♪ ♪ ♪

[ applause ] >> yes, yes, yes. >> this beautiful. the new york city children's chorus on this christmas day. merry christmas, everybody. >> what a great, great way it open the show. >> that's absolutely beautiful. thank you, kids. thank you. >> merry christmas, everyone. >> merry christmas. >> spending christmas together. >> this is for little ela. that's for hannah. i remember when my kids were little, all the stuff. >> yes -- ♪ >> is that you again? >> can't get enough of it -- ♪ >> we've got a great show today. country music star trisha yearwood is here. i wish she was singing. but the second best thing is she's cooking for us. >> we know who's singing for us -- >> leona lewis. she's terrific. >> and we'll have a special heartwarming story about a woman who found her birth mother 25 years later. >> you don't want to miss that. what are your plans today? >> christmas is always such a chill day. after the tearing open of the presents -- >> yes -- >> which usually happens in the morning, it's chill. how about for you guys?

>> always, always, always. yeah. you know what i like to do, either christmas or new year's day is just go through my -- i still have one of those address books. >> you do? >> i have an address book. frank and i will sit down and start going through the address book and calling people. >> that's fun. >> spending the whole day doing that. say, i'm thinking of you. of course, no one wants to be bothered on christmas. no one wants to hear from you on new year's day. mostly we get voicemail. but at least we were thinking of them. >> we thought it would be fun this morning as you are unwrapping gifts to play a game with us. this is called "guess the christmas movie." we're going to play a little clip from a classic christmas movie. we're not going to show the clip. you have to listen to it. >> just the audio. >> you have to try to guess the film. ready? clip number one. we're ready. >> if you're really santa claus, you can get it for me. if you can't, you're only a nice -- >> i know. it's -- >> "miracle on 34th street"? [ bell ] >> is it? yes, you are correct. >> the year i was born.

>> nice man with a white beard like mother said. >> you know who that is? that's natalie wood. young, beautiful natalie wood. >> wow. let's hear clip number two. okay. >> don't -- >> we saw it. >> it's okay. we have to -- we're authentic, we are what we are. >> i didn't hear it, though. >> i learned -- i know exactly who it is. "elf." [ bell ] >> i'll tell you why i knew -- we saw it alone with you. that was the answer, "elf." how about that? >> good for you. okay. all right. >> next one. >> what's the next one? >> maybe christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a -- >> "the grinch." >> "the grinch." [ bell ] >> i love this cliff. >> "how the grinch stole christmas." >> doesn't come from a store. maybe christmas, perhaps, means

a little bit more. >> i love "the grinch." i could watch it even now as a grown woman. >> did you like the jim carrey movie? >> i like the cartoon. >> finally. it's a tiebreaker. let's watch. >> can i refill your egg nog for you? get you something to eat? drive you out to the middle of nowhere, leave you for dead? >> chris -- it's -- the one with the -- wait. wait. this is karen's favorite movie. what is it called? i know it. "throw mama from the train"? no -- >> no. >> no -- >> what? >> like "dirty santa" or the one with billy bob thornton. [ buzz ] >> "christmas vacation." >> "national lampoons." >> refill your christmas egg nog, drive you out to the middle of nowhere, leave you for dead. >> i'm doing just fine, clark. >> if i heard "clark," i would have known. you know what, i've lost so much this past year. now it's my hearing, my sight.

next -- next year i hope i lose my thighs. i'm losing everything. >> you can't see? >> no, i can't -- >> i know. >> the prompter you can't see. >> no. men -- no. men vs. women, holiday wish list is what we're going to talk about next. >> all right. okay. a lot of you guys are at home opening presents. what presents do men and women really want? okay, so this came as a surprise. women really want those gift cards. >> and yet that's -- suze orman told us that's the worst. nobody want gift card. >> they want them, but they don't use it. you forget about it and go, where's the gift card and it gets lost. >> when i get starbucks, cassidy is thrilled. she goes like three times a day. it depends on the person. if your favorite staore is a sa 5th avenue and you get one, you'll go. >> and the woman -- getting

clothes. when my mother -- >> your mother knows your taste beautifully. >> when someone else gives you a sweater or top -- >> those things are if you if you don't know the person really well. >> household good. and homemade gifts. >> homemade gifts are always the sweetest. >> what do men want? >> they say electronics, but frank sure doesn't. i think it's generational. >> right. >> you know, frank -- could have had those -- still shaves the way he always shaved. doesn't -- >> guys like brookstone, they're in there, all those gadgets. men, number two, was homemade gifts. so if you're thinking about, you know, for next year, thinking ahead, make something -- >> do you honestly know one person who's thinking ahead? it's christmas day, and somebody's thinking ahead? probably -- >> i'm not. i'm the last person -- >> martha stewart. she's the one thinking of that. all right. it is awkward, though, when you get -- somebody's worked hard on a gift for you, and they give it to you -- have you ever had a gift that you couldn't -- >> yes, do you know what i say? oh, my god. >> you did it again.

>> i love it. i love this. >> how did you know? >> i love it. and then i'll take it, and i'll thank them, and then later i'll wrap it. >> then -- >> and re-gift it. >> give it away to someone else who will wrap it -- >> and give it away. like this used to be -- the fruitcake that went around the world. everybody would wrap it and give it to somebody else. >> sometimes you don't have any use for it, but you know that someone put time and thought. they were thinking about how much time do people spend shopping for gifts. it's a lot -- i think it's hours that people spend, four hours looking for a gift for your significant other. that seems like -- >> strange to me. that seems -- you haven't been significant very long. if you don't know what they want. what do i know? who's got four hours? >> nobody. >> who's got it? >> i don't like when i say, hey, i'd like to some reindeer horns and i open it and it's -- i don't like that. what's the point of doing that? >> of giving -- >> i asked for it, here it is. i'd like it to be something that

-- what did you think? what would you have gotten me? i like that. >> then why would you say, "i want reindeer horns"? that makes no sense, hoda. >> if someone asks me, i'll say it -- >> you don't want to have to -- does this hat fit you? did you see how nicely -- does that -- >> yes, it does. the answer is yes. all right. >> okay. coming up, the perfect story for the holidays. how one young woman found her birth mom 25 years later. country music star trisha yearwood whips up a christmas lunch. let's hear one more song from the new york city's children's choir. take it away, kids. ♪

♪

we're back on this christmas day with a touching story of how one young woman tracked down her birth mother 25 years after being adopted by a very loving family. >> today she found that young

woman and her birth mother and is here with their emotional story. hi. >> merry christmas. >> all in red today. >> yes. >> very festive. this is such a terrific story. emily thought it would take forever to find the woman who brought her into the world. but it took her only two days thanks to facebook. take a listen to their story. >> i found out that i was adopted when i was 5. >> i knew i could not take care of her and give her all that she needed and all that i wanted her to have. >> life for me growing up was very normal. i was involved in lots of activities and sports. >> i got to pick her for family, and i knew that, just bay her mom, i knew she would be okay. her mother would write me a letter once a year and send me pictures. that really helped. >> i received all of those letters when i was 18-year-old. >> dear adoptive parent. >> dear birth mother. >> i want to send you a letter

about our little girl. >> we have enclosed a picture and as you can see, she's quite beautiful. >> i just wanted to find stacey because i just always felt like there was some sort of a piece of a puzzle missing. the journey was a quick one. i actually found her brother first through facebook. when i had contacted him, he immediately knew exactly what i was talking about. said, yeah, i'm your uncle. >> i was driving down the road. i usually don't answer numbers i don't know for some reason. >> my heart was pounding. i was really scared. >> she said, is this stacey? i said, yes, it is. >> my name is emily and i think that you may might be my biological mom. >> i said, oh, just a minute, emily, i'm getting ready to lose it. >> she immediately started crying. telling me it was the best day of her life. >> i told her, if you didn't come to me by age 30, i was coming for you. >> it's cool to talk to her because i find a lot of similarities between the two of us. >> her mother gave me the gift

of growing up with her by sending these letters to me. for her to get to know me now, it's going to be great. >> we are here with emily who is here to explain how to find the loved one you're looking for. hi. >> hi. >> how are you? >> that's the first i have seen that. >> it's emotional. >> yeah. it is. >> so it must have been -- how interesting to receive the letters at 18. all i can think of is getting a pile of letters and just reading. what was that like for you? >> it was so overwhelming. i -- it was my birthday. we were just about to have cake. and my two best friends were there. and my mom comes out with this big plastic bag and she just gives me all of these letters. she explains to me, you know, exactly what they were. and i just like -- i grew up my entire life not thinking that i had anything, you know, to connect with. and when she gave me those letters, it was just like, i couldn't believe it. i was so overwhelmed. >> how quickly did you find her on facebook?

crazy, by the way. >> yeah, it's crazy. stacey wasn't on facebook. i actually did a google search with her birthday, the city that i was born in, and one of the names that i had discovered along the learning process of trying to find her. and her name appeared on it was like a white pages or people finer website. and on one of the side columns it said possible relatives. i found her brother, and he was on facebook. >> kyle, obviously we see the appeal of this story. and any decent, loving person goes, oh, my gosh, this is unbelievable. but, so tell us why you then reached out to her. >> yeah, well, i just like saw emily's story and her determination to find her mom, her birth mom, was just so strong. and there were so many obstacles along the way. but that didn't stop her. she kept going and she found her.

>> how often have you and your birth mom visited, like when was the first time you saw her? >> i've never met her face to face. i have spoken to her on the phone. and we'll talk here and there. we tried to do a facetime one time but service was really spotty. >> we can do one better than a face time. >> how about a christmas present? >> why don't you come on out, mom. ♪ >> i would say this is one better. >> thanks for joining us. >> hi, mom. >> how are you? i know. is it what you thought? >> i knew that like i would

be -- i knew it would be -- i knew that there would be an instant connection, especially after i read the letters. so, i mean, i knew after i read the first letter that meeting me was something that she always wanted. >> how hard was it for you to give up this child when she was first born, stacey? >> the hard part was, we had been in the hospital for three days. and knowing they couldn't hold -- i couldn't hold her. but that was probably the key to the whole getting me through it because had i held her and touched her, i don't think i could have done it. >> you wouldn't want to let her go. >> it took a lot of counseling to do it. >> and the family that adopted her did such a beautiful job. >> beautiful job. >> so kind of them to continue with the letters to you. that is such a gracious, generous thing to do. >> i had three families to choose from.

open adoption, immediate adoption, and closed. they didn't have to write me after six months. >> and they did. >> and they did. >> how kind. >> and her mother is just amazing. >> she's got two amazing mothers. >> she sure does. >> apparently, you get one more surprise. just one more. >> apparently you also have a half brother. >> did you know that? >> he's here, too. why not. >> why not, it's christmas. >> this is so wild. >> and we have a couple of uncles back there and -- and some second cousins removed. but we said, no, enough, enough already. >> how does it feel to be flanked by your kids? >> i have two dogs, two cats, and two kids. >> and hopefully you'll spend the rest of your lives to the just catching up. >> yes. >> we're so glad to have spent this moment with you. i can't tell you, what a way to spend christmas. thanks for sharing with us. >> god bless you. >> we'll be back right after

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we're back with emily and her birth family who she just met for the first time. there's something we would like to give to all of you. >> thanks to our friends at the hartman group. tonight you're going to see one of broadway's biggest shows it's "wicked," the musical, playing at the gershwin. >> have a wonderful time. >> we will. >> merry christmas. >> thanks for sharing with us. >> and happy new year, too, boy. still ahead, country music star trisha yearwood gathers everyone in the kitchen. also, we get a special christmas performance by british singer, songwriter, leona lewis. >> and christmas experts. >> wait a minute. find out from santa, all after your local news.

here we are on christmas day. hard to believe how fast time goes by. straight from "miracle on 34th street," macy'sssistanta is here to help with spirited trivia. >> ho, ho, ho. i know you've been good. >> sort of. kathie lee's across the street ready it hand out $100 to toes who get the answers right. to those who don't, they get a kathie lee c.d. [ applause ] >> ho, ho. >> you ready, santa? >> i'm ready if you are. >> look at this adorable lady from texas. in what country is it customary for children to leave shoe by the fireplace to be filled with

gifts by father christmas? the united states, china, france, denmark? >> i will say denmark. [ buzzer ] >> no. she want this -- >> santa, the correct answer is -- >> it's where they call me pere noel, fran. [ speaking french ] >> okay. all right then. let's go back across the street. >> darling girl from tennessee. approximately how many letters does the u.s. postal service handle each year that are addressed to santa in the north pole? 250,000? 500,000? 750,000? over a? will. >> over a million. [ bell ] >> that's right. [ applause ] >> santa, you get over a million requests? >> over a million letters. over 500,000 come in this area, and many of them come to me at macy's. they bring them directly to me.

>> do you get emails, too? >> absolutely. and texts and instagram. >> tweets? >> and tweets. >> back cra-- back across to kathie. >> name the missing reindeer -- dancer, prancer, vixen, comet, cupid, blitzer, dasher, rudolph? will. >> don der. >> she got it right. someone told me the name is -- >> donder. that's right. and the only girl is vixen. >> of course she is. >> ho, ho, ho. back across. >> okay. from chicago, got a lot going here. which song does buddy the elf sing in the locker room scene from the 2003 movie "elf"? all i want for christmas is you, baby it's cold out, rocking around the christmas tree, or blue christmas? >> "rocking around the christmas tree"? [ buzzer ]

>> hope she has a grandchild. >> all right. so the correct answer is -- >> "babiy, "baby, it's cold out" >> do you know that -- >> he knows me. ♪ it's cold outside >> back across. >> i've got a real, live, breathing saskatchewan man here. let me see. what is that -- sinterklaas was the original word for santa claus in which language? dutch, scottish, swedish, german? >> i'd say german. >> nein. >> it's a song i sing in dutch. ♪ >> we have time for one more. >> okay. tampa, florida. finish the lyric to this 1951 song. ♪ it's beginning to look a lot

like christmas -- ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ♪ >> la, la, la -- >> she didn't get it. >> santa, i have a feeling you got it -- ♪ everywhere you go ho, ho, ho. >> you must be exhausted. >> it is the most wonderful time of the year. it's the best time to remind children how much santa lifes them. >> aw. >> i always -- loves them. >> aw. >> i always, have and i always will. >> we want to give you a little something before you leave. we. like you needed some cookies and milk. >> oh, thank you. oh, wonderful! >> thank you, santa. >> thank you. be good. >> rest up. >> that's right. coming up, country star trisha yearwood gets cooking in the kitchen.

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time it take you into the holiday kitchen. nothing says christmas like people sharing a male and making memories. country star, trisha yearwood, is hare to help with that. >> sure is. grammy award-winning singer sharing recipes from her fad network tv show called "trisha's southern kitchen." and her new cookbook. i love the cover. >> i love your cover. >> thank you. >> i do. >> thank you very much. merry christmas. you look so pretty. >> you've been very busy in the kitchen lately, haven't you? >> i have. i have. i cooked a lot before anybody cared. now it's kind of fun. >> it must be fun to have some whole -- resurgent, new life. renaissance woman. >> it's fun to get to make a living doing something you enjoy doing. i get to do it with food, too, so it's fun. this is miss cadelia, from georgia, her roast beef. what's cool -- sorry, a pork loin. i got all nervous. it's a pork loin.

i know -- i know pork from beef. i haven't had the martinis yet. a pork loin. what's cool is that you -- you make a gravy really easy. i'm all about things being easy. this is -- this is onion soup. like french onion. >> any kind? >> any kind. that's golden mushroom soup. >> golden -- >> put them in. put it in. add water. i got you. and this -- simmered on the stove for three hours. this is all you do. i brown the meat first so it will be nice and brown. >> do you get your butcher to tie it up? >> you can. it's not hard. yeah, if you want it really easy, tell your butcher what you need and have him tie it together. >> three cans of soup? >> yeah. it stirs in. this will make a gravy. you don't have to make a gravy to go with this. >> okay. >> this is going to simmer -- >> do you know how easy it is for people -- they don't team like they have to be embarrassed because you opened a couple of cans -- >> exactly. make its own gravy. and it's fantastic. >> you gave them permission. good for you. >> three hours later, it is done and carved. you trust me with a knife.

simmer for three hours. >> nice and tender. >> oh. yeah. >> and -- >> uh-huh. uh-huh. >> and the au jus that it makes is -- >> now you're talking -- >> it's gravy in georgia. and you just -- those are also georgia slices. pretty big. >> they sure are. >> a little au jus. this i make all the time. >> is this what you cooked it in? >> yep, the gravy we just made. perfect. bacon-wrapped asparagus. you want to be my sous chef? you take three or four spears, thick cut bacon. and you roll it. you got two there. >> did k i do two? >> you can do two. >> there. >> i roll it in bacon because everything is better rolled in bacon. and you stick it -- stick it with a toothpick. after you've done it a left wing time, i don't stick it because you might be likely to eat the toothpick later which is -- you don't want that kind of fiber in your diet. >> that would hurt.

>> this is the key. can i borrow a spoon? this has gotten -- >> coagulated. >> what is that? >> butter and brown sugar. melted together. it's got a little soy sauce so it's lakeike a sweet teriyaki t you pour over. you bake at 400 for 25 minutes. >> let's see. >> what's it look like when it's done? >> whether it's done, this -- when it's done, this is what it looks like. >> ooh. >> beautiful. >> i'll get you a piece. >> your show, girls. >> we only have a few seconds. thank you, sweetheart. we want to taste it real quick. >> yes. >> oh, my gosh. >> okay. >> will you be home with the family for -- today, later? as soon as you're out of here? >> always at christmas. it's about being together. and of course having good food to go with it. >> great to see you. >> you, too. >> merry christmas. >> come back whether your new album is going to start. >> i will. >> all right. the christmas festivities

continue. >> delicious. >> the holiday music -- excuse me -- from singer/songwriter leona lewis right after this. ♪

we want to make a note. when we were cooking upstairs, remember, with trisha year wood, who knows the difference between pork and roast beef. was roast beef we were cooking. >> who cares? it was delicious. >> delicious. after winning the u.k. version of "the x factor" in 2006, singer/songwriter leona lewis has hits. >> and here's "one more sleep."

♪ ♪ ♪ because i've got five more nights of sleeping on my own ♪ ♪ four more days until you're coming home ♪ ♪ three more dreams of you and mistletoe ♪ ♪ two more reasons why i love you so ♪ ♪ i got five more nights of sleeping on my own ♪ ♪ four more days ♪ three more wishes until you're here with the christmas tree ♪ ♪ and one more ♪ one more sleep until it's

christmas ♪ ♪ one more sleep ♪ can't believe how much i missed us ♪ ♪ one more sleep ♪ one more sleep until it's christmas ♪ ♪ one more sleep ♪ yeah ♪ now i don't think i can remember a cold and lonelier december ♪ ♪ and i find myself sitting at the window ♪ ♪ wondering when you're gonna get back home ♪ ♪ so i try ♪ and i try ♪ try ♪ but there is nothing i can do to pass this time ♪ ♪ i've got five more nights of sleeping on my own ♪ ♪ four more days until you're coming home ♪ ♪ three more wishes i can celebrate ♪ ♪ if i can make it until christmas eve ♪ ♪ when it's one more ♪ one more christmas

♪ one more sleep ♪ can't believe how much i missed us ♪ ♪ one more sleep ♪ one more sleep until it's christmas ♪ ♪ one more more sleep ♪ yeah ♪ until we're rocking around the christmas tree ♪ ♪ until i got you sitting next to me ♪ ♪ we got a lot of catching up to do ♪ ♪ i just can't take this missing you ♪ ♪ five more nights on my own ♪ four more days ♪ three more dreams ♪ mistletoe ♪ i can't believe i ever let you go ♪ ♪ five more nights of sleeping on my own ♪ ♪ four more days until you're coming hope ♪ ♪ three more wishes i can barely breathe ♪

♪ if i can make it to christmas eve then it's one more sleep ♪ ♪ it will be one more ♪ it will be one more ♪ one more sleep ♪ it will be one more ♪ one more sleep ♪ one more sleep ♪ yeah [ applause ] >> and we'll be right back. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up tomorrow we'll get creative with those gifts that weren't quite for you. >> and we're going to show you what to two with all that wrapping paper. >> and ambush makeovers. >> and how to make money making videos. >> we like to look back at some of the fun we had this past year. >> and thank all the people here behind the scenes who make it all possible, each and every day. merry christmas and our love to each and every one of them. god bless you all. >> there is a beautiful shot of the sunrise.

>> handing out roses. >> and there it is. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning. ♪ ♪ >> good, right? >> get a hug. >> i love it. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ >> i'm here to help. you and i will get through this together. ♪