follow me on twitter and i'll give you the update or the update in half an hour. thanks for joining us this morning. another local news update at 7:25. >> thanks for being with us. have a great day everybody. good morning. where's the holiday cheer? president obama and house speaker john boehner square off as the tax payroll cut goes down to the wire. and newt gingrich blasts mitt romney for what he calls politics in its worst form. today, republican hopeful michele bachmann weighs in. grilled. piers morgan testifies saying he had no knowledge of illegal activities when he ran two of london's biggest tabloids. but this morning, one of his former reporters is claiming under oath that just can't be true. and not so special delivery. a fedex worker drops off a computer monitor by tossing it over a fence.

the shipping giant shocked, and we're guessing that guy might just have made his last delivery for them, "today," wednesday, december 21st, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this wednesday morning, i'm ann curry. >> and i'm carl quintanilla. matt has the morning off. and time is quickly running out for congress to extend the payroll tax cut. >> that's right, house speaker john boehner is demanding senators return to washington after a two-month extension was rejected. but he was saying it's the only way to avoid a tax hike january 1st. with the very latest on this story coming up. we're expecting a lot of americans -- >> absolutely. also, a florida doctor who has come to the unlikely defense of accused murderer joran van der sloot, sending him packages,

visits him in the peruvian jail, even pays his legal bills. this morning, van der sloot calls his guardian angel speaks about about their help. >> and a minnesota family's extreme christmas card tradition. take a look at this. from christmas bulbs to gingerbread men. they really outdid themselves this year. let's just say there were antlers involved. we begin with taxing times for lawmakers in washington and the gop presidential field. nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd is on the campaign trail in key new hampshire with more. chuck, good morning. >> good morning, ann. gridlock is still the word of the day on capitol hill, as this fight over the payroll tax between the house and senate escalated to another level with president obama and speaker boehner exchanging charges of brinksmanship. another deadlock on capitol hill tuesday. >> the ayes are 229, the nays

are 193. the motion is adopted. >> as house republicans decided voting against the bill, that included a two-month extension of the tax holiday, saying negotiate one year or nothing. with the january 1st deadline, speaker john boehner called on president obama to get more involved. >> i think president obama needs to call on senate democrats to go back into session. >> reporter: but president obama urged house republicans to pass the senate's bill. >> let's be clear. right now, the bipartisan compromise that was reached on saturday is the only viable way to prevent a tax hike on january 1st. it's the only one. >> reporter: meanwhile, the presidential race is just as heated. newt gingrich continues to complain about all the negative ads being run against him that have put his iowa chances in jeopardy. >> you've seen one of these candidates running negative ads, ask them to stop it. just look them in the eye and say, "it's unworthy of iowa and it's unworthy of america."

>> reporter: they are mostly from a so-called super pack that supports mitt romney. and on tuesday, romney tried to distance himself from the group, restore our future. >> super pacs have to be entirely separate from a campaign and candidate. i'm not allowed to communicate with a super pack in any way, shape or form. >> you're not coordinating in any way? >> my goodness, in we coordinate in any way whatsoever, we go to the big house. >> reporter: but gingrich did not say his denial. >> these comments are misleading, clearly false. and politics in its worst form. >> reporter: while gingrich and romney fought each other, the rest of the field attacked them together, as rick perry did in this ad. >> made millions off freddie mac. >> reporter: romney is in new hampshire this week, not iowa. and on tuesday, he gave his closing argument speech in front of special lights, high-end cameras and a teleprompter, a speech destined to be a tv ad. >> i'm tired of a president who wakes up every day, looks out across america, and is proud to announce, "it could be worse."

if i'm president, i will wake up every day and remind americans that not only must we do better, but also that we can do better. >> reporter: and as newt gingrich wakes up this morning in iowa, there's a new romney super pac negative ad hitting him. by the way, later today, both gingrich and romney will be in new hampshire, but they're unlikely to cross paths. ann? >> chuck todd, thanks. with just 13 days to go before the iowa caucus's gop presidential hopeful michele bachmann is barnstorming through all 99 counties. joining us is congresswoman bachmann. good morning. >> good morning, ann. it's a pleasure to be with you this morning. we're actually almost halfway through our 99-county tour. we're doing about ten counties a day. it's ambitious, but it's been a lot of fun and the response overwhelming. >> you look no worse for the wear. i want to ask you about this payroll tax deal -- controversy. did house speaker john boehner

mislead the senate into thinking this payroll tax extension was a done deal? or has he lost all control of republican tea party members of the house? >> well, i think what we saw with both the senate dismissing and with the house leaving is that there is a real lack of leadership in washington, d.c. the president, unfortunately, has been awol in this process since early last summer, and now here we are. and people all across the united states are throwing their hands up saying, we still have no answers. the people are very upset. harry reid essentially threw a grenade over into the house and left, and said take it or leave it. so it was very difficult for john boehner, because this was just a two-month temporary gimmick, and this leaves the entire united states, business world, in an uproar. because who can make any plans based on a two-month bill? >> if you're saying -- >> it's very difficult.

what the house wanted was a full year bill. >> if you're saying that there was a need for leadership, then why wasn't this bill, which would extend the tax cut for working families and for middle class americans, why was it not worth your getting off the campaign trail and going back to fight for it? >> well, because there was no resolution. it was obvious that nothing was going to happen. president obama wasn't willing to engage in the process. harry reid made a decision, like i said, to throw over a two-month bill. i was fully prepared to go back if there was something that we could vote on. but it was very clear from the beginning that this was about politics. and that's why people are tired. they don't want the politics. they just want the country to work again and so do i. >> on the topic of politics, you wrote on op-ed recently for "the des moines register," and quote, whether iowans choose me or one of the other candidates, the time is long overdue that a person of character is returned to the office. is president obama not a person of character?

>> well, what i'm looking at is the federalist papers that the founders wrote, that the most important aspect for our country is a person of character. and that's been a question among all of the republicans -- >> you used the words "return to the white house." you're saying return to the white house. you're questioning whether the president is a person of character. >> well, what i'm saying in those remarks is as people are choosing who will be the nominee for our party, will the person have character in that they are a person of their word, they have honesty, their integrity, you can trust what they say. that's one thing people know about me, i'm very sincere, i'm very authentic, i say what i mean, i mean what i say, and my word is my bond. i think that's very important for our next candidate for president. >> all right. well congresswoman michele bachmann, we know you got up early to talk to us early, and

we are grateful for that. thank you very much. >> good morning, ann. thank you. >> all right. now here's carl. the dow gained 337 points on tuesday. its best day of the month. what was behind the surge and will it last? jim cramer is the host of "mad money" on cnbc. he joins us here. jim, good morning. >> good morning, carl. >> a lot of explanations for what happened yesterday. there was some decent news out of europe, not bad news out of housing. what do you think happened? >> i think housing is very important, it's been in the doldrums for such a long time, carl. the idea that we're starting to build more apartments, very strong. lots of jobs created by that kind of building. didn't hurt that europe was off the front page for a few minutes. >> yeah, your point has been lately that if you can take europe and make it a second-page story, the strength of the american economy is actually pretty good, relative to other economies. >> the plumbing getting better, retail sales getting better, auto sales getting better. the stock market -- the dow jones average, best in the world. people forget that we're the

only ones up. >> so days like this, are there more to follow? >> i think there could be. i think europe is working on a real solution that will make it so things get better which allows us to shine. carl, we are in better shape than almost any economy in the world. >> let's drill down on housing real quick. got some housing numbers on housing starts. best in about a year-and-a-half. people have been waiting for a bottom in housing for a very long time. is this it? >> i think that 2012 could lead to one. the building that we have seen is apartment complexes, not single-family homes, but at least there's some demand. carl, there has been no demand, despite how low mortgage rates are. this could be a turn. >> this month alone, monday was the lowest level for the dow for december. tuesday the highest. so are people safe jumping in, if it's going to be this volatile. >> i think they should wait for the next big decline. they seem to give them to us all of the time. but go with safe stocks with good dividends. don't go for high-flyers. they may be finished for now. >> 2012.

do you see any of this crazy roller coaster action smoothing out at all? >> no. i think that this is the new normal. that said, i keep pointing out that we are stronger than others. that's going to start bringing money to this country from overseas. >> we should point out, though, you're still very discouraged about europe, the way they have handled their problems, and to a degree, that's going to hold our markets down somewhat, right? >> every time we hear something negative, we will give up the gains. monday was bad, negative europe. tuesday, off the front page, we go up. it will be ying-yang for all of 2012, too, until they offer substantive solutions to europe. they're not as smart as we thought. >> it's still the most constructive i've heard you lately on stocks. >> housing means a lot to this economy, because it puts people to work. we've got to put people to work, carl. and this is a sign that maybe it's happening. >> jim, see you back at the office. as a reminder, you can catch jim on "mad money," weeknights at 6:00 and 11:00 eastern time on cnbc. it is 7:11, once again, here's ann. >> carl, thank you. we turn now to the

phone-hacking scandal in great britain, and new questions today about piers morgan, the former newspaper editor there who is now hosting a show on cnn. one of his former reporters has pointedly pointing a finger directly at him the day after morgan was forced to answer some tough questions. nbc's stephanie gosk is in london with more on this story this morning. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. this is the fifth week of hearings. the judge has heard a litany of questionable tabloid tactics, including illegal phone hacking, as well as rummaging through celebrities' garbage and high-speed paparazzi chases. it's been an opportunity to hold reporters and their bosses to account. piers morgan's feet being held to the fire. before taking over for cnn's larry king or judging contestants on "america's got talent," piers morgan was a newspaper man, an editor of two of london's biggest tabloids "the daily mirror" and rupert murdoch's nowty funk "news of

the world". >> i would say they're aware of 5% of what journalists are up to. >> reporter: morgan testified via a video link from los angeles. he denied any knowledge of illegal phone hacking. >> have you listened to recordings of what you knew to be illegally obtained voice mail messages? >> i do not believe so, no. >> well, you either did or you didn't. it isn't a question of belief. >> reporter: today a former business reporter for "the daily mirror" who went to jail for insider trading says hacking regularly took place while morgan was editor. >> i would say that it was very unlikely that he didn't know that it was going on, because as i've said, he was -- there wasn't very much he didn't know about. >> reporter: during his testimony, morgan was repeatedly asked how he heard a phone message paul mccartney left for his then wife heather mills as their marriage was falling apart. >> well, i can't discuss where i was played that tape or who

played it, because to do so would be to compromise a source. >> reporter: there were moments when the cnn anchor acknowledged he was aware of some unsavory if not illegal tactics. elton john's bank statements were rummaged from the trash by a reporter. nicknamed benji the bin man. >> did i think it was illegal, no. did i think it was on the cusp of unethical, yes. >> reporter: and there was the photo of princess diana made to look as if she was kissing dodi fayed in 1997. the man who made his start in newspapers defended them and criticized the judge and his hearings. >> i think there has to be a better balance here, because a lot of very good things the newspapers were doing in those periods, and continue to do, are not being highlighted at all. >> reporter: these hearings and ongoing criminal investigation are not about the good that newspapers do.

it's about reining in an industry a lot of people feel has been operating above the law. ann? >> all right. stephanie gosk, thank you for your reporting on this story. >> let's get the rest of the morning's top stories from natalie morales over at the news desk. good morning, natalie. >> good morning, carl and ann and everyone. federal safety officials are releasing new rules today designed to protect the flying public. they prevent airlines from scheduling pilots to work when they don't have enough rest. the action was spurred by the deadly 2009 crash of a regional jet near buffalo, new york that claimed 50 lives. it was blamed on errors by two exhausted pilots. federal crash experts are examining the wreckage of a small plane that smashed into a new jersey highway tuesday, killing all five people aboard. the victims included two investment bankers, along with one of their families and a pet dog. officials say the pilot was warned of icing conditions, although the actual cause is still under investigation.

japan's government said today the clean-up and decommissioning of a wrecked nuclear plant will take 30 to 40 years. the fukushima plant, 150 miles from tokyo, was destroyed in march when a huge earthquake and tsunami knocked out its cooling systems, triggering radiation leaks and mass evacuations. today's report does not put a figure on the clean-up cost, but an earlier estimate was $15 billion. north korea's military has reportedly pledged its allegiance to the 28-year-old son of long-time dictator kim jong-il, who died suddenly saturday. younger kim was shown last night on state television, greeting mourners and senior government officials. a washington state man who planted a bomb along the route of a martin luther king day parade was sentenced tuesday to the maximum 32 years in prison. officials say the bomb which was discovered before it could go off was packed with shrapnel coated in rat poison. the fda has approved human testing of a new aids vaccine

developed by researchers in canada. three previous human trials of other vaccines failed, but this one uses a different scientific approach. and fedex says it was shocked to see this youtube video -- by the way, now more than 1 million hits on it -- showing one of its couriers delivering a package by tossing it over the fence. the box contained a flat screen computer monitor, which the youtube poster said was broken and had to be returned. fedex is, of course, looking into it. hopefully that was not something going to you. 7:17 right now. let's turn it back over to ann, carl and maria. >> wow. >> i guess he was fed up. a lot of packages to deliver. >> but still, come on. >> christmas coming. >> all i know is, i am definitely tipping the mailman. >> yeah. definitely a good idea. >> be nice to them. by the way, al is feeling under the weather this morning so we get to have you this morning, maria larosa filling in. what's going on with the weather? >> a lot going on. not snow in the east, but, boy,

we have a mess of rain, low clouds, enough to slow down travel if that's your plan for today. we have showers and thunderstorms from the southeast, pockets of heavy rain to the ohio valley pushing into the northeast. that will be steady rain as we get into d.c. and new york later today. we already have very low visibility in chicago, so look out for fog there, and slow downs through st. louis, atlanta, even washington, much of the northeast. looking at sunshine through the mid section, but fog in the valleys of california. here's a look at what you can expect. we actually have some fog this morning up into the north bay interior valleys. it's cold out there as well. temperatures running in the 30s in just about every inland city across the bay area. we're all going to see the upper 50s and 60s later today. 62 in san jose, about 62 in los gatos and 60 in san francisco. overall we're looking about just as nice conditions as we saw yesterday. comfy cool for friday.

as we head into the holiday weekend, we actually warm up. n" opens today. never heard of tin tin? he's a hugely popular comic book character overseas. the question is, can he make it in america? here's nbc's keith miller. >> thanks, i'm tin tin, by the way. >> reporter: he's no captain america. tin tin is a comic book hero without muscle. no super powers, with a dog called snowy as a sidekick. yet he is loved by millions around the world. just about everywhere, but the u.s. >> tintin? >> tintin? >> reporter: tintin, the boy reporter, who travels the world, solving mysteries, has been around for 80 years. and has sold more than 250 million books. >> russian, welch. >> reporter: to solve the mystery of his popularity, you must travel to where he was created, brussels.

tintin and snowy are everywhere. you'll find them painted on buildings, on the tops of buildings. they peer from walls in cafes and bars. even in hotel rooms. there is a tintin boutique. and a spectacular museum dedicated to tintin and his creator known as erje. he created a character in the abstract. two buttons for eyes. >> any reader, boy, girl, can become tintin. >> reporter: he drew inspiration from places like brussels, like its famous flea market, where in the movie, tintin finds the model ship which triggers his adventure. spielberg is gaveling he can sell tintin to an america that doesn't really know him. >> tintin almost feels squeaky clean, because everybody around him is such a caricature. i have to tell you, i identify with tintin.

>> reporter: it's a roll of the dice, especially since the $130 million movie is filmed with motion capture that audiences are known to resist. >> it's a huge test. the movie delivers, i think that afterward people become fanatics of tintin here too. >> reporter: tintin is coming to america. the question is, will americans come to see tintin? >> come on! >> reporter: and snowy, of course. for "today," keith miller, nbc news, brussels. coming up, the florida doctor who joran van der sloot calls his guardian angel. why is she so committed to helping the accused murderer? we'll hear from her. but first, this is "today" on nbc. today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] it's a rule of nature.

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tradition that has taken on a life of its own. i can't figure out what to get for my husband. easy. name some things that aren't on your list. jumper cables, camo anything, a power drill -- ooh! [ male announcer ] the only place to go for every guy on your christmas list with great deals throughout the store. walmart.

so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning...

♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. good morning you. it's 7:26. one of the bay area's well known athletes is in the headlines. warriors team captain monta ellis is being accused of sexually harassing a former golden state warrior employee. the woman claims ellis repeatedly texted her unwanted messages. her attorney says the texting got way too graphic. >> the next day or the day after he sent her a pretty graphic picture that is disgusts me to even explain or show. >> her attorneys says warriors

management knew about the texting harassment and said they tried to cover it up by firing the woman in august. the lawsuit will be filed this morning. the warriors had no comment on the matter. they say they have not seen the lawsuit. 7:26 right now. let's check in with meteorologist christina loren with a look at the forecast. >> good morning to you. this is typically the coldest point of the day and something we hardly ever see around here, temperature one degree above freezing if oakland right now. it's really cold out there. we'll see a nice afternoon. hey, frost on your windshield in oakland, probably a factor over the course of the next couple hours. as we hit about 9:00, 9:30, we'll start to see warmer temperatures above freezing. we'll hit the 60s later on. 62 in san jose and 61 degrees down in gilroy. fairfield, 54 degrees for you. you'll be socked in with fog all day long. same with the sacramento valley. >> as we head throughout the weekend, 64 degrees come christmas sunday. we have the earlier accident

westbound 80 at gillman. it sounds like it's off the roadway. the ladder in the lanes is cleared as well. another issue, a disabled vehicle around university will be a distraction. very mild, slowing just past university avenue itself. the bay bridge toll plaza metering lights are on. at the limit pretty much all around the nimitz freeway between the castro valley y in both directions. fog in the central valley. 7:28 right now. for the latest traffic and news updates, check out nbc bay area on facebook. another local news update in half an hour. have a great morning.

♪ ♪ i heard santa on the radio 7:30 now on this wednesday morning, the 21st day of december, 2011. not too nice this morning weather-wise in the northeast with rain heading our way. but that has not dampeden the spirit of all these folks on rockefeller plaza joining us this morning. mean time, inside studio 1-a i'm ann curry with carl quintanilla, it's been really nice having you. >> thank you. >> we're going to talk about the remarkable recovery of lauren scruggs. >> yeah, the model who accidentally walked into a plane's propeller.

she is slowly getting back to doing the things she loves. we'll have her story. >> that's some good news. and also ahead, if you still like me have not finished your holiday shopping, the final dash to christmas is on. and retailers are pulling out all of the stops to win your last-minute business. so guess what? they're going to give you some good deals. we're going to tell you where you can find them, coming up. >> 77% of americans are not done yet. so you're not alone. >> oh, good. meanwhile, kids may wait all year for santa to return, but it's the arrival of one minnesota family's christmas card their friends clamber for. these people really take it to the extreme. wait until we show you what we they came up with this year. and a very special holiday performance from the legendary tony bennett. an unlikely source of help for accused murderer joran van der sloot as he prepares to go on trial for the death of a young woman in peru. michelle kosinski is here to explain. >> reporter: just days in a

letter, he referred to her as his guardian angel. not his mother who has yet to visit him in jail, but a doctor in florida who says she is not in love with him, she just wants to help him, as she puts it, evolve. >> my guardian angel, mary. i've got a tear in my eye as i write this letter. and he goes on to say, i love you, joran. >> reporter: yes, joran van der sloot. florida radiologist mary hamer sent him care packages, visited him three times in jail in peru. >> it was wonderful. we were nervous. >> reporter: most recently, this month. she has paid his legal bills. her nickname for him, buddha for what she calls his new focus on philosophy. >> the more i know joran, the more i see there's a beautiful person there. >> reporter: hamer, 55 and divorced, insists it is not romantic. she considers herself his spiritual guide, and advocate.

>> he's hurting. he's struggling. he's trying to improve. >> you're not worried that this guy is going to completely take advantage of your kindness? >> no. no, no, i'm not. even if he did, again, i'm an unconditional person. >> reporter: for a year-and-a-half, van der sloot has sat in jail, accused of beating and suffocating stephany flores after they played poker and the five-year anniversary of natalie holloway's disappearance in aruba. video shows him going into the hotel room, but only he left. her body was found inside. he later confessed. friends said he was tricked into doing so. >> you think he's innocent. >> i know he's innocent. >> reporter: but hamer says while they talk about everything from justin bieber and van der sloot's love for kiss co, martin luther king and gandy, they never discuss his case. >> you've never been curious to say, joran, what happened with

natalie holloway? >> no. no, it's not my role. >> reporter: to date, she says she has spent at least $20,000 on him. recorded a cd of her song to raise money ♪ i will rescue you >> reporter: ann hamer says she would move to peru. she may be his sole supporter. the 24-year-old once evaluated as antisocial and indifferent to others. her goal, to help joran van der sloot to move forward. >> it's not pity that got me involved, it's compassion. it's love for someone. >> if he did beat this young woman to death, would that change your opinion of him as a person? >> i love him unconditionally. >> and she says it's not just joran van der sloot. that she likes difficult causes of all kinds and plans to be there when his trial starts in peru early next month. she says the ultimate goal is to help him make peace with both the flores and holloway family.

we did not hear back from van der sloot's attorneys for comments on this guardian angel. carl? >> nbc's michelle kosinski, thanks now here's ann. >> thanks. now, what just may be a miracle, a young texas model who walked directly into a small plane spinning propeller is recovering faster than anyone expected. nbc's janet shamlian is here. good morning. >> ann good morning. it's only been two weeks since the awful accident, badly mutilated lauren scruggs. she is showing everyone around her that this determined young woman is going to fight back. for lauren scruggs, the road to recovery has been miracle after miracle. according to her parents, writing on the blog where they have updating lauren's condition. >> i am lauren scruggs with lo-lo mag. >> reporter: and there is probably no better indication than her renewed passion for fashion. she is now picking out her own

clothes, dressing herself and exercising to stay in shape. >> lauren is a little fighter. i mean, she -- you guys don't know her, but her personality, she loved to work out, she was healthy before, so the physical therapist would say do ten of these, raise your hand ten times and she does twelve. or take 10 steps and she takes 30. >> reporter: she has been moved from intensive care to rehab and requesting her favorite foods, sweet potatoes, seafood, brussel sprouts and chocolate cake. significant developments considering her critical injuries. her left hand was severed, a skull fracture, a brain injury. and doctors last week had to remove her left eye. she will soon be fitted with a prosthetic. >> she really shouldn't be alive. we feel blessed with that and although she has some challenges ahead and we do too, we're lucky to have her. we really are. >> cheryl and jeff scruggs know they could have easily lost her the night she unknowingly walked into the propeller of a small

plane after just having gotten out of it after dark. deeply religious, the scruggs on their blog say lauren credits jesus for what she has accomplished so far. and they write, what so many have already discovered. her spirit is amazing. >> on tuesday, lauren opened what's described as a large pile of mail from well-wishers. that is the second batch she has received within a week. and her mom says just last night she climbed out of her bed at the rehab center to watch a little bit of television, signs her family sees as very encouraging. >> they must be so reassured. thank you very much this morning. and now let's go for a check of the weather and maria larosa in for al. >> a lot of people on the plaza this morning. are you guys okay with no snow? >> yes. >> not the case, though, across the west. take a look at what we'll be watching. major snowstorm coming down out of canada. doesn't look like a whole lot on the radar right now, but we have all of the watches and warnings posted. in fact, denver just upgraded to a winter storm warning.

albuquerque, once again, you find yourself in had a winter storm watch. denver, as much as 6 to 9 inches of snowfall, mainly today through the next 24 to 36 hours. eventually, though, we'll see this as a rain-maker across the east. that's what we have today for sure, more rain from the gulf coast all the way into the northeast. that's a look at the weather good morning to you. stagnant air mass overhead has prompted a spare-the-air day. we're at 28 degrees in santa rosa. 38 in hayward, 35 in sunnyvale. the most interesting temperature on this map, 33 degrees right now in oakland, just one degree away from freezing, and about three degrees away from a record. 62 in los gatos. oakland 60 degrees. we hold on to the dry stretch of weather through your holiday weekend. looks like we might get rain late tuesday into wednesday. 24/7 at the weather channel or weather.com. >> all right, maria, thank you so much.

you look so pretty in that coat with the sparkly lights behind you. coming up, from movies to reality tv, the rule-breakers had changed and challenged the world of entertainment the in 2011. and coming up next, attention all shoppers. we'll tell you where you can go to find discounts for your ol last-minuteay gifts hololidayayt after this urism season in years. all because so many people came to louisiana... they came to see us in florida... make that alabama... make that mississippi. the best part of the gulf is wherever you choose... and now is a great time to discover it. this year millions of people did. we set all kinds of records. next year we're out to do even better. so come on down to louisiana... florida... alabama... mississippi. we can't wait to see you.

dad. did you know it's 22 days, 11 hours and 2 minutes to christmas? [ mumbling ] ...enny days, 8 hours, 9 minutes... 18 days, 17 hours... [ mom ] let's go, young lady. [ female announcer ] they're for building excitement for christmas. 12 days, 18 hours... come on. it's no days! [ female announcer ] the hallmark countdown to christmas ornament. 5 hours and 59 minutes and 41... 40...39... 38...37...36... ♪ it rides in limos. it has a crew. it gets invited to parties with paparazzi. it hangs out poolside. it has millions of drooling fans.

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♪ back at 7:42. this morning on "today's consumer," the final countdown to christmas. four more shopping days to go. retailers are doing everything they can to get your last-minute business. today's financial editor, jean chatzky is here to walk us through the deal. >> good morning. >> four days left. and looking at retail sales, the trends look pretty good. >> yeah, it has been a good year for the retailers. they're expecting overall sales at this point to be up 3.8%, going into the season, they only expected 2.8%. so they have been positively surprised and online sales, of course, have been a huge high point. they're up about 15% from last

year. >> and then you look at things like jewelry, which people tend to buy later in the season, also on sort of an upward trajectory, too. >> that's right. we're hearing that from the analyst community and from the retailers themselves that jewelry and other high-priced items are actually moving. big story in the "wall street journal" today about cars and what a great time it is to buy a luxury car. >> interesting. returns, though. people returning things to the store. we're seeing that earlier than we normally do in the season. >> we are. >> what does that mean? >> i think a couple of things. i think people made some big impulse purchases. the sales came in so strongly. people bought things, they're now returning them, because they have changed their mind. but we have also seen some sales come on later, so i think we're seeing a number of people saying, hey, if i return this, and rebought it, i could actually get a better deal. >> because of the discounts that happen later in the season. 77% of people still waiting to finish their shopping, so are the deals going to get better as we go into the final innings? >> depends what you're looking for. we're seeing some awesome apparel deals. 30% off the entire store at

places like j crew. 40 and 50% at places like ann taylor and the gap. and it's so warm outside that winter merchandise, coats, hats, scarves, gloves, are not selling. they're being deeply discounted. >> and then electronics. of the price points on flat panel televisions have come down so much they can't even make back on volume, right? >> right. we're seeing margins being shrunk at apparel retailers, as well. >> how about extended hours? again, a lot of the stores learned that lesson on thanksgiving. so controversial, opening on thanksgiving day, but now they're just staying open through christmas eve. so toys r us is open now 24/7 through christmas eve. also, macy's doing the same thing. and then sears, target and kohls. they are staying open until midnight. >> for that 3:00 a.m. run for the toy that you might need. >> i am so sleeping. >> is this all good news for the economy at large, or is this just about christmas, just about the holidays? >> i think we're starting to see good news for the economy at large. people feeling a little bit better, coming back and spending

a little bit of money. >> i think people have been through so much already that this is a time to treat themselves in ways they feel they might deserve. >> absolutely. a little bit of pent-up demand there, people held back for such a long time that now they're coming in and taking advantage of these deals. but we're starting to see good numbers in other areas, as well. housing yesterday, i think is looking good. >> encouraging. small sign but encouraging. jean chatzky, thank you so much. up next, a family whose annual holiday card tradition has -- let's just say gotten a bit out of control through the years. right after this.

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laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] now there's a mileage card that offers special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪ okay. what's your secret? ♪ [ male announcer ] the new united mileageplus explorer card. get it and you're in. of course, most of us love to give and receive christmas cards, and as nbc's kevin tibble now explains, one minnesota family takes their annual tradition to the extreme. >> reporter: perched as always this time of year by her sewing machine, sue johnson prepares the next big secret. how do you come up with the ideas each year? >> sometimes they come to me in

dreams. or my husband refers to them as nightmares. >> reporter: as nightmares. for nearly two decades, sue's hand-made the costumes and gentleman coaled her family into posing for christmas cards that take elaborate to the extreme. there was the choir year, the elf year, the toy soldier year. friends now clamber for them. even friends of friends want to see what she has come up with. and no one knows before the white envelope drops into the mailbox. >> you know, we complain, but the reality is, when we get together to do it, we all really have a good time doing it together as a family. ♪ >> reporter: but wait, there's more. the christmas bulb year. the poinsettia year, the gingerbread year. >> it kind of -- it is what it is. there's not really any getting out of it. you're in this family, you're in the christmas card. >> our family is -- it maintainses a closeness, you know? it's a wonderful tradition.

♪ you better watch out >> reporter: and now sue boasts of two son-in-laws, andy, who apparently can be bribed. >> as long as i get the cookies with a hershey kiss on them and a couple of cold beers, i'll dress up however you want. >> reporter: and newcomer mike, who soon, as you will soon find out has plans. >> i do feel very, very special. >> reporter: and voila, a sneak preview of this year's masterpiece. sue and rob johnson as mrs. claus and santa and all of the kids as reindeer. mike, the new bee, of course, is rudolph. >> okay, are you ready? >> i was never ready for this. >> at least you didn't have to wear makeup. >> well, this is a close second. >> reporter: are you already thinking about next year? >> oh, yes. >> reporter: what are you going to be? you can whisper it. >> no, can't tell you. >> reporter: such a welcoming family, even allowing a complete stranger to put on the hooves.

an interloper, an antler loper. where in the world is matt lauer while i'm doing this? >> merry christmas! >> reporter: and merry christmas to you. for "today," kevin tibbles, nbc news, eagan, minnesota. >> kevin, just may have crossed a line when it came to reporter involvement. >> never looked better. i tell you that. isn't that nice, though, to have a tradition like that? >> it is. although i can empathize with the man who married into the family. you probably should warn people. >> our twins are 2. so with 100 pictures, one good shot, we're grateful. >> yeah, so maybe a mask would be good. mean time, coming up, the people who have left the biggest mark in entertainment in 2011. >> but first, a look back at some of the most striking images of the year.

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good morning to you. 7:56 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. san jose police are looking for a carjacking suspect 24 morning. they say he is armed and dangerous. 31 yrd jarek brown is wanted in connection with a december carjacking in that city a few weeks ago. when they tried to stop the suspect, he took off in a silver bmw crashing near capitol expressway. he then took off on foot according to police and ran into the home of an 80-year-old man. he took the keys to his camry and took off hitting a parked police motorcycle as he fled. so far police haven't released the stolen car license plate. want to check the cold forecast with meteorologist christina loren. we need a warmup. >> we certainly do. it looks like we'll get one but

not until christmas sunday. tonight at 9:30 the solstice starts. as we head throughout the evening hours and winter begins, we see our days get a little shorter and our nights get a little longer. it's a spare-the-air day across the board. we'll hit the 60s later today and continue to step this weather through christmas sunday. showers late tuesday and wednesday in the north bay. that will be the forecast. let's check your drive with mike. good morning, folks. we're looking over to the eastshore freeway where earlier accident and debris all cleared. both directions approaching university avenue a little slow. the metering lights not an issue for you as you travel from oakland into san francisco. other side of the bay, northbound 101 just like yesterday. a little snows in towards san bruno. not a big deal. southbound as you head into menlo park heading down on 101. the south bay, no major slowing even through san jose at the 680

interchange. we're looking good down here. >> for the latest traffic and news updates, check out nbc bay area on facebook. i'll have another local news update in about half an hour. have a great wednesday morning. [ male announcer ] it's a rule of nature.

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8:00 now on this wednesday morning. it's the 21st day of december, 2011. and we have a spirited crowd outside here at rockefeller plaza. and it is a balmy 50 degrees. not so bad this morning. good morning, everybody. checking out the tree, waving hello to their loved ones back home. we're so glad they came to visit with us this morning. i'm ann curry along with carl quintanilla filling in for matt this morning. so nice to have you here this week. and coming up, hollywood's hit-makers, headline-makers. "the hollywood reporter" is out with its list of the people who helped shape and change the world of entertainment in 2011.

and someone very familiar to all of us here are on this list. we're going to find out who that is coming up in a moment. >> that's right. and some much-needed help if you're busy planning a holiday meal. martha stewart will share her secrets for pulling off what they're calling the ultimate christmas dinner. >> all right. also, we have a legend in the house. some of us around here call him mr. b. he is tony bennett, and he is basically going to be helping us -- that's right. yay is right! [ cheers and applause ] he's going to be singing a holiday classic live in our studio. and we love it when he is here. in the meantime, let's get a check of the top stories from natalie at the news desk. hey, natalie. >> good morning, everyone. the clock is ticking on capitol hill where a house vote tuesday scuttled a senate deal for a two-month extension for a payroll tax cut and jobless benefits. if the house and senate can't agree on how long to extend the tax cuts, 160 million americans could see their take-home pay shrink with the start of the new

year. five polish soldiers serving with nato forces in afghanistan were killed today by a roadside bomb. in a separate development, eight american soldiers have been charged with the death of 19-year-old private danny chen, who was fatally shot in afghanistan in october. the military's investigation found that chen had been the target of ethnic slurs and physical harassment. for the first time ever, the u.s. government is asking "scientific journal" not to publish details of certain biomedical experiments. scientists conducted experiments in the u.s. and the netherlands and created a highly transmissible and deadly form of the bird flu virus to test how it would evolve. the government advisory board fears if published, details could be used by terrorists to create deadly viruss and touch off epidemics. a snowstorm blamed for at least six deaths is moving out of the great plains. many roads are still closed and stranded motorists still being rescued.

the storm dumped as much as 15 inches of snow in parts of five states. snow is now falling on the rockies with winter storm watches and warnings from montana south to new mexico. federal investigators are resuming their search in the wreckage from a fiery plane crash that killed five people in northern new jersey on tuesday. the single engine plane was carrying two investment bankers, three of their family members and a dog to georgia when it crashed on a busy highway. no one on the ground was hurt. air traffic controllers had warned the pilot about icy co been determined. johnny carson's boyhood home in nebraska has major structural damage. the house was hit tuesday by a man who lost control of his car. he is in serious condition. four people inside the house, including two children, were not injured. and now for a look at what is trending today, our quick round-up of what has you talking online. trending on google are search searches for anything having to do with hanukkah. the hanukkah me nora was hit

last night that kicked off the jewish holiday known as the festival of lights. and pictures of an italian member of the european parliament cradling her baby daughter at work. fittingly, the parliament was debating proposal to improve women's employment rights. and barney frank's casual outfit for a speech on monday on the house floor is attracting some attention on yahoo. quite a lot of attention. massachusetts congressman wore a t-shirt that he was able to apparently pull over his bandaged hand after the surgery. offhand surgery, apparently. it's now 8:04. let's go back outside to ann and carl. >> thanks, natalie. by the way, amelia is turning 11 and mitchell is turning 18 today. happy birthday to them. we have got maria with the weather. >> good morning, ann. we have a couple honeymooners over here. where are you from? >> texas. >> welcome. and you guys got married on saturday, so so far, so good?

>> awesome. >> all right. the weather goes, let's head to alabama. our pick city is huntsville, showers and thunderstorms. 64 degrees. and wee have showers and thunderstorms expected across the southeast. panhandle of florida, we'll have to watch carefully. but rain spreading up into the northeast, fog in places like chicago could really slow your travel down, and then our developing winter storm through the rockies, we could see several areas picking up more than a foot. denver, on the area of 6 to 9 inches. that good morning to you. well, we have some really dense fog drifting in from the central valley. so you're down to hundreds of feet of visibility in places like concord. less than a quarter of a mile in fairfield. elsewhere we're looking pretty good but that fog is going to keep your temperatures down, especially in the east bay, where we're expecting the low 50s. elsewhere we're going to see the upper 50s and 60s. even in san francisco. 62 in los gatos. and 62 for san jose. we hold on to the dry weather

all the way through this weekend, up to 64 by sunday. r to you. >> all right. and is by the way, maria, we've got the cutest elves over here. and look at that, they're cool as well. we'll get to your presents in a little bit. look at you. coming up next, hollywood's rule-breakers. the movers and shakers in the entertainmworlof 20 coming up right after this. for a big game, or watching from the sidelines... [ male announcer ] start with a breakfast at subway that can't be beat. like the protein-powerhouse steak, bacon, egg & cheese. mwah!! [ male announcer ] tackle a fresh toasted subway steak melt today. rush in and get your flavor on. subway. where winners eat. [ male announcer ] only subway has a deal this flat-out delicious -- the $3 flatbread breakfast combo. a toasty flatbread breakfast sandwich and a 16-ounce cup of seattle's best coffee or 21-ounce fountain drink. all for only $3.

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back now at 8:09 with a new list of people who have had the biggest impact on entertainment

this year. and it includes one of our own. take a look. ♪ the year-end issue of "the hollywood reporter" named them as the people who changed and challenged the world of entertainment in 2011. they are the rule-breakers. >> we really are trying to celebrate and honor those people who were able to buck convention this year, kind of go against the grain and take a risk. and the people in this portfolio have really succeeded in that. >> reporter: from the reining queens of reality tv -- >> i want to interview you about what it's like to work as a maid -- >> reporter: to "the help," this year's cinderella story of the big screen. they were the talk of hollywood. does this have mass appeal to the big screen? and elevating that discussion, our own matt lauer, who is also featured in the magazine as one of the interviewers. >> matt lauer continues to deliver these interviews that people are really dying for. whether it's brad pitt or dick cheney, he's the smooth

interviewer. >> that he is. and matt bellamy is the news director for "the hollywood reporter." good morning to you. >> good morning. >> the first time they have done a year-end like this, and chose rule-breakers as a theme. was it an especially rebellious year in hollywood? >> i think so. we wanted to take a look at people who took some risks this year. some people out of nowhere, some people established but did something new and fresh this year. >> so there are four different covers. let's start with ashton kutcher and chuck lorre, obviously about "two and a half men." but is the real story about charlie sheen or not? >> the saga behind "two and a half men" was really the story of the year. and charlie sheen did a lot of talk about winning. but when you look at the numbers, it's really "two and a half men" and ashton kutcher who ended up winning the year. without charlie sheen, that show's ratings are up 20%. >> got the country's attention in ways few sitcoms ever do. speaking of sitcoms, a new

darling, better movies for a long time, yet people are talking about her like a break-out star. >> yeah, zoe had a break-out year, sort of took a risk doing a half-hour sitcom on fox. and the ratings for it were excellent, and she got great reviews and she sort of reinvigorated herself with this move. >> a lot of talk about "the descendents" and specifically george clooney who you call the quadruple threat. what do you mean by that? >> if you look at george clooney's year, everyone knows he's a great actor but when the golden globe nominations came out ago, he was nominated for actor, director. and it's an amazing year for george clooney. >> he's also handsome. >> people do like him. >> "the help." cinderella story of the year? >> yeah, "the help" has an interesting back story. the film maker behind the film is actually from mississippi and

friend of the author of "the help's" book. he got the film rights very early. and in hollywood, that never happens where an untested film maker gets to make the movie based on a book that he options. this way it happened, and the film was a huge hit and now it's being talked about for the osca oscars. >> do you think it stands a good chance? >> i think right now there's a couple movies in the mix, but "the help" is a front runner. >> "bridesmaids" huge hit, known for being comically edgy. why was that film a rule-breaker? >> the rule in hollywood tends to be that female-driven comedies don't do well at the box office. for whatever reason, that was the conventional wisdom. "bridesmaids" completely shattered that wisdom. it grossed 28 8 million, made a star out of kristen wiig and melissa mccarthy. >> the new film by steven dahldry, not screened widely, which has a lot of people

whispering. what's the back story? >> yeah, they sort of held the film towards the end of the year, which in oscar circles, serious movie circles, doesn't typically happen. but there is a lot of buzz. i mean, when you have two oscar winners and tom hanks and sandra bullock, and this is sandra bullock's first film since "the blind side." which won her the oscar. >> you have actually seen the film? >> yes. it's very earnest and will effect people who have a close connection to 9/11 very differently than the general audience, but i think it's a very earnest film. >> finally, the kardashians which some people might have thought after the divorce debacle interest in the family would end. hasn't happened. >> no, if you look at the franchise after the 72-day marriage debacle, was a record number of ratings for the franchise. people said kim is over, fans are not going to come back, they're really upset with her. not true. >> i don't think we have heard the last. >> probably not.

>> matt bell amy, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> the year-end issue is on stands now. up next, a christmas surprise for kids at one very deserving school. but messages. ♪ love your pandora bracelet. oh, thanks. he went to jared. the ballet slippers? i used to dance. suitcase? anniversary trip. hearts? it's called the red hot love bead... ♪ oh. ...i've said too much. [ female announcer ] celebrate life's unforgettable moments with a fabulous selection of pandora charms and bracelets at jared. telling her life's story with just a turn of the wrist. soccer ball? soccer mom. [ female announcer ] that's why he went to jared, the galleria of jewelry. [ female announcer ] that's why he went to jared, what mak [ female announcer ] that's why he went to jared, es a what hershey's bar pure?

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if lipitor's been working for you, stay with it. lipitor may be available for as little as $4 a month with the lipitor co-pay card. terms and conditions apply. learn more at lipitorforyou.com. ♪ back now at 8:18. this morning on our special series, "getting to the heart of christmas," a new program for juvenile offenders in st. louis. it's all about giving another chance to children who run out of chances. nbc's "today's" national correspondent amy robach is joining us now with more. hey, amy, good morning. >> ann, good morning to you. we spent some time with a remarkable juvenile court judge who rules not with a heavy hand, but a heavy heart. and he may be giving the greatest holiday present of all. hope. >> when the kids are admitting stuff to me and telling me stuff and won't look at me, i don't believe them. >> reporter: from the school of hard knocks, these teens have a wealth of knowledge.

>> you better handle your business. otherwise i'll handle it. >> reporter: most from broken homes, most expelled from school, all seemingly without a place in life. >> you know, i was selling drugs, smoking drugs. i really didn't think about my future at all. >> reporter: but judge jimmy edwards of the juvenile court of st. louis was thinking about their future. >> how do you want these children back in the community? do you want them back a child that understands what it means to be decent and respectful? or do you want them back as a men as to our community? it makes sense to educate them. >> reporter: however, there was no school that wanted them. edwards built his own. judge, why did you think you could open a school? >> because every day i look into the eyes of 11-year-olds, 12 and 13-year-olds, and they have no hope. and they ask me, why should i care what happens to my life when nobody cares about me? >> reporter: the innovative

concept academy is the nation's first school for juvenile offenders run by a court system. what does this environment provide that they haven't received anywhere else in their lives? >> well, first, it provides structure. children want structure. they might suggest that they don't. but they want expectations set. >> reporter: and the judge sets hes expectations high. the teens are required to stay until they earn their geds and gain employment. >> she will always have a ged. but i have to get in there and be able to say to her that you can do things differently. >> reporter: and this school does things very differently. beyond the regular academics, the children can get medical and psychological attention. three meals a day, even lessons in chess. >> i tell the kids that we all are poor. and that doesn't matter. but we can be better. we can be good citizens, we can

be productive in our own lives. ♪ >> reporter: and the concept is working. in st. louis, the rate of recidivism for juvenile offenders is 27%. at the innovative concept academy, it's only 11%. >> i feel kind of set. i feel like i'm doing right in my life, the way i'm supposed to do it. >> if i want to have a successful future, it's bigger and better things. >> reporter: what do you think most americans don't understand about disadvantaged youth? >> they want to be successful, as well. but they don't understand, it takes a whole lot of money to correct that. >> reporter: but it does take a lot of generosity. most of what you see at the innovative concept academy is funded by private donations, and we had a surprise donation of our own. we're going to let you in on the big secret. walmart came to us a few weeks ago, and asked us to find a very deserving group of people who were doing something special,

who might need a little extra help during this holiday season. and guess what? >> what? >> reporter: we picked you! [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: we know you all have an ongoing list of needed dough nayses. and we saw that list, walmart saw that list. and not only did they fill part of your list, you know what? they filled your entire list. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: and as walmart loaded the gym with all of the school donations, we had yet another surprise in store for the students themselves. a gift certificate for a hot christmas dinner for each student and a brand-new winter coat. >> we are grateful. we are so grateful. i am just overwhelmed. i have never, ever lost for words. today i am. here we do it one child at a time. if we save one, i'm hopeful.

if we save them all, it's a blessing. >> kind of chokes you up watching that. some of the donations included enough food for a lunch for an entire year, a new gym, and 18 new computers. but judge edwards says the true gift for these students is letting them know, ann, that somebody cares for them. >> what a wonderful story. great job, amy. and judge edwards' idea hopefully will move to other people, because it obviously is shown signs of working. has anyone graduated yet? >> yes. that's the exciting part. the innovative concept academy has been open since spring of 2009 and last summer they had their first graduation ceremony. 18 students earned their high school diploma or ged. two have gone to college. that's remarkable, given the road they were headed on. >> that's remarkable. and now here is carl. thanks, now let's head down to our nation's capital and say hello to mr. willard scott.

hey, willard. >> what a great time of the year, the holiday spirit is mighty near. let's check our birthday buddies from smuckers. don't forget their new jams out now, too. orchard's finest. unbelievable. ed ingenthron from overland park, kansas, 100 years old today. poker player. i used to play poker. loves to travel around the world. played poker and drank. that's what he did. my father. and we have marjorie beardslee from grand rapids, michigan. loves to paint and also write in her book. she has a little journal, she keeps everything in it. believes in the good lord. and here is anna. anna orr anna or what?

from eagle grove, iowa. 104 years old today, lives independently and walks two miles every day. how about that? i can barely get out of a chair. earl williams, handsome devil, la canada-flintridge, california. hundred years old and loves to play golf, and he's great on politics. i mean, he keeps up. we ought to keep an eye on him. also, the stock market. how about that? remember the stock market? it will be back. we have mildred collins, spelled like the singer. and she is from brownsburg, indiana, 101 years old today. and she is fabulous at baking butterscotch cookies. i love butterscotch cookies. and we have finally bernice busse from madison, wisconsin. what a great town. i fell in love in madison. 100 -- if you know what cows are, you'll get a kick out of that one. anyway, loves to play bridge,

and also promote literacy among little children. that's it. that's all. and now back to new york. >> willard, thanks. just ahead, martha stewart's ultimate christmas dinner plans and a live performance from the one and only tonyenne btt a b good morning to you. 8:26 right now. i'm laura garcia cannon. san francisco and pg&e are still trying to figure out what caused the blackouts at candlestick. so far investigators know that a 20,000-volt power line near the stadium snapped around 5:20 monday night, but they don't know why. a backup system restored power about 20 minutes later, but a second outage happened about another hour after that. causes of the outage are still unknown. coming up on nbc bay area news at 11:00, the one person who probably would not want to be caught at candlestick when the lights went out. want to check the morning commute right now. here's mike. >> all right, laura, we'll take

a look out here. the maze showing a nice approach to the bay bridge. the toll plaza metering lights not playing a factor right now. bottom of your screen you see some yellow chiclets, though, 880 northbound past the coliseum and a live look shows you folks gathering right around high street. it's just the typical 8:30 slowdown we see around the area. i'll the rest of the bay area looking light but we still have this slowdown for folks gathering at the home of the raiders. >> for the latest traffic and news updates, check out nbcbayarea on facebook. i'll have another local news update for you in about half an hour. have a great wednesday morning. [ mom ] hey guys.

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♪ 8:30 now on this wednesday morning, december 21st, 2011. and that is -- you're looking at two members of the new york reindeer happy team, along with golden globe nominee kenneth grandoff collecting gifts on this final day of our holiday toy drive. it's been a tremendous success.

we collected $1 million worth of gifts, helping 4 million children across our nation. so we want to say a very big thank you to all of the generous viewers and the companies who contributed to this great cause, especially in these times, carl. >> yeah, it's important. imagine all the kids who otherwise wouldn't have that kind of toy. >> and a great shoutout to our team here at nbc who helped organize the toy drive. they work year-round to keep it going. >> great work. also we want to mention that coming up we have martha stewart in the house, helping us prepare our delicious holiday meal and tripg trying to keep it manageable, as well. >> and then when it comes to the holidays, does it get any better than hearing frthe classics fro our legendary tony bennett? he is blessing us with his presence once again, with i a

special performance live. first let's say hello to our four-time oscar nominee, just picked up a golden nomination for "my week with marylin." it's not every day when you get a nomination for playing lawrence olivia. how was your state of mind? >> it was like christmas morning and to be recognized by people who know about hollywood actors and icons, playing an actor very important. he was such an inspiration to all of us. so to be able to sort of celebrate his talent in the movie, and have fun with it, as well. because it's a funny movie, as well. >> i've seen it. fantastic. michelle williams who also is nominated, amazing as marilyn monroe. what is it like working with her? >> she was absolutely wonderful. she is amazing at capturing how she walked, kind of a shimmy or

float. very, very sexy. >> singing and dancing. >> does all of that. yeah, but she also gets the sort of vulnerability and fragility, so you feel as though you get an inside kind of sense of who marilyn was. and you also get the fun. >> you mentioned the singing and dancing. there has been talk about it being turned into a musical? is that real? >> the producer is someone with a lot of great ideas. that's the latest one. i think it would be a wonderful, crazy idea. so i wait to hear whether they take it a little further. >> wait a minute. given your experiences on stage, would you consider playing a role in such a production, if it were to pass? >> well, when i was 18 -- i was made to tap-dance every day for three years, so the tap shoes are in the cupboard so i'm waiting for harvey's call. >> he's still got it! there you go. >> thank you so much for all of your years of great work. congratulations on your nomination. >> i really appreciate it, thank

you. by the way, i want to mention that "my week with marilyn" is in theatres now. >> let's get a check of the weather with maria larosa. >> we have some gals from arkansas a little more prepared for snow than rain. how do you like the warm and dry new york city so far? >> loving it. >> let's talk a little snow here. everyone is wondering about the white christmas. historically, obviously, you've got the places in the higher elevations out west, the northern tier, interior northeast, have the best chance year to year. but here's what we're looking at right now. kind of those areas. snow on the ground in the rockies, more coming. and then maybe a thin strip through the central plains and the midwest. syracuse, bangor, a white christmas later in the week as that storm there is helping you out. but as far as today, it is all rain for the most part on the east coast. thunderstorms in the southeast. our big snow-maker across the west, diving down from canada, here we could see as much as half a foot or more in places like denver. that's a well, we've got a lot of

sunshine overhead, you can see from this live picture of san jose. but it's hazy sunshine. unhealthy air quality in the north bay. spare the air day. 33 degrees in livermore, still holding on to the 30s. but as we head through the next hour, that's when your temperatures will start to come above that freezing mark and that frost will look more like dew when you walk out your front door. 62 in san jose. 63 in los gatos. about 60 degrees in san francisco. we stay dry all the way through your holiday sunday. 64 degrees. ann, carl, natalie, back to you. >> nice seeing you. nhl winter classic right here on nbc, just around the corner. this year's matchup features the new york rangers and philadelphia flyers at an outdoor rink, home to the philadelphia phillies. we're joined by two members of the rangers, marc staal and good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> one of my favorite sports events of the year, it celebrates the origins of hockey, playing outdoors. is it different from playing indoors? >> i think so. i think obviously there is different aspects, like weather,

that come into play. and you know last year you saw a little bit of rain. and other years you've seen snow. so we're excited to see what happens. >> and that really sort of i guess forms how the game will go. but nevertheless, you have to rely on talent, so you're playing the philadelphia flyers. they are a pretty tough team. you want to call it? >> i'm not going to call it. but they are a good team. >> come on. >> we are very a very good year and we have a very talented team and obviously we're going to go in there and look for a big win. and, you know, i'm sure hopefully we'll come out on top. >> all right. well-said. that was very diplomatic. >> very diplomatic. >> classy. >> basically saying we got 'em. >> exactly. congratulations. one of the biggest sporting events all year, so we're excited it's going to happen. >> we'll be watching. >> thanks so much for coming on to talk to us about it. >> very big pleasure. you can catch the nhl winter classic january 2nd, 1:00 p.m. eastern time right here on nbc.

up next, martha stewart's no-fail christmas dinner. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

martha on "today" is brought to you by macy's. the martha stewart collection is now available, only at macy's and on macys.com. this morning on martha on "today," the ultimate christmas dinner plan. it never fails, you create the perfect menu, but you can't seem to get every dish done on time and to perfection. we have martha stewart in the house, and she is here with her no-fail cooking strategy, featured in this month's issue of martha stewart magazine, martha stewart "living." >> how are you, ann? >> i'm great. and happy holidays to you. >> you too. >> what's your secret for creating a delicious and yet manageable meal? >> well, everything can be made pretty much in advance.

and then the last thing you do is pop the pork roast -- this is a pork shoulder, which is a very forgiving piece of maceat. you can't really overcook it, and it tastes delicious. and it's actually -- has a dry marinade. and then there's a salad, there's a bread pudding that can be all prepared in advance. there is a wonderful brussel sprout dish. let's go through real quickly. >> so it's a slow-roast pork. >> we're going to do the whole dinner in four minutes. >> okay. >> we have a quarter cup of salt and then three tablespoons of brown sugar, two teaspoons of cloves kind of broken up, fresh ginger, grated. >> and doing a rub as opposed to a marinade. >> yeah, this is a dry rub. and you mix these things all together. >> mustard you just put in there, right? >> yeah, dry mustard and fresh ginger. and you rub this all over the skin of the pork shoulder. >> smells good. >> and deeply, so all of the flavors go down into the meat.

so you just rub this on. do you want to do that, carl? are your hands washed? >> you said it was a forgiving piece of meat, so i have no fear. >> that's right. so just rub that all over the surface. >> literally with your hands. >> yes. >> okay. >> even you can -- >> you can use your elbows. but you have to take off your jacket to use your elbows. then what? >> then -- >> carl -- >> and a cup and a half of water. and oop -- a bottle of beer. >> now you're talking. >> ale or beer. that goes into the oven and roasts at 325 for four hours. and then you -- at the last half hour, you add kumquats that have been rubbed with honey. >> are those easy to find? >> they're in every store. and now the salad is fennel, carrots and raw beatets and use

man dough lynn. >> can i tell you something, you can do this ahead, and it just -- it's so easy. >> yes. and look how nicely this slices. so beautifully. so slice it up. keep that in the fridge. the vinaigrette is shall lot, lemon, salt, orange juice and sherry vinegar, some fennel seed and olive oil. and you mix this up and pour it over the salad, mix it nicely, and you have a really delicious, fresh salad. >> and colorful. and it sort of is a light item. >> yeah, all of the recipes are in the magazine or on our website or on the "today" show website. >> we have a minute left. >> okay. bread pudding is beautiful. day-old bread, brioche, salad, cele celery, garlic, mix this together, pour in the heavy cream. >> heavy cream? >> yes, the stock. whisk up the eggs. a lot of things.

thyme. it's bread pudding. >> and sage and some salt and pepper. all of it? >> all of it in here. put it in a buttered baking dish, these go in two. and look what comes out. it's so beautiful. >> can i tell you something? that would be a beautiful presentation. >> that's what the pork roast looks like. i didn't even mention the soup, but this is just a leek potato soup. the brussel sprouts baked with cheese. it's a magnificent dinner. >> the salad looks beautiful. and then you also have this beautiful little -- >> yep, this is like a puffed pastry ring filled with pastry cream, whipped cream, candied orange -- >> not too early to start doing this now. >> well, you can get this and freeze it, you can freeze the ring, but not the filling. you can cut up the bread, freeze that. there's a lot of stuff you can do. >> martha stewart, happy holidays. >> same to you. >> and happy holidays. coming up next, still ahead, a special holiday performance from none other than tony bennett. that's right, hang around,

martha. [ male announcer ] it's a rule of nature.

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♪ back at 8:45. this morning on leonard's look, mike leonard has a story about the spirit of the season. it has nothing to do with christmas, but it will warm your heart. ♪ >> reporter: they had just moved into this modest house in a working-class chicago neighborhood when joe de grief and his wife cathy ward suddenly found themselves pondering what might had been, had they held on to the small fortune that was briefly in their grasp. >> just always thinking when we find something that needs to be fixed in the house, we're like -- >> just like every other -- >> what if. just a lot of what ifs. not a second thought. just what if. >> reporter: joe is a mechanic for american airlines. cathy is a 911 dispamp patcher at o'hare, both working odd hours for the sake of their

children. >> he works midnight shifts, i work afternoons so we don't need a babysitter. >> reporter: what they could use, like most everybody, is financial security, which suddenly seemed possible just a few months ago, after buying this house from the descend absents of a deceased elderly woman who lived here. none of the woman's surviving family members wanted her time-worn furniture. so joe and cathy bought the house and everything inside. some of it they kept. but much had to go, including the woman's ancient bed. >> so i moved the mattress off the box springs, and there was a blue bag in between the mattress and the box springs. >> reporter: a blue money bag. and in it? >> $23,840. >> reporter: nobody, besides themselves, knew anything about it. >> we kind of looked at each other and said we have to give the money back. >> reporter: you didn't have to. >> i guess legally we didn't have to, yes. but we had to. just -- i mean, we had to.

>> it was funny, because the night before, we were saying this is what needs to happen. we need new windows. it's like an icebox in here when the wind blows, we need new windows, we need new electric. so we were going over this in our -- at our dinner table the night before. ♪ >> reporter: despite their financial needs, cathy and joe knew that the money was not meant for them. so they went about trying to find the woman's now-retired son. but he wouldn't take their calls. joe then got into his car, drove to the man's chicago home, knocked on the door, and when he appeared, joe told him about finding some money under the mattress. he kind of scoffed, perhaps expecting 20 or $30. then asked, how much? >> i said, just a little over $23,800. and his -- his eyes got big. his mouth dropped open. and i thought he was going to have a heart attack or pass out or something. but then his eyes teared up and he gave me a great big hug.

♪ >> reporter: at st. john's catholic church in the heart of chicago, a young family sits in quiet refuserence, counting their blessings while discounting any suggestion that their generous act makes them special in any way. >> when pressed, most people will do the right thing. ♪ >> reporter: and if somebody wants to do right by them with a gift or a gesture of appreciation for their good deed, how would joe and cathy feel about that? and what would they want? >> just do something for someone nice. you will get the opportunity. it might not be $24,000, but you will get an opportunity to do something for someone. probably today. >> reporter: for "today," mike leonard, nbc news, chicago. >> up next, a live performance from the legendary tony bennett. but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] holiday plus cookies plus memories

pillsbury holiday star cookies start with pillsbury cookie dough easy. then add my own favorite frosting and sprinkles. just three ingredients to sweet memories. holiday ideas made easy.

in 15 minutes, [ female announcer ] you call that bread? you can serve some warmth with your bread. and some flavor with your bread. and some layers with your bread. if you're serving bread honey, then serve it. grands! dinner ideas made easy. ♪ the toyota concert series on "today," brought to you by toyota. 2011 has been an especially good year for music legend tony bennett. his most recent album debuted at number one and received three grammy nominations. and now bennett is releasing all

73 cds worth of his music in a new box set. it's called "tony bennett, the complete collection." mr. bennett, we're overjoyed to say good morning to you. >> merry christmas. >> three grammy nominations. you've already won 15. do you need anymore? >> no, that's fine. >> do you ever feel like you've had enough? >> no, i've had enough. >> really? >> no desire to retire. the public has been wonderful to me. so i'm going to keep going. >> so when you say complete collection, there actually may be more coming still. >> i think there might be. >> we'll have to do that again. what do you want for christmas? you're now at 82. >> just a peaceful world. >> that's a very good wish. and we -- i think a lot of us would wish that your wish comes true. >> thank you. >> you're going to be singing from your christmasel album, "i'll be home for christmas" as you will be this christmas. >> right. >> ladies and gentlemen, here is tony bennett. >> thank you.

♪ ♪ ♪ i'll be home for christmas ♪ you can count on me ♪ please have snow and mistletoe and presents on the tree ♪ ♪ ♪ christmas eve will find me ♪ where the love lights glean ♪ i'll be home for christmas

if only in my dreams ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ christmas eve will find me where the love light gleams ♪ ♪ ♪ yes i'll be home for christmas

if only in my dreams ♪ ♪ ♪ if only in my dreams ♪ >> merry christmas! ♪ mr. tony bennett. we love you, tony. and we'll be back with one more song a little bit later. but first, your local news.

. . . . oakland will announce this morning the hiring of an independent investigator to look at how police handled the occupy protests. the mayor and city administrator want an outside party to evaluate the use of police force during the demonstrations.

the hearing will start at 10:00 this morning at city hall. want to check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. >> the sun's been out about an hour and a half now. temperatures are coming above that freezing mark just about everywhere except napa, santa rosa, fairfield, and concord, where we have some really thick fog out there. that will be the case the next couple hours. the sun will shine through later on today. high of about 63 degrees in san francisco. lots of sunshine through your holiday weekend. hope you have a great day. [ child ] it's so cool!

you can put a force field on him and be invisible! [ child 2 ] i call first player. no. i already called it. [ dad ] nobody's playing anything until after we get our homework done. thank you. hello? test drive's not over yet. [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. [ louder ] hello? but we still need your signature. right now during sign then drive, it's never been easier to get the all-new passat, the 2012 motor trend car of the year, for practically just your signature. that's the power of german engineering. visit vwdealer.com. you don't decide when vegetables reach the peak of perfection. the vegetables do. at green giant, we pick vegetables only when they're perfect. then freeze them fast so they're are as nutritious as fresh. [ green giant ] ho ho ho. ♪ green giant fantastic! pro-gresso ] they fit!

okay-y... okay??? i've been eating progresso and now my favorite old jeans...fit. okay is there a woman i can talk to? [ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less. back now with more of "today" on this wednesday morning. it's the 21st day of december, 2011. it is the last day of fall. and we've got a lot of people enjoying what is turning out to be a pretty mild weather morning here in rockefeller plaza as we move into a new season. and look at that hat. you don't see that every day. tamron hall. i don't want to know what's inside your hat. does it hurt?

that was a lot of fun. we have coming up, we have timely advice regarding money emergencies. >> everybody is counting pennies these days. very important as we get to the holidays when people tend to overspend, rack um a lot of credit card debt. getting the best interest rates to lower some of your payments as well as saving for the future. >> i cringe when asking, but you've had people ask. does this dress make me look fat. >> always. >> i -- it is that time of year when we're out and enjoying parties and things and you have the awkward moments where someone asks you a question like does this outfit look good on me or you may forget someone's name r you're stuck in a endless conversation as i find. people like running from me. i'm the talker. how do you get out of situations graciously. we have a couple of "today"

young friend helping out with edible stocking stuffers that are fun for the entire family. i love when the kids get in on the fun. >> i know. we love to have them here. none other than new york city's mayor, michael bloomberg. hello, mayor. nice to see you. what a pleasure. >> it does look good. >> thank you. >> you are craig and lucy johnson. you are newlyweds actually. before we get to that, mr. mayor, you're marking a pretty interesting milestone. basically, some years ago you said i want to bring 50 million visitors to new york city by the end of 2011. how is it possible in the end of this economy that you actually beat that deadline? >> we originally set 2015 as the deadline. we did it in 2011. it's because new york is save, exciting and affordable. you can ask people who have just come. we picked them by accident as much as anything. we called a place that if you see a couple that represent the

50 million visitors to this city. give us their names, turns out somebody collected them and thanks to travelocity and american express and bloomingdale's and sax and macy's and toys-r-us and century 21. >> you have a lot there. >> what's more. one of the parts of the package what they got was a return trip a year from now to be tourists a year from now. >> you also tied the knot at the top of the rock. >> yes. >> your family is here as well. >> yes. >> how did that feel? you traveled here before. this was your dream to marry in new york, i understand. >> yes. we came from our country. from that moment we knew we wanted to come back here and get married. >> see the rockettes and memphis. going to the world trade center memorial. met the mayor. >> when you talk to people who have never been here, do you say the one thing you've got to do in new york is? >> i would say take a walk in

central park. go see a broadway show. you should see the 9/11 memorial and you should just walk down 5th avenue or queens or brooklyn or staten island. 40% of the people that live in new york were born outside of america. you come from overseas, there's a group of people from your hometown, i don't care where your hometown is. same thing true if you come from anyplace in america. 50 million tourists, you should be able to find somebody you know. >> not just one thing in new york. you can't name just one. congratulations. >> thank you. >> mr. mayor, thank you. >> our dream come true. it was our dream and it was one for both of us. thank you. >> merry christmas and all america is watching. >> thank you. >> merry christmas to the whole of america. >> we have news to get to. natalie is at the news desk this morning. >> good morning everyone. millions of working americans are wondering if they'll have to pay more in taxes come january

1st. house republicans on tuesday rejected the two-month payroll tax cut extension the senate passed last week. they want senators to return to washington to negotiate. but democrats say the house needs to pass a stopgap measure first. a spectacular site as a russian rocket blasted off with a three-man crew including an american, don pet it. they're scheduled to arrive on friday at the international space station. stranded motorists are starting to escape their snowbound hotel rooms and road crews are plowing away snow as much as 15 inches high as a major storm moves out of the great plains. the storm is blamed for at least two fatal accidents that killed six people. federal safety officials are releasing new work rules today designed to keep dangerously tired pilots out of the cockpit. the action was spurred by the deadly 2009 crash of a regional jet near buffalo, new york, that

claimed 50 lives. it was blamed on errors by two exhausted pilots. japan's government said today the cleanup and dee missioning of a wrecked nuclear plant will take at least 30 years. the fukushima plant, 150 miles from tokyo was destroyed in march when the cooling system was knocked out by a tsunami. it triggered mass evacuations and leaks. >> in plag, the body of former vac leaf havel was taken to the castle where it will lie in state until his funeral on friday. the dissident playwright died on sunday after looeding the velvet revolution that ended communist in the former czechoslovakia. three previous human trials of other drugs did not live up to their early promise. and the u.s. postal service says today is the last day to ship anything by priority mail within the united states and have it arrive in time for

christmas. tomorrow, by the way, is the last day for express mail. going to be busy at the post office today. a six-year-old boy in great britain was worried that santa claus would not fit down the chimney of his family's new home so he wrote to the real estate developers who installed a temporary supersize chimney hoisting santa up with a crane for a successful test run. i'm sure santa is appreciative of that. seven minutes past the hour. marias has a check of the weather. >> couple milestones today. fod is the last day of fall and also a 30th birthday where are you from? >> texas. >> how are you celebrating? >> my husband surprised hee with a trip to new york. i'm enjoying it. >> enjoy your time. as far as the weather goes today, we have a couple of hik hiccups. not a lot of snow on the backside. the next system in the rockies is where the snow will be at

today and tonight. winter storm warnings for most of the area. we could see a couple of areas pick up more than a foot. sunshine in between the systems. we do have windy conditions. good morning to you. well, we do have a stagnant air mass overhead. clear sky, but a little bit of haze out there and unhealthy pollution levels up in the north bay. moderate air quality. we are cold out there still in places like santa rosa, fairfield, just one degree above freezing. below freezing in gilroy. but elsewhere, we're starting to warm up nicely. the sun has been out for a couple of hours now. we do have some fog keeping your temperatures down in concord and fairfield. very, very low visibility. take it easy through there. and that'll keep your daytime highs cool. 53 in concord later today. >> natalie, back to you. back to you. nank you, maria. now to today's money. for your biggest financial questions. our panel as always the lovely

jean chats ki. david box, the founder of finish rich.com and debt free for life, sharon epperson, cnbc's personal finances. good to have you here. tons of great e-mails. let's head to twitter and baltimore maryland tweeted to@todd show show. as a young professional on average how much should i save for retirement or for a house? great question. jean, take it away. >> fantastic question. for retirement, if you're starting to really save before the age of 35 as i suspect you are and you can save 10% of what you bring in a year consist at the present timely, you're doing okay. after age 35, if you haven't started, you got to really soup it up and get to 15% on a consistent basis so you will not run out of money in retirement. as for that house, if you can come up with a downpayment of 20%, you'll avoid private mortgage insurance, it will be easier to qualify for a mortgage. so figure out how much your house is going to cost and then

you know how much that downpayment is likely to be. >> sounds like a responsible lady getting her house in order. perfect. next let's go to the phones. we want to say hello to corrine from laurel, maryland. good morning, corrine. >> caller: good morning and happy holidays. i'm interested in purchasing a few shares of stock for my granddaughter who is five months old. i don't want to use a middleman or trade. i want it to grow for her to have eventually. what's the safest way of doing this? >> what a great gift. all right. david, take it away. i know changed your life being a young investor. >> in fie months old is a little too young to teach her how to buy stock. the most important lesson as she gets older, teach her how to be an investor. my grandma helped me at age seven. it was in mcdonald's. totally changed my life. i do exactly what grandma back did for me. i buy the stock through a brokerage firm. set it up in a dividend

reinvestment plan and you can keep purchasing it on a regular basis. you can do it through a brokerage firm or directly through many, many major firms. digital reinvestment plan. without paying a commission, you can see how to do it. most important as your grandchild gets older, teach her how to invest just like my grandma did for me. >> fantastic gift. >> you're investing in the future right there. >> thanks so much, corrine. back to the phones. we have baron from pittsburgh, pennsylvania. what's your question in. >> caller: good morning. i have a credit card at 10% interest that i pay on time, as well as extra payments every month. since the new year is approaching us, do you think a credit card company would lower my interest? >> sharon, 10% interest doesn't sound bad. >> not too bad. happy holidays to a fellow pittsburghian. >> that's not bad considering the average is 14.5%.

you're doing a good job adding extra and making payments on time. the company won't proactively lower your rate. look at your spending and saving and your credit. if you have great credit, it's time to shop around and see if you can get a lower rate or a zero percent balance transfer card may work for you. this is a card, of course, where you transfer the balance, you won't pay any interest on the balance or the purchases you make for a year or more and there's actually one great offer from chase that allows you to have no balance transfer fee. often there's a 3 to 5% fee. if you get a chase slate card, you don't have to pay for that. card ratings.com or credit karma.com or bank rate.com. all of those are great websites to get good information about credit cards and you're doing a great thing of paying on time. because if you miss a payment, then they're going to give you a penalty and jack up your rate more than 10%. >> great job, baron there.

an e-mail, pam from las vegas writes i have two credit cards i use for extreme needs, medical. one was credit limit of $30,000, the other $11$17,000. if you close atsz or have them reduced it hurts your credit. do i just fly with it in. >> david, this one is for you. >> the first thing i would say, while you have a credit card for medical care costs. ideally, i would not want to use a credit card for that. i would leave the cards open. i don't want you to close them, that could lower your credit score right now. here's the critical thing. know this. those cards may actually not work for you when you use them. just the fact that you've shown you the credit limit doesn't mean it's still available. keep them open and don't use them for medical care costs. >> go to a credit counselor.

find out how to deal with the medical expenses. that's a real thing deal with in the new year. great advice as always. thank you as always. still to come up next, mind your manners. we have a survival kit to get you through some awkward holiday situations. later, celebrating the stroke of midnight with a stroke of ease. stress flooe new yee stress-free new year's eve bash after these messages. ornaments also make beautiful center pieces. you're a miracle worker sabrina soto. [sfx: doorbell rings]

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countdown to christmas is brought to you by sears. ♪ happy holidays this morning on today's countdown to christmas, keeping your manners merry during the holidays. with all of the parties, family get-togethers and old acquaintances you may be running into, there are bound to be some uncomfortable social situations. here to help us get through them graciously is editor in chief of "women's day" magazine. happy holidays, good to see you. >> you too. >> the advice you're offering can be used year-round, but especially around the holidays. >> absolutely. in the holidays, you encounter more people, more parties, more get-togethers, so these things really come into play. but, of course, these are throughout the year. get ket. >> all right. let's get to your list. a lot on there. first, you see someone coming toward you, their face may be familiar, but you can't recall the name. what do you do? >> okay. this happens to everyone. so first of all, realize that it's probably worse for you. your feeling of forgetting than it is for the person whose name you forgot. what you really want to do is you want to acknowledge, you know, be kind about it.

and say, i'm so sorry i forgot your name, but i do remember that i met you at so-and-so's house or i remember that great red dress you were wearing. so if you can pick out one little thing that you remember, it makes the whole thing a little -- >> what if you have a friend or spouse standing with you? do you -- >> well, you could do what i do which is before going into a party i'll say to my husband, hey if i forget somebody's name, go ahead and introduce yourself, that way they get the whole thing going. it's really okay and it does happen to everyone. >> moving on, this is bound to happen. you're at a holiday feast and something is not very tasty. what do you say? >> well, what you really want to do is you want to be gracious. you want to pretend to eat. you absolutely do not want to acknowledge that you don't like the food. if the person next to you realizes that you're kind of doing what your kids do and pushing it around the plate, just say you had a late lunch, or you're getting over an upset stomach. what you -- the one time that you absolutely want to eat is when something ethnic is being served that's indicative of the person's culture, because that would be rude. >> that is a great bit of of advice. very smart there.

the members one you and i were talking about during the commercial break, if someone has bad breath and they're a close talker. what do you do? >> okay, first of all, if it you know the person, close friend, tell her. you can do it in a nice way, say, hey, did you have one of those garlicky appetizers, maybe you want a piece of gum. and if she says no, say, really, i think you should have one. if it's somebody who you don't know, like somebody you just met, what you been do is say, i think i'm going to have a mint, take one and offer one to that person. >> that's my trick. i always say, i'm going to have a mint, you want one? >> if they deny it, then just move on. >> that's a good one. the next one, very, very touchy. your friend shows up wearing a new outfit and they ask, how does it look on me or do i look heavy in this outfit, whatever they ask, do you honestly give them your opinion? >> you want to be subtle, but you also really want to convey that this probably isn't the best thing for them. >> i can't. >> well, what you do is, you have to do -- any time you're delivering negative information, you always want to back it up with something positive.

so you know your legs look great in that skirt, but i really prefer the red dress you were wearing yesterday. if it's a close friend, you really absolutely can do it. >> but the outfit -- you have now dised the outfit they have on for the rest of the evening, they feel self conscious. >> going towards the future. so the next time you say hey that red dress or may, would you like to borrow my sweater? >> all right. let's get to this next one real quick. chatty cathy, the person who corners you and talks your ear off, what do you do? >> this is easy. you do not want to engage, you answer if she short answers and don't ask questions. and whenever there is a break in the conversation, excuse yourself, say i'm going to go see if our hostess needs any help. you move on. >> all right. that's very nice advice. and always say please and thank you. i think people forget that this time of the year. great advice. coming up, talk about an awkward situation, one family that goes way over the top when it comes to their annual christmas cards. that's after these messages. twinkle twinkle little pie,

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can you believe it? we actually wrapped up our 18th annual holiday toy drive this morning, and two of the new york rangers were here collecting gifts along the plaza, along with golden globe nominee kenneth brana. and this year, 200 charities get a happier holiday as a result. our thanks again to all of you at home for sending your gifts. and one of our goals is to get new books in the hands of underprivileged children, and we are honored to have jeff kinney, author, good morning. tell me about your donation. >> that's right. we're donating 300,000 "diaries of the wimpy kid" for kids in need. and i'm happy to give that donation. >> my son is upstairs right now, huge fan of the series. and i know the sixth one is out. are you going to keep going with these? >> i am. i feel like i have more stories. >> great news for kids

everywhere. thank you for your donation and making us all laugh. coming up, some edible stocking stuffers that are fun to make. we've got some of santa's little helpers, being helped out by a couple of our kids. >> we'll be right back after your local news and weather. ♪ imagination ♪ imagination imagination ♪ ♪ helps you see the world in different ways ♪ yay! yay! ♪ this is a pony ♪ and this is a choo-choo ♪ [ male announcer ] it's movie time. and this is a... [ male announcer ] with a wii twist. what is this? [ male announcer ] netflix now delivers unlimited tv episodes and movies instantly through wii and nintendo 3ds. all for only 8 bucks a month. ♪

good morning. it's 9:26. i'm marla teez. "the san jose mercury news" reports the city approved this project on friday. at&t wants to put the antennas on top of 20 palo alto poles, but 150 people signed petitions to put the project on hold. some neighbors are afraid the antenna will become an eyesore. opponents have until december 30th to file an appeal to the city's approval. well, holiday shoppers who take bart near a busy san leandro mall can feel a bit safer. police are offering to escort

riders who use the bay fair station or shop at the nearby bay fair mall today. a local bike shop will also give tips on how to properly secure your bike. the escort runs from 5:00 until 8:00 tonight. bart says the service is part of its effort to fightime.ol crime.'ll have we'll have a look at weather and traffic after the break. o

welcome back. the time now, 9:28. and take a look. your temperatures are still right around freezing in many cities across the bay. concord and fairfield, for example. as you can see from this deep blue on your contour map, it's the tulley fog that's keeping it so cold. and you still have reduced visibility. you're measuring your visibility in hundreds of feet in concord. take it easy out there. high pressure's going to keep control of our weather pattern for today, keeping things nice and mild. temperatures ending up in the circumstances inland and the upper 50s by the water today, about 58 degrees in san francisco. i'll have your full seven-day outlook coming up in just moments. first want to check your drive with mike inouye. >> that fog in concord, also a

fog advise from cmp for the bennisia and carquinez bridges not far from there. 880 a little slowing past high street where there was some earlier debris. looks like they may have cleared that from the roadway. marked on our maps az slower drive through oakland. the southbound also looking pretty good as we're heading down through the area. no major slowing here. we'll get a look at the san mateo bridge. highway 82 over the water. smooth flow of traffic both to and from the peninsula between 101 and 880. no slowing. just a little haze in the air. back to you. >> holiday week equals less traffic. thanks, mike. we'll be back with our next news and weather update in 30 minutes. we'll see you again at 9:56. in the meantime, if you have some spare time, find us on facebook. all you need to do is search nbc bay area. we'll see you soon.

and that is the denver-based rock band, the fray, who have burned up the charts and headed to our studio to have a little holiday cheer with a performance tomorrow on "today." i love them. glad to have that. coming up, new year's eve is supposed to be about fun, but if you're stressed about throwing a cocktail party this year, now you can relax because party planner to the stars, colin cowy is coming to your house. no, he's here to show you how to pull it off, simply and with style. >> he's in our hearts. >> and these things are anything

but simple. how would you like to be on the receiving end of one of these christmas cards. look at that, okay? you could receive that in the mail. one funny family takes christmas card tradition to the extreme every single year. we'll show you how they really get into the holiday spirit. i love this family. >> i love that the whole family goes along with it, even the new son-in-law. >> some are forced. and then some special friends of ours this morning, that guy in particular. they're making some -- stocky stuffer treats to tempt santa and all of the little elves that work with him this time of year. >> great. and in case you missed it the first time around, it's not too late to spend some of your holiday season with michael buble. because tonight you can catch an encore presentation of the multigrammy winner singing the first holiday variety show, a michael buble christmas, featuring hits from his current christmas album and guest stars such as justin bieber, kelly

pickler and oscar the grouch even gets in. a variety of friends there. i i'll never forget the s is snl skit. >> let's get a check of the weather from maria larosa in for al this morning. >> good morning, guys. we had showers and thunderstorms looking definitely soggy and in some cases warm, as well, along the east coast. ahead of that storm system. so we have rain from new york to atlanta, and it does look that big snow maker in the rockies is kicking into high gear today and tonight. so maybe as much as a foot of snow in some areas out west. tomorrow, we see some of that continuing to the southeast with a chance of severe weather. the place to be on the map for tomorrow looks to be the west coast. that's a look at the weather good morning to you. well, visibility is coming up substantially, especially in the north bay now. but we have some deep pockets of fog, especially through the central valley, and some of that fog is creeping through the delta. watch out for really low visibility in concord.

you've got about 100 feet in spots. so you really want to take it easy out there. 60 degrees in oakland. 59 in redwood city. 60 degrees in san francisco. i think the fog is going to keep you rather cool, though, in places like concord and fairfield today, just in the low 50s. tomorrow we get more wind. that's going to keep your temperatures mild overnight. >> thank you. we like to share a holiday tradition here in the northeast, called friends of flying santa. it actually started back in 1929 when a pilot wanted to show his appreciation to the light housekeepers who helped guide his flights by delivering toys and necessities to their families every year. he soon earned the name, ta-da, flying santa. >> i love that. >> today, 82 years of tradition is carried on biel volunteers who make annual helicopter flights to light houses and stations along the new england coast where this santa delivers presents and holiday cheer to families and friends of the u.s. coast guard. for more information, be sure to head to our website, today.com

and find out how you can get involved. >> very nice. up next, a no-stress new yearh b'sas with party planner to the stars, colin cowy. after this. while it built up in my system. after this. chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. my inspiration for quitting were my sons.

they were my little cheering squad. [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix ♪ [ horse neighs ] you're leaving. it is my destiny. ♪ take this. it is a piece of me. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's movie time. with a wii twist. netflix now delivers unlimited tv episodes and movies

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lifestyle expert and celebrity event planner colin cowie has great ideas for everything from food to the music to the bubbly. good morning, happy holidays. >> i think i've got it all for you. >> you've got to all covered and help us do the same. >> absolutely. >> and the key is, you want it stress-free, you want to be able to enjoy your own party. >> you want to be a guest at your own party. what i've done here, i think the first thing is the invitation. >> how do we make this happen? >> this is done, it's so easy, you get a customized design, hit the send button. i love e-vite. they do a great job of tracking and there is no better thing than having your own playlist of music. you can down load this exact list from itunes, as well. >> so we've got our invite and music selected. and then what? >> champagne for the midnight moment. this can be very expensive. you can make yourself an incredible party. >> tell your friends, bring -- >> bring a champagne, this is

really for our midnight moment. but for guests' arrival, we love the idea of a good cocktail. what i did here, we created this. this is exotic. it's made with simple syrup, vodka and we have some cardamon. >> it's elegant, but they can go up and make their own drink. >> absolutely. >> i like that. >> peppercorn on top. >> i'll try this, thank you. come on, you've got to hurry. you've got to enjoy your own party. this is lovely and i love that you keep it very simple and clean. okay, next up. >> since you've done all of the cooking for thanksgiving and christmas, we're going to do this all online. >> okay. >> these are joe's crabs from south beach, miami. they're the best, ship everywhere in the country. also, you might decide -- six couples decide to order them together. cocktail shrimp, you can also buy these, prepurchased. >> very, very nice. i love that.

can i grab one of your cocktails? >> of course you can. >> i'm entertaining myself. >> i'll do the talking. >> okay. hmmm? >> and then when it comes to -- when it comes to decorating -- >> i ruined your party. >> we want conversation at the party. >> these branches, you believe this adds a spark, why? >> because when you're looking, you don't want to take up this space. this is a vertical element. these are branches you can find at the corner store, nonperishable. >> and they block you from the guest you don't want to talk to. love that. this is also very lovely. >> look at the beautiful desserts, wonderful marshmallows, macaroons, for the sweet tooth. also, this is store-bought. prosciut prosciutto, salami. hard cheese, bleu cheese and a stinky cheese. >> okay. what is the key to -- thanks. you're always prepared. i wouldn't have had something for my guests after that. what is the key to making this

look so lovely? i could buy this same thing and it would look awful? >> keep it simple and clean. these are beautiful ingredients. >> not a lot of greenery. >> some mousses, deep fried in the oven. >> and they make your guests stay social, not locked down to the table. >> and have fun together. cr crew de thai. and i love this idea of a centerpiece. this whole centerpiece was really inexpensive. less than $10 from ikea, which is incredible. you can't go wrong. >> and you love candles, because it adds ambiance and gives elegance. >> there is so such thing as too many candles. they give you that glowing light. and one thing i love is having a ritual at the end of the party. so give a personal package, your going package, all of the things you would like to release and change about yourself, you write

in here. >> wow. >> after midnight, pop that in the fireplace. >> very -- i love that idea. of so put the things in -- let me think about this. what do i want to put back from the year. i need time. i don't want to put that shrimp behind me, though, that's in my future. colin, this is stunning and beautiful. happy holidays. up next, one family that takes its christmas card tradition a little too far. we'll show how they topped themselves this year. itty cute. reall cute. >> i love this. it's beautiful! [ cat yodeling ] honey, check your email! [ cellphone chimes ] [ cat yodeling ] kids! [ cat yodeling ] sing, larry, sing! [ cat yodeling ] we should have got a cat. [ male announcer ] get low prices on gifts to stay connected. order your last-minute gifts at walmart-dot-com and get free same-day pickup on select items. save money. live better. walmart.

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ur real delicious best foods. it's that time of year when everyone is rushing around trying to mail out the last holiday cards. put mine in the mail yesterday. >> but for one minnesota family, the annual christmas card tradition may have gotten a bit out of control. more now from nbc's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: perched as always this time of year by her sewing machine, sue johnson prepares the next big secret. how do you come up with the ideas each year? >> sometimes they come to me in dreams. or my husband refers to them as nightmares. >> reporter: as nightmares. for nearly two decades, sue's hand-made the costumes and cajoled her family into posing for christmas cards that take elaborate to the extreme. there was the choir year, the elf year, the toy soldier year. friends now clamber for them. even friends of friends want to

see what she has come up with. and no one knows before the white envelope drops into the mailbox. >> you know, we complain, but the reality is, when we get together to do it, we all really have a good time doing it together as a family. ♪ >> reporter: but wait, there's more. the christmas bulb year. the poinsettia year, the gingerbread year. >> it kind of -- it is what it is. there's not really any getting out of it. you're in this family, you're in the christmas card. >> our family is -- it maintains a closeness, you know? it's a wonderful tradition. ♪ you better watch out >> reporter: and now sue boasts of two son-in-laws, andy, who apparently can be bribed. >> as long as i get the cookies with a hershey kiss on them and a couple of cold beers, i'll dress up however you want. >> reporter: and newcomer mike, who sue, as you will soon find out, has plans for. >> i do feel very, very special. >> reporter: and voila, a sneak

preview of this year's masterpiece. sue and rob johnson as mrs. claus and santa and all of the kids as reindeer. mike, the newbie, of course, is rudolph. >> okay, are you ready? >> i was never ready for this. >> at least you didn't have to wear makeup. >> well, this is a close second. >> reporter: are you already thinking about next year? >> oh, yes. >> reporter: what are you going to be? you can whisper it. >> no, can't tell you. ♪ here comes santa claus >> reporter: such a welcoming family, even allowing a complete stranger to put on the hooves. an interloper, an antler loper. where in the world is matt lauer while i'm doing this? >> merry christmas! >> reporter: and merry christmas to you. for "today," kevin tibbles, nbc news, eagan, minnesota. >> oh, i love it! i love kevin in that outfit. >> yes, i love the gingerbread, that's my favorite. >> i can't wait to see next year's. >> very nice. up next, a few of santa's

helpers not dressed as reindeer whipping up holiday treats. first, this is "today" on nbc.

today's holiday kitchen is brought to you by hershey's kisses. delightfully delicious, one of a kind kisses. ♪ this morning on "today's" holiday kitchen, i'm getting some breaking news from the north pole right now. santa claus has reached out to "today" contributor jana de laurentis. santa needed some help. she has already cooked for the royals so why not santa? she has shared some recipes with him, and us too. and our helpers are my handsome son josh and our friend sophia is the daughter of one of our producers. hey, guys, good morning. >> hi! >> are you excited about

christmas? how many days to go? are you keeping count? not -- right around the corner. >> i think about four. >> there you go. keeping count. what about you, sophia? are you excited? >> no, actually five. >> yeah? >> it's four days. it's four days. that's right. what do you think you're going to get this year? >> um -- >> what did you ask santa for? >> beeswax candle-making kit. >> i asked him for a game. >> yes, lots of games. what about you, sophia? >> i want a beeswax making kit. >> beeswax making kit? >> she knows exactly what she wants. >> a beeswax candle-making kit. >> excellent. will you make me a candle? >> uh-huh. >> are you going to help us out here? you're starting them off. what is josh making? pepper mint yumminess. >> you basically use sugar cookie dough, sprinkle them with a little bit of red and green sparkling sugar. and then you do a little chocolate, a little cream and

chocolate. >> he's eating all of the pepper mint. >> he can eat it all, by the way. and then you dip them in more chocolate suspect sprinkle candies on top. >> she made you a whole container. >> that's great. they have been asking about the cookies the whole morning. >> the packaging is great, too. >> and you can put them in the stockings. >> and sophia, what are you making, sweetie? >> truffles. >> it's a little messy, right? >> uh-huh. >> what is the trick to not getting messy? >> you've got to keep it nice and cold. see how it came out with an ice cream scoop, and roll it out quickly. and we do red and green, some candy canes. >> half and half. >> yeah, you can do half and half. whatever you like. >> excellent. >> there you go! >> and red and green truffles. >> and this is just basic chocolate. >> yes. >> ga nash to make the filling?

>> make the chocolate and cream and put it in the fridge. we actually did it vegan, so it doesn't have any dairy, so it's dairy-free. >> that's fantastic. >> thanks, guys. >> and cute little packaging. >> i love that. beautiful. probably want to keep it cold again, too. because you don't want the ga nash melting everywhere. you guys keep making your treats for santa and all of the helpers. we're going to do the adulteress me here and we're going to make scones. >> actually, all of this pretty much, other than that, this is kid stuff, too. >> kid-friendly too. exactly. >> you can do whatever scones you like, so we had sophia mix flour and butter together and then you add a little bit of cream. >> okay. >> and then whatever flavors you want. >> no going light on this, right? >> are no, we're doing kind of savory and sweet. i'm doing some salami and apiary costs. i like the colors, and a little bit of thyme. and i mix them together. >> nice. >> and then you just kind of scoop them and put them on a baking sheet, bake at 400 degrees. >> bake it like that. >> bake it like this.

and then put it in a baggy. >> and again, the packaging is beautiful. >> hi, tamron! >> hi! >> hey, kids, bring the cookies on down. >> yeah, bring the cookies. >> we've got milk. >> what is it -- >> so this is -- >> wow, thank you, josh! >> come here, sophia. >> thank you very much. >> well, the group likes to stay clean, you see. >> there you go. excellent. >> this is just rose wine that you can put in a stocking stuffer, fun, more adult-like. >> that is fun. >> infused with sage. >> that's great. and it can stay like this for how long? >> a long time. >> as long as it's in that kind of container. >> yeah, it's -- >> nice. cheers! cheers, guys. merry christmas! >> happy holidays, you guys. >> cheers, guys. >> cheers. >> lovely job. >> now you get to have one of those cookies. >> well done, guys. all right. still to come, hoda and kathie lee. and guess what, guys, a special surprise from

♪ [ female announcer ] this time of year you have a lot of festive meals. and safeway helps make every holiday meal a special occasion. so you can make all of your gatherings, just as merry as can be. get a boneless beef loin ny strip roast for just $4.99 a pound. pair it with a nicely priced cabernet. we have thousands of wines. and we'll help you find the right one. safeway. ingredients for life. it is 9 mt 56 now. good morning. i'm marla tellez. the fierce rivalry between the stanford cardinal and the

tennessee volunteers ladies' basketball teams was sidelined for a bigger cause. team members and stanford fans came together last night to honor legendary tennessee coach pat summitt. the 59-year-old recently announced doctors diagnosed her with early stage alzheimer's disease. stanford rally rag said we back pat. fans' purple t-shirts said "and owls." staff said it was an emotional tribute. >> i think coming out and seeing that she understands that this is more than basketball. it's more than women's basketball. >> the alzheimer's association says summitt is the younger face of a disease that does not have a cure. more than 5 million americans have alzheimer's, and more than 200,000 are under age 65. we want to check that forecast now with meteorologist christina loren. bitter cold outside. >> yeah. you know, especially in the places where that tulle fog is creeping in from the sacramento valley this morning and that is concord and fairfield, where you

see your visibility has been substantially reduced. that's going to be the case for the next couple hours. there's a dense fog advisory in place for the sacramento valley until noon today. and your temperatures in concord and fairfield right now are still in the 30s. i think you're going stay nice and mild today. 53 later on today in concord. 60 in san francisco. a lot of sunshine already coming into the city. 62 in los gatos today and 62 degrees right here in the south bay. san jose looking like another stellar afternoon. it is a no-burn day. spare the air. christmas, nice mild california style 63 degrees. let's take a drive with mike. >> holiday style it's a light commute right now. south bay maps show mild slowing for 880 northbound and 101 from there up to about highway 87. a similar situation for livermore. very light volume of traffic just 14 minutes out of the altamont pass but if you're heading to the central valley like christina talked about fog there. fog here through concord. lower the speeds for the bennisia and carquinez bridges. the metering lights no, problem, very light volume.

just some haze. back to you. >> nobody's working today. we'll be back with our next news and weather update at 10:26. we'll see you soon. your home and auto policies and save. don't worry, tiny people. flo is a gentle giant. bundle home and auto at progressive.com.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, everybody. it's winesday, wednesday. counting it down. it's december 21st. ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ♪ >> is that bing crosby? >> yeah. >> we have four days left to shop. >> it seems like, i mean, some people -- thank you -- some people are in the christmas spirit. there was a piece of video we saw today that makes you think

that the grinch is alive and well. >> let's go to the videotape. >> before we throw to it, let's tell people what it is. a fedex guy is supposed to be delivering a big computer screen, okay, to someone's home. there happens to be a camera, camera monitor, outside the house. let's watch. ♪ here comes sant claus, here comes santa claus, right down santa claus lane ♪ >> oh, my god. >> drastic. >> i like the sound effects. >> we added that in. just so you know. here's the deal. the guy in the house said that all he had to do was hit a buzzer. there was a buzzer out there. was not in the mood. fedex was disappointed. >> i bet. >> this is their quote. it's disappointed in the behavior shown on the video and used it as a learning opportunity. to remind employees every single package is the most important one. >> to the one who's waiting for it. >> they've also said they've contacted the customer and

resolved the situation. i wonder why he did that? i wonder if he was just tired or was -- had it with delivering big presents when he wasn't getting any? what do you think it was? >> all of the above, perhaps. >> here's the thing. we were looking at our list of topics. they're all kind of grumpy and grouchy topics, joanne. it put us in a funk. we decided every time we had a grumpy story we were going to have one shot of -- >> the happiest guy on the planet! >> you're going to be a busy man today. >> now we're going to talk where the germs are. now that we're all getting on planes and going off to different destinations. >> if you've ever sat down in a plane and you've heard someone sneeze next to you, you go, oh, my god. i'm going to get pneumonia, tb, whatever. >> you have to worry about it. >> they say it's two seats in front of you and two seats behind. that's the hot zone. >> and the ones next to you. >> and next to you. so any of that radius of two,

two, two, two, you're going to get sick. okay? >> the tray tables. >> when you think about it, when you touch the tray table thing and pull it down, who wipes those off ever? ever? >> tammy. >> except for tammy. you're supposed to wipe it with your own wipe. >> apparently those pouches in the front -- >> the pouches in the front is really, really bad. >> that's really bad. that's where people stuff dirty, old junk. >> tammy said -- >> don't tell the story. please don't. >> this guy had a terrible nosebleed. get ready, santa. he had a terrible nosebleed. and for, like, an hour and a half he'd stuff all of his bloody tissues in the tray -- >> santa! santa! >> ho ho ho! >> "the wall street journal" -- this is fun. god bless purell. >> there are also things that are also gross. the pillows and the blankets.

>> they thought they sanitized them. >> of course, a source who we're not going to include. i don't know if he tells the truth. >> oh, him. >> they wash the pillows at the end of the day and the blankets, okay. then they put them out. and then all day long they use the same ratty ones because they're not washing them obviously in between flights. they wash them at the end. get on the first flight and you're guaranteed to have a clean pillow and blanket that you'll pay for, by the way. santa! >> ho ho ho ho! >> shot of santa, please! do we have a shot of santa? >> thank you! >> you're paying to get germs. >> this might please some people. it freaks me out a little bit. you know how sometimes you find out that you've got, like, a four-hour layover or your flight's delayed for six hours or something like that? now two airports in the country offer rooms for rent. right there in the terminal. >> they're called minute -- like, minute soouts.

>> one is atlanta hartsfield-jackson. another is philadelphia international. >> 30 bucks, for one hour you can go in that room. what's he doing? look at him. there it is. you lay down. >> i can't see because we have the -- >> you can go to sleep. it looks fine. >> you think? you think somebody comes down and wipes it down after somebody's been on it? >> first of all, why are we so obsessed with germs? we're, like, insane obsessed with purell and germs. was there purell ten years ago? no. >> there wasn't purell five years ago. we've had soap and water for a long, long time. >> i feel like there's this whole obsession with everyone worried about germs. >> have you noticed the people that are the most germaphobic are the sickest? >> they're the ones who are always ill. the ones who dunk in purell are always ill. santa! >> ho ho ho ho ho! >> what is happening?

>> santa, can you stay all year next year? >> absolutely! >> this is always a tricky situation around the holidays. say you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend and you're going home to visit the family. >> you're not married. how do you work it out? they say if there's a no sharing bed policy in the house where you're visiting, you should abide by that policy. >> you're a guest. >> you are a guest. >> you know that ahead of time, hopefully, you can decide whether you want to come or not. >> they say if you do break the rules, just keep it quiet. santa? >> ho ho ho ho ho! >> i don't know. i don't even know what that meant. anyway. anyway. >> if your parents don't care, then just go far, far, far, far away from their room. you know what? leave the toys at home. unless you're bringing them for little children that live in the house. >> like santa would be doing! >> ho ho ho ho ho! >> all right. think about this. how do you sleep with your

husband or wife in bed? how do you do it? do you guys spoon? do you sleep on the edges facing out? do you face in? >> it changes over time. you start out spooning like crazy. >> so if you spoon -- >> then you end up with separate rooms. that's the way it goes. >> okay. if you spoon, the classic spoon, they say that means you take on more traditional roles. the person on the outside feels that they can shield the relationship from problems. the inside person is sensitive. who drew that? >> there is nothing going on. i still feel like we're voyeurs. why isn't she spooning him? >> because it's always that way. >> because they're sexist. >> being spooned makes me claustrophobic. i get claustrophobic. >> oh. >> so anyway. the football is when both people are on either side of the bed with one foot touching. >> that's precious. they're forming a little heart. >> that means both have jam

packed schedules and one foot touching is enough. they don't need 24/7 touching. >> what about frank and me? i have a jam packed schedule and he's home. >> you're doing the tether ball. one of you is on your back with a single hand on the other person. santa! >> ho ho ho ho ho! >> that also means you're independent and you disagree but you're still very -- >> disagree on politics, religion and how the toilet seat should be left. but love is your common ground. >> how about the cliff hanger? sleeping on opposite sides of the bed with backs towards each other. >> yeah, yeah, trouble. trouble in paradise. >> that's distance. >> or one nostril is really, really congested and you can't breathe so you go the other way. every time i run -- i've been running a lot lately, falling a lot, too, it's my left nostril i have to blow all the time. why? the same nose. just my left nostril. can a medical doctor please call me up?

why? >> "fitness" magazine has picked celebrity awards. jennifer aniston and halle berry won most inspiring body. both of those two. both look great. jennifer hudson won the most inspiring transformation. >> she has had an amazing transformation. >> boy, she looks terrific. >> yes, she does. britney spears has had the best comeback. now she's engaged. >> yeah. >> her hair grew back, which helps. >> lady gaga was the person most in need of a makeunder. >> i think she looks great when you see her just sort of like a normal person. >> lindsay lohan needs a makeover of her life, they say. kate middleton has the best celebrity wardrobe title. >> always so elegant. >> snooki, now that she looks good, she gets the most in need of an attitude adjustment. >> what? >> that was very testy. and cruel. >> we've got santa for that! santa! >> ho ho ho ho ho! >> santa, do you watch "the

jersey shore"? >> sometimes. only when i feel it will be exciting! >> is there a little girl anywhere around you? where is she? hannah? where's hannah? >> she's there with grandma. she's here today because i'm going to read my little three gifts book today. hannah and a bunch of kids -- >> natalie's little boy is going to be here, too. tom's eye ware is doing something really great for over the holidays. for every single pair of glasses purchased they're going to donate -- they're calling it giving sight to individuals in nepal and cambodia -- buy one, one goes to help. >> i love that tom. he's adorable. >> he is. >> he might be the sexiest man alive. come on. what he's done with his life. >> i like it. coming up next, the much anticipated "mission impossible." opens in theaters today. >> one of the stars has taken time out and she's also appearing in her husband's music video to be with us.

>> she's a new mom. >> boy, does she look good. [ female announcer ] today...is the day best foods and holiday leftovers become irresistibly creamy turkey casserole. real delicious best foods. make it real. make it different. ♪ i'll stop ♪the ♪world real delicious best foods. and melt wit♪ ♪ 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 ♪ [ female announcer ] it's the holiday sale at famous footwear. ♪ ♪ winter wonderland, oh, my [ female announcer ] buy one pair of shoes, get another pair half off. ♪ we'll make today famous, it's true ♪ [ female announcer ] spectacular savings on the brand names you love. famous footwear. make today famous. i love it. not wash. power wash. ok. whoa. [ female announcer ] life comes with headaches. excedrin extra strength gets rid of them fast. in fact, for some, relief starts in just 15 minutes. excedrin. for life's headaches. ♪n fact, for some, relief starts in just 15 minutes. [ horse neighs ] you're leaving. it is my destiny.

♪ take this. it is a piece of me. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's movie time. with a wii twist. netflix now delivers unlimited tv episodes and movies instantly through wii and nintendo 3ds. all for only 8 bucks a month. seriousl what is it?

♪ ♪ how does it feel to know that i love you baby ♪ >> that's actress paula patton starring in her husband robin thicke's music video for his hit song, "lost without you." okay. >> now paula stars in the new movie "mission impossible" as an agent who kicks some serious booty. >> oh, oh, oh! paula, welcome. you had to get -- hello, by the way. you had to get in serious, serious action mode to do this

film, right? >> i did. you know, when i got this role, my son was only 5 months old. as you can imagine, i wasn't in fight shape. they hired me anyways. i wanted to do my own stunts. i had to do a lot of physical training. >> it got you back in shape. >> you thought getting this role was a real long shot. when they first called you and said, hey, we want you for this role, you sort of thought this wasn't going to happen. >> i was like, come on, guys. don't waste my time. they bring in all the actresses. i never in a million years thought -- >> they kept pursuing you. who's the director on this one? >> brad byrd. >> who was the one who said i want paula patton? who was the person you feel like you owe this great thing to? >> i don't know. i auditioned for it. i don't know who in the end made the decision. i had to do a screen test with tom. >> he's a very generous guy to work with. >> he really is. he's so kind and really willing

to share the spotlight. >> what was it like working in dubai? i know you were on that -- you were in that big building. >> what's the name of that building? >> the birj khalifa. >> that one. >> that must have been something. you were right on the edge. >> i was. we actually shot on the 120th floor -- 124th floor. there's a moment when tom falls. jeremy catches his legs. i catch jeremy's legs. there was a window cut out. i was far back away from it. i couldn't wear a harness because my dress was so tight. all i had was a stunt man holding on to my ankle. by, like, the sixth take we were so close to the edge, i saw tom. he was like, hey, paula. i was like, whoa. >> he didn't have any fear in him at all? >> none. i had more fear than he had for sure. >> and you're inside. >> i'm inside. he's smiling. he loved it. >> how are you doing this whole life of yours?

you've got this baby who's almost 2, right? >> yes. >> your husband who we had on last week. this big role. you're busy. >> you know what? i'm very thankful. i have an amazing mom. honestly, i couldn't do any of it without her. she's my angel. i'm all choked up because it's the holidays. you know what it is? as you ladies know, you just get less sleep and you just figure it out. put one foot in front of the other. he's the most important thing in the world to me, my son. put him first and everything else kind of falls in place. >> what keeps you and robin so much in love? you still desire one another. >> it's true. the truth is we all have ups and downs in our relationship. but we have an intense passion for each other. and somehow we just don't want to be with anyone else. so we figure it out. >> that's great. >> and he's pretty cute, you know. it helps. >> all right. you have a great holiday. >> thank you. you guys, too. i really appreciate it. >> "mission impossible: ghost protocol" opens nationwide

today. up next, single people. howhey're going tope the holiday this year. we're going to see what they said and get some creative suggestions, right after this. are america's softest... no wonder people want to share them on and on. send a kleenex brand share package for free today at kleenex.com and start your own chain of sharing. in return, you'll receive a sample of new kleenex cool touch tissues... the only tissue that actively releases a cool sensation to soothe a sore nose on contact. kleenex. softness worth sharing. you spend all day cooking it. so why spend even a moment considering any broth but swanson? the broth cooks trust most to make the meal folks spend all year waiting for. in stuffing and more, the secret is swanson.

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and get free same-day pickup on select items. save money. live better. walmart. it is that time of year when people everywhere are gathering with friends and family and perhaps that special someone for good tidings and good cheer. >> but what if you don't have someone special to share in all the festivity. these ladies here with us say you don't have to be a couple, right, to have a great time? kate white is cosmo politan's editor in chief. michelle callahan is a psychologist and author of "ms. typed." stop sabotaging your relationships and find dating success. lady, great to see you both. >> this does hit a nerve. you guys did a survey and it said 80% of people felt uncomfortable around the holiday time because they were single. that didn't surprise you, did it? >> the number was so high. that did surprise me how high it was. it enhances your loneliness if you're feeling that way as a single woman. >> i know there are things

people can do. part of it is, you go to a party. a lot of cups. new year's eve, a lot of couples. you feel sort of yuck. do you not go to those parties? what do you do? >> the number one thing women said bothered them was seeing other couples celebrate. if there's going to be a lot of couples there and that type of party bothers you, don't go. i also think it's an opportunity to meet other people. >> there might be another lonely person there. >> exactly. there's no right or wrong answer. you foe if you'know if you're a and you need to get out, being at home will make you feel depressed. you might run into people that will make you feel worse about your situation. as a psychologist, i want people to think about the fact that their feelings follow their thoughts. when you're thinking about how bad you think your sitwaigs is because you're not with somebody, you start to feel bad. then that's when you make bad decisions like maybe you're eating too much or drinking too much or staying home and getting depressed. >> numbing it. >> when you should be out interacting with other people. family, friends. it doesn't have to be a significant other.

>> should you call your single girlfriends and say, hey, let's all get together and do something? what's the plan? >> what makes it better and how do you redefine the holidays? getting together with single girlfriends was one of the things that really helped them. have fun. do a potluck dinner. enjoy that. >> commiserate. >> it's not just about being in a relationship. it's about the time you spend with your family and friends and just having a good time with other people. >> sometimes you've gotten out of a bad relationship so you can celebrate. >> i've been to a lot of parties as a single person. i really enjoyed myself. i think if you go in there wanting to have fun, if you go in there thinking, oh, poor me, you're going to feel weird. i often go alone to parties. i usually have fun. i like to go for a little while and get out. >> you do drive-bys. >> your attitude makes a huge difference. you're going to be with your

family and your mom is going to say, where's your -- tell her ahead of time. i'm struggling with this. i don't want to talk about it. i want to have fun, put it to bed. >> have the goal of just saying tonight i'm going to meet one person and maybe get a number. whether it's a man or a woman. and connect with them later. >> i was talking to my mom this morning. she's a widow for nine years now since my daddy died. she was saying, this christmas holiday season i miss him more than i ever, ever have. so many people that have lost someone that they love very much, how can they get through the holidays? >> i think it's good to take a moment and just be in that space where you feel for that person and you might talk to them. you might pray with them. you have a sort of a spiritual connection missing that person. then you get yourself on up and go where you're going to go. allow yourself to feel it. allow yourself to grieve that loss. then go ahead and go on with your day. >> i remember one christmas i was living somewhere. i was by myself. i remember there were so many people who had -- there were lots of soup kitchens and stuff that really needed people. it turned the beat around.

my choices were sitting in my apartment -- >> feeling sorry for yourself. >> -- or you can really go do something. >> just because you always do the holidays one way doesn't mean you have to do it that way going forward. coming up next, guess who's going to be reading us a children's book? the three gifts. and santa's coming, too. i can't figure out what to get for my husband.

easy. name some things that aren't on your list. jumper cables, camo anything, a power drill -- ooh! [ male announcer ] the only place to go for every guy on your christmas list with great deals throughout the store. walmart. good morning. it's 10:26. i'm marla tellez. >> well, tomorrow could mark the final chapter in one of the south bay's most sensational

murder cases. the murder for hire of a popular south bay bar owner. a judge could decide to sentence paul garcia to life in prison tomorrow for the murder of his former business colleague, mark healy in 2008. garcia's accused of hiring hitmen to kill the los gatos businessman, allegedly because garcia was in love with the woman he was dating. garcia's lawyer is still asking for a new.al t reoe' gtockinheth cg ea wer and traffic after the break. ♪ [ female announcer ] this time of year you have a lot of festive meals.

and safeway helps make every holiday meal a special occasion. so you can make all of your gatherings, just as merry as can be. get a boneless beef loin ny strip roast for just $4.99 a pound. pair it with a nicely priced cabernet. we have thousands of wines. and we'll help you find the right one. safeway. ingredients for life.

welcome back. well, we've got unhealthy air quality, but i think we're going to see much better air quality waking up tomorrow morning. got a little bit of wind picking up. and that wind is not only going it improve our air quality, i think it's going to make for a little warmer conditions tonight, son as frigid as we kick off your thursday before christmas. 58 degrees in fremont. 62 degrees in san jose. tomorrow is also the first full day of winter. although we're not going to see any rain in our forecast until maybe late tuesday into wednesday. let's check your drive right now at 10:29 with mike. christina that fog still an issue as far as the drivers go. the maps show you the benesia and carquinez bridges. benesia still has the fog advisory but it has been lifted for that carquinez bridge, interstate 880 a smooth drive down to the bay bridge and no metering lights. haven't been for quite some time now. a live look at the san mateo bridge shows you highway 92 and some hayes sticking around. not a problem as far as visibility for drivers and a smooth drive along the peninsula all the way down 101 into san jose. marla? >> okay. thank you, mike. coming up on nbc bay area news at 11:00, the one person from

pg&e who probably did not want to be at candlestick when the lights went out during monday night's 49ers game against the pittsburgh steelers. we'll tell you all about that. that's in 30 minutes from now. we hope to see you then. we're back on this wooinesd, wednesday. we have santa claus. he managed to squeeze in a little time to be with us. poor kathie lee is missing him up close and personal. he's going to slide down her chimney on christmas. she's over at the nbc experience store ready to hand out $100 to those who get the answers right. to those who don't, they get a copy of kathie lee's cd. oh, my gosh. people are cheering. okay. anyway, let's go to that first question, kath. >> oh, this isn't fair. look what i've got here. these three adorable little boys from chesapeake bay, virginia.

i've got a gogdoggy, wolf and eagle. this is what your question is. name all nine of santa's reindeer. >> donner, vixen, blitzen, donner and cupid. >> rudolph. >> not rudolph. >> dasher. >> uh-huh, uh-huh. >> prancer. >> uh-huh, uh-huh. >> blitzen. >> i say they got it! >> tell us. tell us about all these reindeer, santa. >> that's right. dasher and dancer and prancer and vixen. comet and cupid and donder and blitzen. the most famous of all is rudolph, that's right. this one, she's the only girl reindeer. she helps me keep the boys in line. >> i didn't know. it's donder. not donner. people sometimes get it wrong. >> santa knows. santa knows.

>> thank you, santa. all right, kath. >> where did you say you're from? outside of chicago this gentleman's from. all right. in the famous holiday song where did the singer catch mommy kissing santa claus? >> under the mistletoe. >> yeah, baby. >> underneath that mistletoe. tell us about it, santa. >> it's always a bright time to sing. we sing a lot at the north pole. we sing jingle bells, though! >> santa's pretty cool. all right. back across to kath. >> lovely lady from illinois. which holiday movie appears on tv more than any other christmas movie? "miracle on 34th street," "it's a wonderful life," "elf" or "a christmas story." >> "it's a wonderful life"? >> my favorite one. >> that is the most popular. >> it is. it's the most wonderful time of the year. and i know it. it's santa, that's right.

>> we were watching "elf" the other night. it's pretty good, too. >> i know him. >> back across to kath. >> look at this adorable girl from new orleans, hoda. true or false, sweetheart? thousands of children -- it might be a trick question, okay? thousands of children mail letters to santa claus each year. >> true? >> oh, it's more than thousands. sorry. but you're going to love my cd. >> i'm sure she will. how many more than thousands sit, santa? >> oh, hoda, millions. millions. in our belief campaign, children have written millions of letters to me at macy's. it's really wonderful because we help the children. >> yes, you do. by the way, hannah has skyped santa. we know there are more ways to get to santa than that. kathie lee, back across to you. >> lady lives in texas but she's from baton rouge. on the twelve days of christmas what did --

>> geese a laying. >> wow. impressive. >> six geese a laying. >> that's right. it's really only four days to go. four days to go until christmas. >> what is it? four calling birds? three french hens? two turtle doves? back across. >> guess what? santa, it's not you that gives out free stuff. guess what our producers want to do? >> what? >> they want to give you the money, too! >> give her the money! >> merry christmas, huh? do we have time for one more? >> we do. >> who's next? where are are you from? >> austin, texas. >> a lot of texas. okay. which of these companies was the first to use santa claus in an advertisement? pepsi, coca-cola, ford or chevy? >> coca-cola. >> wow! coca-cola was the first, huh, santa? >> absolutely. santa loves all kinds of drinks. especially milk with my cookies,

right? >> right on! can we squeeze one more? one more, kath. >> good, good. true or false. the first time new yorkers put up a christmas tree in rockefeller center was 1931. >> i think it was before then. but possibly it was then. >> i'm in a christmas spirit. >> i love it! she won. '31 was the very first tree out here, huh? >> that's right. you know what i tell boys and girls? you don't find the meaning of christmas under the tree. you find the true meaning of christmas in your heart, hoda. >> thanks, santa. you are the best. thanks, hannah, for sitting with me. if you're in the area and would like to visit with santa before he goes back to the north pole, you know where he'll be. macy's until 9:00 tonight. up next, kathy's going to sit down with the little ones and read a terrific christmas book, right after this. ♪ the weather outside is frightful ♪

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if you have children in your house, now might be an excellent time to gather them, grab a koe xe blanket and listen to a wonderful, if i do say so

myself, christmas story. >> since she did write it. we invited some of our "today" show family kids to the reading of kathie's latest book called "the three gifts." you do a lot. >> my hope is to help children all over the place. okay? when you buy this book it helps children that really need a lot of help. it's called "the three gifts." auntie hoda is going to show you the pictures. >> i'm going to show you the pictures. here we go. >> one day in heaven a long time ago, god summoned three angels before him. he told them to sing of the birth of his son and to take three gifts to adore him. off from heaven the angels were sent, chanting sweet songs of joy. glory to god, grace and peace to all men, they sang as they searched for the boy. when suddenly, there, beneath a

great star, was bethlehem, tiny and still. where shepherds were gathered to worship the child, who'd been promised to all of goodwill. the angels grew silent as they drew near, for they knew they were on sacred ground. quiet, they miwhispered, for salvation is here, as glory shined bright all around. then the three an gems bowed down with joy to see god's son newly born. asleep in a manger nearby. and they worshipped that first christmas morn. each of them wondered how god could allow his most precious possession to leave him. but they knew in their heart that some day the child would inspire the world to believe in him. they lifted their voices in songs of praise as the sweet baby opened his eyes.

and they offered the gifts they had brought from the lord, a trumpet, a star and a secret surprise. the trumpets announced that the savior was here and his star would guide us through darkness and fear. and the secret surprise that was sent from above? that if you open your heart, you will fill it with love. merry christmas, everybody. >> yay! >> thanks for coming, you guys. >> did you guys like that story? that was a pretty cool -- the illustrations, by the way, kath, are terrific. >> michael story who does the beautiful christmas ornament balls did all the beautiful illustrations. and he's just an absolute doll. thanks, everybody. i hope you enjoyed it. you still have time because there's, like, four days. >> so please go to the mall immediately. coming up next, you guys, a christmas breakfast courtesy of our friend giada. >> you guys should stick around. best stuff. . >> it's delicious and tasty.

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all righty. time to take you into "today's holiday kitchen" for a christmas morning breakfast. everybody knows that hoda's getting up early and opening up all of those presents can make hoda very, very hungry. guess who's here? >> giada's in the house! we love when she's here. >> your facial expression is priceless. >> i love that we're in our cozies, our jammies, like we are. like christmas morning. what are we going to cook? >> first -- >> oh, god. >> cheers. >> cheers. what's in there? >> it's a little mimosa. strawberry, lemon and basil mimosa. >> that adds a nice touch. >> i love it with the basil. >> i love this drink. >> i love everything giada does. i don't like sweet stuff. unlike you, giada.

anywho. >> all right. we're going to cook real fast. >> so traditional italian bread. people don't know what to do with it other than just eat it like this. >> i've never seen it before. >> you haven't? >> i haven't either. >> it's a buttery bread. >> an italian fruitkrak. >> it is, really. it's got raisins and orange in it. we cut it up. it's really good. it is sweet. >> that's right all right. >> we dip it in here. oh, nevermind. >> giada, did you want me to help. would you like me to put some cream in it? >> i was making the mimosas. cream, milk and sugar. i know, very light. go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. okay. mix that all together. you're just making a little batter here. dip it in here. >> it's like french tote. >> correct. it's painttone french toast. we'll put it on the grill. grill it just for a few minutes. or a griddle. i'm not going to flip it. >> she's exhausted. it's the end of the year. she's cooked enough. >> this is what it looks like

when we're done. >> she has people that flip things for her. >> oh, come on, now! >> can we taste some? >> yes. there you go. these are hot, though, if you want to try these. >> yeah, these. >> a few minutes on each side. five minutes on each side. you have cinnamon, maple syrup. >> cinnamon. >> yes. homemade cinnamon and maple syrup. right over the top. nice and dark, see. powdered sugar. >> whatever you love. >> whatever you like. exactly. >> i'll have to try a bite. >> go, go, go. >> i can't. >> you already did? >> oh, lordy. before christmas you give it up? >> i gave it up three weeks ago. >> don't you do that, like, after? >> hopefully there's something i can eat. >> i doubt it. >> this is going to sound really strange to everybody. but everybody else makes oatmeal. >> yeah. >> we make polenta. >> i adore it. >> basically like grits.

it's cornmeal. add a little water and broth. we already did that. >> of course you did. >> you finish it with a little bit of milk like you do oatmeal. you don't have to if you don't want to. some cheese. >> uh-oh, gave up cheese, too. >> and butter. you loosen it all up like this. heat it up. it becomes very creamy like that. you can top it with whatever you want. cranberries and bacon. you can do raisins. brown sugar. i like the sweet and salty. >> that's everything you love, kath. >> i know it. >> another thing you can have for christmas breakfast if you're interested in something like that. >> that looks delicious. can i take it home and heat it up christmas morning? it looks delicious, hoda. >> try right there. the teeniest little bite. >> i can't. i gave it up. >> you do it. the hell with it. we'll do it. can you have bacon? >> i can have bacon. all that's left of me is my drink. >> lastly, we've got chocolate

espresso cups here. so it's chocolate and espresso. with a little whipped cream. >> we're all fasting! giada, love, love, love. up next, tony bennett spreads some christmas cheer. he can eat it. with a song. first, this is "today" on nbc. e eskimos ♪ ♪ everybody knows the turkey

tony bennett had a great year. his most recent album received three grammy nominations. unbelievable. >> now with 60 years full of songs, the music legend is releasing 73 cds worth of music. can you imagine? in his new box set called "tony ben net: the complete

collection." as we sign off for the day we leave you with tony and a wonderful mel torme song called "the christmas song." >> good-bye, everybody. ♪ chestnuts roasting on an open fire ♪ ♪ jack frost nipping at your nose ♪ ♪ yuletide carols being sung by a choir and folks dressed up like eskimos ♪ ♪ ev'rybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe help to make the season bright ♪ ♪ tiny tots

with their eyes all aglow will find it hard to sleep tonight ♪ ♪ they know that santa's on his way ♪ ♪ he's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh ♪ ♪ and every mother's child is gonna spy to see if reindeer really know how to fly ♪ ♪ and so i'm offering this simple phrase to kids from 1 to 92 ♪ ♪ although it's been said

many times, many ways -- merry christmas to you ♪ -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

♪ takes everything you've got ♪ wouldn't you like to get away? ♪ ♪ ♪ sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ ♪ you want to be where you can see ♪