. good morning. delivery debacle. u.p.s. and fedex forced to apologize after christmas packages don't arrive on time. this morning, the scramble to appease angry customers. >> my name is ron weinstein. i'm addressing this video to president obama. >> a u.s. government contractor kidnapped appears in a new hostage video. his plea to the president for help. christmas in the dark. nearly 200,000 people from michigan to maine still without power six days after that massive ice storm. things could get worse before they get better. roy reflection.

the queen looks back on 2013, welcoming her newest addition to the family. >> here my family is a little larger this christmas. >> shares never before seen video of prince george today, december 26, 2013. >> from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and good morning, everyone, welcome to "today" on a thursday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> i'm willie geist. i hope you had a great christmas. maybe you're just waking up with family. >> we're back to work. >> we had a great christmas. >> it was nice. >> yours is a little eggnogy? >> yes. that's a good way to celebrate. >> we had the eggnog at my house. one day a year.

then you move on from it. >> the uncle make the mean batch of egg nog? >> that was a couple weeks ago. we were safe this year. >> all right. we got a big top story this morning. it has to do with christmas two of the nation's biggest package shippers, u.p.s. and fedex under fire for failing to deliver on time. gabe gutierrez is following this story from atlanta. good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. we have seen fedex and u.p.s. trucks hitting the road already this morning. bad weather and higher demand were just overwhelming. it was supposed to be over, but today the mad rush is back on. u.p.s. and fedex rushing to clear a back log of packages to mad customers who didn't get their gifts in time for christmas. >> i want my package. >> reporter: those companies blame the delays on weeks of bad weather and soaring online sales, even though earlier this month a u.p.s. manager told nbc this.

>> if you pick it up on the 23rd, our next day air service will get it to you by christmas. >> promise? >> promise. >> reporter: but now many customers aren't laughing. she paid for crush delivery, but her family's presents never made it. >> disheartening not to share gifts with others when all the gifts were being opened. >> reporter: customers sounded off on social media. u.p.s. stands for undelivered partial shipment. in response the company is saying the volume of air packages in our system exceeded the capacity of our network. we apologize. that apology echoed by fedex, which is calling the high volume an extraordinary event. but in north carolina, heidi grant, mother of three, is looking on the bright side. >> i guess the benefit was christmas is going to last longer. they're going to have more gifts to open in a couple days. >> reporter: neither fedex nor

u.p.s. have said exactly how many packages were delayed. in the holiday shopping period the shorter holiday shopping period from thanksgiving to christmas they have dealt with 275 million packages. back to you. >> this happened to you, right. >> i got a card yesterday from my dad. and there was nothing in the card and said u.p.s. is on its way. this happened to a lot of people. really upset about it. you can understand why. >> a lot of people are going to be upset by that. meanwhile, a pretty cold christmas for thousands of people from michigan to maine. still left in the dark from the weekend's brutal ice storm and today's forecast not doing a lot to help utility crews. >> still cold in the same areas and we have snow and we have strong, gusty winds, too. in the areas hit hardered by that ice storm this weekend and that could set crews back even further. throughout the midwest and

northeast, downed trees and power lines and ice that shows no sign of melting in freezing temperatures. all fall out from last weekend's brutal ice storm, still wreaking havoc. worst hit, michigan, where more than 150,000 remain without power christmas day. george, his wife, marion and their dog left behind their stockings left by the chimney to seek warmth at a motel. >> we spent our anniversary here, 23 years. very romantic. >> reporter: the charlie family brought their stockings with them. >> everybody is having a really tough time and we still don't have any power. but we don't care, we're together. >> reporter: crews worked tirelessly giving up their own holiday to restore power to cold residents who have been without heat, some for five days. >> we've got 800 men and women working in the field to try to get as many families and homes restored with power.

we know how important this time of year is and we're working very hard and diligently. >> reporter: a home with heat even if it comes after christmas. affected our neighbors to the north in canada. still have 160,000 people without power and, obviously, still even colder up there. so no relief in sight. >> what a way to spend christmas. thanks so much. meantime, more confusion this morning when it comes to the president's health care law. for the second time this week the white house has announced yet another extension. nbc peter alaxeneder is traveling with the president and we find him in hawaii. good morning to you. explain, i thought we had the final, final deadline earlier this week and now a little exception to it. >> yeah, there is a small exception to that. this is only being done on a case-by-case basis, savannah. if you're watching and you think you can go to the website and sign up for coverage, it's too late for you. the administration trying to accommodate that last-minute surge and they're allowing

people to call in and enroll for coverage by the deadline that they may still be able to do it. they would have to show because of problems with the federal website. but consider this, there was certainly a record surge as the white house had anticipated. enrollment over the course of the last several days running through some of the states right now. connecticut on monday 6,700 enrollments and washington state 20,000 enrollments last weekend. and, in fact, in california they had more than 100,000 enrollments between friday and monday. that means in four days they had more enrollments than they had in the entire month of october and november. the problem right now is that this puts a lot of pressure on the insurers to try to process hundreds of thousands of new applicants, new enrollies in just a matter of days before the new year begins. i mean, what happens if you have a problem on january 1st or second. insurers need to make sure you're covered and a lot of people may have enrolled but some problems with the information insurers are getting right now and some people

haven't received their insurance cards yet. right now if you're concerned about that. one thing you can do is reach out to your insurer and, savannah, make sure you pay your premium. if you do that in a lot of states by january 10th, make sure you're retroactively covered by the first of the year. >> meanwhile you're there in this tropical location the president, once again, spending his christmas there in hawaii. tell us about their day. >> they woke up as we understand from the white house the family waking up and singing carols and then the first lady and the president went over to marine corps base hawaii where they were visiting with some of the troops and thanking them for their service. we understood they were only going to take pictures with a couple of the families that are there but they took pictures with all 580 troops and their families. the right thing to do, obviously, just to give you a sense. they're in a pretty joyful mood. 33 degrees as i understand it in d.c. and the last we understand,

it was 82 for the high yesterday. >> rub it in peter. hope you had a good holiday, too. see you in a little bit. >> all right, peter, thanks. natalie is here with a new hostage video released overnight. >> he is a u.s. government contractor kidnapped by al qaeda militants in pakistan in 2011 and now he's pleading with the obama administration to negotiate with his captors. the videotape message was sent wednesday to several journalists and nbc martin fletcher is in london with more on this. good morning to you, martin. >> hi, natalie, good morning. al qaeda released this video to coincide with christmas and begins with a prisoner's sad face. my name is warren weinstein and i'm addressing this video to president obama. 72 years old from maryland was captured more than two years ago in pakistan while working as a u.s. government contractor. in the video he pleads for help. he's saying to obama, now when i need my government, it seems

i've been totally abandoned and forgotten. so, i, again, appeal to you to instruct your appropriate officials to negotiate my release, weinstein said on the video. now, no direct response to this appeal yet. but the government said it will not negotiate with his kidnappers or with anyone else who kidnaps americans. natalie? >> martin fletcher covering the story in london. thank you. former nsa contractor edward snowden warns people about the privacy laws in a message broadcast on christmas day. spoke in a short video believed to be recorded in moscow where he was granted temporary asylum. >> a child born today will grow up with no conception of privacy at all. they'll never know what it means to have a private moment to themselves, an unrecorded, un unanalyzed thought and that is a problem because privacy matters. >> on tuesday snowden said in an interview in "the washington post" he achieved what he said

utto do. the u.s. revoked his passport and demanded he be sent home to face charnels for stealing state secrets. new tension after japan's prime minister visited a controversial war shrine. he paid his respects at the shrine in tokyo where japanese war criminals are honored. the site has long been a cause of tengs between japan and china along with other asian nations. china and south korea quickly condemned his visit calling it an obstacle to bilateral relations. at least one more day before christmas ships reach a cruise ship stuck in the ice near antarctica. the russian-operated ship sent out a distress call early christmas morning. 57 people onboard and they are believed to have enough food and water to last them a few more days. the man accused of opening fire on tsa agents in los angeles will be arraigned today. paul was indicted last week on 11 federal charges, including murder. prosecutors accuse him of walking into l.a.x. airport and

pulling out a semi automatic rifle and firing on tsa agents. three other people were wounded. a 72-year-old man is alive today thanks to the quick work of a police officer and a couple the man was trapped inside a burner car in the middle of a busy los angeles freeway. this rescue was captured with a cell phone camera. officials say the driver crashed his car into the concrete barrier and then it burst into flames. don thompson, a member of the lapd bomb squad then rushed in to help. he unbuckled the unconscious man's seat belt and he and two other people carried the man to safety. the police officer said if the driver had been trapped just another ten seconds or so it might have been too late. that is unbelievable. amazing. great job on their part. >> natalie, thank you. turn back to dylan. what are we looking for in the weather? >> more snow. just kind of salt in the wound at this point because we've already been without power for

so many days because of the weekend's ice storm and still have snow coming down across parts of michigan. we also have some lake enhancement some of these snow showers through northeastern ohio and northwestern areas across pennsylvania, too. but look near syracuse and the tug hill plateau. we have these winds that are going to produce, perhaps, as much as 18 inches of snow over the course of the next 48 hours. so, that's going to be an area where we will see most of our snowfall accumulations. you can see right off the shores of lake ontario. we can see as much as a foot and a half of snow. else where we should see six to nine inches and in the lighter shade of blue, about three to six. all about that lake-effect snow that we are going to see. else where, we are looking at just a couple of spotty snow showers. those should really fall apart before they get into the new york city area, even up into boston mix with a little bit of rain before we start to see any problems up that way. freezing fog is going to be a major concern right through the plains into oklahoma, where we could see some very slippery conditions this morning.

we also have some reports of freezing fog out across the west coast in oregon, as well. that's a look at the weather across the country, your local forecast is coming up in just 30 second. nd. 7:14 on a thursday morning. good morning. i'm meteorologist christina loren. beautiful sky over san francisco. it's a spare the air day. a lot of haze out there but temperatures are going to climb out of the 30s into the 70s today so. temperatures ramping up by 73

degrees in morgan hill. 70 for los gatos, 68 degrees in pacific heights and san francisco a 40-degree climb between now and 2:00 p.m. ron mott at macy's in new york's herald square. good morning. >> good morning the die hards have been at it for a few hours already this morning. macy's opening at 6:00 and some stores opening earlier than that and the hope for retailers like macy's is that they have a big finish to the most important shopping season of the year. for weeks, millions have shopped and shopped, now stores are gearing up to entice them in to drop even more. the name of the after christmas game, discount, discount, discount. >> a lot of these stores have

overstocked. while they promoted during black friday. after christmas, people are returning items, which shelves are more stocked. >> reporter: experts say retailers are courts customers, especially those itching to spend some of the $30 billion worth of gift cards forecasts were left under trees. deals on everything from clothes, toys, shoes, even gas are the carrots being used to woo bargain hunters. >> bottom line is stores want them to shop there and often. >> reporter: this important after-christmas period as worry about target security breach continues. target's traffic was done as company executives seeking ways to appease some 40 million cardholders whose information the company says was exposed to hackers from late november through mid-december. for now, though, target and other retailers would like nothing more than to bag a few more sales before shoppers say, we're done. a lot of the deals people can

expect over the next couple of weeks are 40 to 60% off. some retailers marking things 5 father-in-law likes to say, they're practically giving it away. >> ron motte in herald square. thanks so much. >> screaming deal. you are up at 6:00 a.m. the day after christmas, you're dedicated. >> when do you give up and call it quits? >> sleep in, folks. sleep in. you have plenty of time. you know who is up early, mario armstrong. >> i had a great holiday. thanks so much for asking. how about you guys? >> yes, thank you. >> hope you had a great holiday spending time with family and friends. i know some of you are upset. we have been tracking you on social media and everyone is a little disappointed about ups and packages not arriving on time. we can certainly understand that. this tweet, i can't believe i

shipped gifts for two-day delivery, they will now arrive a week later under #upsfails. then all those complaining about missed package, don't wait until the last couple of weeks to order. u.p.s. is brown, not superman. #beprepared. third one, u.p.s. or fedex can never ruin my christmas. i got to spend time with family. a lot of people are still worried about their packages but look ahead by looking back at 2013 through the world of bing. we're going to tell you the top searches of 2013 on the web. so, stick around for that. >> sounds good. seems like deejay patty cakes has the right idea. >> following her because of the name. >> brought it all back in perspective. coming up, the year of the royals. the queen is reflecting on the past year and sharing some never

before scene video of young prince george. plus, get ready to dig deeper. the staples you'll pay for in 2014. but, first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, didn't get a gift receipt. we have your guide to many happy post-holiday returns. and then -- a heartwarming christmas reunion for a mom and her soldier son. we'll meet them after your local news. we all have our tricks.

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>> a very good thursday morning to you. 7:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. two men are suffering from what firefighters call critical burn injuries this morning after a house went up in flames in san francisco. more than 100 firefighters were called to the home on baker street next to golden gate park. firefighters say it appears the blaze started on the third floor of the four-story victorian home. while crews worked to put out the flames they found the men in the house. they were badly burned. the victims had spent several years restoring the house. the cause is under investigation. >> police asking for help finding the person who broke into a family's home and stole the christmas presents from under the tree. the family didn't realize until the children woke up christmas

morning and rushed to the tree. detectives believe the robber may be related to other burglaries in the area. newark police donated $200 to the family. that grinch out there, let's check their weather. that's much better. >> even though it's the day after christmas we still don't want grinches out there. good morning. the weather is going to be warm. san jose showing a clear sky. lots of sunshine all day long. it will be hazy, a milky sky through all of that thick particulate matter. 30s and 40s into the 70s, looking pretty good in san jose. 71 here, peninsula 70 and palo alto looking toward the mid-60s and the north bay, east bay and the tri-valley. cooler through friday. then we continue to cool you off as we head into saturday and sunday. but along with the cooldown comes better air quality. it's a spare the air day. likely tomorrow as well. let's check the drive. >> look at the backup at the toll plaza. made you look. no problem.

no metering lights and no backup. not even the cash lanes. only slowing you see on ashby avenue, even that is just orange. we see red so that's a nice movement there. an easy drive flew the tri-valley into the south bay for 680 south through sunol and the rest of the bay showing green, yellow at the worst and most spots with the yellow are only down to 58, 57 miles per hour. >> not bad. right. thanks so much. thank you for joining us as well. we'll be back with another update in a half hour.

[ music playing ] ♪ jingle bells, jingle bells ♪ >> 7:30 now on this day after christmas thursday, december 26th, 2013. take a good look at that tree. glowing brightly for a few more days. we come out checking out if you are in this area. we hope you have a good holiday. sa van fa guthrie, willie wiest and miss natalie morales. >> ups and fedex dealing with angry customers this morning who failed to receive christmas packages on time. a slew of december storms are being blamed for the delay. it was a dark christmas in parts of michigan and maine where power is still out from that weekend ice storm. one problem, cold weather is

keeping that ice from melting. of course, it is slowing the repair work there. >> the president and first lady took time on christmas to spread a little holiday cheer. they visited troops and family in hawaii, thanking troops for their service to this country. holiday supplies that will touch your heart. all this mom wanted for christmas was her son serving in afghanistan to visit. as you see, she got her wish in spectacular fashion dressed in a santa suit. both mom and son are here this morning. >> we recommend a box of tissues to bring you that story. >> we cannot wait to meet them. let's win with how the royals spent their holiday t. queen looked back at a memorable year and shared a never before seen video of her great grandson george. >> reporter: this year the royal family was out in force and in festive mood. prince harry back from the pole but still keeping his beard.

>>ny own family is a little larger this christmas. >> baby george has been sharing the queen's christmas speech, which contains behind the scene shots from the kristening. >> as many of you will know the arrival of a baby gives everyone a chance to contemplate the future with renewed happiness and hope. for the new parents, life will never be quite the same again. >> just a year ago, a mood was very different t. queen and the younger royals went in and out of hospital where prince philip was recovering from one of several health scares. almost forgotten, though, when the duke and duchess of cambridge came out of hospital holding prince george alexander dewey. >> that was one of the royal highlights, stories for a generation. even bigger than the royal wedding. it has that real sense of magic about it. then back to reality as william strapped the future king to the car, like every other dad. another greinke i break with tradition when kate's dad took

the first family photo and baby george and tharnts spent the first weeks at home to take mom, carol the royal family was reunited for the kristening, prince george taking things regaly in a long traditional gown t. royal couple, william kick started their life as a family. even when prince charles becomes king, william and kate will stay here. a place where william can be a king in training. taking on more senior royal duties, also free to be himself. [ music playing ] >> reporter: prince harry celebrated last year with british troops in afghanistan, earned his apache wings and managed to squeeze in a trip to washington, charming michelle obama and veteran's families. a quick salute to the navy in australia and a frenzy of fans, the british socialite upon him,

his biggest challenge this year, a trek to the south pole with wounded veterans, which had grandma shuddering. >> of course not. >> reporter: a triumph for charity and a personal achieve. to set the tone for the next royal year. >> they're not just ribbon cutters, these people want to roll their sleeves up and do things in a different way. >> reporter: lots more charity work is coming up and baby george's first overseas trip is on the cards. could it be harry who plays the church, for "today" abc news, london. >> could it be? >> another royal wedding. >> by the way, we have breaking news the queen has also named natalie morales honorary member of the royal family. >> a citizen in the u.k.. >> i think i was there. >> you spoept much time. >> almost two weeks. a little over two weeks. >> i think you were longer than

two weeks. >> natalie, 12 days. >> remember. >> i almost came back with a fake british accent. >> we are bringing you updates from your. so you can get to know what they have grown up to be young men. >> i know. >> well, dylan has a check of the weather. what does it look like out there? >> it's cold ought eastern half of the country. it's warm in the western half. we have temperatures above average there. the jet stream is well north of the northern plains. we got an area of high pressure back to the southwest. that's helping to bump up temperatures a little bit. in fact, we should be about 10 degrees above average. it's not like this is a massive warm-up. 49 not too bad. denver 52. also nice. further to the southwest, it is downright hot and very dry, too. we have red flag warnings across southern parts of california. temperatures in l.a. should top out around 80 degrees, 12

degrees above average. now that warm air will move eastward. it moderates a lot before it max it here. snow showers in the northeast. lake effect snow showers, too. a littl >> good morning to you. well, you made it through christmas, hopefully you had a great one. temperatures are going to feel like the end of spring or early summer as we get through this afternoon. even though we're now at the end of december. and this is the first official thursday of the new season. we kick off winter on saturday so here's what we're looking at. san francisco a shake to the camera, temperatures climbing into the 70s, hard to believe that when you start out in the 20s in the north bay. about 63 in sausalito. 69 on the play to pleasanton. and, of course, for your forecast any time, you can head over to the weather channel or check it out on weather.com. >> thanks, a lot. coming up next, thinking of moving, got a sweet tooth? how to save right now on things that will cost you more in 2014. >> on trending. a beautiful moment.

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[ man ] two minutes! tea time. [ female announcer ] for a little oomph, try new lipton natural energy tea. [ donkey brays ] . >> we are back at 7:41. if you are feeling lighter post-christmas. prices for some of your favorite things, certain fess saysties are expected to rise if 2014. our "today" financial editor, jean, gas prices are going down, right? >> by about .7 of a gallon which followed a drop last year. >> that itself the good news. onto the bad. >> a real staple, beef is going up, we saw prices in 20 lean. >> beef prices hit a high in 2013. the cattle is continuing to rise. you have cattle rustleing believe it or not. beef prices are headed up again.

>> what's your tip if you want to keep these bills down. >> for guys areries across the board, first of all, you want to shop mid-day morning. that's when you see the manager's special. you also want to boy things on sale. >> talk about bread, school lunch, bread is going up, too, why? >> wheat and wheat flour prices are increases 4-5%. so you won't see prices just go up on bread but cereal and everything else in that category, again, if you have a favorite brand of cereal, buy it on sale, buy two boxes. put one away. bread buy it at the end of the day, that's when prices tend to get cut. look at salad prices. >> shipping, the preshipping offers. this is a good time the take advantage, prices are going up. >> prices of packaged shiping from the post office is expected to go up 2.4% next year and forever stamps are going up 3 cents, which is really unusual. usually they go up a penney at a

time. january 26th, they're set to rise to 49 cents. this is supposed to be a temporary increase. they will go back down. we will see what happens with inflation buy them now. >> sven it supposed to go up? >> january 26th. >> it's a little late to stock up. home prices, for years and years, we had a kind of a basket case in the home market, so it's good to see the prices go up. >> it depends on which side you are on. we saw prices go up this year, next year, up 3-5% t. best thing you can do is a work on your credit score because you can actually lock into fairly low mortgage rates still and make sure you shop around for that mortgage because really prices do tend to be, there tends to be some wiggle room in that market. >> we have been seeing interest rates going up a bit. do you still think that's the momentum is in the way of rising interest rates? >> yes, absolutely. >> that is where things are likely to go.

as we heard from ben bernanke, we can really not worry about this too much until it reaches 2015. >> chocolate. some people wouldn't consider this an essential item. i am not one of those people. >> i am not one either. >> the price of chocolate is going up. >> significantly. actually, by 26%. there are a lot of things playing into that equation. among them, though, increased demand from chocolate. >> we are market movers. >> right. >> so best tim i have here, buy the dark stuff. it actually, you can satisfy yourself with a little bit less. so even if you do take the stacks in the freezer, break one stack off. >> it is supposed to be healthier. i know you aren't a financial editor. >> i do. i keep a stack if my freezer. they're hershey bars. >> thank you so much. have a good new years. coming up on trending. look familiar, practicef that many guys, yes, they really do hate shopping. then up next, who were you searching for in 2013?

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[ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. back at 7:48. let's head over to the orange room. mario armstrong in for carson this morning with a look at the most searched items of 2013. you don't want to know what savannah was just searching. we'll turn it over to you. >> wasn't good. >> i don't want to know. savannah, put the phone down. top searches of 2013. we have the director for bing searches for bing trends, rather, craig, how are you? let's jump right into this.

get right to the first category. the most searched person is. >> well, it's a shake-up this year, for every year after year it was kim kardashian. but in 2013, it was actually beyonce. >> wow, awesome. all this time kim kardashian. were you guys excited? >> we were excited to see a change at the top. we were tired of seeing the kardashians, between the super bowl the blackout. i don't want to blame her. >> i'm a raiders fan. let not go back there. between super bowl pictures of baby ivy. clearly to celebrate. she dropped a new album. >> all the people searched were all women. top five. >> it was amazing, the top five were all women, whether madonna, taylor swift. rihanna, kim kardashian or beyonce. >> let's look at the most searched news story for 2013. >> babies in the news again. we saw the royal baby. everyone was on bing searching for the latest information. so it was nice to see positive fun news rise to the top of the list on bing, certainly there

was a share of tragedy between the boston marathon and bombing came in at number two. the kidnappings in cleveland. >> the zimmerman trial. >> the gun control debate was at the top of everybody's list. >> you guys broke down song categories. everyone that loves music. what was the top song searched for in 2013? >> it was a big year in seattle. we got ryan lewis with thrift shop at number one of the most searched song on bing. >> $20 in my pocket. before we go, will you tally up the most searched news show. the most searched morning news show, folks. guess who won this one? >> congratulations all around. the "today" show came in at number one. >> i asked him before the segment, you are not just doing this because are you in the orange room hanging out with us? no, you were the most searched. it makes sense. we had big highlights. over 2 million visitors.

we have the orange room this ye year. we're huge. we are the best. >> it's been a big year for you guys. >> that showed on bing. >> we will send it back to the news desk. >> thanks, for coming and telling us how super we are. >> you already knew that? >> no conflict of interest, whatsoever. thanks so much, guys. coming up next on trending, why you actually want to get pulled over for speeding in one city on christmas day. just how some afghanistan dresses up as santa and gives his mom the thing she wanted for christmas. ♪ [ laughter ] ♪ [ male announcer ] for tim and richard smucker,

giving a gift of their family's delicious jam always made the holidays just a little bit sweeter. we forgot to put our names on them! richard, i think they'll know who it's from. ♪ thank you boys. you're welcome. you're welcome. [ male announcer ] happy holidays from our family to yours. i love christmas! no, i'm good. ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette,

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very good thursday morning to you. i'm laura garcia-cannon. gilroy police are looking for a man in connection with a christmas day murder. this is a photo of 21-year-old ernesto rodriguez from a year ago but authorities say overnight alma ortega, the same age, found dead in the family's apartment. the family found ortega in the room but rodriguez was missing. ortega did have a restraining order against him. he may be armed with a knife and is considered dangerous. police asking for help in finding a person who broke into a home and stole the christmas presents from the tree. the family didn't realize until the children woke up christmas morning. the robbery may be related to a recent burglary in the area. they gave the family $200.

don't have to pay for the forecast. it's free and nice. >> it ispcn pretty nice. this is the kind of weather that you want to enjoy when you have the time off. and a lot of people do so yeah, we're goingbí(ñ hit the 70s. it's pretty chilly for you last minute shoppers or returning anything, of course you can get a lot of discounts the day after christmas. temperatures are going to be in the 60s and 70s. 71 degrees, in the north bay, east bay 72 at room temperature, about 10 to 15 degrees above average this time of year with hazy sunshine. it's a spare the air day. friday, mostly clear and hazy start but good news for you. area of low pressure is going to come through tomorrow night. that will bring more moisture and also kick up winds that will mean better air quality as we get into the upcoming weekend. looking good for all of you shoppers for today. and tomorrow temperatures in the 70s. 70 degrees. i'll be out there. back to you. >> i may join you, my friend. i'll have another update in

about a half hour. have a great thursday morning.

>> it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, many happy returns, from duplicate good faiths to bad fit. we will tell you everything i need to know before heading to the store. plus the sweetest gift of all. beyonce grants a very special wish for a young fan. and all she wants for christmas -- >> who is it from? >> a surprise holiday reunion for a mother and her soldier son. we'll meet them today, thursday, december 26th, 2013. [ music playing

[ music playing ] >> happy holidays, you all. >> happy holidays to our city in 2013. >> merry christmas, florida. >> we're celebrating 10 years of maernl at tmarriage at "today" . >> good morning, everyone, i'm savannah guthrie. matt and al have the morning off. >> we love them. >> there she goes. >> natalie, this is your song. >> yes, i hate this song. i love it. it's a peppy, upbeat song. okay, by starship. yeah, "we built this city."

you guys don't like my choice of music? >> it's not my favorite song. >> it's a relatively ''80s. >> very ''80s. >> i do love it. i will take another look at it. >> please do. i'll keep playing it over and over for you, savannah. >> and singing. all right. speaking of natalie, let's head pence for a check of the headline, natalie, what do you got? >> good morning to you all once again. a lot of angry customers are waiting for packages from ups and fedex. there is a big push. nbc's gabe gutierrez is in atlanta near world headquarters. good morning, dave. what are they trying to do to clear the mess up? >> natalie, good morning, ups brought in workers to score some of the package, ups and fedex trucks have hit the road, trying to calm those angry customers. both companies have apologized. they're blaming the delays on bad weather in recent weeks as

well as increased demands due to online sales. but that explanation is not sitting well with many customers. many who sounded off on social media. this morning, fedex released a statement saying the shortened holiday period between thanksgiving and christmas was overwhelming. they were projected to handle 257 million packages. the vast majority was delivered with high service standards. an explanation not sitting well the customers. this is hitting online retailers. amazon.com says it processed all of its ordered on time and is basically pointing the finger at ups. amazon is compensating some customers with $20 disribution cards and refund on some of the shipping charges. natalie, back to you. >> all right. gabe gutierrez in atlanta. thanks, so much. a battle is on to restore power to thousands of people in michigan and maine as crews are now working around the clock in frigid conditions to fix the power line.

nearly 200,000 customers have no electricity. they have been out of power sense last weekend's ice and snowstorms and may not get it back until this weekend. if you are having trouble signing up for health insurance. it is still not too late. the obama administration says it will help people get registered even if they miss the tuesday night deadline. they will be covered january 1st as long as they can show they've had trouble with the healthcare.gov website. 2 million visitors have been to that website. ha frl in the last minute rush this week. president obama is thanking the troops for their service in person. the president and first lady spent part of their christmas day in hawaii visiting with marines. president obama also made personal calls to ten service members stationed around the world to express his thanks. a new video shows an american being held captive by al qaeda in pakistan. 72-year-old warren weinstein was taken from his home in pakistan more than two years ago while working for an american company

weinstein says he feels abandoned and forgotten. he asked secretary of state kerry and the american media to help him. the video appears to be made by al qaeda. it has not been you a them indicated. there is no indication of when it was made. some starbucks customers take hang it foeshd to a whole next level. since early tuesday, every customer driving through this star bucks in connecticut found their coffee order was paid by the person ahead in line. when the shop closed at 5:00 chift christmas day the pay it forward numbers stood at nearly $450 customers t. first several orders this morning was also given to customers for free. good job. newington, connecticut starbucks, well done. you got to love that, guys. >> absolutely. i still have that song in my head, matt ♪ we built this city. >> it's growing.

i love it. let's get a check of the weather. >> it's chilly out here. >> you are just checking off thisgy's bucket list here. i love that everything on your bucket list can be done within about a ten block radius of right here. but speak port goes to natalie. can you speak port fwees? >> we are checking something else off now. we are just cruising right along through with the games. >> that is fantastic. we are going to see pretty chilly temperatures in the northeast, obviously, what we are seeing right now. back through columbus, ohio, today's pick city, it's chilly today, much, much better as we head through the weekend. 44 degrees by saturday. there is not a whole lot of freezing cold air. >> that 32 degrees line is inching north. except for northern minnesota into northern wisconsin where it is in the teens. we are going to see lake effect snow showers.

especially off lake ontario back through syracuse, or we could end up with several inches of snow, perhaps up to a foot 8:07. good thursday morning to you. i hope you had a great christmas. you got a good-looking day after temperatures. still chilly out there. it's going to be hazy today. spare the air day. you can see from our live picture here many san francisco, a little bounce to our camera. we are going to see some breezy conditions at the coast. this will help your air quality, but we're still sparing the air with the unhealthiest level of pollution here in the south bay. temperatures today unseasonably warm. climbing into the 70s. hazy sunshine. tomorrow mostly clear and hazy. an area of low pressure will come through. drop our temps and bring in better air quality. >> hand the is your latest forecast. >> thanks. coming up next, we have some stories we think you will like. how beyonce made one little girl's wish come true. plus the heart warming christmas surprise for a mother who thought her son was stationed overseas. surprise. we'll meet them.

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don't tough it out. knock it out! fast. [ female announcer ] only with abreva. knock it out! fast. celebrations is here. the brissell proheat pet carpet cleaner on rollback. 4-packs of campbell's chicken noodle or tomatato soup. mmm mmm. and 6-packs of dannon's oikos greek yogurt. it's the super savings celebration going on right now at walmart. it's deliciously dark, just before dawn. it's welcoming the sunrise with a taste of vanilla biscotti. with folgers gourmet selections, you can enjoy a variety of roasts and flavors from one perfectly brewed k-cup or a freshly brewed carafe. ♪ turn any day gourmet with folgers gourmet selections. ♪ . >> we are back now at 8:11.

here's what's trending today, the business pencer, there, the mcdonald's internal resource, news of it temporarily shutting down made headlines. it became notorious for giving insensitive advice to employees. first the budget planning tool that did not account for food and relied on a second source of income for employees. then there were headlines there is advice on how much to tip your pool cleaner and aupair. to ask for salad and a water. manying donald's is on the site red links irrelevant to outdated information. outside groups have taken it out of context. none of this helps our mcdonald's team members. so for the moment it is gone. i guess it's good intentions, perhaps. >> some said this site is

mcresource. >> that was a mcpr disaster. >> mcsite down. mcpool cleaner. >> and the au pair. meanwhile, trending on the washington post the pence secret of restaurant service. it turns out there is a sign language many waiters a us to communicate with each other without uttering a sound. it benefits the work flow in a noisy restaurant and in many cases creates a better dining experience. i have some signals. i want you to guess. what does this look like to you? pointing to his ring finger? >> an engage him or an anniversary. >> anniversary. that's an easy one. how about this next one. this is tough. two tops, but it's not. >> no, no that's a v, a very special person. vip. >> two top if you like this. >> it's not much of a secret. >> you throw them out.

>> no they go. >> number 3, check this out. what does this look look you? simple one down, a fastball. >> that's a curve. >> i don't know. birthday, very simple. a birthday. simple signal. >> really? >> here's our next one. >> dandruff? >> dandruff on that customer. >> oh. >> that is to clean the tables. >> oh. >> brush it off. >> finally. we have one more. >> three fingers and wiggleing the hands. >> very big vip. >> sparkleing water. >> someone told you here. >> who did that? >> thank you, erica. >> there you go.

>> >> how did we know sparkling water? trending on google, would you believe officers handed out speeding tickets on christmas. officers in melbourne, florida took pride, take a look at the ticket they were issued, traffic violators were rewarded with scratchoff tickets. instead of paying the fine, they had a chance to win the big one. hold them up. the officer said that traffic was particularly slow, so they went out and purchased tickets with their own money to deliver holiday cheer. as a result they got plenty of surprise from customers. >> the rule is our family, if you go over $100, you have to share your winnings with the rest of the family. >> that's a bogus rule. >> you guys are taking it to a new level. >> take a number over here.

>> it's mine, so if there is any -- >> we'll see if we have a winner. and trending on instagram as the holiday shopping season comes to a close, new light is shed on what goes on in busy stores. men, we caught you in an instagram account, miserable men. male shoppers are seen snoozeing, day dreaming, and, of course, carrying all the bag, which i didn't need an instagram account. >> oh, man. >> are you miserable when you shop? >> these stores have done a lot. they put tv with a football. they're speaking to us. >> finally. >> the man department. >> any winners here, guys? any winners? >> i don't know. >> if any of us are still here at the end of trending, i guess we didn't win. >> trending on youtube, a little girl's dream come true. meet kay lynn, doctors found an

inoperable brain tumor. she shares her wish with the make a wish foundation. her wish was to dance with beyonce. what do you think happened? beyonce did, indeed, distanance her and sang her a soveng encourage. . take a look at this little girl's reaction. [ music playing ] ah, that is amazing. good for beyonce. >> she sang the song "survivor." >> adorable. >> speaking of big celebrities, check out this story trending on busby, folks. anybody ready for a little throwback thursday maybe? >> throwback tuesday. look at former tv hit show "star search." it is dedicated to catapulting them to stardom. it turns out many contestants

actually slipped through the cracks. they missed some of "today requests biggest stars. here is who lost "star search." >> christina. [ music playing ] ♪. >> don't forgot they took me out for my first strawberry katri daiquiri. that was a big day a.pina colata for my big boy. [ music playing ] ♪ leann rimes. >> yeah. [ music playing ] >> i know who that is. you will see here. >> kc. >> a little bit country. >> i didn't know he had that

drawl. >> i didn't know he could do that knee wobble. >> it was great for the career. it worked out for all of them. i can't believe that. >> that is what's trending today and back then. now, a touching moment that gives new meaning to the term secret santa. take a look. >> reporter: for families like the rogiero's christmas can be the hardest day. mother leslie is a nurse in new jersey. her son travis stationed 67,000 miles away in afghanistan for six months unable to make it home for the holidays. so what does it say? >> so christmas eve when leslie's co-workers at ocean medical center surprised her with a letter from her son. >> where is it from? >> from -- >> where is he? >> afghanistan. >> she still didn't realize her biggest christmas surprise was yet to come.

[ applause [ applause ] >> and leslie is with us along with her son travis, good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> leslie you are still crying this morning? >> yes, still. >> take us back to that moment. because here you get this card from your son. we were all in tears. how did you feel when you turned around and there he was. >> it started off as such an uneventful day, the holiday season, then it's just amazing how just one little incident can change your life. your day forever and i'm still in awe of that. >> let's talk about that. how did you pull this off? your town is not so big, you were in town a few days basically laying low. >> my two cousins were a big help and i stayed at my cousin brandons. those were the only two that

really knew and my son and myself. we had a couple close calls, you know, but we were able to keep the secret. >> you ran into people you knew? >> i was in town for maybe 15 minutes and i was already on my way and my aunt was in the parking lot. i saw her, kept on driving, even texted my cousin. i just saw your mom. i have been in town 15 minutes, i'm seeing family. maybe i'm paranoid because i was so close. so even at the major intersections, looking around, you know, seeing what cars look familiar. >> well, you really pulled it off. you rented the santa suit yourself, right? >> yes. >> you did deliver candy and gifts to the kids after all of the was over? >> i did. i did. me and a grandgot together and put together about 50 grab bags, you know, cookies, candies, candy canes, you know, so after

everyone left, we made our trip around the hospital hasing them out to patients and nursing staff. >> leslie, you have a good son here. i know it must be tough to have him overseas. i know christ smas a specialty. what did it money to you to have him home? >> it meant a everything. we have a supportive family. a big family. it gets bigger and bigger. i'm sure it will be different for me because in a time of such joy, it's also a time to reflect on those less fortunate and the soldiers serving abroad especially my son and you know i was just saying. it's just not the same. he's always, he's been away from home for years, but always made that effort to be the family for christmas. >> keep the perfect record. >> eia. >> well, triumphs, leslie, it's so happy to see the both of you. eneye this time together.

we thank you for your service. >> we will send it over to willie. >> that's a great story. thanks, savannah. we know leslie wouldn't give back her christmas gift. if you have something you want to return. a money columnist for good house keeping magazine. carmen, good to see you. >> good morning. some places have better return policies than others. you picked three of your favorites. >> absolutely. here are my top three four returns at the school. number 3, cvs. you can return 100% on store brand poukts, also, all beauty products, even if it's opened and used. not necessarily cvs brands. >> how about nordstrom, another one you like. >> these guys won me over years ago, bought a pair of boots, let's say they did not fit after the baby was born. so a year later, free shipping on returns. no time limit. >> your favorite, number one is kohl's. >> no receipt, no return, always return, for the time limit.

people return anything. if you don't have a receipt, you can get a corporate refund or an exchange. >> you got tips as we move down here. there will be some return battles. not all the stofrs have these policies. let's talk first about the clock the. >> the clock ticks. you should know this, if you boy electronic, you have less time to return. for example, target's return is 90 days. if you buy electronics, tablet, 30 day, be careful set a reminder, 26 days out so you don't forget. >> we have a couple of rs. receipts, don't worry about these guys, a little bit with some folks. listen, use a credit card, debit card or gift card. they can look up your purchase up to 90 days backwards, macy's card two years worth of your shopping here's the thing, e-mail your receipts, gap does it. best buy.

you can have it all in one spot no time limit. >> you can ask at the register e-mail me the receipt? >> you will hav it on your computer. >> how about restocking fee, you don't heir hear what what that means. >> it means for electronics. they fall under two kanes, especially for example with sears they will charge you 15% restocking fee, amazon if you buy something and wait outside the return window 20% restocking fees. make sure you know that. >> let's talk about the way we are paying for things, how does it affect whether or not i can return it. >> i get a little flack, credit cards alone by law basically if it's a fraudulent item, you are covered. big ticket items do that. debit cards you don't have the same protection pay pal, a lot of folks will not give you a return. 'pay pal, you can return it in the store. >> good things to think about as

we head out for return days now. thanks, so much. good to see you. just ahead the hidden talents of team >> good morning. i'm laura garcia cannon. a well known homeless shelter in san francisco looking for a new home of its own. 12 years of helping young people in need in the city's ashbur yes neighborhood. the homeless youth alines shut its doors. the landlord decided to not renew the lease in october. officials are now looking for a new place to set up that shelter. about 5,000 kids count on the center every year. the high mcmath family give the teen as normal a christmas as possible. they put a christmas tree and

presents in their hospital room. i'll have another local news update in about half hour. in the meantime, hope you get a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather we're having across the bay area. we're also going check in with christina loren. she has a look at the forecast around the mall and even the beach today as well. have a great thursday morning. see you in about a half hour.

bette midler's dancing and the headlines. >> and dance until they drop. >> and hey, isn't that robert de niro, tonight, here on nbc. ♪ ♪ work hard play hard >> thank you. 8:30 this thursday morning. a great crowd, and early gathering in the cold. we're happy to have them here. good morning. did you guys get everything you wanted for christmas? >> yeah. >> you're from kentucky, right? >> yes. >> where are you from? >> lawrence, kentucky. >> how are you celebrating

today? >> statue of liberty and "wicked." >> do you get combo gifts? >> no, not norm. >> the real question is, how does everybody feel about "we built this city"? >> we're asking people on twitter. it's very mixed. some people are like, that's the worst song of all time, and i own it, i love it. it sticks in your head. coming up this half hour, reports from maria shriver that any parent of a young athlete should see. and the new alternative to the high cost of college preparing teens for careers. >> let's get a check of the weather with miss dylan. >> well, it's a little chilly in the northeast. as we go through the weekend, we will see areas warm up.

we'll see snow showers in the northeast but very light. lake-effect snow in the great lakes. freezing fog an issue, back in oklahoma. and then tomorrow, that fog is not so much of an issue but rain is going to take hold in southern texas and florida. the rest of the country looks nice. the whole week, now that we're past the ice storm from last week and it's calming down. lake-effect snow showers especial little near >> good morning. i'm meteorologist christina loren. south bay, 39 degrees right now. temperatures are chilly all across the board. as we head throughout the afternoon, we are going to climb from the upper 30s and 40s into the 70s. a good-looking day shaping up. especially if you are going to be heading out and about to any of our shopping malls. count on warm conditions. not just today as we head through tomorrow as well. upper 60s for tomorrow. union square, upper 60s for today and tomorrow for your shopping.

and, of course, for your forecast anytime, you can check out weather channel or go to weather channel.com. the countdown to sochi, 42 days. this morning, we thought we'd share some of the skills that won't be on display in russia. >> where did that come from? >> i don't know, pretty awesome. ♪ >> hear that? >> whoo! ♪ >> is that good? >> this is the like the first time i've ever been on a drum set. ♪ >> have to make it look like i'm in concert. ♪

>> oh, here we go. whoo-hoo! ♪ ahh! >> oh, yeah! >> okay! >> my hips don't lie. got to get it up, oh! >> oh, my, this is embarrassing right now. ♪ and that's all i know. ♪ >> see -- cut! ♪ >> maybe they should stick to the winter sports for the most part. lindsey vonn a verile talented downhill skier. on a set of drum, not so much. it's be honest. >> no. >> nick, i forgot his last name being able to do that. >> that's right. >> the action from sochi begins in 42 days. february 5th. we'll see it right here on nbc.

back inside to savannah. the issue of sports related brain injuries has become a concern for parents of athletes. nbc's maria shriver has a close are look. and a die hard green bay packers fan dr. mckee has dedicated her career for hopefully finding a cure for sports related inju injuries. >> i think they're high risk. the longer you play and more successfully you play, the higher the likelihood is that you'll develop problems. >> reporter: neuropathologist an mcgee studies the brain. her goal, diagnose and find a cure for chronic traumatic

encephalopathy. >> it's been associated with trauma. >> reporter: many researchers believe cte develops from hits like this. and this. tackles that rattle a player's brain inside his helmet. >> we cannot have them acting like gladiators out there. they're suffering from severe injuries with hits that we encourage from the sidelines. >> dr. mcgee gave me back my prince charming. >> reporter: lisa mchale's husband played college football for five seasons. their marriage seemed like a fairy tale until the last years tom suffered from depression and addiction both of which they say were linked to cte. >> it's so different from the man i had known and began to question my memories of him. >> reporter: at the age of 45,

after three attempts at rehab, tom overdosed. >> when anne explained to me about cte, it's as though i had confirmation that tom had been real. he had simply been losing his mind. >> reporter: tom's brain is one of over 1 fatty that dr. mckee has at the brain bank. with 70% seeing the need for cte. brett favre told matt lauer that the hits he had taken through his career had taken a toll. >> i talked to several doctors and one of them is not being able to finish a sentence or not remembering a specific word. i noticed lately if there's any symptom at all, that one being the one that shows the most. >> reporter: hall of famers tony dorsett and harry carson admit post concussion super bowl related issues.

junior seau admitted suicide. as well as dave dorason. >> he was age 50. >> reporter: in august the nfl reached a $765 million settlement with thousands of players suffering the effects of long-term head trauma. the nfl tells nbc news it has taken many steps including funding medical research and instituting new rules. all part of what it says is a profound commitment to the health and safety of its players. >> success for me to be able to identify this disease during life and absolutely, most importantly, being able to stop it in its tracks. >> conversations like this are now the new norm. and parents need to be thinking about the impact sports are having on their children. families need to think about how brain injury could affect them because it becomes a family disease. >> absolutely. we love the competition so much. but this is a conversation that

needs to be had or you'll pay for it later. maria, thank you. coming up next, un-college. the way for teens to get ready for a four-year career without all that

. >> back at 8:41. millions of high school seniors will soon make one of the biggest decision of their lives, where to go to college? for some a degree may not be the answer. here is "today's" contributing correspondent jenna bush hager. >> reporter: zuckerberg, branchson, gates, all brilliant millionaires and self-made success stories with something else in common, none of these overachievers graduated from college. it's an idea that david looper can get behind. >> ideally i either want to start a company or be a part of a company that contributes real

value to the world. >> they agree. >> if you want to learn and teach results, around results with people that are knowledgeable and can help you. >> reporter: when it comes to getting a college degree that i both say no thanks,. >> i'm going towards the same goals as people who are in university but i believe in taking a much more direct route. >> reporter: a more direct route is precisely the goal of uncollege, where david and an fa are called fellow, not students. >> i am not motivated by grades, i'm motivated building the careers to create the results i want. >> all hand picked first class. >> they are people committed. >> reporter: the program is the brain child of dale stevens. it's a loosely structured gap year of sorts. for yung adults who may have the means and grades to attend a top institution but just don't want to. >> it's a very american idea that you can be successful on your own and you can create your own education. >> for this initial san francisco group, it's a

competitive year long college alternative, comprised of networking, creative projects and traveling abroad. >> when people talk about college, does it mean more than academics or what is your philosophy on that? >> i think the structure changed more to reflect what actually happens in college. >> that would be a benefit for everyone. >> stevens is a proud college dropout. >> do you think our college and university system in the united states is inherently flawed? >> i think our college university system is overpriced and it's under delivered. >> reporter: recent figures put college costs at $14,000 for under graduate tuition and board it more than doubles to 38,000 at a private institution. >> i would have been $100,000 in debt. >> reporter: for comparison sake, uncollege costs roughly $15,000 with the idea to find a job after just one year versus four. >> personally, i don't want to get into debt.

i don't want to be to where i find a job and if i don't like it i have to stay there to pay off my loan. >> reporter: but so many do. for each bachelor borrower on average it's between $25-$30,000 owed after four years. but rather than give up on the four-year model some are trying to reinvent a less expensive but top tier college experience. it's called the minerva problem. former senator and u.s. school president bob kerry is minerva's executive chairman. one of the cornerstones i think of this program is you are trying to bring down the costs for students. >> we want to produce the highest quality for low costs. our tuition costs will be $10,000. >> reporter: the for profit program admits less than 20 students for fall. ultimately, students will live in various designated cities world wide, culturally immersed in a local landscape while

taking courses in a virtual one. >> we want to prepare you for not just the work force when you graduate but life after you graduate from college. >> reporter: are virtual courses viable? only time will tell. minerva still needs original accreditation. they have high hopes for the university model. >> i think we will have a much richer array of offerings than most of the universities are able to do. >> reporter: as for uncollege the stes e success of its first class remains to be seen. >> do you know where you want to go? >> reporter: so far david and an fa are convinced. they are doing re-imageening as well. >> i think there are ways to build credentials than a certificate that you went to a four-year program. >> reporter: for "today" jenna bush-hager. >> a lot of people are rethinking college, if you got that 4-year-old, you think what it will cost in 14 years? how will we do this? >> for so many students, coming out with that debt the job

market not what it used to be. >> it makes sense. >> coming up next, avon calling. how an american institution is now helping with imin far off places build a much brighter future. first, this is "today" on nbc.

snoetsz ♪ >> we are back at 8:48 t. story about the power of beauty. a company known for its makeup using products to inform the lives living in poverty. chief editor dr. nancy sneiderman has the story. >> it's morning in a south african township where half the people are unemployed. but this woman is getting ready to go to work for a 120-year-old american icon. she an avon lady.

>> this is the edition from a avon. >> reporter: she is a role model for many african women ready to lift themselves out of poverty by becoming entrepreneurs. >> avon is a company for women. it putsed into on your table and must gather. >> a pretty good thing [ music playing ] always take time out for beauty. >> avon calling. >> reporter: it's hard to believe the avon lady we remember from generations ago is shriveing in one of south africa's poorest townships. 150,000 people are crammed into tiny tin shacks built right next to open sewers. yet, this is not a place of despair because just like alice, many women here who would never imagine the life of prosperity are learning to believe in themselves. >> we're empowering women to be financially independent if they can fight, then they can join

also to the people out there. >> when a woman gets that first piece of money in her hands, what's her reaction? >> she's excited. >> yes. >> you didn't know that? >> i didn't know this. >> i think that's the whole point. >> i will give a speech. >> reporter: alice now earns ten times more money than when she was cleaning houses. she has recruited hundreds of other avon ladies and tracks their deals on her laptop. once computer illiterate, these women are taught basic business skills and they must make a motivational picture of all the things they want to buy. it's called a dream board. >> then the blackberry. and it was a my washing machine. >> reporter: for alice, the

dream was tending her boy to school. >> on the dream board. what is left. >> i think you won't. >> economic freedom also means freedom from guns and domestic violence. she is now alice's business deputy. not so long ago, an fa says she was selling hot cakes at the bus stop and being brutally beaten at home. >> you were in an abusive marriage? >> i remember the one day he beat an axe on my back. >> with an axe? >> an axe. >> now he's gone. >>. >> now he's gone, out of my life. >> you feel safe? >> i feel safe. within i wake up, i just think about my job and i love my job. >> anna has inspired her daughter to get into the business, too. she just opened her own beauty shop from money she earned as an

avon lady. >> how do you think what you are doing is going to change the economics of south africa? >> i think i am going to be an example to most of the young girls out there. they have to be independent. >> you can call me and give me your orders. >> for what you have learned, do you feel a responsibility to bring women along with you? >> yes. . because if it is somebody to help economics, to pick up the be to teach others to do the same. so it all goes on and on. everyone is self sufficient. >> for "today," nancy sneiderman, south africa. >> you can see their faces and eyes, it's amazing. >> getting that first dollar. you know. >> is that the new tag line? mascara on your eye? >> we are back with more of "today" in a moment. first, this is "today" on nbc.

. >> all right, 9ers, what do you have coming up next hour? >> probably the best reaction you will see to a christmas present. >> then that is the gift that got regifted and really, pal. >> i got caught regifting from the gift on the television. >> hard to pull that one off. >> it is. the everyday was all there. >> it is yours was the reaction. >> this is yours.

>> you couldn't even fool a 4-year-old. >> my 4-year-old. >> did you teach them the important economic message in that, being able to -- >> there you go. >> we'll get you that today. we'll get you that today. >> a teachable moment. >> also, did you get that high-tech gift you wanted. you can't seem to get it working like x-box 1.

seth curry taking a break from the court today to help families in need. curry and feed the children will hand out food to 400 oakland families. he managed part of the nba care season of giving campaign. let's continue it. want to check the forecast. nice day. >> nice day. good morning to you. 8:56 now. temperatures still pretty chilly, but we are going to

climb out of the 40s into the 70s. unseasonably mild today. running about ten to 15 degrees above average. we're going to lose this through the next couple of days. we're also going to get better air quality. it is another spare the air day. looking towards tomorrow, and then improving air quality saturday into sunday. it's a fantastic day. stay safe if you are going to be shopping.

>> from nbc news, this is "today's" take with al roker, natalie morales and willie geist, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today" on this thursday morning december 26th, 2013 a. great post-christmas crowd outsid i'm willie geist along with natalie. al has the morning off. i hope you had a great, great christmas. >> yours was good? >> especially since i heard what happened, the hoff tweeted. >> apparently he has a tweet for you. >> we were talking on the show yesterday. we played his song off his christmas album. it was beautiful. it was lovely, so the hoff tweeted. thanks, for the shout yet, btw, you look great as mitch on the

halloween show. >> so we would like to take this opportunity to please come be on with us, david hasselhoff. we'd love that. >> we overstated the chest hair on halloween. yours is subtle and simple. we went way over the top. >> i mean. i think he quite liked how you looked according to that tweet. >> he's a good man, david hasselhoff. everyone was happy? >> the kids were nuts. they went crazy. i hear you had a little incident in your house. >> well, incidents maybe, yesterday, remember, santa surprised us. stopped by from radio city. i thought he did well picking out our gifts. >> santa, you are too kind. >> i think that's all i have. >> i was surrounded. >> how did you get here? >> oh, wait a minute.

oh. >> oh, santa. you know. >> a hulk hogan action figure. >> so listen, i loved the gifts. you know what, i want to bass this down through generations and share my love of hulk hogan. i shared it with my son 4-years-old. apparently the tv was on. he immediately called me out, in open, this is yours. and so there he is, holding up this present as it's on the television. he went back on the dvr to call me up. >> there is a teachable moment in that. i'm trying to think what it is. >> don't ever regift. >> we can play with this together. with your doll the villains, now you got the he lo. >> there you go. so add to the collection. >> professional wrestling bringing families together. >> so he's a big professional wrestling fan? >> not really.

i gave it to him anyway. >> is that your doll collection you are talking about? >> that i share with my son. >> there you go. george, good job calling your dad out. >> he did, he's only 4. he got one up on me. not so happy for people waiting for packages yesterday. >> you actually had packages that did not get delivered. >> he handed me a car on its way from ups. ups and fedex customers missing out. some of them,ianway, after a backlog that failed to deliver packages by christmas eve. ups, fedex trucks hitting the roads this morning. they will get those out, complete those delivery, bad weather, high demand some of those problems. >> it will be hard this time of year. i guess we maybe can all learn a little something. maybe we should start planning or ordering earlier. still. >> that's what a lot of people are saying, if you don't order the day before, this doesn't happen. some people sounding off on social media, one writing ups stand for undelivered parcel

smip. . if response, ups says the volume exceeded the capacity of our network and we apologize. fedex saying it focused on safe live delivering packages, produced of the efforts of other teams in this shortened holiday season. >> i hope they're going to get credits, but, you know, after the fact, it's really hard to tell your kids why tear gift isn't there. >> family, give 'it to them again. a terrible six for everybody. we loved this story earlier, the mom being surprised by her son. check out this really great video a. soldier home from afghanistan. he dressed up as santa to surprise mihis hom on christmas eve. she was presented with an envelope she thought contained a card from santa claus behind her. so take a look at the video. >> merry christmas. >> what does this say?

>> what does that mean? what does that mean? oh my baby. >> where is it from? >> from. >> where is he? >> afghanistan. >> oh. [ applause [ applause ] >> oh! >> oh my god! . >> oh, so great. >> i love it. she still didn't see it, she's reading the note. this is from my son in yank. he's like taking off the santa hat behind her and the beard. >> come on, mom, turn around, i'm here. it's great. >> we were talking to travis and leslie in a break they were on "the "today show"" a few minutes ago. he said he got home i think on the 21st an didn't do this for the 24th. for three days he was home in

hiding, staying at his cousins house, he wanted to keep the surprise. she snuck out to give candy at target to kids at the hospital. >> he rented that santa costume. >> a complete surprise. >> he found he was getting leave in october but didn't tell his mom because he wanted to have this moment to go to the hospital and surprise her. >> so great. hopefully, they are now enjoying their time together. >> absolutely. >> all right. so this next video we think we're going to nominate it as best christmas reaction of all time. it's an old one. 18 million views on youtube. it's a classic. business pencer put it up from 1996, a little boy and girl lose their minds when they get a nintendo 64. remember that one for christmas? >> i got the nintendo 64. thank you! >> yes! >> oh my god! >> wow!

>> ahh! >> i think they're excited. >> oh my god! >> yes! >> wow! >> yes! yes! yes! >> it's funny, he says here, now we can play our games. i like his reaction yesterday. first thing he comes running down the stairs. he could not contain it. santa, really came! oh, it was so cute. >> i don't know that i've ever reacted like. no. >> i have been excited. >> remember when you got your atari? i think we were excited. but it was never like. target was basically the 2600 that was their nintendo 64. if we could find those two kids, 17 years later, get them on. >> where are they now? if are you watching. if you are one of them. let us know. >> you and david hasselhoff sit at the table with us. >> i wonder how many times they played that video. >> that is amazing.

18 million views. incredible. so you got a big show you are hosting. >> yeah, yeah, tomorrow night. "what we wasted our year on" it's on nbc, the guys news stories that we enjoyed wasting our time on. >> wasting a lot of time on a lot of things. >> you can imagine what it's like. there are selfies stwerking, mileys, a sneak preview. a panel, me discussing the jonas brothers. >> let's go onto the jonas brothers, quickly, who can name all three of them? >> dopey, vanity, gluttony. >> vito, germane and michael. >> don't care, why and the one i would. >> it's got to be mixed. >> i was devstayed within i found out they were broke up, now i had to spend all that time ignoring their careers individually. >> that's always great. >> these guys comediennes, they are incredible.

on tomorrow night "what we wasted our year on." 9:00/8:00 central on nbc. we did the taping. i have to tell you, it is really funny. nothing to do with me. these four comediennes are funny. >> you got a sneak peek right now. >> a little bit of snow. other than that, you know, this weather pattern is nice and quiet as we finish off the holiday season here. we are looking at a couple winter weather advisory, mainly lake effect snow warnings and advisories because of obviously the lake effect snow. you can see it's light in nature. there is just enough heavier snow that will move into the philadelphia area. quickly putting an inch of snow on the ground, other than that, it's going to dry up a lot before it gets to new york city, maybe a flurry or two. we will see some enhancement of the lake effect snow on areas right off lake ontario into the tug hill plateau, where it's going to be persistent for the next 48 hours. and we could see as much as a foot-and-a-half of snow, especially just to the north of

syracuse. you could see elsewhere, widespread one to three inches. maybe as much as three to six inches off the 9:10. we have a good-looking day after. temperatures right now mostly in the 40s. we have a couple of 30s out there in places like sapta rosa at 36. 50 straight up in san francisco. as we head throughout the afternoon, temperatures are going to climb nicely. we're running a few degrees warmer than 24 hours ago right now. we are headed towards the 70s. 70 degrees in the south bay today. san francisco, about 65 fwreez and 71 in the north bay with a little bit of a cooldown as we get into this upcoming weekend. forecast. >> thanks a lot. coming up next, what were the most iconic images of 2013? a remarkable year. we will reveal those to you right after this. when i grow up, i want to sleep in a big bouncy castle.

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and bad. >> here to help us is ricky camalari. good morning. >> happy holidays. >> happy holidays to you as well. let's get to you with one of the iconic images that came from a tragic event in this photo at the marathon bombing. >> first responders. this is jeff bowman who was hit in one of the blasts. there were two blasts in the marathon bombing, as you remember. they happened so quickly. these images came out so fast. we saw not just first responders and a lot of volunteers coming forward to help people who have been tragically struck. it's such a lasting image. >> let's point out we cropped that a little bit. >> it's very graphic. >> it's very graphic. certainly, that was the image of the boston bombings. pope francis, meanwhile, was a huge story. the "time's" person of the year.

this is one of the images of the year. >> this is perfect. a pope taking a selfie with young people. what we are seeing is a contemporary pope who is interested in the complexities of contemporary issues, whether it's gay marriage or homosexuality in the church, whether it's world events that are happening. he is interested in the complexities. in his recent speech, he talked about poverty and attacking poverty and world peace. he addressed syria. things we don't see popes address, young people are interested in world events and really interested in domestic issues like gay marriage and homosexuality within the church. the pope is attacking all these, and he's doing it with tenderness and an open heart, which we haven't seen from popes before. >> as he said in the past, who am i to judge? also this year, we saw the passing, of course, of nelson mandela. >> yeah, of course. and when nelson mandela passed away, it was really impactful, i think, because we had sort of seen it coming. he had been in and out of the hospital throughout the year. he is such an iconic figure.

he is a figure that stands for peace and change and resilience and peaceful resilience. not just in fighting the apartheid in south africa and as the president. as any sort of leader, he stood for change and south africans, this is the hearse carrying his body to the final resting place, which is his childhood home. and you see south africans here chanting and celebrating the memory of nelson mandela. >> it's interesting. it's not somber. everyone is celebrating the life of nelson mandela. back here at home, the government shutdown of course, was a huge story. 800,000 workers were furloughed. we had one image. >> 800,000 furloughed as you said, 1.2 million workers had to go to work, not knowing when they would get paid. the government shut down from the 1st of october to the 16th, early in the morning on the 17th. obama signed the new budget plan and i think one of the things that's important to remember was that this is congress and the

house not being able to agree on something that really -- they were both willing to take the american people hostage for a little while for 16 days to come to some kind of an agreement. it all seemed -- i think to most of the american people, it seemed like a pr push. no one knew who won, because the american people lost. they couldn't go to work. >> we are having some technical difficulties bringing up the photos, we should point out. also, we also celebrated the birth of a new prince, prince george. i was there for it. >> yeah. >> you were there. you were waiting with everybody else. i, unfortunately, i wanted to wait. i wanted to sort of be a royal watcher. i couldn't get down with it. were you at the end of it, you have to remember? >> i was there for 12 full days. >> you know, that means it went well said. >> it was actually a great time and just to be able to have something so positive and fun to be able to reflect. >> i was so fascinated. they were talking about the betting pool that they had going for the different names and the dates. it was a huge betting pool.

i was so surprised by that. >> the bookies in london made a killing on this, i should say. >> where are you getting the different numbers? i have no idea. >> we are still struggling with the royal baby. >> we see that. >> back here at home, the end of doma, it was huge news for the defensive marriage act. >> we covered this extensively at huff post live. this is actually in march. this someone protesting the oral supreme court struck down this is actually in march. this someone protesting the oral arguments. and what we saw was in june, the supreme court struck down section 3 of the defense of marriage act, which stated that any same sex couple that were married in any state were recognized federally. so if you were married in massachusetts and you moved to a state that didn't necessarily recognize gay marriage, guess what, the federal government recognizes it.

if your spouse died, which is where this case stemmed from, if your spouse died, you were legally recognized to estate tax and other benefits, things that couples have been fighting so long. it was a huge step in recognizing same-sex marriage. >> all right. >> i got to do this transition. now, the foam finger seen around the world. >> the foam finger that launched 1,000 internet pieces. >> i was wanting to see is that picture over and over again. there it is. >> let's take a minute, guys, let's bask in this glory. >> we are looking for glory. >> we were going so strong, ricky. >> i love miley, guys. i love everything that's such a conversational piece. people love talking about miley. people love the foam finger. i think it's provoked a lot of interesting conversations at least on the internet. this is a woman empowering her sexually or a blast against them in so many ways. so i look at this kind of conversation. she's nevertheless fascinating and interesting to talk about, and i don't know that foam finger is pretty hilarious.

>> you make it out of the foam finger? >> i can never look at a sporting event. sadly. ricky, great job. thank you. >> good to see you. coming up next, getting you caught up with all the news you need before you leave the house this morning. >> you got all the tech gadgets, you have no idea how to set them up. well, we have a little help for you. first these messages. [ male announcer ] zzzquil. it's not for colds, it's not for pain, it's just for sleep. because sleep is a beautiful thing™. zzzquil. the non-habit forming sleep-aid from the makers of nyquil®. i'm home! [ baby crying ] everything's fine.

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>> in the headlines this morning, target is re-assuring customers this morning their pin numbers were not compromised during a recent security breach. according to a person familiar, a hacker stole credit and debit cards and managed to steal enkrimted pins. a target spokes woman says no pin data has compromised. the u.s. department of justice are investigating. there is time for people to sign up for health insurance. the deadline passed but the obama administration will help those who can show they have had trouble with the healthcare.gov

website. bah humbug, dish network and direct tv are raising their rates again this year t. base plan is going up to $58 a month from 55. their average customer is going to pay almost 5% more this year t. bisque dish plan won't change. almost every other plan will go up. if you have had it with the snow and the colds, here are some vacation hot spots. rio dejan nero tops the list. rio is especially popular because of the world cup and 2016 world olympics. the next top spots are all in florida, miami beach, orlando, naples and key west. we got a new glimpse of baby prince george from the british royal family's christmas get-together. they released these behind the scenes shots from the baby's kristening in october. green elizabeth talked about the prince in her christmas message, she spoke of the hope for the

future the new baby brings. come on in. >> that christening dress is awesome. >> that christening dress is awesome. coming the hall of success. >> that christening dress is awesohere we honor the proud cominaccomplishments of our students and alumni. people like, maria salazar, an executive director at american red cross. or garlin smith, video account director at yahoo. and for every garlin, thousands more are hired by hundreds of top companies. each expanding the influence of our proud university of phoenix network. that's right, university of phoenix. enroll now. we've got a frame waiting for you. bigger, tougher messes was better leverage, he created a magic eraser with an attachable handy grip. it gives you the leverage you need to tackle tough kitchen messes and big bathroom grime, too. mr. clean's new magic eraser handy grip. to tackle tough kitchen messes and big bathroom grime, too. i'my body doesn't work the way it used to. past my prime? i'm a victim of a slowing metabolism? i don't think so.

great grains protein blend. protein from natural ingredients like seeds and nuts. it helps support a healthy metabolism. great grains protein blend. >> 9:26. i'm laura garcia cannon. officials are looking for this man in connection with a christmas day murder. this is a photo of 21-year-old ernesto rodriguez from a year ago. authorities say overnight alma rota ortega, who is the same age, was found dead in his family's apartment on kelpman drive. ortega was found in his room, but rodriguez was missing. police say ortega did have a restraining order against rodriguez. police say he may be armed with a knife, and he is considered dangerous. two men are suffering from what firefighters call critical burn injuries this morning after a house went up in flames in san francisco. more than 100 firefighters were called to the home on baker street next to golden gate park.

firefighters say it appears the blaze started on the third floor of the fourth story victorian home. the cause is under investigation. police are asking for the public's help to find a person who broke into the family's home and stole christmas presents from under the tree. family didn't realize the gifts were gone until the family's two children woke up christmas morning, and they rushed to the tree. detectives believe the robbery may be related to other recent burglaries in that area. we're going to have a look at weather and traffic. at least weather. after this break. there's no traffic out there.

>> welcome back. we're going to see temperatures climbing into the 07s. camera is shaking over san francisco. it will be breezy today off the coast, which is good news for your air quality there, about ut in the inland valleys it is suffering. 65 degrees for san francisco. 72 in the east bay today. peninsula about 68 degrees. 70 right here in san jose.

unseasonably warm by about five to ten degrees. we're going to drop off and lose that warmth into the weekend. temperatures on saturday will fall into the upper 60s, and then on sunday we're talking about the low to mid 60s, but still staying nice and warm. for any of your outdoor plans, a lot of people have the time off and have the kids at home with them. temperatures should be good for your outdoor activities both saturday and sunday. the good news is we're going to get better air quality as an area of low pressure comes through the area. back to you. >> that's really good news. we need that. thanks, christina. mother local news update is coming up in half hour or so, and we also hope that you join us at 11:00 a.m. this morning for a full news broadcast for half hour. have a great morning.

♪ ♪ welcome back to "today" on this thursday morning, december the 26th, 2013. the morning after christmas. i'm willie guisegeist along wit natalie moralis. how are people feeling about 2013? >> the year flew. it completely flew by. at the same time, you look back at all of the events we covered. the inauguration was this past year. >> oh, gosh. >> we were just talking about the boston bombing a few minutes ago. >> it does. >> busy year in news. they think this year was getting better anyway. >> a new poll asked what people thought of 2013. 32% said 2013 was better than

2012. only 20% said it was worse. 40% said it was about the same. younger people had a better view than older folks. 40% under the age of 30 said 2013 was better compared to just 25% of those aged 65 or older. >> probably looking at the economy is largely part of the reason for that. feeling more optimistic and on the job front. >> getting better in some corners, still not good enough. >> exactly. let's check in with dylan. >> right across the way. >> what's happening? >> my problem was i never knew it was 2013. every time i wrote the date i was like, what year is it? 2013. >> five days to figure it out. >> i'll figure it out on january 1st we're at 2014. eventually i'll know what year we are in. we are looking at pretty decent weather across the country today, tomorrow and extending across the country. it looks pretty good. we'll see a couple of lighter snow showers through the

northern plains and upper midwest. rain across the gulf coast states. in general it doesn't look like we'll see more than sunshine through the middle of the country. cold temperatures, very cold air is going to start working in for sunday. that arctic express will start to create more lake effect snow. we are going to keep an eye on the potential of a bigger storm system across the east coast. looks like a rainstorm for most. especially across northern new england with snow further north. that's something we will keep an eye on. it's one of the storms where the >> 9:32. i'm meteorologist christina loren. a beautiful day shaping up. nice and sunny. it is hazy. we're sparing the air for today. look how clear you can see plane taking off from san jose international. we don't have any delays here, and across the nation looking good for your travel plans as we head throughout the day today. now, temperatures are going to fluctuate throughout the next couple of days. 70 in palo alto. upper 60s as we get into the end

of the week and this weekend. normal is 58 degrees. starting to see temperatures drop off next week. and that's your latest forecast, willie and natalie. >> thank you, dylan. >> if santa brought you a cool new gadget but you're still tangled up in the wires and overwhelmed by instructions, you're not alone. >> pete paschel is here to help you get connected with ease. >> good morning. >> let's start with tablets because this was one of the most popular gifts this year. what is the first thing when it comes to getting them hooked up? >> first thing, after you connect them to your wireless network, you want to check to see if there are any software updates. chances are someone bought them for you on black friday which is a month ago. that's an eternity of time. chances are there are updates. >> you won't be able to log in through their accounts through the setting page rather than the app itself. what does that mean? >> especially on android. instead of downloading the app and logging into facebook go to

your settings page and log in to as many accounts there. it will help the apps talk to each other. when you want to share something from ever note to facebook you won't have to log in yet again. >> this is one issue that i've had and i think a lot of people do, sometimes it freezes so what do you do when it freezes up on you? do you just shut the whole thing down? >> you want to control alt del. >> for apple you hold down the power button and home button and wait until it boots into restore mode. for android it can vary because there's a bunch of different manufacturers. it's very similar. hold down the volume up and power or volume down and power or all three. try them all. one of them will work. >> let's move on to wireless head phones. these are big this holiday season. what's the first thing people need to know? >> you don't need the instruction manual for a lot of these. it's an intimidating pairing process. no, nine times out of ten all

you have to do is press this power button and hold it down until it glows blue. there it goes. here's my phone. boom. i've paired it so it's connecting. the first time you do it you have to find the name of it, tap it, you're done. >> same with wireless speakers. a lot of people got that. you have to sync it up? >> exactly. as long as these are on, it will always find the device. >> as long as you have your blue tooth on the device. >> okay. we have a lot of plugs, i think, devices that need plugs. sometimes you don't have quite the right plug or cord so what do you do in that situation? >> sometimes you don't get a plug anymore with your gadget because they're assuming you already have one. >> right. >> which you probably do from the previous smartphone or tablet. what that tells you actually is a good thing that most of these plugs actually work with each other. nine times out of ten whatever plug you have, you plug in the cable, it will charge it. it may not charge it that fast. >> except for the iphone. >> yes. the plug in is the same. yes, apple plays its own game in

the connector world. you have to have apple specific cable to charge your apple gadget. >> let's move to cameras. somebody asks for a great new fancy camera. they open it and go, what do i do with this thing? >> there's a lot of memory cards and capacities. an 8 gigabyte card will hold about 1300 photos. this is -- i'm simplifying here. that's for a 12 megapixel camera, which is pretty typical. 1300 photos is a lot of photos. you probably don't need that much more memory so if the only reason you want a higher capacity card, a 16, 32, 64 gigabyte card is if you're shooting a lot of video. >> good to know, the video. xbox one, the big gift this year. a lot of people opening up the box and saying, now what? how do i connect this? >> our good friend savannah guthrie got this for her fiance and she ruined the whole tv system for connecting it. >> if you got an xbox, congratulations, great gift. you might be tempted to hook it

up like a blu-ray player or cable box. i would recommend hooking it up through your cable box or hooking up your cable box through the xbox. you put your cable box into the input here on the xbox and this one, the output, would go through your tv. you need two hdmi cables. you can use the xbox's program guide and user interface with your cable box so you can say things like xbox, watch nbc, xbox on, xbox off. it will turn on and off your entire system. it controls it through here. this is the connect. the motion sensor. sophisticated piece of technology. hooking up your cable box through will give all your gear the ability. >> pete, thanks so much. great information. >> my pleasure. coming up next, put your money where your health is. where to spend and where to save when it comes to getting fit in 2014. that's right after this. [ laughter ]

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[ laughing ] or use my magic wand to make rainbows fall from the sky. [ female announcer ] remember when you thought anything was possible? [ laughing ] it still is. you can do weight watchers new simple start plan entirely online or on that magic phone of yours. it's a 2-week plan to start losing weight right away. join for free. weight watchers online. log into your new beginning today. ♪ oh, the new year's in sight. a lot of you may be resolving to get fit. here's some motivation for you. exercise isn't only good for your help, but those who work out earn more than those who are sedentary. >> do you splurge on a fancy gym membership. jean is here from "women's

health" magazine. nice to see you. >> nice to see you. >> let's go through some of these people. the person who needs a kick in the butt. >> right. >> what's that person do? >> if you're that person, you want to spend on convenience and accountability because you need somebody to keep you going. a personal trainer for a person like this actually makes a lot of sense. so does the gym that's right around the corner rather than the one that's across town if you think that that's going to make the difference in you going. >> it's about convenience. >> it is. >> if you have a trainer, someone showing up, you have to be there. >> accountable. >> if you want to save money, you can do the same thing, but with a friend. >> right. >> you're not the kind of person who should buy a series of ten exercise classes way in advance. maybe you'll go to one but you won't go to the rest of them. >> save money on those pre-paid classes. >> exactly. >> for the type of person who gets bored easily you suggest spending money on a gym membership. >> right. again, a very specific gym membership. one of those no frills gyms probably is not goings to do it

for you. you want one with a wide range of classes so when you get bored with zoom ba, can you start on pilates or vice versa. you have to mix it up. by the same token, you're not the kind of person who should buy the treadmill and put it in the bedroom. it will be a clothes hanger. >> yes, very, very quickly. >> let's move to natalie moralis territory. >> super disciplined workouts. >> you work out. you're the easiest person on this list quite frankly because no matter what you spend your money on, you're probably going to get your money's worth. that means that you can spend smartly january is the best time to get a deal on fitness. if of' been waiting to join a gym, you've been waiting to buy a piece of equipment, now is the time to do it. >> where can we save money? >> if you're simple disciplined, you can save by not spending on pretty much anything. if you decide you don't want to spend any money on your health and fitness, buy a good pair of running shoes and get yourself out the door as i know you do

three or four times a week. >> a day. >> no, not a day. not a day. >> somebody who needs a challenge, how do you spend your dollars? >> i would look for challenging events to build my fitness plan around. so if there's an ironman but it happens to be across the country in california, that's where you want to spend your money. give yourself a big goal to work toward. likewise, any of those gadgets that are going to keep track, i'm holding my wrist because that's where they are. >> i forgot to put it on. i have one, too, that will keep track of your challenges are a good idea. you don't necessarily need the personal trainer. you can set yourself up with a goal that you can work toward on your own and save money that way. >> what's your personality? your workout personality? >> i do get bored pretty easily. i think i do work out but the kick in the butt helps me. having somebody relying on me helps. >> and knowing who you are is really, really key. wherever you exercise, track when you've been able to set a goal and achieve a goal and that

will give you a good indication of how you should spend your money in the future. >> really smart. jean, thanks so much. >> get paid more in the long run, too. >> coming up next, the gifts are open. should your kids write thank you cards? we're going to ask our panel of moms right after this. ♪ ♪ >> thank you notes. ♪ [ bell rings ] [ man ] take five! hey, joyce! [ grunts ] you really seem to be dragging your a-- [ donkey brays ] mid morning slump. [ donkey snorts ] that's why i started drinking this new lipton natural energy tea. come on!

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for cold and flu season, there's clorox bleach. from the big screen to small screens near and far twizzlerize your entertainment every day with twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. . >> all right. this is a conundrum in my house, you get everything to get your kids to eat vegetables. is it all right to pay them? carol sullivan a mother of three and former newscaster and blogger, author renee seilor is the funder of "good if you have mother.com" and another one on the way, a mother of six. whoa. good morning, ladies. >> good morning. >> the day after.

you all survived the holidays. first one, let's talk about thank you cards and what we should be telling our kids and how important is it for them to send a hand-written thank you card to a person for the gifts they receive. how do you feel about it? >> it is definitely my public shameing here. it's hugely important, thank you notes all over it. it is like wrestling little bear cubs to try to get them to write thank you notes. you got to getting a knowledge. out there. i don't know why it's so hard, sorry, this is a great idea. we will be over it. >> i don't admit to that. i have a hard time. >> i don't think anybody is saying you shouldn't. you show your appreciation in some way, shape, form or fashion. >> i think the question is the differry system. my kids are older. i'm okay with them sending a text or it doesn't have to be a handwritten note. >> with my kids, it's like even if it's a drawing.

i go aunt so-and-so, thank you for it. i writ it for them. to get them in the hant, i think it's really our job to civilize them. that's a part of the process. >> i think also it depends on who it is going to. >> grandma, grandpa, you want to make sure they were thought of. next, it's another one like this, kids are picky eaters. so i will admit to sometimes bribing them. the question is in the huffington post. >> absolutely. >> there was an argue about paying your kid, though, to eat their veggies, how do you guys feel? >> it's a costly proposition. >> it's not what i do. i'm all about bribing, whether for desserts or whatever. sometimes you need to get used to the vegetables, the things you don't like it, whatever it takes to eat it and get over it. >> i don't think the whole idea of this works for you when

they're 18 months old or 3-years-old. i think it will pass their lips, somehow, some way. then they discover they like it. you got to get in there first. >> it's effective. didn't you feel so lame as a parent? >> i'm okay with being with parents. >> they got that on other levels. >> i can't do it. i can't pay you to eat. i can't. >> honestly, if you model it, they want to have what you are having a lot. >> i do. >> not my kids. >> i do. >> if he wants it. >> i don't know, the whole rewards system people on pinterest. we are supposed to have a cart, a sticker, a label. >> just say no to pinterest parenting. >> turn it out. >> okay this next one was published, should parents cut sleepover parties short and have

kids sleep in their own homes, in other words, sleep unders. you let them go and do everything to the point of picking them up. >> when i read that, it seems like the reason is because they say then they're too cranky and the kids don't sleep well. >> i don't let them spend a night at a place where our values will be undervalued. come on, let them have fun. >> the next di they are h -- to deal with. they are horible. they are so tired. they say nothing good is going to happen after 11:00. >> it has everything often happens after 11:00. . >> you have to choose your battles. we all had great slumber party experiences. >> i didn't. not all of us are good for kids.

>> you have to learn. >> i agree. >> ladies, thank you. great conversations. congratulations. >> one for every day of the week. >> seven. >> seven kids. >> this is "today" on nbc. we are back in a moment. [ music playing ]

>> coming up, kathie lee and hoda have tips with what to do with all those gifts you don't want. >> and ambush makeovers coming up after your local news and weather. have a great

a very good thursday morning to you. 9:56. i'm laura garcia cannon. gilroy police are looking for a man in connection with a christmas day murder. this is a photo of 21-year-old ernesto rodriguez from a year

ago. authorities say he was found dead in his family's apartment on kelton drive. rodriguez's family found ortega in his room, but rodriguez was missing. place say ortega did have a restraining order against rodriguez. police say he may be armed with a knife and is considered dangerous. police are asking for the public's help finding a person who broke into a family's home and stole their christmas presents from under the tree. the family didn't realize the gifts were gone until the kids woke up christmas morning and they rushed to the tree. detectives believe the robbery may be related to other recent burglaries in the area. you just don't do that. let's check the forecast. it's a good one. >> it is a good one. the christmas gifts continue. even the day after. temperatures are going to end up in the 60s and 70s. nice clear start here in the south bay. this is where we're going to see the unhealthiest levels of pollution though, so keep that in mind. limit outdoor activities. if you have asthma or respiratory issues, better air quality into the upcoming weekend. temperatures today comfortable. 60s and 70s even in san

francisco rsh right around 65 degrees for you today. hang is headed our way as we get into this weekend. we are going to see a cooldown, area of low pressure comes through upper 60s for saturday and sunday. then as we head through the end of the week, temperatures are going to stay pretty stead where i. just a little cooler. laura, back to you. >> thanks so much, christina. we'll have another local news update in half hour. please, join christina and i. we'll be back at 11:00 a.m. for a full news broadcast. shall we take some live looks outside perhaps? from our director. there we go. how can we deny you such beautiful views across the bay area this morning. look at the bridges there in the distance there. kind of tough air quality. christina has been telling us about that, so, you know, watch it if you are out headed for a job, but have a great morning. see you in a half hour. wouldn't it be nice if there was a wireless company

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from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hello, everybody. it's thirsty thursday. it's december 26. it is the day after christmas. we hope you all had a blessed holiday and that santa brought you everything you could have dreamed. and if not, there's always next year. >> i can only imagine all the wrapping paper and stuff that is around. >> assembly the bicycles and legos and things. >> we'll talk about what you can do with all the leftover

wrapping paper and we'll have makeovers. >> do you know who is here? we love danny. >> today is the day ofafter christm christmas. do you know what a lot of people do? >> it's the last thing i want to do. they go shopping. >> when we were kids, because my mom always knew about the sales, when it's christmas day, it's noon, we've opened the presents, you've eaten, now you go to the malls. but everything is on sale. christmas cards are cheap, paper, all that stuff. but minus that, win at tterinex have january, february.

>> so a financial reason to do it. >> we also thought it was fun. we always did that. >> i believe you. and i'm happy for you. you have memories. >> i do. >> do you remember anything you bought? >> no. >> ythere you go. >> but we didn't have big malls like that in egypt, so my parents were like we're going to the mall. we used to leave our house about 9:30, 10:00, and we would have lunch and dinner at the mall. >> that's lovely. >> sad, isn't it. >> no, it isn't sad. suze orman told us don't do gift cards because people don't love them and you forget about them, you never use them and then they expire. >> did you get some? i bet you people got them yesterday. you can actually go to like a drug store and they have all the gift cards like barnes & noble, this one, that one. so people pick one up and say my friend goes to barnes and noble,

and you're -- it kind of strikes me a little bit as a lazy gift. a little. don't you think? it's a little lazy. think about it. >> i don't know. if you know the person well enough to know that they adore books, but you don't know which book they might adore, i think it's a lovely thought. i mean, i really do. whatever somebody does for you, you should be grateful for. you know? >> we have a segment coming up on returning gifts. and when to return and how to return, how do you do it in a nice way. >> do you know who has the greatest return policy in the history of the world? >> nordstrom's. >> there is no s on it. >> people are so anal. but don't say anal the day after christmas. but at nordstrom, you can have a

purse, wear it, shoes, they're amazing. >> they're like thank you for your old ruined shoes. >> thank you for your very unrecent purchase. i don't know how they do it. what about that christmas tree? when do you think the tree should come down? >> that's a big question. a lot of people don't know. >> who makes the rules anyway? but tradition says anyone? ♪ at the christmas party hop >> who is it singing? >> the skrjoe that inas >> the skrjoe that ina brothers? who is it? >> no, brenda lee. tradition says trees come down by the 12th night after christmas. which is the day of epiphany or the conditioniking's kay e's day 6. >> in our house, decorated in

the closet. >> no, it was around february, we always set up our christmas tree downstairs in our basement. and with the fireplace and stuff. and someone rang the door bell and to show how infrequent guests were, my parents were like oh, my god, someone is here. get the tree. so we're carrying the tree into this storage room class eithose that was it. so that was christmas again and we went to the storage little room, and it was like, oh, my god, a christmas miracle, it's decorated. >> this says so much about your family that you forgot the christmas tree was in the closet. >> we did. >> i see where you get it from. i do, i do. i love it. >> but i love that my parents were a little panicky that around february -- >> who was it that arrived? >> no, because nobody came to our house. we didn't have like lots of people that came over. >> really? >> no. >> i never met your dad, but

your mother is the sweet he est woman in the world. >> we didn't have a lot of people coming over, but then we just kept doing that because it was so easy. >> what about the outdoor decorations? i did not realize that a lot of people get frustrated when their neighbors keep their lights on forever, keep that ugly santa on the roof and all that stuff. someone pointed out to me who shall remain nameless, amanda, that more and more it's custom area for people to leave all of that up if they're expecting one of their loved ones who is search in t serving in the armed forces who is scheduled to come home so it's like christmas for them. so i'm never going to judge it again. ups unless it gets to fourth of july. >> there is something different between having white lights up and colored canes and stuff like that. >> that is a sign of maturity.

the colored lights are for little kids. you get serenity and stuff from the little white lights. >> so let's get away from the holidays and a lot of people probably got engaged over -- sara haines did. >> she did. >> so when you get engaged, sometimes you are not sure, you're like, oh, my god, the family and everyone is in, and then if you start thinking about it and you're not 100% sure that this person is right for you, so when is it butterfly and you're nervous and when should you trust your gut and say i'm making a humongous mistake. >> folloks at florida state university conducted yet another study. they say that the results show that engaged couples know on a subconscious level whether or not you'd be happy. your first marriage, honestly, you're about to walk down the aisle, gut feeling right then? >> you know, i felt like it was

the right thing. my mother and father didn't at all. but they never shared it with me. in retrospect, i was just way too young to be getting married. what about you? because yours was a doozy. mine was a doozy, too. all those first marriages that do not work out, look them up under the title what was i thinking. >> that does happen. i think you -- i'm an optimist, so i often explain things away. that's just nerves. in a relationship, when somebody is not right, you can will it in your head to be something -- can we change subjects? what is next? >> well, unmarried couples are not the ones choosing not to get married. more and more they are buying a home together. attorneys say can you you draw up something about cohabitating, but buying a mortgage so that we're all clear if something doesn't work out.

>> if you're dating someone for a year and you're already buying a home, that is showing commitment, maybe even not more so, but it's getting up there in terms of like -- >> what i don't like about some of our government policies is they work against marriage. you pay a marriage penalty for different things. we should relook at all of that. >> but if you're not ready to get married but you're toward b ready to buy a home interest someone -- i don't know. >> we'd like to hear from you. and a lot of women are changing their last names like women always did. ♪ every time that music, i feel like we should stop and pay homage to it. a quarter of the women married in the '90s kept their own last names. in 2011, only 8%. and some of the celebrities even

have already made their fortunes on their own name are changing them. kim will become kim kardashian west. >> i think the pendulum, it's so funny to see how it swings. at wofrnt poione point it was tt people and now people are going back the other way. i think they remain their -- the married name is for married life. and then they keep their stage name. >> like miranda lambert actually took blake shelton's name. >> that was a dark day in your life. >> no, i'm very happy for them. >> oh, wow. yeah. >> and jennifer gner is legally jennifer affleck. jessica biel is jessica timb timberla timberlake. >> this is the perfect ihod after t a for this day. a man wrote a song called i already miss christmas.a for this day. a man wrote a song called i

already miss christmas. >> i like him. let's go. ♪ there's wrapping paper on the floor, the stockings aren't hanging anymore ♪ ♪ santa came by here yesterday, why does he feel so far away ♪ ♪ i already, already, already miss christmas ♪ >> sweet. he's a sweetie. >> great download. >> another great download, all those christmas clichés. you want to hear a great, great song. and just in time for christmas.

two new ones that are just unbelievable. that's lovely. >> did christmas leave with you a bunch of gifts that you didn't want? this is the first christmas we have no gifts and i loved it. >> it was excellent. we'll tell you how to donate some or swap them. >> i don't have to do any of that. and we'll find out how these lovely ladies look after their ambush makeovers. when he first joined the army, i was very nervous. ♪ we didn't know what they would have him doing. ♪ but, bobby always had a plan. ♪ [ male announcer ] with unmatched training in over 150 careers beyond the battlefield, there are over 150 surprising ways to become army strong. talk to your son or daughter about opportunities in the army. daisy is made from only 100% natural, 100% pure ingredients with nothing else added. meals are simply better with a dollop of daisy.

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the holidays have come and

gone, which mean there is are several gifts you love and several you don't know what to do with. >> here to help figure out how to help the unwanted gifts is the executive editor of "all you" magazine. how are you? >> although you're grateful for people being so jgenerous, you won't love everything. >> it is so nice people have given you you you gifts, but maybe you don't like what it looks like, maybe it doesn't fit you, maybe you have too many of them and so there are really smart things that you can do. and we're all about helping people shop smarter and that comes to returning and even donating. >> sometimes you don't get the receipt in the box. so you can just take it back? >> everybody knows you keep the tag organization the box. but there are three things you can do. number one, arrive early. right at the beginning of the day, the most experienced salespeople are working. the lines are shorter. everything will go smoother. >> so when it opens up, be

there. >> totally. number two, act fast. the magic window for returns is within two weeks. so most returns accept them within two week without a receipt. and also once 50i9 items get discounted, you will only get the last price. they will give you the low he is price. and then number three, if you don't have a recent, don't stress. you can always go to the website and print out the style number, the name and the price and take that to the store. and 99% of time, that will work especially if stores like kohl's, jcpenney, they don't require the gift receipt. >> and where should you donate gifts? >> this is a really good thing especially with tech. tablets have been really big, laptop, smartphones. you might have things that were good for you last year and now you won't be using them anymore. but there is a wonderful website

called the giving effect.com. they partner with 1600 charities around the country, you just type in your zip code and it turns up charities near you and all the things that they're looking for. you can then send the items in and get the tax donation. and it's a wonderful thing, too, if you have children's clothes or children's toys you won't use. children's hospitals can use those items. >> make sure you clean all those toys. >> and wipe the computer from any kind of personal -- and you talked about swapping. >> there is a trade-in program. if you have books, cds are or maybe you have doubles of, you can go on to the website, type in what the item is, they will tell what you iu you you what i them. you will get a credit on amazon and then you have 7 days to mail it in. so it's a great deal. you don't have to pay for shipping or anything. you often get doubles of things

and you just don't know what you'll do. >> and you talked about reselling gifts? >> yes. say you got a sweater are or some kids' clothes that are not the right size and you don't know what do. you don't need them. instead of just throwing them in the closet, there is a website called thread up.com. i use it all the time. they send you a bag, you fill the bag with stuff. you mail it back to them. no shipping costs in any which way. you get 25% to 40% of the cost of the items, the retail cost. you can use it either to buy stuff on thepaypal. >> i like to give to charity. >> and then finally, gift cards. a lot of people get gift cards this time of year and if you look at it, you know right away if you're going to use this or the not. and so there is a website called card pool.com, they make it so easy. you literally type in the amount

and the number on the gift card, you will get up to 92% of the value, they will mail you a check the next day. it could not be any simpler. reality is people spend so much time and so much thought putting effort into giving you gift this is time of year and why not make it really worth something. >> what is that last site? >> it's called card pool.com. >> what a wealth of information you are, nina. as always. great to see you. >> now that you know what to do with all those gifts, we have krds for a s ideas for all the wrapping paper. that and much more to come. i'm nathan and i quit smoking with chantix. when my son was born, i remember, you know, picking him up and holding him against me. it wasn't just about me anymore. i had to quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. chantix didn't have nicotine in it, and that was important to me. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood

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and select toys. a 32-pack of niagara water only $2.88. and that's only 9 cents a bottle. breakfest rollback's simply orange juice and johnsonville original breakfast links. we got huggies big pack's on rollback. yes we do. monster headphones. monster savings. that's my jam. it's the super savings celebration going on right now at your local walmart. cow: (tearing up) go get em' gracie! girl: bye! cow: they grow up so fast baby: (giggles) cow: my bad. girl: would you like some tea? cow: yes please. girl: o.k. cow: (sniffling) i miss her so much already. get on skype at recess! mom: we're fine. we're fine. cow: ahhhhh vo: make us part of your family. look for nutritious dairy brands with the real california seals. mom: she's going to be done at noon. cow: (yells) noon! ahhhhhh fella who gets his salsa from new york city. new york city? uh-huh.

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i always thought a vine was a good place to pick up grapes. but, no, it's something else. >> takes short video, lasts only six seconds or less. >> and ian makes a living out of this. let's see one. >> i wonder how you make money off of these vines. i guess mario armstrong will explain how you make money with videos on the web. >> and danny will show us what you can do with all the leftover wrapping paper that is still hanging around. >> and get your kids unplugged and enjoy fun. indoor activities for the whole family.

>> get them off that technology stuff for a while. and we'll check out the results of the two lucky ladies for ambush makeovers. all of that is coming up, but you have to wait. we all have our little tricks. mom swaps one of my snacks for a yoplait. i don't mind, i mean it's orange crème. and when mom said bobby was too edgy... 'sup girl. i just swapped him out for tyler. 'sup girl. mom never questioned bobby again. two can play at this game.

[ female announcer ] swap one snack a week for a yoplait. and everybody wins. yoplait. it is so good. and everybody wins. christmas may be over but walmart's bring in the new year with our super savings celebration. save up to 50% on holiday decor. and select toys. a 32-pack of niagara water only $2.88. and that's only 9 cents a bottle. breakfest rollback's simply orange juice and johnsonville original breakfast links. we got huggies big pack's on rollback. yes we do. monster headphones. monster savings. that's my jam. it's the super savings celebration going on right now at your local walmart. a good thursday morning to

you. it is 10:26. i'm laura garcia cannon. gilroy police are looking for a thief many connection with a christmas day murder. this is a photo of 21-year-old ernesto rodriguez from a year ark but authorities say overnight almo was found dead in rodriguez's roam, and he is missing. police in newark are coast guard for the public's help finding the person who broke into a family's home stealing presents from under the christmas tree. the family didn't realize the gifts were gone until the family's two children woke up the mechanics morning and rushed to that tree on christmas morning. we'll have a look at weather after this break.

>> welcome back. good thursday morning to you. it is going to be 15 degrees above average in some cases. 55 in san francisco. around 71 degrees out in the north bay. the next several days we do have changes to tell you about. temperatures are going to drop off just by a couple of degrees by tomorrow. even more so getting into the weekend. you'll be out and about returning any sort of christmas gifts today or using gift cards. temperatures will be comfortable. mostly in the 70s. >> more local news, including who made money this holiday season. it's all coming up in a half hour at 11:00 a.m. christina is also working on a ski report if are you headed up to tau how. you'll want to see that. how can you not enjoy the beautiful views around the bay

area? these are all live looks this morning. we're back on this thirsty thursday with another edition of our plaza ambush makeover. once again our resident makeover team has waved their beauty magic wands and made some magic. la-la-la-la. >> hi, ladies and gentlemen. how was it today? >> every is in tholiday spirit and what a better way to start out the new year than with a new look. >> she will sli lly is 46 and i austin and she'd rather sleep than spend time getting ready.

take a listen. >> i know you're flipping out. >> i am. i so needed it. my hair is a mess and i'm a mess. >> i don't think your husband thinks that, but you're not thrilled about this for one reason. >> i don't like getting on the air for one. but i'm excited to see what is going on here, see her in a way that i've never seen her before. >> you're a good husband. we'll only put you on tv a lot now. happy holidays. >> thank you. i'm so excited. >> all right. and jeff is excited, too. >> he's a cutie. the lone ranger. leave your blind fold on for just a second. here is shelly before. shelly, let's see the new you. >> all right, jeff, take off your blind fold.

>> she's beautiful. >> are you ready, shelly? turn around and take a look at yourself. >> oh, my gosh. >> look right here at camera 12. tell us about the hair. >> the hair, just made it much shorter, much more layered. and just gave it much more style. and her hair had an orange quality to it, i gave it a rich light chocolate brown which goes great with her skin color. >> what do you think of the sexy sassy hair? >> it looks really good. i came to new york on my 50th birthday present, but i feel like i'm going home with a different woman. >> surprise! >> and that dress fits her perfectly. >> a lot of people don't know, we don't have mirrors where we get dressed, and she was like

fuschia, are you sure? >> i love it. big round of applause. take her out someplace beautiful. >> shelly, you can go join your husband. our second lady is julie, she's 52 from columbia, missouri. recently retired from her job, and she begged them to give her a brand new look to go along with the brand new chapter in her life. >> and you can't stop singing. we picked her because we heard that. >> and i watch the girls daily and i can't wait. >> so what are you hoping for? >> whatever you want to do. >> we like to hear that. >> that's the attitude. all right. she's here with her friend, sandy. let's take one last look at julie before and bring out the new julie. oh, wow.

okay. wow. sandy, take it off and take a look at your friend. >> oh, my goodness. oh, julie. >> turn around and see what she sees. >> oh, my god! who am i? >> something tells me you wear glasses in real life. >> only for driving. >> look how great you look over there. tell us about the hair. >> i think julie just wanted to get up and close and personal. i obviously changed the hair color. she was blond. the blopd wnd was washing her o. i added who are depth, gave her a classic layered haircut. >> sandy loves her friend. why are you crying? >> i'm so happy for her. >> she looks beautiful.

>> and we love the outfit. >> flip around for one second. that will come off. >> love it. love to see friends like that. it's so great. shelly, why don't you come back out. thank you as always. danny will show you what you can do with all the leftover wrapping paper right after this.

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no that you've unwrapped all your gifts, the big cleanup is under way. what do you do with all the paper? danny is back to help us create post-christmas crafts. >> hello, danny. post-christmas syndrome right now? are you you gogood? >> i'm great. always happy to be with you guys. so it's christmas day. you have cards and gift wrap and ribbons. what do you do with it? you can reuse it or make a really fun craft project. take your holiday cards. it's like two inside. you make a christmas card village. this is the actual base of the house. >> that's cute. >> just take a little piece of tape, cut out doors and windows.

and you take an old pillow -- >> nice sound. >> there might be pellets of nice in there. >> this is your snow. >> that's great. >> so ornaments, your gift wrap. i like this idea because you can spread your gift wrap. we give you a ball and i'll take a ball. and we'll take -- what you do is you shred the gift wrap and fill it on the inside. scissors, a paper shredder. and you hang a tag with like the year that you had the present so that you have a collection that evolves year after year. >> probably don't pressuremembe present, but -- >> but it's like a memory ball. and the ornament things will now, half price.

>> that's right. okay. all right. >> okay. more balls. >> you can never have too many balls. >> this is your old ribribbon. cut it up into little strips like this. >> this is adorable. >> thank you. >> when i compliment you, it's because i sincerely mean it. >> here is ribbon. you cover the styrofoam ball and year after year, you have these sort of decorative -- >> i think this is fun. i love stuff like that. >> you want to do little pieces so it's like a confetti effect. but -- >> i love that. >> no right or wrong way to do this. >> this is therapeutic. i get into this especially with my own christmas cds on. i just love that.

>> that's what i listen to. >> all my 16 cds, right? >> all of them, yes. >> you have the box set. >> and i have the limited edition, the european version. okay. so this is a chalkboard paint. you take your old tags, and we turn them into generic tags. you can use them for birthday gifts. >> smart. danny, knocking it out of the ballpark, baby. >> and the last one? >> you take the cardboard tube, stuff your old gift wrap in it, wrap it up, put little pieces of twine and this is a great thing to put in the fireplace to get it going. >> all right. stop it. you've set a brand new standard today. way to go, danny. >> ready, set, action. >> mario armstrong is how to make money making web videos.

mom: good luck, sweetie! i love you! girl: i love you too. cow: (tearing up) go get em' gracie! girl: bye! cow: they grow up so fast baby: (giggles) cow: my bad. girl: would you like some tea? cow: yes please. girl: o.k. cow: (sniffling) i miss her so much already. get on skype at recess! mom: we're fine. we're fine. cow: ahhhhh vo: make us part of your family. look for nutritious dairy brands with the real california seals. mom: she's going to be done at noon. cow: (yells) noon! ahhhhhh using stilts to take down the lights? not good. going to the kmart winter sales event? good. get up to 60% off winter apparel, and shop your way members get 10% back in points. kmart. get in. get more. but at least i can help keep their underwear clean. with charmin ultra strong. i'll take that. go get 'em, buddy! [ female announcer ] charmin ultra strong has a duraclean texture and its four times stronger than the leading bargain brand.

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at your local walmart.

from youtube videos to vine, anyone and every is making movies online, but what if you could cash in on your web cam? >> thousands are making six figure salaries. so can you do the same? >> mario armstrong is here with some suggestions. hey, mario. nice to see you. >> good to see you. >> i have to be honest, i thought people posted their home movies and stuff and you got lots of click and you didn't make any dough off of this. >> absolutely not. quite the contrary. they pay you for the amount of clicks that you you receive. so what you want to do is if you know you're making videos and you hope a lot of people will click on them, get into the revenue share program and the more clicks you get, the more you'll get -- the check you'll

get. >> so youtube sends you the check. >> youtube sends you the check. >> so how do you know if you're hitting the jackpot? you post something crazy with your kid and you have the viral -- >> people should focus on their passion. a lot of people will try to make the gold thing happen. you know this. it has to be authentic. so do what you love to do and then let that spread. >> like this woman made $1.2 million off of youtube. how did she get this big? >> she's big into helping girls and makeup with women. so she decided to start shooting video clips and was teaching -- >> she's adorable. >> yeah, great energy. and she has a deal with l'oreal and she just launched her own line. >> good for her. she looks like she's about 19

years old. she's adorable. >> we were talking earlier about the vine videos, six second deals. >> you can make dough off of those? >> you can. this is relatively new. these are six second video clips. people are getting very creative on what they're doing with six seconds. this is pretty creative, to move traffic along. you don't see any branding going on in this, but what you do see are advertisers wanting to hire these folks to make ads for them. >> a lot of talent out there. >> lots of talent out there. >> is this the one from jesse? >> we were looking at ian and jesse. this is jesse. >> friday night. you know what that means? >> what, jesse? >> exactly. >> how do you keep up with all this? we have the girl from one direction or whatever? >> i need help.

there is a guy -- >> she didn't make money off of that. >> she's making money now because she has over a million followers. >> she has a brand? >> what people need to understand, if you have a skill, something that you can do well, should you focus on how you can show people how to do what it is that you do. >> all on youtube. >> or vine or google now. >> thank you, mario. happy new year to you. how to get your kids to unplug over the winter break. >> and enjoy fun family times. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

if you're like a lot of family, your kids are probably home from school this week either plugged into a video game or telling you that they are so

bored. >> donna has ideas to keep your kids busy while nurturing their creative side. hey, donna. we love this. getting away from the video games and ipad. >> you're home together as a family, spend it together as a family. >> chloe is so sweet. she has lovely manners. >> all those prepsents, you how about doing the thank you notes. >> one of the best things you can teach your children to do. >> so you can make cards out of anything. chloe is working on this right here, we use buttonsed a fe eda and stamps and just made a cute little thank you. maybe even cereal. just glue it -- >> exactly. >> what a way to spend the day. >> what does samantha have cooking over here? >> she's putting together all the things that remind her of last year. this is a time capsule, you can

put in magazine clippings, maybe a halloween picture. >> and bury it somewhere? >> yeah, go hide it. >> where will you bury it? don't tell us. keep it a secret. >> if i had made one when i was a kid, maybe i would have some of these things in it. you find it later. go ahead and put all the favorite things in a pinata and on new year's eve, break open last year's, start the new year fresh. >> that's clever. all right. >> and this is a family game. i say this is a great game, i used to play this a lot. you can make your family history into a game. you create spaces with pictures and you can go ahead and make cars. for one chip, name the player to your right's favorite sports. you can play with chips or m and ms. >> so how well do you know your family members.

such a clever idea. >> adoral. >> easy to do. >> what is clel ciis chelsea wo? >> we love resolutions in our house. we made a resolution board. whether it's making the honor roll. and you can turn to it during the year. >> a good wrreminder. >> exactly. >> and this is about telling jokes? >> turn your house into a comedy club. they spend the day writing down jokes and one at a time, you can get up and perform. >> do you have a joke for us? let me tell you one. there was a rabbi and a priest -- no, kidding. >> do you have one, honey? >> he's thinking about it. >> all right. thanks, donna. tomorrow how hard do you really need to be working?

immunity soups to help keep you healthy. >> and more curb appeal for your home. >> have an awesome day, everyone. god bless.

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zi look and there's -- right now at 11:00 friends and neighbors recall the moments when two men were critically burned in a san francisco house fire. and the investigation into a christmas day break-in. >> which stores have been open. >> peggy bunker is off today. i'm laura garcia cannon. we're learning more about the massive fire that severely burned two men overnight. the men were pulled out of their home on baker