on nbc. >> all right! that's it for us. >> all right! that's it for us. >> great to have you here. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com