hour-by-hour, stillrain through earlyafternoon. join us in half an hour for a local news update and we'll keep you up to date on the traffic conditions as well. have a great holiday weekend. good morning. breaking news. manhunt over. the suspect in that berlin christmas market attack killed in a shoot-out with police in milan. we're live with the latest. going nuclear. president-elect trump calls for an expansion of the american nuclear arsenal just hours after russian prident vladimir putin says his country should fortify their arsenal. this morning, the exchange that could defy decades of u.s. nuclear policy, and we'll ask one of trump's closest advisors to explain it. rough flight. two men kicked off a jetblue plane after one of them is accused of confronting ivanka trump and her family with harsh words for the president-elect. did jetblue overreact? what the airline is saying this morning.

and, the great escape. one of the busiest travel weekends of the year gets under way with 103 million people set to hit the road and take to the skies. but will bad weather dampen your holiday spirit? what you need to know before you get on your way "today," friday, december 23rd, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, from nbc news thrks is today with matt lauer and. >> a pretty sight. good morning everyone on a friday morning we made it through the long holiday weekend. >> i've got plenty of tea and lots of goodies here on the side. >> hota is in. we've got some breaking news to start with on a friday morning. the suspect in that deadly

berlin christmas market attack has been killed in a shot-out overnight bringing a global man hunt to an end. let's go to ann thompson. ann, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. the drama ended some 650 miles south in berlin in a milan, italy neighborhood. just as quickly, an international man hunt was over. >> this morning italian investigators gathering evident at the scene of the shoot-out. the most wanted man in europe dead, killed after he was asked for id by italian police. he immediately killed a gun and started firing. there is no doubt that the dead man is amri. this is what officials believe he did at the christmas market. the truck is a mark menace on

the street of holiday lights. at 40 miles an hour, running over people and stalls in the market, the panic caught by a taxi's dash cam video. they found his fingerprints inside and outside the truck's cab. after leaving his hometown in 2011, amri spent more than three years in prison there for setting fire to a refugee center. he was violent, but showed no signs of religious fundamentalism. at the berlin market, it is back to business. >> there is a kind of double sadness, but good people are everywhere and bad people are also everywhere. >> now, the police officer who was injured in that shooting, he

is in an ie tan y'all hospital and is recovering. he is said to be in stable condition. his injuries are not life-threatening. german authorities are thanking their italian counter parts and saying they are relieved that amri is no longer a threat. to politics now and the back and forth between trump and putin. are we on the verge of a renewed nuclear arms race. our team has it covered and we will speak to trump's newly tapped pick in a minute. hi, andrea. >> good morning. vladimir putin today defiant about claims that russian hacking helped elect trump. >> overnight russian president vladimir putin holding his annual news conference,

rejecting democrats who blame the election loss on the hacking of e-mails. saying the party that loses always tries to pass the buck. adding one has to know how to lose decently and addressing the controversy over his call to expand russian's nuclear arsenal. saying if anyone exceeds the arm's race, it's not us. the president-elect went even further thursday tweeting the united states must greatly grengten and expand its nuclear sensibility. reversing policy to cut the number of nuclear weapons. president obama has proposed modernizing the nuclear arsenal but not increasing the number of weapons. >> they're hearing a guy running for president of united states

maybe using nuclear weapons. nobody wants to hear that. >> then why are we making them. >> would you rule out the use of nuclear weapons in the fight against isis. >> i don't want to rule out anything. i will be the last to use nuclear weapons. it is a horror to use nuclear weapons. >> trump spokesman telling nbc news his latest tweet was the critical need to prevent it. newly named presidential counselor says she spoke to mr. trump directly about the comment. >> he is saying we need to expand our capability to be ready for those who also have nuclear weapons. >> but nuclear experts say the president's words matter. >> what is your concern when you see what sounds like new policy being made on twitter? >> this is no way to run a country. every word matters. strengthen the nuclear arsenal,

line. expand it? everybody is harping on that word. whether he meant it or not, he is changing u.s. policy. >> his willingness to dive into policies like nuclear arms on twitters has upset the obama white house, which was expecting the president-elect to observe a long standing tradition that at least on foreign policy there is only one president at a time. and president trump let it be an arms race will russia. we will out match them at any pace. >> all right. thanks so much. >> well, president-elect trump feels out key positions in his cabinet this week. his daughter ivan ka was on a cal day that got off to a rocky start. what can you tell us? >> matt, good morning to you.

ivan ka trump isn't spotted on commercial islands frequently. her family landing in san francisco after some intense moments before her commercial jet blue flight took off. a new york lawyer had words with her according to witnesses. >> he didn't say anything to her. he said allowed, you ruined our country and you you're ruining our flight. >> a professor tweeted out the moment. both men were removed from the plane and eventually hooked on another flight. tmz's cameras cam chured them. mark watched the striking exchange unfold. >> as soon as he saw her he was shaking. >> she was seated in coach and protected by secret service. but was the confrontation planned?

>> he tweeted an hour before the flight. my husband chasing them down to harass them. my husband expressed displeasure in a calm tone. jet blue staff overheard and kicked us off the plane. >> he didn't yell. >> in a statement if the crew determines that a customer is causing conflict on the aircraft, the customer will be asked to deplane. >> meanwhile president-elect trump still in moraloago naming two campaign staffers to his team. >> to the extent i can supportive of his legislative priorities, that's what i'll do.

>> and the president-elect is already sending out tweets this morning. i'll read them to you. he wrote earlier my wonder son eric will no longer be allowed to raise money for children with cancer because of a possible conflict of interest with my presidency. isn't this a ridiculous shame? he loves these kids and now must stop. wrong answer. all underscoring how complicated the trump's family business and charitable even tanglements are. >> all right. thank you very much. rnc communications director. he still holds that position. shawn spicer was just chosen to be the white house press secretary. before we get to that or that flight, i want to talk about this tweet president-elect trump sent out yesterday talking about nuclear weapons. said the wu.s. must expand. >> the tweet continues unless

other countries come to their senses. and i think the point he's making is we are not going to sit back as a country and allow other countries with the u.s. sitting idly by. this president is going to take action and make sure that the american interests are protected. >> this american is going to reverse 40 years of policy in this country where presidents since ronald reagan pledged -- >> we're not going to sit back and watch other countries threaten. the president isn't saying we're going to do this. he said unless they come to their senses. it is a warning to them that this president is going to action. >> he doubled down this morning, shawn. he was asked about this and he said, i'm paraphrasing here. let there be an arms race. we will match them at every turn. >> he's saying a -- >> he's turning this into an arms race?

>> since he was elected november 8th, he has had one success after another. >> this is very different. this is nuclear -- >> i understand. but other countries need to be put on notice he is not going to sit back and allow them to undermine our safety, our sovereignty. he is going to match other countries and take action. >> was this a knee jerk reaction to vladimir putin saying that he planned to fortify the russian nuclear arsenal. >> there has been several countries talking about this. the point he was making was very clear. other countries that want to threaten u.s. safety are not going to sit back and allow this country to not act. >> but if there is going to be an arms race, so be it. that's what he says. so be it. >> there's not going to be. because he's going to ensure that other countries get the message he's not going allow that. they will come to their senses and we will all be just fine.

>> this goes baaing to your role actually that he takes on this vital policy issue, nuclear proliferation in a tweet. and, so -- >> he will get action that way. >> you hit the word tweet. it sends. it goes out and our allies and our enemies are left to react to it. isn't that dangerous? >> look at what happened yesterday about the egyptian motion that was happening at the u.s. he is getting results, whether it's domestically or abroad. the fact of the matter is business as usual is over and things are going to change and america is going to be put first. >> let me talk about your roll because it is going to fall on your shoulder to communicate his policy and views to the media and as a result the world. there has been a contention relationship between trump and the media. i've been to some of his rallies where he urged his supporters to

hate the media. how are you going to delegate this media? >> we have general respect for the media. but at the same time i think president-elect has been clear when stories or facts are not communicated accurately, he's going to be setting the record straight. so we understand the role. but he's got a direct line to the american people with his twitter account, facebook, instagram. there are 40 million plus americans. >> as a result of that direct line, will you continue the long-standilon long-standing issue of press in the white house. >> yes. but what we need to do is say this is how it's always happened and if they could be improved, we improve them. but we need to involve the american people more in these process sees. >> real quickly this jet blue situation. what was her reaction to it? >> i think she is the epitome of class and grace. she exhibited it yesterday.

this individual put out he wanted to go and harass her. but her and the kids were trying to enjoy a private moment -- >> and mr. trump's reaction. >> obviously disappointed but he's proud jet blue look the right position. >> good luck. >> thank you. now to atroversy in texas. an altercation with a woman to called police to allege an assault on her young son. how did she end up understood arrest? gabe has that story. >> reporter: this morning outrage is mounting in forth worth texas after this controversial confrontation. >> it made me feel less of a parent that i couldn't protect him when he needed it. >> jacqueline says she called police wednesday to report that

a neighbor had grabbed her seven year old son's neck for littering. the video beginning after the officer arrives and shes him speaking with the neighbor, but then questioning craig. >> don't put your hands on my son. he can't move to me that my son littered. but it doesn't matter if he did or didn't. it doesn't give him the right to put his hands on him. >> why not. if you keep yelling, you're going to piss me off. >> the officer takes them into custody. craig's 19-year-old daughter recorded the video. >> we see people kill people every day on video. that's why i felt it was a need to record it. >> the video appears to have at least three gaps. the family's attorney says it was not edited but it's not clear what, if anything,

happened in those sections. >> if that was a white child that had been joked by a blackman there is no way they would be walking free and the mother of that child would have been arrested. >> we acknowledge that the initial appearance of the video may raise serious questions. we ask that our investigators are given the time and opportunity to thoroughly examine this incident. the officer is now on restricted duty and on internal investigation. >> with just a day to do until christmas eve and hanukkah, today is the busiest travel day of the holiday season. more than 103 million people are expected to travel more than 50 miles away from home. that means the nation's roads and airports are going to be jammed all day long. tom, good morning to you. >> hi, matt.

we've got a full airport here. behind me reagan national. this is one of three check points. six million people are going to be flying over the course of the ten-day christmas holiday period and we don't have much bad news this morning. take a look at the misery map. not a not of misery today. pretty much all green. slivers of red today, slivers of delays. the busiest airports, atlanta, chicago, l.a., dallas and den r denver. remember to check your liquids and gels. be prepared to take out your laptops, remove your shoes, coats, belts. if you don't have free check, the staff has staffed up since this spring. they have also opened a tsa airport command center here in washington. it tracks every check point nationwide at the 30 busiest airports. they coordinate with the

airlines and try to move things along much, much faster. it moved things along over the summer and thanksgiving break. now, you mention 103 million people. most of them going by road. in fact, 94 million people are traveling by road. fuel is now averaging $2.26 a gallen, that's up 26 sents in a career but still the second cheapest pump prices since 2009. remember, you're competing with everybody else on the plane for that overhead bin space, so maybe you want to pack lightly on your carry ones. matt, back to you. >> all good pieces of advice, tom. thank you very much. >> yes, tom. i'm thinking about what tom said and what rafael is going to say. >> good to be here. not looking so great out west. unfortunately a powerful storm

on shore. i would expect significant delays as we go throughout the day. you can see that snow and rain extending all the way from the border with canada right down to southern california. as the day goes on, our storm continues to dump heavy snows. a flood watch is in effect for los angeles area. heading into tomorrow for christmas eve, heavy snow into the rockies. one to two feet of snow. sunday our storm turns into a blizzard into the high planes and rain and maybe severe weather farther south. i want to show you the possible delays today where you see the red. that's the worst delays. san francisco heavy rain. tomorrow salt lake salt. some delays farther east. maybe some delays in the great lakes and the eastern sea board. local weather in the next 30

seconds. i love santa. santa is my favorite friend. he is a big elf. >> it's a little factory up there that make toys and tough. >> big sleigh with reindeer pulling on it. >> he goes down the chimney when good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're under a microclimate weather alert. it's shifted over toward the east bay, with some of the heaviest downpours at this point. all along 580 and going through the tri-valley tort brentwood and down toward tracy, it also moves into san jose at this point with heavy rain continuing off and on all day.

>> and that's a look at your forecast. >> all right, thank you. how about thanks so much. but first this is today on nbc.

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using order pickup. stay fresh! get last minute gifts with order pickup at target. ==cam== a microclimate weather alert continues ng .. as ra very good morning. it's 7:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. we're in the microclimate weather alert this morning as the raen continues to roll through the bay area. here is a live look outside interstate 580 in dublin. drivers dealing with wet roadways and ponding out here. live look as you're in our nbc bay area news van this morning now rolling through san francisco toward the bay bridge. got to watch yourself if you're heading out the door. a lot of people traveling on this friday before christmas. kari has a look at the forecast for us. >> you can see in oakland the roads are jammed up and we're dealing withstanding water on the roadways. the raen has moved out of san francisco, some spots taking a

little break with lighter raen. once again, the heaviest rain is shifted into the east bay and extending toward brentwood and over into the sacramento valley. watching this heavy wren into the south bay, it will be off and on all day long. rainfall totals reaching up to an inch for most of us and winds gusting at about 25 to 35 miles an hour. later today, lightning will be possiblement when the cold air moving in, we may have snow on mt. hamilton and also parts of the santa cruz mountains at the summit. i'll detail that, but let's head over to mike for a look at the road conditions. >> the pink on the right is mt. hamilton. that's where you're talking about the possibility of snow and ice. the blue, wet soupy conditions. recovery for 580 . the crash cleared about ten minutes ago at eden canyon. 880 is jammed up because of a crash at the top of the street past high street. that's the worst of the drive.

580 clear toward the toll plaza. thanks very much. another local news update in half an hour. see you then.

we are back on a friday morning. it is the 23rd day of december, to 16, 7:30 in the morning and a huge pre-holiday crowd out in rock feller center. we'll get outside in a little while. >> we are going to celebrate christmas eve eve with them. the prime suspect in a deadly berlin christmas market attack has been killed in milan. the 24-year-old man was stopped by a police for a routine check when he pulled his fun in an attack. >> russian president is speaking out this morning about growing

fears over a nuclear arms race with the u.s. putin said you shathey are stro than any aggressor and denied any claims that russia helped trump win the election. >> a plane hijacked this morning and diverted. officials said two men in their 20s threatened to blow up the plane. passengers began disembarking. >> we want to begin this half hour with a troubling trend among teens going sigh ral. kids are hiding out overnight and posting videos of their sleep overadventures on line. correspondent in los angeles has got more on this. this is going to need some explaining. >> teens call it the teenage -- the sleep overchallenge. they hide inside these box stores, get their cameras out. when security disappears, that's

when they start to roll video. now many people are beginning to push back. >> tonight we are going to try to sleep in ikea. the craze appears to have started with these two betweens. back in july the best friends filmed themselves at their local ikea store, hide anything a closet until closing. then spend the night in a store bouncing around. and mugging with their camera. >> m casually slept in ikea. >> it began a little bit as a joke. we came up with the idea to film it and to put it on the internet. it blew up like crazy. >> their youtube video went viral with more than two million views and inspired copy cats worldwide.

in canada, these youtubers film their overnight escapade in a walmart. here in the u.s. these friends recorded their night hiding inside the play set at a mcdonalds. >> is this considered trespassing. >> they weren't bought, but these british youths weren't so lucky after their night in an ikea store. >> are you worried you started something that could get other kids in trouble. >> be free, but also be responsible. >> in a statement to nba news, ikea said, the safety and security of our coworkers and customers is our highest priority, and that's why we do not allow sleep overs in our stores. walmart told us we do not condone any activity inside our stores that could result in vandalism, destruction of property or physical injury and will take appropriate action if necessary. as for these two, they never heard from ikea after hosting

their video. don't plan any more sleep overs there. >> i guess you have to think about it twice before you do it. >> the teens we spoke to say they did get in trouble with their parents, but to be clear, this can be serious business. kids can arrested and even face jail time. >> thank you very much. i think the title of their video said it all. >> what was it? >> two idiots? all right. let's head over for a check of the weather. >> yeah. we have that powerful tomorrow out west. over 18 million people over some sort of winter advisory. this storm is nasty and moves into the dakotas into sunday. you could see very heavy snow. there is some good news. we need the rain in california. we are going to get it. up to an inch. again, this is not good for traveling today and into tomorrow. skiers rejoicing all of this

snow piling up in the sierra. also in the rockies. one to two feet of snow. good snow pack there and then with the possible blizzard on sunday, very high accumulations as you head into the dakotas. enjoying the that you out back east. temperatures above average for a change. near 47 degrees in central park. we may see slight delays in we have heavy rain creating slick spots on the roadways. be careful as you head out. here is a live look outside across the golden gate bridge and moving echbt san francisco. some of the heavier rain has shifted into parts of the east bay where we see the bright reds and yellows here on the radar. going down i-5 that's where the rain is really pouring down at this point. we'll continue to see the rain off and on through out the day. there will be breaks in between and another round this evening.

>> of of course you can always get your weather forecast on cable. >> coming up, whether we're traveling around the country or right here, 2016 was action packed for us. today we are going to take a look back at some of our favorite moment. >> and a first glimpse at some touches letters from diana. we'll tell you about that right after this. ♪music

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friend at the palace reveal so much about her relationship with her young sons. she is still the queen of hearts to the public. but it is what princess diana had to say privately that reveals the special bond she shared with her sons, william and harry. these heart-warming newly revealed notes going on auction next month offer a glimpse into the life of the royal mom. on kensington palace stationary just five days after harry's birth, the princess writing the reaction to one tiny person's birth overwhelmed us and i can hardly breathe for all of the flowers arriving here. brotherly love, it seems, took root at first sight. diana joking that she could hardly get near the newborn prince. william adores his little brother and spends the entire time swamping harry with an endless supply of hugs and kisses hardly letting the parents near. and hinting at an early naughty streak in harry when they were 10 and 8. the boys are well and enjoying

boarding school a lot, though harry is constantly in trouble. >> i'd run a bath and i came back up to get in the bath and suddenly i felt my bath was entirely red. harry had been down to the kitchen and asked the chef for a bottle of food coloring. actually poured it into the bath. this was the sort of joker that he was. >> reporter: diana also opens up about the painful death of her grandmother at an already-difficult time just a year after her separation from prince charles. her death comes as a great shock, she wrote, but even here, the princess who gave so much to others taking time to say thanks. it has meant an enormous amount to receive messages of support such as yours. resigning from public duties just five months later -- >> my first priority will continue to be our children, william and harry, who deserve as much love and care and attention as i'm able to give.

>> reporter: these boys, now both men. together, they got through the tragedy of her death and today they are as close as they were then, carrying on the charitable legacy of their mother. the future king now a proud father of two children of his own. guys, those letters generating a ton of interest said to be worth up to $18,000 at auction as the thirst for all things diana continues to grow. hoda? matt? >> it certainly does. lucy, thank you so much. up next, do you still have a tricky present that you have no idea how to wrap? carson's over in the orange room with some hilarious and creative solutions right after this. kohl's is now open 24 hours

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it is december 23rd, it is my anniversary. which means your time to wrap christmas gifts is almost running out. if you think you are a terrible gift wrapper, i want to make you feel a little bit better this morning. let's go and check out people online. look at rebecca. go to wrap my presents thinking i bought silver wrapping paper, but, no, i bought cellophane. and this one -- already failing at christmas. wrapping fail. that's when you come up short and are using that last bit from the roll. that's no good. lisa, ran out of tissue paper so i used real tissues. this is a sentimental gift that would be good. but otherwise -- don't have to tell you. brian, i thought i was bad at wrapping presents, but then i saw my dad's gift to my mom. aluminum foil. yeah. we've also got a holiday treat for everybody at home. every day the "today" show staff has been lighting up the christmas tree.

matt joined in as the celebrity tree lighter, i guess. >> it was very touching. >> let's see how touching it was. ♪ rockin' around the christmas tree let christmas spirit ring ♪ ♪ later we'll have some pumpkin pie and we'll do some caroling ♪ >> everybody! ♪ you will get a sentimental >> there was a shorter version of this, by the way. >> i haven't seen this yet. i'm waiting for it to kick in. ♪ deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪ >> it's no rockefeller tree lighting. >> happy holidays to everybody. in the daly household you don't feel like wrapping the gifts, play hot and cold. just put the present in like the wine closet, you have the kids play hot, hotter, warmer, cold -- then you are not wrapping anything. >> does it have to be inside the house? >> yeah. >> happy anniversary to you and siri.

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we are under a microclimate weather alert as we continue to track heavy rain moving through the bay area this morning. a lot of that rain continuing to move off to the east. the rest of us a steady downpour. and whether you're traveling or staying here at home, a lot of wet roads and some dangerous travel conditions from i-5 here down to the south as well. it will be wet and windy from highway 1 to l.a., it will be rainy, and also looking at snow in the sierra. as we go through the rest of the day, periods of some rain, also breaks in between later on this morning. there will be the potential for thunder and lightning later on as the next round of rain moves into the south bay early this afternoon and still some rain moving in at times there will be once again several waves of this until it starts to clear later this evening. we'll continue to track this and also the road conditions. let's head over to mike for an update. >> kari, you showed moving through oakland.

we have the gray skies, wet conditions. the wind pushes our camera around a bit and starting to recover. this jam at high street an earlier crash. a slower drive from 98 through the area. instead of blue, we're highlighting green. that means wet roadways but not as much ponding and puddling. that's over in the tri-valley. a smoother drive for the south bay, the peninsula, very light volume of traffic. watch those conditions. the bay bridge, no metering lights this morning. we have the puddling and the water on the lens will be an issue for your wind shield as well. if you have the wipers going during daylight hours, you have to keep the headlights on as well. that's the law. >> it makes a difference. happening now, a live look at highway 101 in san rafael. look at that. the rain really coming down. one of the many areas of the bay area hit. get our nbc bay area app where you can watch the doppler radar live for yourself.

seen up for the weather alerts as well.

it's 8:00 on "today" and coming up get away day. millions take to the roads and the skies, but will weather threaten holiday travel. what you need to know before you head out the door. ♪ i'll be home plus a very country christmas. >> i love christmas so much. and i just, i wanted everybody to feel in the spirit. >> music star brett eldredge talks music, family and holiday traditions. oh, the fun we've had. >> it's time to meet our puppy. let's have a drum roll, please. from puppies to pop music. to friends to pregnancies.

>> well, yeah, i am pregnant. we look back at the laughs and lighter moments we've shared this year. today, friday, december 23rd, 2016. >> we're here from knoxville, tennessee, to celebrate christmas with our daughter. >> it's my 15th birthday. >> at "today" show in new york city! >> all i want for christmas is a photo with hoda! >> look who's turning 13 today. >> hey, "today" show wish us a happy double birthday. >> merry christmas, colorado!

we're back now 8:00 on a friday morning. it's the 23rd day of december 2016. really not bad out here considering just a couple days to go until christmas and take a look at this huge crowd. >> look at this great crowd on the plaza. >> christmas eve tomorrow. start of hanukkah tomorrow. big time of year. >> some sweet 16 birthdays. the twins are back here celebrating a birthday. >> are you guys ready for christmas? >> you're never really ready ready. >> coming up, we have the year-end review of some of the moments on the show. stay tuned for that. time to look at some headlines. here's your news at 8:00. the international manhunt for the christmas market terror attack suspect is over. i'm ann thompson in berlin. the manhunt ended in milan, italy, this morning when 24-year-old anis amri was shot

in that neighborhood. italian authorities say amri was stopped at a routine police check at 3:00 this morning. they said he looked suspicious and a policeman asked him for i.d. instead of pulling out his papers he started firing injuring that policeman. another policeman fired back killing amri. he was identified by his fingerpripfinge fingerprints. why did he go to italy? it was a country that he knew. he left there in 2011 after he left his home country of tunisia. he spent more than three years in prison in italy for arson. did he have a support network? was he on his way to tunisia. those are all questions that need to be answered. german officials in berlin thanked authorities for their cooperation and support. as for that italian police officer who was injured in the shootout, he is doing well this morning. he is said to be in stable condition and his injuries are

not life threatening. matt? >> anne thompson, thank you very much. as we mentioned, millions of americans are on the move today hitting the roads and, of course, taking to the sky in what's expected to be a record setting holiday travel year. they're also headed for the madness of the mall in search of some last-minute gifts. nbc is in new jersey. good morning to you, happy holidays. >> good morning to you and for all the procrastinators out there. we have some tips to take advantage of the last two shopping days ahead of christmas. first, set a time limit and make sure that you are not leaving the house without a game plan. here's why. 30% of americans are going to be shopping till the very last minute. 20% will actually shop on christmas eve and that is tomorrow. what we'll see a lot of people out. don't leave the house without a plan. second, it is 2016. take advantage of same-day

shapisha shopping. amazon and saks offering same day delivery. if you want to order online and pick up in store, you can do that at kohl's and walmart. last but not least, if you're struggling to figure out what to get someone. be sure to think about a gift card. you're probably rolling your eyes. gift cards, kind of old school. but a new virtual technology that allows you to ord arspecific item online and then you send it via e-mail as your loved one as a gift. this is something you can do at nemen's and macy's and pick out the size and the color and, best of all, if they don't like it, they could return it right there online. time is running out. hurry up and get it done. >> it's not too late, which is the headline. how about a check of the weather. >> hey, hoda and matt. so cold now we have a nice gift just in time for the holidays. a warm up across much of the eastern half of the country. look at this international falls. 34 degrees, it seems chilly,

that's 20 degrees above average. boston 44 degrees today and it gets even warmer as we head into christmas eve. mobile near 80 degrees tomorrow and philadelphia same story there and the warmth continues as we head into next >> nice and mild. >> good news. thank you very much. coming up, we're going to shine a light on best of "today" throughout the year. all our adventures from rio to

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i'll make the cocoa. get a great offer on the car of your grown-up dreams at the mercedes-benz winter event. it's the look on their faces that make it all worthwhile. thank you santa!!! now lease the 2017 c300 for $389 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. >> announcer: "today's" year in review is sponsored by mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. it was an exciting year here at "today" highlighted by some big baby news. times two, really, in the "today" family. >> whether we were here in studio 1a, out on the plaza or rio for the olympics, we all had a really good time. so let's look back at some of the fun and laughs we shared. ♪ ooh something magical it's in the air it's in my blood it's rushin' on ♪ i don't need no reason don't

need control ♪ i've got that sunshine in my pocket got that good song in my feet ♪ ♪ ♪ under the lights when everything goes nowhere to hide when i'm getting you close ♪ when we move well you already know so just imagine just imagine ♪ >> one small thing i do every morning, go on the play list, play classic rock 'n' roll. >> the one thing i do is put my fingers in my ears. >> we have a viewer outside anxiously awaiting your weather cast right there. >> i like to leave my audiences riveted. >> carson making dreams come true this morning. >> um, are you pregnant.

well, yeah, i am pregnant. >> yes! >> you guys, i didn't really want to make a big deal of this or anything about what it was going to be, but -- oh, my gosh, what is that? >> it's a boy! >> round of applause for charles max feldman. 9 pounds 8 ounces. it is one cute little boy. >> we've been working with him on a cool new trick all morning long. let's see if it works. >> you were supposed to disappear. >> boom. >> matt? grab some couch here, buddy. >> thank you very much. >> you know what time it is, kath? >> it's wine-o-clock. >> really, are you pregnant. you guys need some new jokes. >> wow!

>> shut the front door! >> saturday morning dylan gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, value kin bradley fuchera. >> it is time to meet our puppy. let's have a drum roll, please! >> hi, charlie! >> i'm down to about five opinions in life of the people that matter. it's a very freeing thing. >> am i one of them? >> no. >> i sat on a bee once when i was a little kid. and it was terrible. >> for the bee. >> nancy, tell us the story about when savannah got caught shoplifting. >> no, no! my gosh! we are out of time. >> where did we hear that? >> i made it up. but apparently -- >> willie, come here. come here. willie, i know the trick now. i got to go. >> you know what? >> this is like a remake of the defiant ones. >> that's my stupid human trick. >> are you kidding me?

that's not your first rodeo, is it? >> get your face right up here. put your face right there! ♪ >> that's not his first guinness, by the way. >> she's cooking! hoda's cooking! >> i'm so sorry. >> i have to say real quickly, the soup is delicious. really good. >> savannah has never met a milkshake she doesn't like. >> milkshakes. milkshakes. milkshakes. >> that is so good. >> mmm! >> guys, are you like lovin' it, or what? >> 13 states where these are illegal. you need to eat these potatoes in your pajamas before flopping on the bed. >> i can just say, it is so nice to see you two together? no, you and the stove. >> that's onions? are those peaches?

what is this? >> this is fennel. >> wait a minute. hold on. >> you got it! you got it! yeah! she sticks the landing! >> lucky for us, we have assembled the greatest culinary talent in the country. food brings people together. so here's to more food. ♪ e

>> 1961 also the last year that carson appeared on the "today" show. >> no! >> i thought it was cool then. i deeply regret it now. >> i'm just going to sit right here. >> oh, no you don't. >> now the latest internet craze is called the -- manikin challenge. >> you take too many, there's something -- the doctor said -- it's a medical thing. >> you know what it is? right here. drinking the wine. >> start the day with something

good. >> every day! >> savannah guthrie, always something, no doubt, the "today" show all day yo come play with my poker face my al roker face. >> hold on. okay. all right. >> no, no, no! ♪ ♪ just call me angel of the morning angel ♪ >> what is your preshow ritual? >> well, i -- i pray and pee in that order. >> me, too! >> three, two, one -- >> just a bit slow. just a bait slow. ♪ >> i see you averting your eyes. that's because sasha has some kind of plumber's crack going on that is like beyond anything

i've ever seen. >> god help me, i can't take my eyes off it. >> i have a single sister, she's available. >> we can talk maybe off air. >> i'll give you her number. >> he ha is to go to the toilet! >> high five! >> i love this show. i'm so excited! i love it! >> this is "today." >> i want that on the holiday new year's eve reel or whatever y'all do. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ when you want it the most there is no easy way out ♪ when you're ready to go and your heart's left you out don't give up on love ♪ that's the way it is ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ he placed a wreath upon his door ♪ ♪ drove him uptown for a diamond. >> so you're a singer. >> yes. i used to be. >> okay. you have 16 cds? i'm the worst. >> it's fine. i don't expect you to. i don't have any of yours either. ♪ i meant it i said it i stole my mama's credit i'm hot sock you in the stomach one more time ♪ >> we're on steps of the white house. i have to say, that qualifies as special. >> i'm not leaving.

this is -- i always wanted to stand here. ♪ >> the vice president of the united states. bo and sonny obama. >> i think we're more excited about this moment than anything else. >> cleveland, ohio, we're in the heart of it here. nice crowd gathered on this wednesday morning. >> mr. roker, yoo-hoo, you down there? >> welcome to philadelphia. >> oh, my gosh. >> it's hot here, people. >> the nation's waking up to a stunning upset. donald trump is the president-elect. >> not so easy getting the forecast right, is it? >> this is the first spot in the country that the sun hits the horizon. >> if we survive this, it will be a miracle. >> yeah, baby! yeah! >> this is the whale's mouth. if you look close enough, you can see pinocchio. largest tree on earth.

>> wow. >> yeah. >> i see it. i see it. wow. >> beautiful. >> it is really pretty, isn't it? >> feast your eyes. >> sweet mother of nuts. >> all right, everybody, here we go. stand by. animation, music. animate. >> it is a party on the beach in rio. >> it's time for al's portuguese class. [ speaking portuguese ]. >> no. >> shouldn't we call this natalie's portuguese? >> absolutely, we should. >> oh, my gosh. it is a cliff. >> we're going on to our next item on bucket list. >> that's more fog up there. >> if we look right up there -- >> how perfect is that? ♪ ice cold for that white gold ♪ >> hey, zac efron, i think we need you here at the team final.

>> hey, if it works, i'd like to say, you're welcome. >> thank you for giving us a front row seat to a great run. >> those are fantastic. >> winning the decathlon yesterday. ♪ ♪ go crazy let's go crazy we're gonna live we're gonna live forever ♪ ♪ >> looks like a kitchen -- ah! >> are we still on? >> these might have been in the fridge for too long. >> can i have my tooth back

that's in there? >> check out "today's" pinterest page. we have a pinterest page? >> cook this for three minutes on each side. >> why are you giggling? >> you are so messy. >> celebrating her 81st birthday, jane doody -- i didn't say doody. >> let's be clear, you said jane doody. >> he said look at this stone, he picks it up and realized -- oh, my gosh, that's a turd. >> it had the feel of tex-mex. >> that's so gross! >> look who's here from one dimension. >> what? >> performing live in our studio. >> one direction. >> boy, you can tell we don't rehearse. ♪ i can't stop feeling

♪ just dance dance dance ♪ ♪ ♪ can't stop feeling i got this feeling in my body ♪ i got this feeling in my body ♪ ♪ i can't stop feeling want to see you move your body ♪ i can't stop the feeling i got this feeling in my body ♪ ♪ take it down got this feeling in my body can't stop the feeling ♪ got this feeling in my body ♪ come on ♪ >> who has more fun than we do! >> rewind it. roll it again. >> all in one year? >> yesterday we showed the look back at all the news stories. i think we all agreed it was a tough years, so many things that were depressing. it is nice to know we were able

to have some fun and laugh a little. a good friday morning. at 8:26 i'm sam brock. this is a microclimate weather alert this morning as rain rolls through the bay area. see some of the drops coming down on the camera there. that is a live look at interstate 580 near richmond, san rafael bridge. you can see drivers still dealing with wet roads right now. get the latest weather conditions with meteorologist kari hall. >> still tracking light rain at the golden globes bridge creating wet roads and slippery road conditions. it's also very chilly, only 48 degrees. here is a look at san jose as drivers make it out there for a busy travel day. we are seeing a bulk of the heavy rain now shifting off to the east but we will still be tracking this activity as we go through the day. another wave of some heavy rain and possibly some thunderstorms late morning into early afternoon.

we'll have more right here. let's head to mike for look at the morning commute. >> kari, what we're looking at, first of all, the roadways are looking wet, drier. no major problems with speed soerns aside from this, toward oakland. not a major problem but slower than the rest of the bay. a live look, earlier crash at high street. still hasn't recovered. one sticking point towards doubt. once you pass there, bay bridge toll plaza no metering lights, back-up, back to you. >> we'll see you again in 30 minutes with more updates.

. we're back now 8:30 on a friday morning. 23rd day of december. and we've got a great crowd outside. we came back out to say hello. we've got charlie with us. we have rafael mirranda and we are gathering toys as part of our annual toy drive. by the way mel b. back in our next hour co-hosting "today pefs ta

take." we have brett eldredge. jenna went to nashville to hang out with him and his mom and made some cookies. no-fuss appetizers. martha stewart has answers for all your holiday emergencies. first, as we said, al's not here. rafael is here is from nbc. >> very busy travel day, guys. dealing with a nasty storm in the west. take a look at the maps here. lots of snow and rain watching out for those travel delays. they will build throughout the day today. lighter snow in places like chicago and maybe some minor delays there. dry along the eastern seaboard. as we head into christmas eve and hanukkah, some of the snow spreads into the rockies and dealing with rain along the eastern seaboard and no major event there. for christmas day, a blizzard in the high plains. dakotas will see lots of snow and be very mild for christmas day. sorry, guys, not a white christmas for the east coast.

good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we had a batch of some very heavy rain moving through earlier this morning. now that has shifted off to the east over the central valley. we will still have some steady rain throughout the morning, a couple of breaks in between, then the heaviest rain moves in again later this afternoon with a potential of lightning. also have the rain totals up to an inch or maybe a little bit more in a few spots. gusts at 25 to 30 miles per hour. keep it tuned here. we'll continue to have updates through the day. in to sunday night football right here on nbc as the chiefs take on the broncos. coverage begins at 7:00 eastern on christmas. now, here's carson. >> announcer: the share kindness get away contest is created with our sister company, universal orlando resort. with amazing theme parks and spectacular on-site hotels. it's days and nights of endless fun.

all right. we are in the middle of our shared kindness campaign and need to inspire 1 million acts of kindness all month long. putting a lego piece in that giant box out there on the plaza and thanks to your many, many kind acts. we're almost at our goal. our nbc affiliates have been sharing kindness in a big way. wtvj in miami donated more than 4,500 toys for children and as part of the campaign we launched a contest to reward somebody, somebody kind in your life and it's time to announce who that winner is. who is going to receive the big vacation for four to universal orlando resort and stay on site at the beautiful sapphire falls resort. let's get to that winner and it is -- there she is. tonya from kansas. congratulations to tonya. a very hard-working mother and grandmother and second grade teacher who constantly puts

others first and during her summer when she does have time off, what does she want to do? she also packs meals for kids who don't have carpools. students who need a ride. she does so much and does laundry for kids who don't have a washing machine. thank you and congratulations. enjoy that trip to orlando. >> really nice, carson. this morning on our special series "jenna's country christmas." joins brett eldredge in spreading holiday cheer. >> i recently got to spend some time with country cutie brett eldredge and he proved a country christmas is all about family. brett eldredge is one of the hottest stars in country music and has a new christmas album "glow." >> i'm christmas through and through and always have been. glow is a classic christmas record. it's kind of a throwback to the songs that i loved hearing growing up.

>> reporter: he grew up in a small town, paris, illinois. >> since i was a little kid, i loved christmas music. i remember i'd get up at 6:00 a.m. every christmas and i'd crank it up and make all my family wake up and they would be so mad at me. i love christmas so much and i just wanted everybody to feel in the spirit. >> what were some of your favorite childhood christmas memories? >> probably my favorite childhood christmas memory still happens to this day. a tradition that we kept in my family since my first christmas and that's we go to christmas eve service at the little church in paris, illinois. >> home is special for eldredge. >> i have a song that says i come from the heart of the heartland. >> what is a country christmas tee you? >> actually, one of my songs called "glow" on the album that says you are my sunshine over a field of snow and i love to watch you glow. there's nothing like seeing a

snowy country side with the sun shining on it and it's just sparkling. >> in fact, i had a little glow surprise. you can open. >> okay. >> i found these at your local superstore. >> look at that. >> do you know what i'm doing here? >> no. >> you don't know what i'm doing here. >> you're glowing. >> exactly. >> come on. >> can i be part of this. ♪ i love to watch you glow >> now i'm blushing. i'm glowing and blushing. >> everybody, welcome to another christmas cooking with brett. >> eldredge shares his love for christmas making fun videos. >> you've been doing something called "the 12 days of brett." >> so it's me and my best friend greg who actually dresses up in a wig as my aunt janice. >> mush, wrap, clap. that's what 12 days of brettness

the love of music and the love of life. >> to celebrate his family's traditions i joined brett along with his mom and dad and bruther to bake some holiday cookies. >> that right there is going to be really good. >> that's going to be a large cookie. >> those are good. >> what are you thankful for this year? >> i'm thankful for just the support that people have shown to me through the years of just giving me the opportunity to do this and play music and hopefully help, you know, other people have a merry christmas. >> and in the spirit of christmas, i brought a little gift from "today" show. >> can you make it glow? >> yes. >> by singing to it? >> yes. ♪ this fire is nice but so are your eyes ♪ ♪ they sparkle when you smile

ain't felt this warm in a while ♪ ♪ you look good in the light of my christmas tree ♪ ♪ so good the mistletoe and me. you are my sunshine over a field of snow ♪ ♪ and i love to watch you glow ♪ >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas. >> thank you for having me. >> i had so much fun with brett and his family. his album "glow just" makes you feel the christmas spirit and his mama's cookies, they were delicious. >> your husband called, by the way. and you can find brett's mom's cookie recipe at today.com. elizabeth smart opens up about her new chapter working as a crime reporter. first, this is "today" on nbc.

it has been more than a decade since elizabeth smart was abducted from her home in the

middle of the night. nine months later she was discovered and returned to her family and the country breathed a sigh of relief. elizabeth smart, good morning. how are you? >> i'm doing great. this kind of surprised me. elizabeth mart is going to be a correspondent talking about crime stories. why did you think that was important to do? >> thinking back on my own experience and learning everything i did after i was rescued, i just really over and over again was how pivotal media played in my kidnapping and in almost every i've done since then whether it's been pushing a bill or talking about a cause. media has always kind of been that big push that we've always needed to help get it passed or to help get our word out. this is an incredible opportunity for me to be able to go out and help these other survivors and victims share

their stories. >> so, when you're sitting across from a victim, i would imagine if i were a victim and i was sitting across from you as a correspondent, i would feel safe. i would feel like, you know, she's been through what i have been through or probably a lot worse. have you noticed in these interviews that people you wouldn't expect to open up are really opening up to you? >> i think that's always my main concern because i have been on the receiving end of good interviews and bad interviews. i just always want whoever i talk to to feel that they're safe. i'm doing this because i believe their story is important to share, not just for themselves but for other victims and survivors out there. >> does it ever feel to you like you're picking a scab. that's in my rear view mirror and i'm moving forward and then you listened to your own. does it bring you back to those days? >> not in a bad way. it's certainly not retraumatized

me. if anything, it reminds me of how i felt and why i feel what i'm doing is important. >> speaking about your life now, you have a beautiful 21-month-old, chloe. has having that baby changed the way you think about these kind of crime scenes and the things that have happened, even to you in the past? >> definitely. >> how? >> when i had my little girl, it felt like, it felt like my heart was relocated into my throat and just all the time -- every second of my day is she breathing, is she okay, what does she need? now as a parent going out and talking to other parents, talking to other survivors and hearing their story, i can't help but think of my own parents and what they went through because if anyone wants to hurt somebody, you go after their

child. you don't actually go after them. you go after their child. so that sometimes it almost makes me think that as bad as everything that's ever happened to me, sometimes i think maybe it was worse for my parents because they didn't know and they only had their imagination to guess what i was going through. and that would be the worst thing in the world. >> we are so happy you're with us today and we're happy you're shining a light on other people's stories and putting attention where it needs to be. elizabeth smart, thank you. good luck with this new show. >> thank you. >> you can watch "crime list daily." check your local listings for that. our good friend martha stewart is here with great solutions to all of your last-minute holiday emergencies from koocooking to wrapping gif even what to do with a great bottle of wine. how are you, first of all? >> very well. i'm tired of wrapping. >> me, too. this is "today" on nbc.

back on this friday morning back here on our friday morning with share kindness stories. >> one of the fiercest rivalries in sports into a chance to build traditions and grow closer. >> good morning to you. as gridiron feuds go, it's hard to find one more heated than the game we saw right here on nbc last night. the "new yonew york giants were philadelphia to take on the eagles. but who always manage to find common ground. over 80 years of animosity. the new york giants and philadelphia eagles had been bitter football foes since 1933. >> everybody's covered. >> reporter: a rivalry renewed on the field on thursday night football. it's a conflict that runs deep. sometimes dividing families, as well. pitting father against son.

>> they are both very loyal philadelphia fans. no moving on that at all. >> reporter: and husband against wife. >> nobody's perfect. so, i fell in love in spite of. >> reporter: they met in college. ian bleeds blue for the giants and beth is a big-time eagles fan. >> you use this as an excuse to kind of flirt a little bit. is that true? >> i think so. why not? there's lots of wonderful things about football days and the opportunity that we got to hang out -- >> it brings people together and sometimes pushes people apart. >> reporter: married for ten years they have a 3-year-old daughter cecilia. her parents say she can pick her own side but right now even her pjs are divided. >> we have been getting her involved since before she was born. >> they gather with friends for a tailgate.

jeremy was born in the bronx to die-hard giants fans jeff and nancy. but when jeremy was 1 the family move under to within a hail mary pass of eagles stadium. >> i love my parents dearly but i grew up outside of philly. >> that hasn't stopped jeff from trying to convert his grandkids. >> does he ever try to get you to come over to his side? >> yes. >> what do you say? i love you, grandpa, but -- >> i am never going to go on to the giants side. >> it wound up going the eagles way last night. >> touchdown! but win or lose -- >> it is a great time. awesome day. >> it's all love. football and sports in general, of course, can be a great thing when it brings families closer together, no matter who you're cheering for. >> how sweet is that. >> those pajamas. those are awesome. >> she had her friend make those. it was fun.

>> by the way, i'm a little grumpy over that game this morning. speaking of cheering. plenty of that going on christmas day when the steelers host the ravens on the nfl network that starts 4:30 p.m. eastern, eastern time. later that christmas night, the kansas city chiefs take on denver. again, coverage begins at 7:00 eastern right here on nbc. all right, no one does holidays better than martha stewart. she's here with some great ideas to help you get through last-minute holiday emergencies. but, first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:52 with our series today's stress-free holiday. >> we called in the queen of holiday entertaining. any kind of entertaining to help you cross some last-minute items off your to-do list. she has easy dyi ideas from martha stewart living. happy holidays. good morning. we're going to divide and conquer this morning. >> you were always remembering the other person that you haven't wrapped a gift for and you just have to have some things up your sleeve. >> forgot about that host or hostess gift. you have a bottle of wine and you can make it look like you thought about this in advance. >> grab a beautiful bottle of wine and a brand-new vintage dishtowel and roll it up like that and tie it at the top with a nice little piece of twine.

and add, if you can, a cork screw. you know how cork screws disappear in your house. >> put that right there on the bottle. >> tie it on there so it comes off lookic like this one right here. >> another way to wrap a bottle of wine to embellish it. i print out every single holiday i print out images from my farm. that is one of my horses. you print it on the sticky avery label and don't do the label, do the back. tie some bells on some string and right around the bottle and it's festive and beautiful. >> i like this one the best. >> this is so cute. this tinsel is available readily at holiday time. put a piece of doublestick tape down the back of the bottle and start either at the bottom and just wrap this around. you can do this, matt. >> even i could do this, right? >> even matt can do this. just take it all the way around

and wrap it so it looks like this when you're done. >> put a little ornament in the front. >> put a nonbreakable ornament. you know. cute. i love that one. >> can we wrap some last-minute gifts, martha. can we get one of the extra bottles of wine. >> i wanted to show you how to actually make some wrapping paper. personalize. >> okay. >> for little -- take some old christmas cards. do you save some of your cards? >> i save the good ones. >> i have some for 25 years. not my cards other people's cards. >> just cut out the pretty parts of it. that could be your little name tag and you can hang that on the gift but to make your own wrapping paper. i love making my own. so, i take a plain colored paper and you can just use a metallic paint or glittered paint and you can stripe it. >> right. >> water down the paint a little bit. and you're going to do this, matt. you are going to make your own wrapping paper. >> you can do stripes.

you can do plaids. you can go this way, of course. >> you can see how beautiful. >> all of these are done. >> for people. a beautiful bow makes a gift. >> i do it like my stinkers. >> two loops. >> two loops. the way you teach children. >> yes. >> just two loops like this. and use a generous amount of ribbon. >> all right. >> do you save ribbon from year to year from your old presents? >> i don't. >> save it and iron it and put it around some cardboard. iron it. of course. look how pretty. >> room for carson here. time for carson. >> martha, i'm having a dinner party tonight. i need a show-stopping aptizer. >> how about something that looks like this. >> how difficult is this going to be for me to do? >> sprinkle the puff pastry with some ground up pecans or walnuts or whatever. roll those in like that. wrap your brie -- >> just buy the brie and wrap it. >> get a good brie and make sure

that's on a cookie sheet. wrap that under and embellish. here's one that is already wrapped. embellish with some nice little decorations with your cookie cutters. >> you can use other shapes. >> turn your oven on to 450 degrees. you like baked brie, don't you, matt? >> yeah. >> put these little stars all over. >> you just put them on top. how long do you bake that for? >> you bake for about 20 minut right now microclimate weather alert, kari. >> yes, we are under that microclimate weather alert as we continue to track some of the heaviest rain that moved through earlier still leaving wet spots on the road. 880 through oakland looking soggy. golden gate bridge, a lot of standing water in san jose. still having to turn on the windshield wipers even though the rain has moved out and we're

seeing breaks there as well. now we will see another round of rain moving in as we go through the rest of the day. off and on, potential of thunderstorms later on today, we'll keep an eye on it. let's see what's happening on the roadways with mike. >> starting to get a little less soupy. still, a light flow of traffic which saves the day. we'll look at oakland where it was slow, still soupy, look how the bay bridge toll plaza wet as well. metering lights haven't been on since 6:30 this morning. mike, thank you. for traffic and weather go to nbc weather app. sign up for weather and traffic alert and get a look how conditions could affect your holiday travel plans. back in 30 minutes with more news. for now send you back to the "today show." ♪ ♪ ♪

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this morning on "today's take," annette benning, the golden globe nominated actress, opens up about her buzzy new film. and mel b. joins us sharing her favorite christmas traditions. and a last-minute gift guide and the perfect chance to win a "freebie friday" present. all thatoming up now. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today's take," live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. ♪ welcome to "today" on this friday morning. it is december 23rd, 2016. it's "freebie friday." you'll have the chance to win the perfect gift heading into this holiday weekend. i'm sheinelle jones along with our special guest co-host for the day, mel b.

good morning to you. >> good morning. >> al and tamron on a well-deserved vacation. we've got sheinelle and mel holding it down on this friday. here's the deal. you are in town. you're just days away from debuting as roxie hart on broadway. >> until the middle of february. >> are you ready? >> i don't think i'm ever going to be ready. i am very excited and very nervous at the same time. >> she's like the accused murderess? >> yeah. she's very emotional and thinks very fast on her feet so i kind of identify with that character. i just don't want to mess up on any of the lines, any of the text. >> it is one of those things where people are so into it. people come, sit down and have this spirit of expectancy. >> exactly. pressure! >> but it's you. >> you are allowed to put your own spin on it. >> that was you! >> that's me doing the photo

shoot. >> girl, look at that stance you're ready. >> the cast and the company is so great and so beautiful and so warm. i just hope i do the part justice because it is a great show. it really is. >> classic at this point. since you are sitting right here, america's got talent, i read yesterday the holiday spectacular premiered. monday night? >> it already premiered. >> heidi sung which was really cute and adorable. it was nice to film this and get into the christmas spirit. i've never had christmas in new york. i am really excited to be here and to be able to be -- >> here! >> this is a classic spot. people go and see the tree. people take pictures at macy's didn't you do that? >> i saw santa claus yesterday. i was a really good girl. >> with your daughters. >> with my 5-year-old, my 9-year-old, and i dragged my soon -- >> wait. have you a 5-year-old --

>> a 9-year-old and my 18-year-old. they wrote their own list for santa. i said you are only allowed five things on the list because anything more than five is a bit too much. >> you're right. otherwise they just open stuff and aren't as grateful for the few things they have. so do they still ask for things? >> they ask for kind of random stuff like kitchen set and yoga mat. >> really? your kids are so fancy! >> well, not really. >> i love that. >> in the santa's letter they actually said about each other that they've been trying to be really good and trying not to fight with each other. there's madison's letter. >> i love the fact that it just so happens, mel, this morning i found the letter from my son. i love how your daughter, madison, you're like cute and in markers. this is what i found on my dresser this morning. my little guy is 7. he's sorry writing he asked for his cousin. then that was -- i posted that a couple weeks ago. that was on the dryer door.

mom, can i have $400. he didn't say what it would be for. >> maybe he wants to buy you something for christmas is it. >> i doubt it. you never know. speaking of kids and munchkins and christmas, have you seen mariah carey's new videos? >> very va-vavoom. >> that's a very good way to put it. first of all in red, a dance version of "here comes santa claus." no surprise it's gone viral. ♪ here comes santa claus here comes santa claus right down santa claus lane ♪ >> wow. >> then bring in santa. >> it's one of those things where you have to watch it more than once. you have the hot guy with the

scarf. wait. see? you see new things every time you watch the video. >> i'm just looking at one thing. >> what is that? >> the va-vavoom? >> the scantily cladded mariah herself in that dress. >> my thing is -- they don't move. they're just perfect. is that appropriate for this time of morning? i don't mind. >> it's mariah. it's christmas. she can do whatever she wants. she can cook. here's another festive video. this time she's in her kitchen cooking like i'm sure you do every day. >> i actually don't cook. my husband cooks. >> neither do i. he doesn't either. >> oh, wow. she's got the twins and this beautiful kitchen. >> she does have great christmas music. i'm sure everybody plays mariah throughout the house. >> this is the song everybody kind of rocks out to. what's in the sauce?

i'm impressed. i have never made anything that looks like that. >> i just get the jar and throw it in the pan and heat it up. that's it. i'm done. >> have you ever rocked out? is when you can't sing and you wish you could sing, you rock out to yourself in your dreams. i would sing to myself all the time. >> i do like to sing a little bit. i didn't feel like i was singing that much, i was kind of yelling a lot. i like to do that a lot around the house. we do have dance-offs in our house. sometimes i slip in the spice girls there and my kids just laugh. i'm like what? what are you laughing at? >> i tell you what you really want. wait a minute. do they realize that mom is -- >> i like that. to them i'm just mom. it's funny because they've been at my rehearsals for chicago. they're like, oh, mom, you can actually move. i'm like hello. scary spice in full effect. >> can they sing or no? >> actually, my 5-year-old and my 9-year-old can.

they can hold a tune. they have like high-pitched voices. >> we make music videos at home. >> i do, too. >> one day i'll share mine, you share yours. we're out of time. >> do we have time? all right. coming up, how to turn a bad gift into something good. unique exchange idea that's going viral. plus, of course, more mel b. ♪ as soon as i became a parent i changed as a person, drastically. ♪ i tried hard to quit smoking. ♪ but when we brought our daughter home that was it. ♪ now i have nicoderm cq. the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release technology helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. it's the best thing that ever happened to me. can you say thanks nicoderm cq? every great why needs a great how. the holidays don't officialy begin, until it's time to make:

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>> having a hot topic conversation today. you can certainly weigh in on facebook or twitter. should i say the worst present ever? just say a present you don't like. a burger king in miami is giving you a solution of what to do when you get a christmas gift you don't like. it is a great idea. right? apparently on december 26th, bring it in, give it away, and exdha change it for a whopper. they'll give the gift to a local charity. >> i've got some really bad gifts. they've all come from the same person. >> would that person be watching? >> yeah. but i don't care. i'm just going to name and shame them. how howie mandel. the first present was a bird. a small bird. >> a real bird? >> a real small bird. so i walked into my dressing room at the end of wrapping up "america's got talent" about two years ago, why is there a bird

like squawking in my dressing room? i read the note. howie had got me a baird. i'm like, well what am i going to do with this bird? i had to bring it back to l.a. my kids fell in love with the bird. >> i feel like a bird would be like a dream. howie's like mary poppins. >> then the bird was kind of old, so it died. weeks later. i'm like what kind of present is that? so the second present howie got me, the following year -- this is last year. he got me a silver slipper. >> one slipper? >> it was just like this silver ornament slipper. so i thought, well, i don't like this gift so i gave it back. >> you did not. >> i said, thank you very much. the thought's great but i don't know what i'm going to do with this. >> what were you supposed to do with it? >> exactly. it was something that you put on the mantel. why do you want a silver flip-flop on my mantel piece? i can't even put candles in it. doesn't even make sense.

>> we're going to have to get him on the phone. what if he shopped long and hard -- >> howie is a comedian. i think he partly does it to wind you up and partly see what your reaction is. who gets somebody a bird without asking? >> that is kind of true. >> no! >> we did that for my grandmother once. s it was squawking. i for gogot about the droppings. >> the fact that he got me a bird that was old. already on his way out. >> did you get him anything? >> no. >> can we get howie on the phone. >> we have a stand-off now. >> howie, he wins. i've never received a bird. just things like scarves that you don't like or things that aren't really your style. i had a lady that gave me this christmas china. when you have two 2 year-olds running around, the last thing you are thinking about is china. >> china or tea china? >> tea china. for gifts that i don't like, i

kind of put them aside for another time in life. >> so you don't regift. >> i don't regift -- well, the candles and the soaps. >> if you get a candle this christmas, it's a regift. >> what if it is not your scent? i don't want to smell like food. i'm trying no the to eat chocolate. i don't want to smell like chocolate. >> i don't mind candles that smell of desserts, like creme brulee or strawberry cheesecake. >> you know what? if you have toys everywhere and it smells like creme brulee, it is a hot mess. you go into the fluffy pillows that say welcome and there's chandeliers and garland, cinnamon -- >> you make it sound so posh. >> one day i'm going to be there. buzz feed has this holiday this or that quiz that caught our eye. we thought we'd play along. also some from our producers.

we don't know the questions. do you prefer -- this is a good one -- a real or fake christmas tree. >> i've had both. growing up my mom always used to get a real tree. but now these days for me and my family i get a fake tree because i don't have to clear up all the little -- you know. what do you call -- >> needles. we're looking at -- needles? needles. mine is prelit. comes in three pieces. you just put them on. put some lights. the other day -- because we are going to chicago for christmas, i got these empty boxes so it looked pretty. i went to marshall's. the other day my daughter came in with a box on her head, it was empty. she's like, there's nothing in it! i was like, those are just decorations. here's the next one. what's more important this time of year? time with family or time with food? >> that's a hard one. both go hand in hand. >> i have to say family. i'll give you the corny answer.

>> has to be both. family and food. >> do you have like a traditional food or something that you love? >> because i'm married to -- my husband who is american for ten years, we have to do the traditional like american christmas dinner but i like the traditional english dinner which is more like chicken and sturgeon onion stuffing rather than turkey, turkey. with onion and sprouts. >> maybe's they're tweeting you right now. some kind of onion? >> sage and onion. >> sage! i thought it was a surgeon onion. i'm sure that's yummy. what about dessert? >> i always like a victoria spro sponge cake for dessert with proper fresh cream. we'll have six kids. what's the best christmas

anthem. "last christmas" by wham or "all i want for christmas" by mariah. >> i am wam all the way. >> i am going with mariah carey. what was the name of the magazine, you could open it with the tear-outs that you could put on your walls? i used to have all of them on my walls. >> that's classic but wam -- >> "tiger beat." you remember that? >> no. no. is that an american magazine? >> oh, that's tree. you have your feet in both ponds. >> i do. >> that's cool though. >> i kind of like it. even though i can't do an american accent. i'm having to learn to do an american accent for the show. >> say great video to share with you from the torontoaccent. >> great video to share for you -- you do your "ers."

to share with you from the toronto zoo. >> that's fantastic. >> here's what she's trying to tell you about that. i like how you have to put your head down and really focus. >> all my kids are american. they're like mommy, your accent's so terrible. >> they say mummy? >> they say mom. >> a zookeeper built that snowman. how about this one? this is what al would normally say. >> no time -- no, i can't say it as we get a look outside across the bay area, starting to see some of the showers tapering off. we will at times have heavy rain moving through as we go into the afternoon. expect also a chance of some thunderstorms later on today. rainfall totals may reach up to an inch and winds gusting at 25 to 35 miles per hour. and once this storm system wraps

up there may be light snow on mount hamilton and the summit in the santa cruz mountains. coming upping, it is "freebie friday" and these fans know the keys to winning. head to the plaza and yell as loud as you can. plus you'll have a chance to win at home right after this. why am i so devastatingly handsome, i'm in a fragrance... ...ad, and my sweethearts gone sayonara. this scarf, all that's left to remember. what! she washed this like a month ago! how's a guy supposed to move on! the long lasting scent of gain flings.

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that sound. like nails on a chalkboard. but listen to this: (family talking) that's a different kind of sound. the sound of the weekend. it's baking season. warm up with pillsbury. it is freeb"freebie friday" you guys are in for a treat because we are about to bring you a performance unlike any other. here is my own rendition of "heart and soul" with mel b. the duo. ♪ heart and soul lost control you don't know the words ♪ ♪ la la la la la merry christmas ♪ happy holidays ♪ >> that's not bad.

that was a bit bad. yes! ♪ >> here we go. thanks to casio, three lucky fans on the plaza are about to receive digital pianos. the perfect last-minute gift. >> those are really cool gifts. if they haven't actually got be a last-minute gift for somebody, they can regift this. >> i feel like that would be better than a bird. >> much better than a bird. >> or a silver bloody slipper. >> here we go. >> i feel your energy. >> yes! feel that wind! okay. who wants these pianos? is let's see! >> shall we go over here? >> yes, let's. >> hi, everybody.

>> hi, tiffany. happy holidays to you. >> happy holidays to you. >> would you like to be my first winner? >> yes. >> here you go! there's tiffany! >> let's do another one. how about you? hi! okay. wait a minute. take a look. that is what you are about to take. what's your name? >> debbie! >> do you have somebody you into ed to buy a last-minute gift for? >> lots of people. >> would they like a keyboard? >> absolutely! >> maybe you should keep it yourself. let's do one more. one more. one more. what's your name? >> kevin. >> where you from? >> san diego, california. >> it's so cold. you deserve this. you have anybody you need a last-minute christmas gift for? >> yes. >> well you can have that. merry christmas. >> now if you can't make it to

the plaza, you still have a chance to win. thanks to casio we are giving away three more keyboards to viewers at home. visit facebook.com/today's take. don't forget to like us. next we are combining give underwear to this holiday. and there are some people you shouldn't . people you should. shouldn't. janice! should. shouldn't. yes. no. should. no way. should. no. definitely not. ha ha, nay. you shouldn't give underwear to everybody. but for those you do, give them fruit of the loom.

==cam== we're in a microclimate weather alert this morning .. as good friday morning, at 9:26. i'm sam brock and we're in a microclimate weather alert as rain rolls through the bay area. here's a look at interstate 580. drivers have been dealing with wet roads all morning long. those conditions will continue to be a challenge today. mike is going to join us in just a moment with an update. the latest storm bringing pounding surf to the coastline. here's what it looked like this morning from pacifica. our crews saw waves approaching ten feet. the weather is causing delays at bay area airports. a spokesperson in san jose says the flights departing to southern california are being delayed by weather there. some flights that were due to land at sfo have been diverted

to sjc. make sure you're checking if you're going to be traveling today. kari will have another look at the time line of this storm right after the break. weather toss to traffic

good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. we had some very heavy rain that moved through earlier this morning, now we're catching a little bit of a break. still the cars are kicking up the moisture off the roadway. be mindful of that. windshield wipers may still have to be turned on even though we're not seeing wide spread rain we saw earlier. much of it has moved to the east but we'll have another chance of rain moving in later this afternoon and potential of thunder and lightning, especially this afternoon as we will get some more rain moving through parts of the bay area. even into the evening commute and breaks in between and a chance to dry out for some.

let's head over to the roadways. >> we see them drying out or damp roadways. no major slowing, not even getting toward the bay bridge. the toll plaza has no back up. a live look shows water on the lens, water on the road but no cars, no back up, another live look outside. you see the windshield wipers, some folks using it as the water kicks up on your windshield. if they're on steady at any point during day light hours you have to keep your hours on for safety sake and california law. >> thank you very much. good day to have light traffic. we'll see you again with more updates in 30 minutes. we're now back to the today show.

time for some cooking. if you are looking for last-minutemen u items heading into the holiday weekend, you're at the right place. first, we have our eggnog. you've never had eggnog. >> no. >> and that's the non-alcoholic one. >> we've got two delicious classics for you, perfect for christmas and hanukah. what's that say? a salt-crusted prime rib and potato. how do i say it? >> will the >> latkas. >> we have the chef and owner of lonesome dove -- in texas and tennessee. and gail simmons, a judge on

bravo's "top chef." we'll start with this prime roast. >> prime roast. we're from texas. we don't cook things that are small. >> clearly. >> let's be honest. i have a whole prime roast here with a bone in. bones are still in. beautiful piece of meat. if you look at our grid, we have salt, pepper, cumin, a little chili powder. thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, chili powder. put it in here along with some garlic and put it in olive oil. if you want to do the low-fat version of this. i add olive oil to this. you want to do the low-fat version, you just add water. >> but it is christmas. >> nobody really cares. >> pour that in there! >> we grind this all up. when you get the paste, this is

important. it is the most important thing about roasting whole meats is when you put the paste on, it is going to put this beautiful crust but you don't want to push it in -- the meat has pores and the more you push the seasoning into the meat it closes up the pores so it doesn't really get into the meat. so loosely pack it on top. >> i didn't know meat had pores. >> that's why i'm here, see? i don't do very many things. put it on here, then roast it. it takes 2 1/2, 3 hours. >> you guys take it away. >> these are my mom's famous latkas. i've been making them all my life. the key to the applesauce is plums which makes it that beautiful color. i start with potatoes that i'm just going to put right in the food processor with an onion.

you're going to shred. the key here is i'm using a shredding attachment as opposed to grating them. i think that makes a really fine, crispy, airiy ly latka. >> this seems easy. >> it is. into this i'm putting baking powder, salt, some dill, two eggs, lightly beaten, and a half-cup flour. mix that all together. really well. then you're going to put it back in a colander. there is a lot of liquid and starch in potatoes. let it drain for about 15 minutes so you get some of that liquid out of there. >> i could totally handle this one. >> turn up the heat because we're about frying. hanukah is all about frying. it is all about the oil. we like oil. we embrace oil on hanukah. you just put them right in the pan. >> why on hanukah? >> hanukah is the festival of light. the temple was destroyed and

they had just enough light to keep them for one day. but the miracle of hanukah was that the light lasted for eight days. it is all about the oil. we fry latkas. we fry doughnuts. >> you never had a latka before? >> no. >> that's okay. we've got lots. >> gail simmons and tim love, thank you so much. a reminder to catch gail on "top chef" thursday nights on our sister network, bravo. coming up, "20th century women" star annette benning. right after this. grandma is so happy to be here for your very first christmas. i hear you're quite the expert at waking people up in the morning. let me show you how grandma does it. your daddy made this when he was a little boy. this is your dad at my house, where he had his first christmas.

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>> do you think you're happy? like is happy what you thought it would be when you were nye age? >> seriously? you don't ask people questions like that. >> you're my mom. >> especially your mom. look, wondering if you're happy, it is a great short cut to just being depressed. give me that. >> this movie is set in 1979. you play dorothy, a middle-aged mom raising a teenaged son. but in '79, i know i was in my mid 20s. you were probably in your early 20s. 21. was there something about this that resonated with you in this time period? >> yes. when i first read it actually, i thought about that so much. i had so many associations. i also grew up in san diego and this is santa barbara so it is very close. but like i knew the people, the whole innouveau of it, it was vy

familiar. i felt like whoever wrote it contextualized it in a way i couldn't do. >> talk about the other characters. they kind of revolve around you. you have them over for dinner. it is interesting to me because you are a connecter but yet you have trouble connecting with your son. >> yes, it's true. what i love about this woman, dorothea, there is a certain enigmatic quality to her that i loved and i sensed it right away. this was based on my mom. that was sort of the point of departure with the character. we talked endlessly about her. it is not exactly about her. she is a woman who in some ways does what you think she might do, given her generation and given the situation that she's in. but then she is also a real iconoclast, does things that "good moms" don't do. so i love that about her. she's very unpredictable and the way he's written her is with such sort of depth. i mean i love that.

>> even though he wrote this, is there a little bit of you in dorothea, a certain unpredictability than the way you raised your kids? >> i'm a sort of different mom. but, yeah, i think any of us that do work on camera, actresses, there's always a part of us that's there. absolutely. >> i like when you dance. everybody just seems so free and it's who i want to be at times. i want to just dance. be the free mom. >> yeah! >> you're also in "rules don't apply" with your husband, warren beatty. it's kind of a nice thing coming out of the end of the year and going into next year. you've got a lot going on. how does that feel? >> it feels amazing. i don't think we quite realized -- he had been planning his movie for so long that -- and just so happened that this film that i did came out at the same time. so, no, it's been a great, great thing for both of us together. it's a thrill. i feel really excited about his movie and i'm so proud of him,

that he did it, that he made it. it's beautiful. and that this movie happens to be coming out at the same time. it is just a co-indianapolis dense and it is a delight. >> "20th century women" hits theaters in new york and los good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. even though the rain has cleared, we still have wet roads. here's a look at 101 in san jose. we see quite a bit of activity here. our rain taking a break after a batch of heavy rain earlier this morning. there will be some more rain moving through, kind of coming through in waves. there will be the potential of stronger cells later on this morning and early afternoon with some thunder and lightning possible and some of those we'll be watching out for that chance. coming up next, you'ller in guess where these gorgeous gift

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upon us and hanukah is only a day away. >> if you have a late addition to your gift list, we have got you covered here. >> here with our last-minute gift ideas is lifestyle expert melissa garcia. >> good morning. >> these are things from the drugstore, gas station. >> yes. if you forgot someone, we can still cover you. i'm a gift procrastinator. are you guys? these places will be open christmas eve and even christmas day. first, we are starting out at the grocery store. don't be naughty and get a box of cookies. if there is a cook in your life, make like italian night. we took olive oil, pasta, sauce, put in a big colander. if someone you know loves ice cream, get them some cones, toppings, sprinkles and put it in a mixing bowl. if you put it in something that kind of goes with the them theme, it is all with the

presentation and looks like you spent so much time thinking about it but you really didn't. >> and thoughtful. >> the gas station. >> no way. >> go figure, right? but don't be naughty and buy windshield wiper fluid. okay? get them something thoughtful and creative. for the sports person in your life, we took a big cooler, we filled it with men's magazines, scratch-off lottos. everyone gets that. beer, beef jerky, gatorade. for the college student in your life, down here, so fun. we took a coca-cola six-pack bottle, took them out. put in -- a little carry-all. pre-paid gas cards. some candy. some advil if you're not feeling so hot. for the car enthusiast, we just took a car wash bucket. we put in microfiber towels,

armorall wipes. it is all about the presentation. just put it in something that goes with the theme. >> one of my favorite places to shop is your drugstore, your walgreens, your cvs. they have everything there and they have normal hours, christmas eve and christmas day. guys, you're good. if there is a creative kid in your life. we got a plastic bank, so the crayons, markers, you get hungry when you're working hard, a little snack, goldfish. then for the woman in your life, an at-home spa day. you just take a make-up bag, open it up, put in some cozy slippers, a loofah, nail polish, facemasks. one and done. >> guys, if you're listening. sometimes my husband and i don't do gifts because we have little kids. pore something like this, you

know you didn't spend a million bucks. just give me this. >> one store and done. >> we have more? >> one more. yes. one more. last, but not least, don't be naughty and just get a basic bottle of wine from the liquor store in that typical silver bag that everyone gives. it's okay. we've all been there and done it. but step it up a little bit in an easy way. take a basic jar like this and put some sample size of different alcohols. mix them up. you have a mini bar in a jar. >> how cute is that? i'm obsessed with this one. any host or hostess would love this. another one is bartender 101. basically just take a cooler, fill it with a six-pack of beer. some wine. beer cozies. some little snacks. >> i'll take this then. this is going with me. see you later.

>> we're right back. this is "today" on nbc.

it is the final day of our 23rd annual "today" toy drive. mel b. did double duty. where are you? you were a celebrity elf this morning. she collected a bag full of toys and games for children in need. and, making a donation today on behalf of music worldwide, the ceo, susan darrow. >> hi. what are you donateing today? >> what could be better than the gift of music. >> i love this. >> music together's mission is to bring music to as many families as we can all over the world. we do that normally through classes and these books and cds are part of the classes. we're donating all over -- over half a million dollars of cds and songs books today. we really are grateful to the do

i drive for allowing us to partner with you to bring more music to more families. >> i remember playing the little recorders in school, then playing the clarinet and piano. there is something about music for a child. especially kids in need sometimes may not have access to pianos and stuff like that. >> music is important for all of us. but the good news is you don't have to be a great singer or great musician to raise a musical child. >> you're right. >> in fact, we help parents regardless of their own ability. we help parents learn how to create a music environment at home, how to play with music with their children. it has nothing to do with ability. >> i love that. >> just gives you joy. >> susan, thank you. that puts really a bow on top of our 23rd annual holiday toy drive. thanks to your generosity, this year's donations exceeded $17 million in gifts for more than 3 million children in need served by more than 150 different

family charities. we are proud to say that brings our 23-year total to approximately $450 million! for kids! if you're sitting at home and feeling moved, there's still time left to donate online at amazon.com/today. check our website for details. mel b.? mel and sheinelle. this was fun. come to new york city every christmas and we'll do this thing. merry christmas and happy holidays to all of you out there. we hope you have a great weekend. >> have a great weekend. >> we're back after your local news. =weather toss to traffic=

good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. as we get a look at some of the rainfall totals we've had so far in san francisco, most spots reaching over .75 inch and some spots have up to an inch of rain. we're not done yet either.

we'll see the moisture moving through in waves. there will be brains eaks in be. if you're traveling today, keep in mind that i-5 going north or south is going to be wet and windy heading over through the sierra. tire chains are required and some roads may be shut down. we'll be watching out for that. also, between here and la it will be rainy. the rain all clears out by christmas eve. so great news as we'll see the storm system moving through just for today. we'll keep you updated on that and let's head over to mike for updates on the roadways. >> if you haven't reached your christmas day destination, now is the time to hit the road. it's looking nice and clear out there. we were seeing slow on highway 9. as of now not much to talk about in terms of traffic backups. hit the road now. let's take a live look at emeryvil emeryville. >> thank you very much.

weather and traffic alerts you can get them from our nbc bay area app. you can watch the live doppler radar and sign up for traffic alerts to get the conditions that could affect your holiday travelling plans. more news in a half hour.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. ♪ i don't want a lot for christmas ♪ >> love that. >> that is mariah carey. it's christmas eve, try die friday, december 22nd. >> and a lot of bus, the new denzel washington movie "fences." >> and global singing sensations. known for their popra