highway 87. a christmas message from the pope. how the leader of the catholic church broke with tradition overnight. after a record-setting day yesterday across the bay area, san jose got to 70 degrees. breaking that old record set back in 1901. today even warmer. breaking another record from 1901. we'll talk about the full forecast coming up. taking you outside right now on this christmas morning as we give you a live look at san francisco. it is christmas day. this is today in the bay. good morning to you. thank you for joining us. if you're celebrating christmas today, merry christmas. i'm peggy bunker. breaking news where there's a heavy law enforcement presence. a murder suicide investigation is underway at a home it there. crime scene tape is up around the home.

this is near the intersection of via lucas. chase cane joins us with an update on the investigation. terrible news to hear on christmas morning. >> reporter:. especially difficult here this morning. but this morning the sheriff says they are investigating a murder suicide at a home here just about half a block down the street behind me. they first got a call of a shooting and once they got out here, they realized there were two people dead inside the house. now there are some family members who have gathered out here and they say this was a husband and wife who was married for 16 years that was involved in this murder suicide. the family is still waiting to talk to sheriffs deputies to learn more about what happened. but folk who is were out here got a call from a niece and they rushed out here because they say this couple had four kids. we believe there were four children inside the home at the time. physically it does not appear that any of the children were

hurt. the victim's sister says that the two of them had been having some problems in their marriage and because of that, she wanted to share a message with everyone this christmas morning. >> to be aware of sometimes they don't want to say that they have problems. when i talk to my sister, she always said everything was okay. that she wasn't having problems when she was having problems. >> reporter: that is something that the victim's sister wanted everyone to hear this morning. if you're having problems in your marriage, she wanted people to talk about that. she does not want anyone else to have to spend a morning, let alone a christmas morning like this. the relatives here have not been able to see the children that were inside the house at the time, but they told us that as soon as they do, they are going to hug the kids, tell them they love them and the sister also said that those kids will come and live with her now. we are still waiting to hear

more about exactly what happened from sheriffs deputies. we'll bring you that as soon as we learn anything else. we're live, chase cane, today in the the bay. >> thank you for the latest. i appreciate it. more breaking news to bring you. a person is dead after being struck and killed by vta light rail train. drivers could see the train stopped south of the light rail station. the train was heading northbound back to the vta yard. didn't have any passengers on board at the time of the crash. investigators are trying to figure out why the victim was on the tracks in the first place. the scene is still under investigation. vta put a bus bridge in place from the station to the tam yan station in both directions. and in san francisco this morning ten people are forced from their homes after an overnight fire at an apartment complex. the fire ripped through the building near san francisco general hospital just after midnight. at least one person was take on to the hospital but the extent

of that person's injuries unclear at this time. the cause of the fire is under investigation. right now hundreds of volunteers are rolling up their sleeves to prepare and deliver holiday meals to those that cannot leave their homes. they are baking goods for the annual christmas meal delivery program. more than 3,000 meals will be delivered to seniors and home bound people living in san francisco. the christmas feast includes ham, green beans, hams, cookies and hot chocolate. pope francis is making his first christmas as leader of the church. just moments ago he delivered a speech to the crowd below. the pope prayed for an end to the conflict in syria and peace in the african republic. he wished for a favorable outcome from the peace talks between the israelis and palestinia

palestinians. it was a traditional lesson of light and love from a mostly untraditional pope. he did break with tradition during the mass. he placed the statue of baby jesus in the manger himself instead of having an aid do it it. his message to the church was simple. clean up your act on corruption and abusive priests. the pope has already served notice in the new year there could be time for change for the church. u.s. troops stationed in afghanistan are taking some time out to celebrate the holidays together. they celebrated christmas eve by singing hymns. they say while it's hard to be away from their families, they are proud to continue their mission. >> also i miss my family very much. i'm truly honored that i'm here while my family is celebrating freedom at home. >> this is the 13th christmas for american troops in afghanistan. it's something we think about over the holidays. all the troops that are away from their families serving

their country. it's remarkable. >> we thank them as well. we're grateful for what they do. i wouldn't be able to do that. they have a lot of courage. let's take a look right now as we look outside. we have clear skies across the bay area. i want to bring your attention to san francisco right now. we have stronger winds than the past couple days. you can see by the flag this morning across the top of the building. the winds will continue to gust for the first half of the the day up to 20 to 30 miles per hour. this is some great news because with the spare of the air alert in effect for today, this could help clear out atmosphere. we're starting off cool. 30 right now in the north bay. so very frosty waking up there. but as we get through the afternoon, we're talking about spring-like temperatures. today's highs will be about 10 degrees above average. anywhere from 65 degrees in san francisco to about 72, 73 degrees in some of the inland

valleys. it's going to be very warm later on this afternoon. getting you hour by hour, you'll notice the l temperatures in the south bay around 41 degrees. we'll start to warm very quickly. even by noon, we're expecting 60s. as we look at the peninsula, you'll notice 60s by noon. even in san francisco, no fog for today. winds will calm down after 9:00. we'll see the temperatures warm back to 60 degrees by noon. in the the north bay, 35. east bay not as cold. 50 to start. but everybody expecting a good mix of low to mid-60s through the afternoon hours. we have an area of low pressure moving this way through the weekend. that's going to offer cooler weather. it's also going to clear out the air quality. that is great news here across the bay area. >> we need it. good temperatures. kids need to get outside. target is disputing claims that the security breach that affected 40 million customers

involved personal identification customers. an executive says one major u.s. bank is afraid that thieves will be able to crack the encryption code and withdraw money from consumer bank accounts. there is no evidence that pin data has been compromised but data was stolen. now u.s. secret service is veging the breach. stock up on the forever stamps because in a couple weeks the cost of postage is going up. they are raising the price by 3 cents. now a stamp will cost you 49 cents. it's said to be semiprayer until they recoop almost $3 billion in losses brought on by the economic downturn. officials with the coastal service says the higher rates will not last longer than two years though inflation over the next 24 months could make rates that much any way. stamps can be purchased until january 26th. right now, 6:08 on your

christmas morning. still ahead, a warning to bay area beach goers. if you're planning to spend christmas on the shore. >> every year they do this awesome christmas decoration. you could never compete with it. >> if you can't beat them, don't even try. the creative way that these neighbors got involved with a christmas light extravaganza going on next door. first we bring you this message from our troops stationed overseas. >>. hello. i'm specialist anthony locket stationed out of germany. ip to say happy holiday to my family, my father and my daughter in oakland, california. merry christmas and i love you.

here are today's top stories. investigators are on the scene of a murder suicide. family members at the scene say the victims are a husband and wife married for 16 years. officials have not confirmed that. we are told the couple had four children. unclear if they were home at the time of the shooting. a person was hit and killed by a train this morning. it happened on highway 87. there were no passengers on the train at the time. the vta put a bus bridge in place in both directions. pope francis delivered his first christmas mass as leader of the catholic church. just moments ago, he prayed for an end to the conflict in syria and also peace between the israelis and palestinians. thousands of christians are celebrating christmas in

bethlehem. christmas mass is expected to be packed. the church of the nativity was filled for christmas eve mass, the highest turnout in years. leaders expressed hope in the coming year that would bring palestinians an independent state of their own. 4 million people displayed by the typhoon spent a rainy christmas day in tents or temporary shelter this is year. take a look at this mess. celebrating the holidays at a christmas mass in church and using discarded goods as presents. the typhoon killed more than 6,000 people. 1800 people are still missing today. people who live in japan's fukushima prefecture will get to go home for the first time since the nuclear disaster. people will be allowed to say at their homes until january 7thth. about 1700 people asked for p

permission to return to their homes. an earthquake and massive tsunami triggered that nuclear crisis athe fukushima nuclear power plant in march of 2011. this morning tens of thousands of people in maine and vermont are waking up without any power. utility crews from all over new england are working around the clock to help out. >> reporter: this is not the christmas tens of thousands of mainers imagined for themselves. thick ice is still weighing down trees and pulling down power lines after the messy storm and crews are exhausted as they race to restore power to people who are in the dark and may be for a few more days. >> we work 17 on, 7 off. >> reporter: but he's getting some help from new england utilities including the public service company of new hampshire. >> there's a lot of kids right now that don't have any power.

>> reporter: this lineman volunteered to work through the holiday to help his counterparts in maine adding urgency to the big job, temperatures were expected to drop into the single digits across maine. even colder with the windchill. >> a the lot of people don't have heat. pipes are going to start freezing. the sooner we can help, the better for everybody. >> reporter: to the west in vermont where people still had no electricity for christmas eve, firefighters in some towns were going door to door to check on residents. >> how are you doing? do you have power? >> reporter: they were letting people know about shelters and how to yun generators safely. neighbors were also helping neighbors, lending food and equipment. >> if we need anything, we can get ahold of them for water, food, supplies. >> reporter: the companies of northeast utilities say they are

glad o to lend hands to other power providers through widespread outages, even if it means working on christmas. >> in the business we're, in it's important to get the customer back on. it's what we do. >> reporter: we asked some of the workers if they were ds appointed they would be giving up the holidays with their families and they said not really. we know this could have been us in the dark and we'd want the help if that were us. in new hampshire, jack thirstton, nbc news. this morning the national weather service says you can expect strong rip tides along bay area coastlines. strong rip tides and waves are expected from today through friday afternoon. beach goers are advised to stay off the rocks and also keep a safe distance from the tide. a lot of weather to talk about this morning. we have meteorologist anthony slaughter in to fill us in. how is it looking so far? >> it's looking great. if you like warm weather, it's going to be a day you can do

than. i want to start with the records we're expect iing for today. 75 degrees which would tie the old record of 75. san jose expecting 71. breaking the old record of 70 for today. livermore even expecting 73. but here's the thing about the records. in some cases, these records have been standing for years. 1901 was the last time we have seen a christmas this warm in the bay area in san jose. even in livermore, you have to go back to 1914 to find temperatures that revel this. we're talking about some long standing records that could be broken here as we head through christmas day. and the beautiful thing about it, you lived through it to tell the story. this is going to be really one of those christmass that will go down in the history books. 2013 one of the warmest christmases in the bay area. so how about that? right now we are looking at temperatures not really warm in the 30s and 40s. it's hard to believe we're actually going to be in the 70s later on this afternoon.

even yesterday the valley got into the 70s. same thing for today. low 70s there. east bay expecting the same thing. san francisco, i think downtown you'll see temperatures that could revel those that were set back quite some time ago. let's get you into the forecast for this wednesday. you'll find low 70s in the south bay. peninsula not as warm. a mix of 60s and 70s. that's what we'll see temperatures in the mid-60s in the downtown region, which would break some records. the north bay, more records expected to be broken here. mill valley, 72. napa, 69. a mix of upper 60s to low 70s across the board. high pressure in control for the next couple days. this area of low pressure, you can see the clouds moving through the pacific. that's going to move this way towards the weekend. that will offer some cooling, but it will also clear out our air quality.

air quality does remain unhealthy for today. as we head through saturday, it's going to be saturday. we'll start to see the air quality improve. not a bad forecast. we're talking about records for today. we live through it. >> unbelievable the temperatures. looking forward to getting rid of the poor air quality. when it it comes to christmas lights, if you can't beat them, maybe you shouldn't even try. that's the message one family is sending. look at what they did when they put up the word ditto when they pointed at the neighbor's display. quite the light extravaganza. she is her roommates live in the ditto house. it compliments her neighbor's holiday spirit. >> every year they do this crazy, over the top awesome christmas decorations. you could never compete with it. >> why even try, right? the approach to the lighting

there saves on her electricity costs, as you can imagine. newborn babies are precious bundles for their parents and one hospital is taking it quite literally by wrapping them up in stockings. take a look at this. millers childrens hospital wraps up newborns in red stockings during the holidays. it's been a tradition for more than 50 years at that hospital. it's their way of celebrating the baby's arrival during a joyful time of year. they won't fit in stockings for long. 6:20 right now. still ahead, a pretty ugly way to get. a pretty payout. >> i make them tastefully tacky. >> we have all worn them. we'll show you a woman right here in california how she's turning the ugly christmas sweaters into holiday gold. and also taking you outside right now. a live look over oakland as we all get o stay rolling here.

we're back in about two minutes. first a holiday message from our troops overseas. >> this is cole. wanted to say hello and send a welcome to my mother-in-law karen cline and my father down in napa, california. i love you and merry christmas. happy holidays and hope to see you soon. [ laughter ]

he loves me. he loves me not. he loves me. he loves me not. ♪ he loves me! that's right. [ mom ] warm and flaky in 15, everyone loves pillsbury grands! [ girl ] make dinner pop! so i should probably get the last roll... yeah but i practiced my bassoon.

[ mom ] and i listened. [ brother ] i can do this. [ imitates robot ] everyone deserves ooey, gooey, pillsbury cinnamon rolls. make the weekend pop.

good morning to you. welcome back. a couple many sweden is spending a low key christmas at home this year. just them and their 6,000 santa figurines. inside it's a whole different story there. hs this is where the figurines are sold. they have been collecting santas for years. they admit it's gotten out of hand. the couple says it takes a motto unpack all of the santas, get them down from the attic and put them out. the figurines are left out until february and are packed up and put back, which i think is the important part of the story. they do go back into storage. closer to home, a fashion statement is pretty loud and tacky, but it's part of the fun for one southern california woman. she designs and sells ugly christmas sweaters. >> reporter: crafter jessica

says she prefers you not call this ugly. >> i make them tastefully tacky. >> reporter: some call it festive, but really jessica says it's all about fun. >> you need candy canes. candy canes are essential. my signature little birdies. then you always need bows. jingle bells. >> reporter: and just like santa, jessica labors out of her workshop. >> by day it's my workshop, by night it's my son's room. >> reporter: shes whipped up sweaters that would make even scrooge smile. spending an hour a day assembling. >> it's a neat thing to see something you took and you made it and someone else is showing it off. >> reporter: two years ago she decided to make a business venture out of her hobby. she sells her creations on facebook and etsy.

>> this it one would run about $20. the one i want you to put on is $ $55. >> reporter: so i had to. i have to admit the ugly made me feel pretty. jessica says once the holiday season ends, all of this goes away. >> i will be sad because i'll come in here in the morning with my coffee and my christmas music and it it just puts you in a happy mood. >> reporter: until next year of course. >> pretty nice sweaters. it. you don't want to do any cooking, we have a list of several restaurants that are open for business. how about this? restaurantnews.com compiled the list. hours and locations might vary so call ahead before heading out. if you don't want to cook, here's who can cook for you. applebees's, denny's, hooters, ihop and if you need a caffeine

fix, starbucks is also open. remember when it was just 7-eleven? still ahead, a christmas speech from the pope. we'll tell you what message the leader of the catholic church is giving just ahead. they need a little piece of home and i love providing it for them. christmas in afghanistan for our troops. how teams of volunteers are making the holidays special for our men and women in uniform. a live look at the eastern span of the bay bridge. just a beautiful picture there. we're back in two minutes. first a message from our troops who are stationed overseas. >> i'm captain stephanie garcia here at kandahar. i want to give a shoutout to my sons christopher, anthony and caden, and my husband greg. i love you guy. s.

good morning to you. it's 6:30 on december 25th, christmas morning. we give you a live look over san francisco as you wake up. so glad you're joining us. this is today in the bay. thank you for being here with us. i'm peggy bunker. this morning pope francis is celebrating his first christmas as leader of the catholic church. this morning tens of thousands of people packed into st. peter's square to hear the pope deliver the christmas message. it's his hope that everybody will feel god's closeness and live in his presence. prior to that speech, the pope delivered his first christmas mass. the pope put his own unique spin on traditions at the vatican.

>> reporter: it didn't take long for pope francis to break traditions placing the statue of baby jesus in the manger and keeping with his theme of humility. god loves us, he gave us his son to be our light in our darkness. the message of light and love from the most untraditional pope. >> his message of hope and love translates into every language. >> he's humble. he's a people's pope. >> reporter: the leader of the catholi catholics, he still comes across as a kindly grandfather, not standing on ceremony. >> there's certainly a style change, which is simplicity. but he's not somebody who is going to be throwing out core doctrine. >> reporter: his message to the church is harsher, clean up your act on corruption and abuse. he's setting an example. he's living in a two-room

apartment. francis said to him, pray for me. pz tonight it was pope francis in a splendor leading the catholic world in prayer. as for the new year, he's already said it may be a time of change. he brought in outside analysts to recommend ways to improve the running of the catholic church. many soldiers will be stationed overseas this christmas including 47,000 u.s. soldiers and marines in afghanistan. that means the uso is busy spreading holiday cheer to men and women in uniform. the u.s. is winding down its operations there, so this may be the last year for this particular christmas tradition. >> reporter: amid-the soaring snow-capped mountains of

afghanistan, santa claus is already going to town. it's the uso's annual christmas convey spreading gifts to troops on the battlefield. it's led by santa herself. uso director at forward operating base. >> i love these guys. they need a little piece of home. and i love providing it for them. >> reporter: volunteers pitch in on behalf of their fellow s soldiers. they are the only santa's helpers carrying side arms. all gifts are donated like flat screen tvs and the latest xbox. even a bicycle is assembled by committees. >> you don't have any parts left over? >> i don't think we do. >> reporter: the gifts are tossed on to helicopters for delivery. the soldiers are preparing for a mission outside the wire. only days before christmas. the uso invasion provides a welcome break from the war. even seasoned combat the

veterans get a lift. the uso convey delivers the holiday packages to some of the most isolated and dangerous bases in afghanistan. where the only outside contact may be the enemy. but as the war winds down, these christmas convoys will come to an end. that's bittersweet for regina wages. >> i have been serving since 2009. i'm glad they are going home, but for me it's kind of sad. >> reporter: and while war has a way of rapidly turning young soldiers into men, these brief moments allow them to be kids again. >> you guys will do anything. >> reporter: receiving what they need, the most precious gift of all. nbc news, afghanistan. >> what a cool story. great to see them. anthony, working on christmas.

we're working on christmas too. we get to see the nice sunrise. >> we do. that's what we're looking at right now. you can see the beautiful colors rising. i think some of our folks in the control room are looking for n santa. but this guy has already gone out. you can see as we look at the peninsula, beautiful colors. this makes it wor it waking up this early. if you have to head out to work this morning, you have a beautiful sunrise that awaits you as you step out the door. clear skies all day long. temperatures to start in the 40s. by this afternoon, we're going to warm quickly from noon to the low 60s. so very quickly expecting temperatures in the low 60s by noon. eventually back into the low 70s in some locations with a few upper 60s across the bay area. san francisco not going to get into the 70s for today. but very warm for this time of year. in fact, 60 degrees by noon. even still put s it at 5 degrees

above where we should be for this time of year. north bay and the valley expecting a cool start. plenty of sunshine all day long. even clear tonight as we round out christmas day. high pressure is going to remain with us for the next couple days. you can see the clouds starting to move in across parts of the pacific. this is going to be what is going to break down the area of high pressure. each and every day, by thursday and friday, we'll be watching this area of low pressure move in. so even today being one of the warmest days, tomorrow we could see the peak and we're going to turn over to a cooler pattern. that will mean onshore winds, will but it will mean the return of fog and drizzle at coast. this is some good news because we need that onshore wind that will clear out our air. we're still talking about sparing the air for once more again today on this christmas. that's going to continue through thursday and friday as well with some relief hopefully in sight as we head through saturday.

back to you. >> thank you so much. right now, 6:36. still ahead, it's christmas in 3-d. coming up we'll tell you how the wall of a ka thcathedral is bei transformed into a fairy tale. and a live look at fremont as you see the sun starting to come up. we're back in two minutes. first a holiday message from our troops stationed overseas. >> i'm from mcguire air force base. just want to give a shoutout to my family over in california, the bay area. happy holidays. i hope you guys are having fun and i'll see you guys soon.

the site of a cathedral is being brought to life with 3-d projections of christmas scenes. the animation is called christmas miracle and opens today. the 15-minute animation took 800 hours to put together. the show is made up of various short pieces with christmas characters that are interwoven into the lithuaniaen history. sometimes it's the radish that doesn't get much attention. we'll change that now. take a look at this video from a

colorful holiday festival known as the night of the radishes. it takes place in mexico. radishes are sliced and diced into elaborate sculptures of animals, characters, folk scenes. this year there was a depiction of the last supper. the nativity all made out of radishes. coming up, an update to breaking news this morning. ten people now homeless after an early christmas morning fire. plus extreme holiday lights. which bay area neighborhoods are attracting huge christmas crowds. also a beautiful shot here if you're up early with us. a live sunrise here over the bay bridge. we're back in two medicines. first a holiday message from our troops. >> i'm stationed in germany. i want to say happy holidays to my family, my mom, my dad, my sisters in california.

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breaking news this morning. there's a heavy law enforcement presence and a murder suicide investigation underway at a home. right now crime scene tape is up around the home near the intersection of via lucas. chase cane joins us live at the scene. this is just a terrible story for christmas morning. >> reporter: it's a terrible story any day and especially terrible this morning. there were at least four children. we just talked with sheriffs deputies who told us that at

least at this point it appears that the man, the husband shot and killed his wife and then killed himself. it appears at least at this point that no one inside the home was hurt. as the sheriffs deputy put it it, when you have bullets flying inside a home, everyone is in danger. that's at least one thing to be thankful for this morning. the four children who were inside the home at time were not hurt. the family that has been out here told us that the couple had been married for 16 years, but they had been having some problems as of late. there were apparently some allegations of infidelity in the marriage and that could be what led to this. that's the big question for investigators for the rest of the day is not so much what happened, but why it happened. some of the family that was out here earlier is still struggling to deal with what happened. >> we love her a lot. she was a great sister.

>> and a mom to four kids. do you think the kids come and live with you or family now? >> they are going to come to live with us. >>. that is the hope that these children will be able to live with an aunt or uncle. they have not had a chance to see the children. they went to the sheriffs office where hopefully they will be able to connect with the children. they just want to give them a hug and tell them they love them. this is christmas morning. so a very difficult thing to do today. we are live here, chase cane, today in the bay. >> terribly sad, thank you, chase. more breaking news to tell you about. a person is dead this morning after being struck and killed by a light rail train. the vta reported that service

has been restored so no issue there is. the person was hit on the highway 87 tracks. drivers could see the train stopped just south of the light rail station. the train was heading northbound back to the vta yard and did not have any passengers on board at time of the crash. investigators are trying to figure out why the victim was on the tracks in the first place. the scene is still under investigation. in san francisco, ten people are forced from their homes after an overnight fire at an apartment complex. the fire ripped through the building near san francisco general hospital just after midnight. one person was taken to the hospital. the extent of that person's injuries remains unclear at this time. the cause of the fire is under investigation. and this morning we are also watching the weather as we give you a live look right now outside. this is foster city. you can see the sunrise there beginning to add the colors. if you're planning to light a fire this christmas morning,

forget about that. it's another spare the air day throughout the bay area. that means unless the fireplace is your only source of heat, you have to keep the yule log for another day. let's check in with anthony slaughter. we have been saying this just about every day, no fire. >> it's a sad thing to have to say. lots of folks want to do that burning in the fireplace. you can go to sparetheair.org to find out the details on what you can and cannot burn. in some cases, it is illegal. we're talking about record heat. with this high pressure over us, we'll see many records broken today. downtown san francisco expecting a new record. here's the thing about the records. in some cases, we haven't seen temperatures this warm in over 100 years. san jose expecting 71 today. got to 70 yesterday. easily could hit this. the old record is 70 from 1901.

history in the making across the bay area here on this christmas day. beautiful colors across the bay area. you can see every single location waking up to clear skies. even in san jose with clear conditions. a few clouds. the good news our sunrise this morning really doesn't look as beautiful as it it did over the past couple mornings. that's because we have a strong wind that's cleared out our atmosphere. which is some good news. even though we're talking about sparing the air, that's a little relief. you'll be able to find temperatures in the south bay today ranging from low 70s in a few places back into the 60s. even in the peninsula, a mix of 60s and 70s. san francisco, not going to hit 70, but you'll be warm for this time of year. that's going to be across do downto downtown. a few upper 60s.

pl plenty of sunshine. even livermore expecting 73 degrees. enjoy this weather while it's here. things are about to change. you can see that cooler air off across the pacific. the wind will start to develop as we head through thursday and friday. now tomorrow will be another warm day. by friday and saturday, this area of low pressure will get close to us. what we'll be finding by saturday is more of an onshore wind. that will allow for fog to increase and our air quality t at least begin to become more stable across the bay area. south bay expecting the worst today. this is going to continue all the way through friday. but by saturday we should see a little bit of relief as far as the air quality goes. back over to you. >> thank you. new details on the rare late fall wildfire in big sur. the forest service says the fire destroyed 34 homes, 12 more than originally thought.

there's also good news as evacuation orders have been lifted. about 100 people will be home for christmas. the fire burned about 1.4 square mile. s in the national forest. the fire is under control but 200 firefighters are spending christmas there to make sure the fire does not flare up. this morning the family of an oakland teen declared brain dead is hoping for a christmas miracle. a judge ordered the children's hospital to continue life support temporarily for the 13-year-old. the teen has been on a ventilator for two weeks since complications during a tonsillectomy. the judge ruled after hearing testimony from an independent doctor. fisher told the court she has no brain stem and meets all the criteria of brain death. the judge can only order the hospital to continue life support until december 30th at 5:00. the uncle says he's not giving up hope. >> with the decision, it's heartbreaking to hear that. but our faith is still strong.

it's christmas eve. there's still time for a miracle. >> the stay is intended to give the family time to decide whether they accept that she's gone, file a legal appeal or would like to move her to another facility. in fremont police are investigating a holiday break in spree with nine cars stolen? just a little over a week. the thieves did not have to break any windows. each car was waiting to get serviced at a dealership likely with the keys in the ignition. >> reporter:. fremont police believe there have been eyes scoping out the auto mall. thieves hitting the mercedes-benz dealership and the latest string of thefts hitting across the street at toyota where six vehicles went missing this last weekend. >> one of my friends said we are living a real live "gone in 60 seconds." >> reporter: nine vehicles stolen from what were supposed to be secure service areas at

three dealerships. bmw, mercedes-benz and toyota. >> i feel it was a planned operation. >> reporter: he had his toyota serviced, paid for everything and waited and waited for his suv. >> they came out and said your car was probably stolen. >> reporter: the missing vehicle was the least of their concerns. >> what did we leave in the car that could lead them to come to our house and steal other things. i was just afraid what if we're home and somebody tries to take other things. >> reporter: police describe this as a crime of opportunity. the vehicles were stolen some overnight waiting to get serviced or detailed. >> we expect they are taking care of your car and it's secure. and it's not going to get stolen while they have it. >> reporter: there's the question of why it took so long to notice missing cars. a car parked december 11th was

reported stolen eight days later. we couldn't reach any of the corporate offices for comment, but chp says this could be a sign of an organized ring. >> that's very often the case, yes. it's on a much larger scale. there are the isolated incidents. kids taking the car for a joyride, but often times it's a much greater plan. >> reporter: as for this family, they have been trying to find any silver lining. >> first thing i thought was maybe i'll get a new car for christmas. >> she did not get the new car. but the couple did get a call from chp saying they found their stolen suv along with two other c cars. the police say they are trying to figure out who is behind all the thefts. hundreds of volunteers preparing holiday meals for those who can't leave their homes will start delivering food any moment now. they are just about finished

baking goodies for the annual christmas meal delivery program. the more than 3,000 meals will be delivered to seniors and home bound people living in san francisco. the christmas feast includes ham, green beans, hams, cookies, even hot chocolate. . ups is apologizing to thousands of customers who won't get their gifts in time for christmas. the largest delivery service y says an unpredictly large number of shipments overwhelmed the system making deliveries late. ups and their drivers will not be working to make up for delays. deliveries will start again tomorrow. the postal service will be delivering. letter carriers in san jose will be on the job starting at 9:00 this morning preparing to mik christmas day deliveries of priority mail and letters. if you were just not feeling christmassy enough or looking for something to thrill the kids, take a look at this. today in the bay toured for some

of the the best holiday displays and here's what we found. >> reporter: no fog in livermore, just a long line to see the holiday lights. >> you do a great job. >> thank you. we have a great crew. >> reporter: the crew string more than 370,000 lights at his house on hill crest avenue. this show is months in making. >> we start dropping cords in september. we start putting the lights up in october. >> reporter: the magic lights up all of december. >> i think it's pretty magical. you got to see the elves and santa claus. >> i'd like them to leave with the magic of the lights that bring peace upon people. so that's the fun of it. >> i like the singing deer. it's just funny. >> reporter: there's more fun to be had on highlands court in

danville. neighbors say this winter wonderland keeps expanding. this year decorations reached new heights. >> he was able to get a lift to the tops of the trees. >> reporter: kids of all ages are mesmerized. >> i see santa up there. >> it it makes me feel happy and joyful. >> i can't get enough of it. it's that good. >> i think it's really cool. >> reporter: it's not easy living next door. >> how do you compete with that? >> reporter: they figured out how to share in the spirit of this one of a kind creation. it's a simple display. people from near and far are enjoying. >> it's a lot of fun. >>. tonight when the presents are unwrapped, dinner is done, people might be heading out to catch a movie. here's raphael seth with a preview of the films that are making their box office debut today. >> ben stiller is in "the secret life of walter smitt."

his imagination take oefrs creating elabora lalaborate fan where he's the hero. he takes a risk that topped anything he ever imagined. it's rated pg. >> this is the createst company in the world. >> leo dicaprio is an ambition stockbroker who decides the american dream is too small so he starts his own firm using any means necessary to make money. even when the fbi starts sniffing the books, the threat of authority is not as strong as the pull of power. "the wolf of wall street" is rated r. merle streep antagonizes the whole family. she's the westin family who e lets no good deed go unscolded. when her husband dies, it brings a flock of people to their home.

it's rated r. geriatric boxers look to settle the score in "grudge match." they play retired boxing legends fought twice. on eve of their third bout, one retired. now 30 years later they are getting back in the ring to see who comes out on top. it's rated pg 13. that's the box office preview. the lots of good options there. we're going to have the toasty weather out there. >> it's going to be hard to head to a theater today because you're going to want to be outside enjoying the weather. we're expecting temperatures in the inland valleys to be back into the 70s. you can see beautiful conditions in the 30s right now. but eventually later on this afternoon we're talking about 60s in san francisco. about 10 degrees above average. even in the north bay and south bay, expecting low to mid-70s there. really you can't complain.

>> if you're celebrating christmas, have a merry one. this is what's happening today in the bay. we're back at 7:25 with an update. good morning and merry christmas. a day for faith and family, fun times and food. and we are celebrating the holiday right along with you today, wednesday, december 25th, christmas day, 2013. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today," with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and good morning, welcome to "today" on a christmas morning, i'm matt law air long with savannah guthrie, al roquer and natalie morales. merry christmas. >> wearing theow