a white christmas? 55 million americans are under a winter weather advisory this morning. so will santa leave behind a snowy christmas morning? we'll tell you who will wake up to a winter wonderland. last minute shopping means last minute shipping and now the mad da to get those gifts under the tree in time. plus, north korea is lashing out over tough new sanctions imposed by the united nations. a deadly christmas eve plane crash eaves no survivors and questions about why the pilot chose to take off at all. and home for the holidays. we're will tore the -- there for the heartwarming family

reunions. a very merry christmas to you. i'm phillip mena. many of you may have gotten your wish for a white christmas. after a winter weather alert was put into effect for some 55 million americans blanketing parts of the country in snow as santa continues to make his way around the globe. from illinois to ohio, massachusetts to indiana, americans will wake up to find their own little christmas gift left by mother nature herself. it swept through chicago on sunday. bears fans found some warmth in the bleachers and a win and over the browns. while it may make for a nice cocoa morning, it's also likely to make for a treacherous commute for those of you getting ready to hit the road. this year's white christmas, good morning, bonnie. snow over the ground in idaho, parts of the west coast all the way to new england. that's where it's snowing at this hour.

we have advisories for heavy snow in that part of the country. we're looking for substantial snow but not along the coast. new york, philadelphia just seeing rain. if you're traveling, though are trouble spots to keep in mind. we're also looking at snow towards cleveland and it's light in intensity there. it's more moving to the east. know cover to the west picking up, as i mentioned. heavy snow on the ground and we'll talk more about travel and the weather for this christmas. philip? six people were killed in afghan capital city. the attackers exact target is still unclear. isis made its usual claim of responsibility but that's not verified. tough new sanctions imposed by the united nations. kim jong un's regime calling it

an act of war that violates sovereignty. it is a pipe dream for the u.s. to think that the regime will give up its nuclear weapons. this morning, a story on the president he is choice of words, they claimed the president used racially insensitive words during an oval office meeting. the white house is denying the report and lawmakers, immigration advocates are crying foul. jennifer johnson has that story for us. according to two unnamed sources, the president allegedly said hatians granted entry all have aids and that thousands add mitted from nigeria would never go back to their huts. the white house calls it lies saying in a statement that they in the meeting denied these

outrageous claims. but immigration reform remains a top priority. the people from haiti from an earthquake that happened roughly ten years ago under temporary status. >> reporter: president trump on sunday didn't address the controversy. instead, praised u.s. troops. >> we're incredibly thankful for you and your families. your families have been tremendous. always underappreciated. >> reporter: but even this month the president pushed his travel ban from mostly muslim countries. >> we don't know who they are, we don't know where they come from. >> reporter: and has pushed for changes in immigration laws. jennifer johnson, nbc news, washington. turning now to florida where the holiday turned tragic. five people were killed when a twin engine plane crashed east of tampa on christmas eve. officials say a family headed out on a day trip to key west. they took off in very heavy fog.

we get details now. the wreckage on the tarmac. five people killed when it crashed on takeoff. >> one of our helicopter pilots was in the hangar, heard the plane starting to take off and thought to himself, my gosh, i can't believe someone's trying to take off in this weather. >> reporter: shortly after 7:00 a.m. heavy fog blanketed the area. the plane took off heading east. visibility was less than 300 feet. a member of the sheriff's office aviation unit heard the crash. >> he said it was just seconds later that he heard the change in the pitch of the blades, and the impact of the north end of the airport, not very far from our hangar. >> reporter: when first responders arrived they had trouble seeing the crash scene. >> we're on scene at the air base. they say there is a plane down. it's really foggy. we're unable to see it from our location. i'm going to try to make it out on to the airfield.

>> reporter: the plane engulfed in flames by the time fire crews got to the scene. the victims on board known to many in this small town. john shannon, president of the republican club in lakeland, and according to the sheriff he was an accomplished pilot. also killed in the crash, his daughter victoria, her husband, another one of shannon's daughters and a family friend. >> hug your children today and your grandchildren a little tighter. and say prayers for the family of these folks on the airplane. >> thanks to maya rodriguez for that report. pope francis celebrated his fifth christmas as leader of the world's 1.2 billion roman catholics and moments ago he delivered his christmas message from the balcony. he drew parallels between mary and joseph's journey to bethlehem. he expressed hope that no one will feel there's no room for them on this earth.

as families wake up this christmas morning there was a last minute scrambling going on especially if you did your holiday shopping online. shippers were working overtime to make sure your gifts made it under the tree in time. kristen dahlgren has more. >> reporter: when he ordered the lego set almost a week ago he knew how much son caleb wanted it under the tree for christmas. >> he's talked about it once a week for the last two years. >> reporter: but with hours to go, still no legos. >> we checked the front door no less than a hundred times. nothing is there. >> reporter: while the website shows a scan near his home in georgia on december 21st, the system said not to expect it before christmas. this year atlanta along with houston, kansas city and denver are the four spots ups has spent special teams to help with the crunch. several hundred office employees like accountants and desk workers to step in to assist sorting and even driving.

ups acknowledges that's more than in years past, but the company says the vast majority of 750 million packages have arrived on time. online shopping reached record numbers this year, americans expected to spend half their holiday budget online which translates into record deliveries. for ups, more than 300 packages a second over the past week. fed ex says in spite of bad weather near its memphis hub saturday it expects to complete all deliveries. as for alan kid, he's bought some alternate presents. >> it got here for him, i could see his face lighting up already. that was kristen dahlgren reporting. bonnie shchneider is back with a look at the weather. bitter lir cold conditions. cooler temperatures through

parts of the south. comfort abable in texas with hi in the 50s. looking at this polar air plunging southward, it's going to impact so many people through the final days ofere yesterday. now temperatures above freezing at 37. a comfortable day in san francisco with sunshine and highs right at 60 degrees. watching for this cold air that we're seeing persist and push eastward on tuesday. so it's definitely going to be a chilly end of the year. philip? >> bonnie, thank you. u.s. troops are making the best of the thousands of miles away from their families in christ s christmas. troops stationed at a u.s. military base were served a traditional christmas dinner

with all the fixings. >> just ahead, how christmas is being celebrated around the world. plus, magic moments that will make you smile on this christmas morning. you're watching early today. cha. and this is charlie not coughing because he took delsym 12-hour. this is charlie not coughing while trying his hardest not to wake zeus. this is charlie not coughing while sitting ververy still. easy, walter. and this is charlie not coughing while getting a little too into nana's party. because he took delsym... the #1 12-hour cough medicine. nothing lasts longer for powerful cough relief. delsym. the joy of not coughing. you wouldn't do only half of your daily routine, so why treat your mouth any differently? complete the job with listerine® help prevent plaque, early gum disease, bad breath and kill up to 99.9% of germs. listerine® bring out the bold™

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i used to maybe give a little. then i got so much back. ... i used to have cancer. please give at cancer.org. it's a sound that londoners haven't heard in a while. the chimes of the iconic clock tower big ben. it's been silent since august for restoration work. the bells will continue to chime throughout the festive holiday season until 1:00 p.m. on new year's day and it will fall silent for a four-year renovation period but it will continue to be rung for special occasions like this one. developing overnight, the u.s. has negotiated a dramatically reduced budget for the united nations to the tune of $285 million.

this comes just days after the u.n. voted to condemn president trump's decision to recognize jerusalem as israel's capital. u.s. envoy nicki hailey praised the reduction saying we will no longer let the generosity of the american people be taken advantage of. nbc's lucy kafanov has more. >> reporter: a rare moment of joy in a land that's seen too little of it this season, as bethlehem prepare to celebrate christmas, security is tight. the west bank and jerusalem have been the center of run he's in recent weeks. president trump's decision to recognize jerusalem as israel's capital sparking clashes. but in the center of this city, a symbol of peace. fear may have kept some tourists away but not all. >> i like being here for christmas because jesus was born here. >> reporter: and christian

palestinian families gather round their own trees. but this family worries about what the coming years will bring. >> ten years ago i used to see the light at the end of the tunnel. now i don't see at all. i don't see any opportunities for peace. >> reporter: at the vatican, pope francis presided over mass at st. peters basilica, a prayer for unity and for peace. that prayer echoed in bethlehem's church of the nativity where they celebrated the birth of christ amidst uncertainty across this contested land. lucy kafanov, nbc news. now to a little holiday magic on this christmas morning. that moment when you see your loved ones for the first time in a long time. many of you know what we're talking about. you know those unforgettable greetings at the airport that truly capture the meaning of home for the holidays.

♪ ♪ >> i'm waiting for my husband. he's coming from afghanistan. he's been there seven years. he comes home every six to eight months. >> we're waiting for my sister. four years waiting for her.

my husband has been gone 14 years. my daughter it's the first time she's going to see him. >> it's going to be the first time since he's left that we'll have all five of us under one roof. >> merry christmas and happy holidays. >> happy holidays. i'm not crying. you're crying. just ahead, santa teams up with nypd to help spread some cheer. plus a decades old tradition. santa hitting the potomac on water skis. you're watching "early today." i was wondering if an electric toothbrush really cleans better

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before hopping on his sleigh santa took to the water to show off some of those skills he's got. donning their water skis and performing tricks in the river on the outskirts of washington, d.c. that was impressive there. the annual tradition that dates back to 1986 lasted for about 45 minutes. that gives santa plenty of time to prepare for his sleigh ride around the world. this christmas among those

helping make sure it's an unforgettable holiday are the men and women in blue and they're joining the man in red. peter alexander has the story. >> reporter: just in time for christmas, santa is getting some backup. in brooklyn, joining forces with some super friends. an assist from new york's finest, also some of its jolliest. here santa's sleigh stretches 20 police cars, a caravan overflowing with a bundle of 7,000 toys. the gifts all donated and delivered to hundreds of new york city kids. >> some people don't really get gifts, but it's nice for cops and santa to come around and give gifts before christmas so i thank them for that. >> we want to give them a moment, a magical moment to feel like children and forget about some of the day-to-day realities. >> these elves sorting and wrapping every gift themselves.

>> to see the look on a child's face after they receive a toy especially from the superheroes, their eyes lit up as well as ours. >> i really love to see all the superheroes because one day i'm going to be a hero. >> who wants a ninja turtle? >> me! >> merry christmas. >> enjoy. >> making somebody's holiday a little brighter. might just be the best gift of all. >> all right. thanks to peter for that report. just ahead, another look at our christmas day forecast, plus it was the bbc interview that went viral. now this cute family is back with a christmas message. you're watching "early today." he came to st. jude children's research hospital where we developed a new treatment that reduces chemotherapy. and because we freely share our discoveries, we're giving kids like nolan everywhere a chance to beat cancer... and live healthy adult lives. story, done.

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♪yeah! ♪he would be a less wrinkly, and winning at life.♪ it's a white christmas in many locations. the numbers will be going down into the teens and 20s. some of the windchills, they're in the single digits or below zero in parts of the northern plains. make sure you bundle up this week. the final days of this year, 2017, pretty much are going to be cold, philip? >> just ahead, a spectacular sister act racing to the top of the charts. you're watching "early today" on christmas day. smooth feet... from amope. amope pedi perfect

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to you to some unlikely hit makers. a sister act making beautiful music and finding success at the top of the charts. here's the story. >> reporter: if you've ever wanted to hear a choir of angels sing, you can find an experience like it inside this convent tucked in the woods near ann arbor, michigan. >> i love it. i guess you know, maybe we take so much for granted. when people come here, they say oh, that was so beautiful. >> reporter: a beauty that has made the dominican sisters of mary a hit music sensation just completing their third album. recorded here inside their

sacred chapel. >> each of those panels are different depths to be able to take the resonance of the sound. >> reporter: the latest album, joy of man's desiring shooting to number one on the classical music billboard charts. >> when there's something that's really dear to you you want to share it with other people. >> reporter: song now their signature, drawing fans to the order. but also inspiring a flock of new women to enter. 20 years ago beginning with just four nuns, the order now at 138 and growing. >> i mean, you literally don't have enough beds. >> we don't. >> for all the nuns that want to be here. >> reporter: and it's young women who are filling them. the average age of a nun in the united states is 78. here it's 28. they work and play. >> we study a lot. we cook a lot, we eat a lot and we have a lot of fun in doing all of those things. >> reporter: their singing still secondary to a life of service, reflective and prayerful.

music just one way they speak to god. a passion now shared with believers and those who have never opened a bible. >> sometimes i'll just stop and just kind of listen and go, this is so beautiful. this must be a little bit of heaven. >> reporter: a sound that in a sometimes hectic season brings stillness and wonder. katie beck, nbc news, ann arbor, michigan. beautiful music and fantastic volleyball players too. one of our favorite holiday greetings comes from a family that became a viral sensation. you remember these guys. dad is doing that live interview with the bbc in his home office when his daughter makes an appearance followed by the little brother rolling in and the mom coming in like cramer to try to get them all out. now this whole family, they're wishing everyone a merry christmas with this photo. little marian there. wishing everybody a peaceful new year. merry christmas, everybody.

i am phillip mena. thank you for watching "early today." the news continues right here on nbc. have a very merry christmas.

winter wonder land with a massive winter weather advisory in effect. will americans wake up to a white christmas this morning? we'll have the live forecast. presidential backlash, the president may be celebrating the holiday inn florida, but d.c. politics and his choice words on the tax bill may end upaking things more complicated by the minute. plus, tragedy in the sky. a deadly christmas eve plane crash. no survivors and questions about why the pilot tried to take off at all. helicopters swoop in to save more than 150 skiers hanging in mid-air for hours. and anxiously awaiting that last-minute shopping gift to get to your door? why you may not be alone and what shipping companies are doing