the radar and tracking santa with the help of norad this morning. last we checked he's over taiwan. >> he's headed to hong kong in the next minute. good morning. breaking overnight, desperate good morning. breaking overnight, desperate search. crews racing against time to find survivors after that powerful tsunami in indonesia. nearly 400 people now killed, more than 1,000 hurt. the disaster hitting with little warning, turning popular tourist areas to waste lands. we're live with the very latest. holiday heave ho, president trump sends outgoing defense secretary james mattis packing, saying he will leave his post next week, two months earlier than expected. this morning their growing war of words. no deal. the government shutdown now entering day three with both sides warning it could last well into the new year.

>> candidly it's juvenile. the whole thing is juvenile. >> the senate democrats have the ability right now to open the government and agree to the deal. >> hundreds of thousands of american workers caught in the middle of the stalemate. >> we are at their mercy at this point. >> a live report from the white house just ahead. all that, plus new evidence. what investigators just uncovered in the case of that missing colorado mom. her fiancée now behind bars charged with murder. white christmas? the stormy weather, bitter cold and snow set to face millions heading home for the holidays today. and holly jolly jackpot. mega millions soars to more than $321 million ahead of tomorrow's christmas day drawing making tickets the perfect last minute stocking stuffer. today, monday, december 24th, 2018. ♪ >> announcer: from nbc news,

this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and welcome to "today." thank you so much for joining us on this christmas eve monday morning. craig melvin alongside kristen welker. savannah and hoda have the day off. that norway spruce shining bright. >> it is beautiful. such a treat to be here with you. >> kristen usually down at the white house. good to have you in here on this monday. let's get right to that breaking news overnight. the frantic search for survivors after that tsunami struck indonesia without warning over the weekend. the death toll climbing again this morning. nbc's lucy kafanov has the very latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. thousands of emergency workers are combing through the wreckage of hotels, houses and cars in indonesia this morning trying to find survivors of that deadly tsunami. at least 373 killed, more than 1,000 injured.

those numbers likely to rise. with the death toll climbing higher this morning a desperate search for the living. this little boy pulled to safety after being trapped for more than 12 hours. coastal towns devastated, homes flattened, cars crushed in the debris. no warning, no time to get away because there was no earthquake. >> there would have been zero warning. there would have been none of the triggers would have known so it would have just happened. nobody could have been able to predict this. >> reporter: this is what experts believe triggered the tsunami. an eruption of the anak krakatau volcano setting off an underwater landslide. >> we have 281 people that are dead, there's about 15,000 people that are displaced. it's also very different because many, many of the people were domestic tourists. >> reporter: this indonesian pop band was performing at a beach resort when the ten foot tall

tsunami wave suddenly hit. the lead singer posting this tearful message, saying his bass player, guitar wrist and manager died, two other band members and his wife still missing. sharing this photo of the pair in paris, saying today is your birthday. hurry home. with hospitals overwhelmed and the body count piling up, new fears this morning, could disaster strike again? authorities warning residents and tourists in coastal areas around the sunda strait to stay away from beaches. a high tide warning is in place until christmas day. tragedy has struck indonesia before. more than 2,500 were killed by a quake and tsunami this september. and in 2004, the day after christmas, the deadliest tsunami recorded in history claimed more than 230,000 lives. today more grief and anguish for

a country that has suffered so much. >> lucy, how concerned are folks there about another tsunami this morning? >> reporter: it's a very real concern, craig. that volcano is still active, in fact, it began erupting again last night, sending clouds of ash and smoke high into the air. if there's another partial collapse of that volcano wall, if another chunk slips into the ocean, that could potentially trigger another tsunami, which is why folks are being warned to stay away from coastal areas. craig and kristen, back to you. >> a desperate situation in indonesia. thank you. also this morning the government shutdown is entering day three and the white house is now warning that the stalemate between president trump and congress could stretch well into 2019. nbc's white house correspondent geoff bennett joins us with the very latest. what are you hearing this morning, jeff? >> good morning, kristen. even on this christmas eve president trump is facing another tumultuous week with parts of the government gone dark, financial markets markets

in a tailspin and now a sudden move by the president to cut short the tenure of his defense secretary, jim mattis. this morning president trump is abruptly pushing out his defense secretary ahead of schedule, announcing in a tweet he's replacing jim mattis at the start of the new year. two months earlier than planned. two senior administration officials tell nbc news mattis learned of his new end date sunday in a phone call from secretary of state mike pompeo, rather than from the president himself. mr. trump grew frustrated according to several administration sources by reports which painted mattis as the last adult in the room. mattis portrayed as the cabinet member capable of reigning in mr. trump's impulses. mattis' replacement, deputy secretary of defense patrick shanahan, a former boeing executive who joined the administration in 2017. it comes as the government shutdown enters day three, as a

congressional compromise remains out of reach. newly appointed acting white house chief of staff mick mulvaney offering his prediction on how long it might last. >> i think that is -- it's very possible that the shutdown will go beyond the 28th and into the new congress. >> reporter: the senate gaveled into session on saturday, but with no deal in sight, adjourned until thursday, ensuring the shutdown drags past christmas. >> 60 votes in the senate, majority in the house, and president trump's signature. that's what will end this regrettable episode. >> reporter: the stalemate hinging on funding for trump's signature campaign promise, a southern border wall. the white house has dropped down from its $5 billion demand for border security money, hoping democrats move up from their $1.3 billion counteroffer. democrats are dug in. >> so the trump shutdown isn't over border security, it's because president trump is demanding billions of dollars

for an expensive, ineffective wall. >> reporter: government workers caught in the middle of the standoff. >> we're at their mercy at this point. >> reporter: and hundreds of thousands of those government employees are either working without pay or being forced to take unpaid leave while this partial shutdown drags on, but they will be paid retroactively when the federal government reopens. kristen and craig. >> no doubt. that is another pressure point, jeff. and there's another story there that you're tracking, which is the growing concerns about the state of the economy. we know that treasury secretary steven mnuchin made some unexpected calls yesterday, that's getting some scrutiny. what can you tell us about that. >> reporter: yeah, mnuchin says he called top executives from the countries six largest banks over the weekend. those calls were aimed at calming the nerves of investors following last week's heavy losses in the stock market and this partial government shutdown. mnuchin posted a statement saying the banks told him they have plenty of credit to lend to american businesses and households, but you now have several analysts making the

point that his attempt at damage control could actually backfire and drive even more concern and unease in the markets. kristen and craig. >> a lot of big headlines out of the white house. geoff bennett, thank you. if you are headed home for christmas today there are some problem areas when it comes to the weather. dylan is in for al, she has a first check of the forecast on this christmas eve. >> good morning, guys. some people want a white christmas and for some folks in the northeast and out west we will get it. in fact, we do have a little light snow falling across central new york, northeastern pennsylvania, western pennsylvania as well. this is a quick little clipper system that's mainly going to affect us today, it is going to produce perhaps some squall lines up across new england including the boston area, those are those brief periods of heavy snow, just enough to coat the ground, just enough to make things slippery on the roads but also enough to make it pretty for christmas eve. it's not going to amount to much but we are looking at potential squalls for today then that will move out tonight. how much snow are we looking at? maybe a dusting to an inch

across most areas, central northern new england and your lake-effect snow could produce up to two to three, four inches especially up near syracuse and parts of pennsylvania as well. on the west coast we have another storm system that's going to move eastward, this will pretty much guarantee a white christmas for areas in the rockies as this moves eastward the higher elevations could see as much as 20 inches of snow through the northern sierra, also at cascades, too, and then this will dive down into the four corners and produce some rain and also some higher elevation snow and that could be enough to make for that white christmas in the mountains, kristen? >> good news for some, we will have a white christmas. thank you. there is much more to get to including supreme court justice ruth bader ginsberg, she is up and working as she recovers from cancer surgery. ginsberg is at memorial sloan-kettering cancer center here in new york after she had two malignant growths removed from her left lung on friday. doctors said they found no evidence of in i remaining cancer, but they haven't said when the 85-year-old judge might

be released. the next meeting of the court is january 7th and justice ginsberg has never missed an argument. now to a controversial call at a high school westling match that's led officials in new jersey to open a civil rights investigation. the referee it he center of it now benched. matt bradley joins us with more on this story. >> reporter: spectators at this high school match watched as a black wrestler cut off his dreadlocks after he was given two options by the white referee, cut them or forfeit. that video has gone viral with nearly 15 million views, many people were outraged over the rev's ult may numb and they are demanding justice. moments before his match andrew johnson had a choice, cut his dreadlocks or forfeit. johnson's hair length and headgear were against the rules according to the referee. johnson ended up winning his match, but lost his dreadlocks. johnson's mother writing on facebook, hardest thing i have ever seen.

he's good now, but that was brutal emotionally and physically. now the new jersey state inter scholastic athletic association and state attorney general's office are opening a civil rights investigation and referee alan maloney will be side lined until it's complete. social media is blowing up with many calling the rev's move racist. chance the rapper labeling the incident bogus. new orleans saints player benjamin watson tweeting this entire scene reeks of the bias so many fight daily. ava duvernay writing to watch this young man's ordeal wrecked me. an olympic gold medalist calling the incident sickening. >> in high school as you're growing, developing, establishing who you are, creating and identity i know as a young black man how much my hair meant to me. >> humiliated in this ridiculous discriminatory way. >> reporter: it's not the referee's first brush with

controversy. a new jersey paper reported that he called a fellow rev a racial slur in 2016. maloney later apologized and now his latest call leaving a community to wrestle with controversy. >> hard to watch that. matt, what do the rules say about this? >> reporter: the rules say that players with long hair or hair that goes beyond their ears can wear kind of like a cap, but apparently this referee argued that this cap didn't do enough to cover the player's hair, but it's important to note that he had wrestled previously under other refs and there wasn't a problem. >> it's stunning how many people have weighed in on this over the weekend. all right. matt, thanks. and also this morning london's gatwick airport is offering a $90,000 reward to help catch the culprits behind drone flights that disrupted operations. police released two people arrested friday night saying they are no longer suspects. the drones were first spotted at the airport last wednesday about 1,000 flights had to be canceled

or diverted as a precaution and the british military was actually deployed to secure the area. gatwick ran a full holiday schedule on sunday with a small number of residual delays. officials say a damaged drone found near the airport is being examined for any possible connection. if all you want for christmas is to be a multi-millionaire, you got a shot. the mega millions jackpot has climbed to $321 million ahead of tomorrow's rare christmas day drawing. nbc's kerry sanders has more on that. what's the word, kerry? >> reporter: well, good morning. $321 million, a tremendous amount of money, so put down that fruitcake that the boss who doesn't understand you gave you and maybe head out and buy a ticket today. you know, $321 million on this rare christmas morning drawing will be really quite stunning if somebody walks away with the money. it is the largest prize ever on a christmas day and at $321

million gigantic, only four drawings have ever been held on christmas days before and nobody has ever won on christmas day. so there's real opportunity. now, if you were to win, i was wondering what might you be able to do with that money. well, you could head out and buy a ferrari gto, cost of $52 million, actually you could buy a couple if you really wanted them. you could get a chopard wristwatch for $25 million, you could buy a couple of those for your family. you could buy a say san painting, it only went for $275 million so after taxes you might be pushing it to buy that one. since we're talking christmas the only one who can get to the north pole right now is santa claus, but you could go in june or july to the north pole, you could get a boat for two people, a luxury yacht that will get you up there for $90,000 for the two of you. interestingly, i've been to the north pole, i went up with a

group much scientists, there was nothing luxurious about it, it didn't cost $90,000, but it is amazing, guys. so those are just some of the things you might be able to do to spend some of your money if you are thinking about like -- well, getting one of these as a stocking stuffer. guys, i might add if you're buying this as a stocking stuffer and giving it to somebody, you might want to put your name on the back just in case you win and they can split it with you. >> what about the powerball jackpot, that's not too shabby, either, right? >> reporter: take a look at that sign right there. it's amazing. it's $294 million. i'm looking the wrong way. there we go. $294 million and so, yeah, that's not too shabby, either, and that will be the following day. so, you know, great stocking stuffer. craig, i thought you were going to buy one of these for me and we might share it. >> i did, i'm going to mail it to you. >> maybe you just used that money to pay for all those christmas presents. >> there you go. thank you. we will see you later in the broadcast as well.

well, it seems that rudolph the red-nosed reindeer had a very shady scheme, no the real rudolph of course, a burglar disguised as a reindeer broke into a small business in colorado. she took her time looking around with a flashlight, stuffing items into her bag and maybe it got a little hot inside that giant plush head because the rogue reindeer makes a rookie mistake. there it is right there, captured on camera. she briefly takes off the reindeer head giving the camera a pretty good look. police are confident that somebody will recognize the burglar. lesson there, craig, if you're going to commit a crime, do it in a holiday-themed costume. >> if you do it don't take the head off. >> there you go. dylan dreyer is standing by for a check of the rest of the holiday forecast. what are we looking at here now. >> i just wanted to know why they needed the flashlight. it's got the red nose. >> that's a valid point. >> we've got a little bit of snow expected across parts of

the northeast, a little bit across the northern plains and also a bigger storm system will begin to move into the west and into the rockies as well, but down south we're actually looking for a lot of sunshine for your christmas eve if you are traveling and back through the middle of the country we will see temperatures warm up quite a bit. we should get into the 50s and 60s by this afternoon. that's a look at the weather across the country, with he will get to your local forecast in the next 30 seconds. good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we'll be tracking some rain moving in, mostly light showers moving in, in san francisco. also parts of the east bay,

richmond and oakland seeing some of the showers moving through, as well as san rafael right now, and then some of the heavier rain well to the north of us, moving through redding and that will continue to spread into the bay area, as we go into late morning and early afternoon. by 3:00 to 4:00, some waves of heavy rain and potentially some thunderstorms moving through parts of the bay area. and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you. and just ahead, disturbing new evidence found several states away in the case of that missing mom from colorado. her fiancée now charged with murder. we're live with the very latest. also during the busiest time of year for deliveries the trucker shortage facing u.s. companies that's about to get even worse. its impact on your bottom line. but first, this is "today"

coming up on this christmas eve morning, the power of faith. inside the special and spiritual

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shop hundreds of gifts under $299. like diamond studs, diamond hoops, and more. plus, save up to 30% storewide. only at kay. an elderly man is dead and two are good morning. 7:26, i'm marcus washington. sad news this morning, an elderly man is dead and two others are fighting for their lives with burns after a fire rips through a multimillion-dollar home in san francisco. it happened just before 1:00 this morning in the presidio terrace neighborhood. according to fire deputies, the fire started on the second floor and trapped an elderly couple on the third floor. firefighters rescued the wife, who suffered critical burns but her husband died in the flames. 27 fire trucks and more than 75 firefighters were at the scene. the fire is now under control. the family arrived at the tragic scene about an hour ago. right now, we want to get a look at your christmas eve

forecast. kari is there. >> we are tracking some rain here on storm ranger, our mobile doppler radar. mostly some light showers now but heavier rain across fa are northern california moving through redding. rain more widespread into the afternoon. at 12:00 to 1:00 we're seeing light rain but waves of heavy rain, even a few thunderstorms going through 4:00 to 6:00 across much of the bay area, but a lot of it winding down tonight, as we get ready for some clear weather for the rest of the week, some cold mornings and some sunshine christmas day is looking really nice. here is a live look at the bay bridge, very light traffic and we've seen a few minor issues around the bay area roads. we'll keep tracking that throughout the morning. >> thanks, kari. we'll have more local news coming up in 30 minutes.

♪ ♪ you better watch out you better not cry ♪ ♪ you better not pout i'm telling you why ♪ a beautiful shot of the christmas tree. it's 7:30 now, monday morning, december 24th, 2018, christmas eve, everyone. i'm kristen welker, alongside craig melvin. savannah and hoda have the morning off. we have a great crowd. >> yes. >> they are in the christmas spirit. and seeing that tree never gets old. >> we'll get outside and visit with them in a moment. let's start this half hour with a check of the headlines. defense secretary jim mattis will be leaving the trump administration earlier than

expected. he will be out january 1st. patrick shanahan will take over as acting secretary. mattis handed in his resignation on thursday and was supposed to stay until february, but that letter was critical of the president's policies and may have led to an abrupt exit. the partial shutdown of the federal government is now in day three, with no sign of a compromise between congress and president trump. the two sides failed to reach an agreement on funding the president's border wall. the senate won't be back in session until thursday. and acting white house chief of staff, mick mulvaney, predicted the shutdown could stretch into january. mary poppins' sunny disposition wasn't enough to beat "aquaman" at the box office. it debuted with $72 million in u.s. ticket sales. "mary poppins returns" was back in second place. the musical starring emily blunt

and lin-manuel miranda took in $20 million. there's new details that police say on the murder of the colorado mother that disappeared on thanksgiving day. new evidence has been discovered. steve patterson has more. steve, good morning. >> reporter: it's been over a month since kelsey berreth was reported missing. now, police believe she was murdered and her body is yet to be found. this morning, a multistate investigation into the thanksgiving disappearance of kelsey berreth, the colorado mother who disappeared in november. police releasing a statement saying they had worked with the colorado bureau of investigations and the fbi, to prepare and serve several search warrants, as well as processing items of evidence. the news comes nearly a month after berreth's cell phone pinged a tower in idaho. her boyfriend arrested on

friday, and police carted him away from his colorado ranch. >> he was charged with first-degree murder. >> reporter: the solicitation charge opens up the possibility that others may be involved in her death. >> at this time, there is only one arrest. i don't know if there's going to be additional arrests in our future. >> reporter: the search to find kelsey, now officially, a search to find her body. >> we do not believe kelsey is still alive. >> reporter: the arrest comes after investigators zeroed in on berreth's home, making multiple trips, hauling away evidence. >> investigators have recovered a number of items that makes us suspicious that the crime occurred at her residence. >> reporter: berreth, spotted on surveillance video shopping with her daughter, who police say is now in protective custody. frazee said he saw her at her home. she then vanished.

police scoured frazee's property that he shares with his mother but came up empty. this morning, the mysteiystery deepens, while the man prosecutors say is responsible for her death is behind bars. >> are we expecting to hear from frazee anytime soon? >> reporter: he is being held without bond. his next court appearance is scheduled for new year's eve. we reached out to the public defenders office representing him. but it's their policy not to comment on pending criminal cases. >> steve, thank you. let's switch gears and get a check of the weather. dylan is in for al. some folks will be having a white christmas. other folks, warmer-than-usual temperatures. >> it will feel like spring for some folks. we have nisunshine and temperatures above average. we have a strong southerly wind. that is going to bump up

temperatures. and we're looking for highs 10 to 15 degrees above average. it's not crazy warm. but low 50s in wichita and kansas city, is warmer than expected. through the week, temperatures will get up to 57 in kansas city. thursday, low 60s in tulsa. on the flipside, dodge city will drop to 39 degrees by thursday. who is getting a white christmas this year? we're going to see it out in the rockies. we have a storm moving in from the west. the northern, upper midwest and the northern plains, could see light snow by christmas morning. in the northeast, areas u good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're tracking rain for the bay area coming in teed starting with light showers. heavier rain to the north of us but we'll be moving closer going into late morning and early afternoon. we will have a chance of thunderstorms as we see waves of rain coming in, some of the heaviest downpours will be on for the evening commute and around sunset and tracking thunderstorms and gusty winds

but it does taper off as we go into later on tonight. >> and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you. much more ahead on this christmas eve morning, including some help, if you still have holiday shopping to do, like myself. we have solutions so simple, you don't have to leave the sofa. >> you still have a few hours, craig. police, a growing crisis that affects all of us. america's trucker shortage, why it could have you paying for nearly everything you buy. an early christmas present for meghan trainor. we're going to take you inside her weekend wedding. first, delivery by drone. amazon predicted it would be huge this year. what happened? what happened? ♪ he's gonna do it! ♪ you gotta see this! ♪ owen's gonna do it! ♪

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>> and this morning, drone delivery. >> jeff bezos has a good track record when it comes to making his dreams a reality. but one of his high-flying predictions hasn't gotten off of the ground. gadi schwartz has more on this. what happened? >> reporter: it was five years ago that jeff bezos predicted that amazon would be delivering by drone. but technological herdles have made it easier said than done. but how close are they? it's 2018 and no amazon drones. back in 2013, jeff bezos predicted that by now, swarms of robots could be delivering packages to our doorsteps. >> could it be four or five years? i think so. it will work and it will happen and it will be a lot of fun. >> reporter: bezos said the drones could deliver items up to five pounds close to an amazon

warehouse. but there are rules to consider, such as drones unable to fly out of the line of sight of their operators. and there are legal hurdles. drones can't fly over 400 feet over government buildings or airports. amazon told nbc news, we are committed to making our goal of delivering packages by drone in 30 minutes or less a reality. we continue to collaborate closely with bodice arouies aro world to realize our vision. and looking at his track record, there is little reason to doubt him. amazon now sells everything, including fresh food. amazon's alexa has become a bona fide phenomenon, providing real-time information on command. all while blue origin is even working on taking us to the

stars. >> this is the first reusable rocket in the world. >> reporter: but his most impressive accomplishment, is getting us to pay for free things. >> you get free shipping for $79 a year. >> that's not free. >> reporter: with that drive and determination, maybe it's time amazon's drone beat out santa, dropping gifts down your chim y chimney. there's still technological problems and one of the biggest being battery life. amazon didn't give us a firm date on when they expect drone deliveries. but they're working on drone development centers. and there's companies researching drones for deliveries, especially to disaster areas. one company called zip line, is making drone deliveries in rwanda with hopes to bring those flights to the united states soon. guys, back to you. >> gadi schwartz. >> would you trust a drone to

deliver your package? >> it depends on what i'm ordering. maybe not electronics. with my bapaper towels, all rig. >> i like it for the lifeline, like in rwanda. that's where the technology should be earmarked. we're okay, waiting a couple days for a truck to pull up. >> and it sounds like regulatory hurdles will keep this at bay for a while. >> we continue to wait. speaking of deliveries, speaking of deliveries, there's a truck driver shortage ♪ ♪ ♪

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♪ welcome back. imagine prices for food, clothing, electronics, imagine those prices going up and up. even worse, imagine those items not available at all. >> 70% of all products in the u.s. are delivered by truck and the industry is facing a crisis. there aren't enough drivers to meet needs. here's nbc's national correspondent miguel almaguer.

>> reporter: in general, on-demand goods are something that americans take for granted. but that may soon change. >> we have a shortage of drivers in the neighborhood of 50,000, 60,000 drivers. they're estimating in the 2020s, the shortage will be as large as 175,000. >> reporter: lynette brown is the chief financial officer for kkw trucking. they have jobs they can't fill. this orientation course designed for eight, had only one trainee. >> any given day, we would have, say, 100 shipments that need to go. and if we only have 80 drivers, that means 20 sit behind. >> reporter: the issues creating the trucker shortage are multifacetted. retirement, stagnant play, genter lifestyle and disparity is among them. >> we don't have many females as truck drivers today. it's growing but about 6% of all

truck drivers are female. >> reporter: outdated regulations also limit the work pool. >> you have to be at least 21 years old to haul interstate freight. we miss all these people that don't go to college. >> reporter: casey has been behind the wheel for over 30 years. >> it's a lot to get used to, to be honest with you. you have to be very independent. you have to be kind of a person that doesn't like to be home all the time. >> reporter: but the industry is changing. salaries are going up. pets are welcome. trucks are now coming with amenities like double-bunks, fridges and tvs. and women are actively being recruited. bonnie brown started driving trucks cross-country just over a year ago. and now helps with recruitment for kkw. she says the lifestyle can be hard. but the adventure is worth it. >> it is just so much to see in

this country alone. there's so many cultures and different ways of life. i feel like driving a truck has changed me forever. >> reporter: the driver shortage is already being felt by consumers. higher prices for products, longer delivery wait, and in part due to shipping costs, amazon hiked its prime membership from $99 a year to $119. as long as consumers continue buying, truckers will be in demand, making the trucking industry one place where it's good to be in the driver's seat. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> and one possible solution, some trucking companies are now partnering with the military to recruit and train outgoing veterans. i love they're recruiting more women, as well. >> the drive, obviously, if you haven't done it -- i drove my harley across the country and there's amazing things to see. but i did it once.

>> that was the thing we did. >> that's cool. >> you can see how passionate she was about that. >> very cool. just ahead, a last-minute guide to the holidays, if you're in a christmas eve bind. from gifts to entertaining, we have solutions for your needs. have solutions for your needs. and ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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good morning on this christmas eve. we are starting out with cloudy skies, even some rain. we're tracking it with storm ranger with scattered showers mostly moving through the peninsula, san francisco and over toward the east bay. some of the heavier rain still well to the north as the cold front will be working its way into the bay area, going into late morning and early afternoon. so still some scattered showers passing until some of the thunderstorms, or possible thunderstorms arrive right around 3:00 to 6:00 this evening, and then the activity will be tapering off, but still some rain chances in the forecast especially for areas farther south between 10:00 and 11:00 tonight. then as we go into early tomorrow morning, skies will clear, it will be cool and breezy and winds gradually subside throughout the day. nice weather for our christmas with mostly sunny skies, upper

50s in the forecast for the rest of the week and the morning temperatures will be very chilly in some spots dipping down into the 30s. as we get a look at our seven-day forecast, we are going to see some drier weather after our rain showers move through today. here is a look at the san mateo bridge, as you get ready to head out. it is still mostly cloudy, at least it is dry here, but as we get a look at our traffic maps, we are seeing some green sensors, smooth flowing traffic around the bay area. i'll keep an eye on that. >> thanks, kari. raiders fans are putting the new meaning to the saying "rooted in oakland" set to rally in front of the coliseum where the raiders are potentially playing their last game ever in oakland. fans want oakland to make a deal to allow the raiders to play at the coliseum one more season until the move to vegas in 2020. the ongoing government shutdown heads into its third day. the white house says it's possible the deadlock between president trump and congress will continue into january. i'm marcus washington.

we'll have more local news coming up in 30 minutes. we're always on nbcbayarea.com. t cards for christmas. what you need to know to make sure they don )t become worthless. plus: a second act. the bay area retiree making a difference for bay area theater. tomorrow morning from 4:30 to 7.

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lease the gla 250 for $359 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. ♪ oh the weather outside is frightful ♪ it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, let it snow. the stormy weather. that could impact your holiday travel plans. will it be a white christmas after all? dylan has the very latest. so you can make your plans. plus, walk of faith. >> it's 8:13. so we need to get to stepping. >> we'll introduce you to a tireless american who set out on a 500-mile pilgrimage to find a deeper meaning of life. >> i chose to hike the camino as a form of prayer to offer to a friend who is enduring her own suffering and uncertainty. no gift, no problem. if you're making your list and

checking it twice, we have last-minute ideas for holiday shopping. and you won't even have to leave the couch. today, monday, december 24, 2018. ♪ i don't want a lot for christmas ♪ >> first time in new york city. >> all: from north carolina. >> feliz navidad, l.a. >> hi to my dad in lakeland, florida. happy holidays. ♪ up on the fireplace >> from maryland. >> from georgia. >> all: here on "today." >> hi to my friends in houston. love y'all. >> celebrating my 21st birthday on "today." and welcome back to "today." craig melvin. alongside christen -- kristen welker. savannah and hoda enjoying this christmas eve morning off.

finish your shopping? >> i did. you? >> not yet. i'll get help later. last-minute tips coming up. it is a busy morning. so let's get right to your news at 8:00. the search for survivors is growing more desperate as the death toll soars from this weekend's tsunami in indonesia. and new trouble could be on the way there. nbc's lucy kavanov joins us with breaking details. lucy, good morning. >> reporter: craig, good morning to you. the focus this morning is on search and rescue operations. it was a holiday weekend in indonesia, so that means the beachside hotels and resorts were packed full of families. nearly 300 people killed so far. more than 1,000 people injured. emergency workers are combing through the wreckage. a desperate search for survivors. this is a race against the clock. there are new fears this morning of more deadly waves. experts believe an eruption of the krakatau volcano set off an

underwater landslide, triggering that tsunami on saturday. the volcano is still active. if there is another landslide, disaster could strike indonesia again. >> lucy, thank you. there appears to be no compromise in sight in the government shutdown. the end of the era of jim mattis will end much sooner than expected. jeff has the latest from washington. good morning, jeff. >> reporter: good morning. even on this christmas eve, president trump is facing another chaotic week. mr. trump announced in a tweet over the weekend that he's . mr. trump announced in a tweet over the weekend that he's replacing jim mattis at the start of the new year, two months earlier than planned. his replacement is deputy secretary of defense patrick shanahan, a former boeing executive. that is all unfolding as this partial government shutdown enters die three. the senate gavelled into session

on saturday. but with no deal in sight, they adjourned until thursday, ensuring the shutdown drags past christmas. but, look, there is a glimmer of good news. the shutdown is not putting a damper on a long-running holiday tradition. norad says it's still tracking the journey of santa this christmas eve. just like it has done for the last 63 years. so, there you go. now the big story we're watching this among, the holiday weather. especially after last week's rough start to the holiday travel rush. a lot of folks wondering will we get a little snow for christmas? will it be a white christmas? dylan, what's the word? >> for some. upstate new york. northwestern pennsylvania. some snow through eastern new york right now. also to the north and west of new york city. this system will race through the northeast today.

you'll see flakes. especially in the boston area today. snow squalls could develop. that could reduce visibility on the roads. it won't accumulate all that much. it will make things slippery with the gusty winds. then this will continue to pull away. again, we're looking at perhaps a dusting to an inch. then with lake enhancement, we could see up to about 2 to 3 inches across portions of the great lakes area. out west, another system moves in. of concern this morning will be for the high tides. we could see flooding in san francisco and up in seattle. this will move eastward. it pretty much guarantees a white christmas for parts of the rockies. some places north could see 20 inches of snow. this will eventually turn into a storm system that could produce significant snow by the middle of the week. >> a white christmas for some. we'll take it. tomorrow's christmas night

megamillions drawing could make it a holiday to remember for some lucky player. since there was no big winner on friday, the estimated jackpot stands at $321 million. this is only the fourth time in the lottery's history that a drawing will be held on christmas. nobody has ever won it on christmas day. the winner of october's megamillions jackpot still hasn't claimed it. the winning ticket worth $1.5 billion was sold in south carolina. >> i know a lot of people in south carolina. i can assure you, it wasn't one of them. hoda is off. she left behind a morning boost. a little girl's note the santa is proof that the holiday spirit travels beyond borders. 8-year-old nayami tied her note to a red balloon. it landed in arizona. that is where randy found it.

>> it was obvious it was a christmas list. the child let the balloon last with faith that someone would find it. if you happen to find it, you don't turn away from an opportunity like that. >> so with clues from the note, randy found that girl's hometown. asked a radio station there to help. randy and his wife lost their only child years ago. they drove to mexico with presents for the little girl and her family. they say i had brought them healing joy to see the little faces right up. >> i have chills hearing that story. that is a christmas miracle. >> a christmas eve morning boost. >> one american's journey. a 500-mile pilgrimage to find the deeper meaning of life. on christmas eve, last-minute holiday help for all of us procrastinators. including the gifts to grab if you're in a real pinch this morning. but first, these messages.

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when you think of a pilgrimage, you mooigt think jerusalem or rome. >> in northern spain, there's a less known shrine that people go to. they get there on foot. we check out this walk of faith. >> reporter: hey, guys. merry christmas. a time when many folks are with their families. also a time to reflect on your faith. for a thousand years, pilgrims have hiked miles to santiago. this morning, we're following one american pilgrim's progress. ryane holland is a modern day pilgrim. >> it's 8:13, so, we have to get to stepping. >> reporter: starting from a village in southern france, the washington, d.c., native sets off into the mountains. >> i've been walking for about three hours. and the altitude is intense. >> reporter: a 500-mile journey

of self-denial, self-reliance, of self-realization. a month has passed on the pilgrim road they call the camina. spanish for, the way. >> hi. >> hello. >> reporter: how fitting to meet you at a cross roads. how far have you come? >> a little over 30 0 miles. we have about 200 to go. >> reporter: as many do, she found a friend. >> this is celine. she walked from paris. >> reporter: the historic walk to the atlantic coast is symbolized by a simple scallop shell carried by pilgrims who are learning so much. >> how big god is and how small you are. >> reporter: not every lesson need be so serious. >> we learned that -- that the dog makes the same noise in the u.s. and the u.s. >> reporter: frogs.

frogs sound different. >> frogs, it's craw, craw. >> not ribbit, ribbit. >> reporter: at the end of the long day, a warm welcome at a local church. along the route, many hostels where a pilgrim's passport is stamped. and dinner and a bed costs less than $10. love they neighbor applies to anyone on the walk. >> they lost their job. they lost their partner. and they need some time to put things back in order. >> reporter: some days, ryan and celine will have walked for eight hours or more. >> a simplicity you don't get in your everyday life. to be okay with where you are and that you're fed and have a

bed. >> reporter: this, their ultimate destination. the spectacular cathedral at santiago decompastelo. said to be one of the final rest lg places of one of the biggest saints. this is what people come to see. this is said that the bones of the apost. st. james are buried in that casket. day two with our pilgrims. back on the road in cold december weather. >> god is going to put you in all types of weather. >> reporter: and yet, they say -- >> our father who art in heaven. >> reporter: their prayers have rarely been more resonant. their friendships rarely more rich. >> i koez to hike the camino as a form of prayer to offer for a friend who is enduring her own suffering and uncertainty. so, not be any means have i enjoyed my blisters or hunger or any sort of discomfort.

but, as i choose to accept it, i can then offer it up on her behalf. >> reporter: and, just making it to the end of each day, along this long road a small victory. on a faith-strengthening journey. to discover the world. and yourself. incredible history. it's amazing to think now more pilgrims are coming here than there were in medieval times. the last part of the pilgrimage is on the beach a little way from here where people burn their clothes. this is probably not a bad idea if you have been walking in them for more than a month. guys? >> probably not. incredible. keir, thank you. >> would you ever do that? >> probably not. >> i couldn't. >> those who do it, tremendous. mr. daly, a special christmas eve pop start.

>> first up, meghan trainor got married to actor darryl is a bar ra over the weekend end. they revealed their relationship in october 2016. engaged more than a year later. she posted this picture. i'm a wifey for lifey. thank you to everybody that helped make it happen. congratulations to the couple. up next, tom hanks, the 62-year-old fan favorite has a reputation for being mr. nice guy. for good reason. they stopped by an unand oinand burger and picked up the tab for customers in the drive-through. he took photos with fans. enjoying a meal at the popular fast food chain. snapped up pictures inside and outside the restaurant. stopped by tables to greet diners. the surprise appearance was exciting for the residents of fontana, california. they don't get a lot of

celebrities swinging by their town not to mention their in-and-out. finally, mindy kaling. do you remember reese witherspoon? a wreath covered in photos from witherspoon's most famous roles. the project inspired fan editions. this christmas, she upped the decorations for a very punny holiday party. she shared her crafts. including a ginger fred armisen. the festive chris pine trees. and if that wasn't enough, there's the matthew mcconna-tree. and finally, judy garland making an appearance. leave it to our buddy mindy to have a great idea. so it was fun. >> she never disappoints.

how about the daily click? >> a pop start extra for you. and we all know that ariana grande can hit the high notes with songs like thank you next and god is a woman. she's letting us in on her early days as a singer. belting out seceline dion's thi is a reason. >> what would you like to sing? ♪ wake up every day sleep you are the reason the reason ♪ >> she also shared another video with her mom singing tell 'em by celine dion and barbra streisand. >> she's feeling it. >> she can sing. >> carson, thank you. how about a forecast? >> a look across the country. we do have tricky weather spots.

especially across upstate new york and northwestern pennsylvania. that moves into new england this afternoon. we could see brief squall lines. we're looking at sunny skies. a big storm moves into the west coast. flooding possible from seattle to san francisco. that turns into a big snowstorm for the good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. right now we are drive as we take a live look outside at christmas in the park in san jose. yes, the rain will be moving in and we will see showers arriving by this afternoon, especially for the south bay, but we're already seeing light rain elsewhere across the bay area. as we've been tracking the showers moving through and as we go into this afternoon, there will be the potential that this system could also bring in some thunderstorms but we won't see that until 4:00 to 5:00 later today. >> and that's your latest forecast. well, if you're just waking

up, realizing that today is christmas eve and you still have shopping to do. >> yeah. >> don't panic. >> tim herrera is the editor of "the new york times" smarter living section. he's here with the digital gift guide. you don't have to leave your couch. >> amazing. even has a smartphone. this is a blessing for last-minute shoppers like me. tons of great ideas you can get from the comfort of your home. >> all is not lost. let's start with, first of all, and i found this interesting. especially in the current day and age. it feel like every other day there's a headline of millions of people losing they identity. password protection as a gift. >> i literally got my parents last year for christmas. so, having a password protector is part of general digital high gene. you set up one single password. and the password manager manages

every pass word for every website you use. last pass and one password i like. they work the same way. not the most glamorous thing. a practical gift. >> what about price for those? >> last pass, i believe is around $24 a year. and one password is $36 for a year. worth every penny. >> what about the entertainment apps? >> one i've been hot on is audm. that's a-u-d-m. it has audio versions of long reads from some of your favorite magazines, like the new yorker and the atlantic and wired. it's a good way to burn through all the stories sitting in open tabs on your browser, on your desk top. throw it on while you're cleaning, cooking. you can tlon those amazing stories that you're always like, you'll get to some day. >> streaming services. some of these, folks have heard

of. sp spotify. netflix. you like youtube premium. >> yes. everybody using youtube. youtube premium gets you ad-free youtube. it gives you access to a lot of youtube originals. and youtube music. >> and what's shutter all about. >> if you have someone in your life who is a horror fan. get them a subscription to shudder. it focuses only on horror films. it has things you have never heard of. >> crunchy roll? >> another video streaming service. focusing on anime. >> and carson would love this one. twitch. >> twitch. so twitch is hugely popular with the younger set. and twitch is a streaming service where you can watch

people play video games. >> and the other big category, health and fitness. you have to be careful with this one, right? >> you to know your audience when it comes to giving health gifts. one is an app called lose it. it's a fitness and nutrition tracking app. you input everything you eat. all the exercise you do. it helps you track over time what your eating habits are. >> everyone wants a good night's sleep. there's an app for that apparently? >> yeah, i'm one of those people. i use an app called sleep cycle. this is an app that when you're going sleep, you turn it on. put it face down on your bed. it tracks the time and quality of the sleep you're getting for that night. >> playbook? >> it's an amazing fitness app. it's $15 a month. you pair up with a personal trainer. you have a personal trainer in your pocket. >> i love that. >> design workouts. yoga. strength training. they have it.

>> personal trainers tell you what to eat and not the eat as well? >> not there yet. >> great ideas. tim herrera, thank you. well, we have talked a lot about last-minute shopping and shipping. last week, craig took some friendly teasing from our correspondent kerry sanders who mentioned on more than one occasion, perhaps, that craig might be a procrastinator. craig felt a little bad about it. kerry felt bad about it. so he mailed craig a special surprise. he even put the box on a u.s.p.s. conveyer belt on live tv. so did it arrive in time? that's the big question. well, the u.p.s. driver, tony, is here to deliver this special delivery in person. here it is. >> yes. i have this package. for craig. >> what is this? thank you so much, by the way. >> you gotta open it to find out. >> we're not going to have anything pop out, are we? >> no -- well, i don't know.

kerry this is impressive. this was impressive. easy to open. >> craig -- >> this is something we know you needed. >> craig, to replace your old unicorn slips that have worn out. love kerry. hold that for me. oh, boy. >> so craig, how are my sources? are they good? your old unicorn slippers have worn out, i've heard. >> you have to hold those up. >> thank you. and they're the perfect size, too. >> do they fit? that's impressive. are you a fan of unicorns? >> i love them. thank you, kerry. thank you so much. >> all is forgiven, kerry. >> i'm wondering how the delivery is going to get to me now. i take it you have spoken to santa. there's no other way to get it to me. >> the problem is, you're not on the nice list. you're on the naughty list. >> you were put on the naughty

list almost immediately. >> merry christmas, my friend. >> merry christmas, guys. just ahead -- >> are you familiar are regifting? >> yes. >> a team of i )m ... overnight -- a car plunged off a cliff good morning to you, it's 8:26. i'm kris sanchez. overnight a car plunged off a cliff on highway 1 just north of bodega bay. you can see that car overturned on its right side there teetering near the water. this happened near salem creek beach. what we can tell you at this point is that one person did die in that crash and all lanes of highway 1 are closed as investigators search for what caused the crash. at this point we don't know if anyone else was hurt. we want to get a look at your forecast as you make plans for christmas eve. >> it looks pretty wet for parts of the bay area starting out with light showers but we'll also get heavier rain moving in as we go through the rest of the morning into early afternoon. we'll even have a chance of

thunderstorms moving through and we'll continue to track that as we go hour by hour. we'll see the waves of rain moving in, once again a chance of some thunderstorms by the afternoon but a lot of that does taper off for tonight. here's a look at the bay bridge this morning as you get ready to head out. very light traffic. as we get a look at what to expect as you get ready to head out the door as far as what's on the roads, we've seen some very nice and quiet weather and traffic conditions out there, but we've also seen some light rain moving through. i'll be tracking all of that for you throughout the morning. chris. >> thank you, kari. we have more local news coming up for you in just a half hour. hope your christmas eve morning is off to a good start.

♪ hello. >> it's 8:30 on this christmas eve morning, december 24th, 2018. what a fantastic crowd we have today. we stepped outside to join all of these fine folks who are starting this holiday week with a visit to the plaza. >> don't forget about us over here. >> kristen welker's opening game is strong. >> was trying to protect the hair. >> you see the market between your goods and my goods, that's kristen's umbrella. >> i have a fun crowd moment for you this morning. where are jennifer and daniel

from kentucky. hi. how are you doing? >> we're doing good. how are you? >> i'm good. you're from kentucky, what part? >> bowling green, kentucky. we came to new york to announce that o to our friends and family that we are pregnant with twins. >> this is your christmas present to everybody. you guys are having twins. >> two boys. >> congratulations. when are you due? >> i'm a podiatrist. >> when are you due? that's the new question. >> july. >> congratulations. i hope your family and friends are excited. >> we are excited. >> we're happy for you. >> i lost my dad last christmas eve, . >> i'm sorry to hear that. >> that's so sweet. >> amazing. what a wonderful christmas miracle. fantastic.

congratulations. coming up, if you're like me and haven't finished your holiday shopping, fear not. we have help for you. then, it will be time to wrap. we're going to get expert tips to have your presents that look like they came from a pro, carson daly. you want all of the fun without the stress? elizabeth mayhew is here with ideas and recipes to throw a fun holiday open house. they are watching right now. happy merry christmas eve to them. coming up on the third hour of "today," a special holiday performance from ashanti herself. first, dylan, one more check of the weather. >> we night see a snowflake fall later in new york city. but most of the activity is in the great lakes, and new england. boston could see snow squalls later this afternoon. so, that would make it a white christmas eve at least. on christmas day itself, most of the fresh snow will be in the

rockies, the higher elevations. we could end up with 20 inches of snow out west, with the storm system moving through. a little light rain and snow moves through the midwest and the great lakes area. in the northeast, it's sunny but chilly. temperatures in the 30s and 40s for your christmas. we will be seeing a few spotty showers on the gulf coast tomorrow on christmas day. and temperatures will warm up today in the midwest. tomorrow, we're back down to the 40s and 50s. across southern florida, we're looking at temperatures in the 70s. are you ready for christmas? >> absolutely. >> are you going to good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. so far some light rain for the bay area as we track it on storm ranger. that's our mobile doppler radar. then as we go into the rest of the day we'll start to see a little bit more of that rain moving into the bay area by early afternoon. here we are at 1:30 and we start to see some thunderstorms moving in from the north and continuing to move through any time from

1:00 to about 7:00 this evening. and then activity starts to taper down, but we will still have a chance of rain during the overnight hours. and then we'll see some clearing skies just in time for christmas. >> that's your latest forecast. craig? >> dylan dreyer, thank you so much. this morning on "today's hassle-free holiday," how to wrap presents like a pro. hopefully you've bought all your gifts. now, it's time to literally put a bow on things. so, to help, we brought in some experts. wrapping experts will give you last-minute pointers. we asked our experts what they keep in their tool box. obviously wrapping paper and scissors. what else? >> tape. double-sided sticky tape. >> ribbon. >> festive stickers. >> jackie is from nordstrom's. she's going to start us off. that's your tool kit. what is your number one tip for the procrastinators out there?

>> the tip is less paper is more. less is more. you don't want to have too much paper when you're wrapping it. my tip is, if you measure the box, you put it in the middle. you put your hands along the box. and you have enough paper and you cut. >> that's it? you make it sound so easy. >> it is really easy. when you cut, you're going to crease the edges on each side. that way, you don't see any tears or anything like that. crease it nice and tight. then, you take your double-sided sticky tape. >> double-sided? why? >> you don't want tape showing. you put it on the box like that. you fold up and put it nice and tight. >> do you use a ruler or tape measure? >> no. use your hands. less is more. >> simple. all right. ms. welker. >> next, we have marnie harris

from von mar, a department store in the midwest. you have basic tips that are useful for everyone. top one? >> top one, don't overthink it. some of the things you have around your house already. but the biggest thing is, von mar does complimentary gift wrap all year around. get a little ahead of time and let us do it for you. >> a lot of folks give gift cards. i've gotten a lot of gift cards. what is the best way to make them look festive? >> yeah. i brought these circles. you're going to make four circles. don't worry, if you're sitting at home today and you want to do this, you can do this fast. >> they're pretty circles. this is nice paper. >> yeah. fold them in half. you can use a newspaper if you want, right in all you're going to do is fold them in half.

back to your geometry days, they're going to make a square in the middle. >> would you put a message inside of there? a surprise, perhaps? >> you could if you wanted. >> how many times are you folding them? >> i'm just folding them in half and i'm taping them together. one simple fold here. >> okay. >> there's going to be another fold later to give you the idea. this is amazing. >> remember the origami things you did? okay. you're going to put your gift card in the middle of it, right? and if you want, decorate, do whatever. in the interest of tv, all we're doing is folding them up like so. >> i love it. it's a little surprise. >> if you want to alternate colors, you could, and a bow. >> another popular one, wine.

what is the best way to wrap wine so it doesn't necessarily give it away. >> the best way, two bottles. here's for us. you can have that to calm down to. all you're going to do is put this around -- >> is it just a towel? >> it's a towel. make sure it's clean and looks new, right? if you're this last-minute right now, you just do this. you're going to fluff it and make it look nice. and if you want, you can just tie a little bow on it. >> that beats wrapping paper, just rolling it up and it gets cinkled at the top. >> i tried the tootsie roll. i have luis. i love this idea. you're going to make this look like we didn't let the store do the wrapping for us. >> that is correct. we're going to make sure that we measure from your wrist to your

elbow, so you have enough ribbon. >> that's the perfect length? >> that's the perfect length. i like to do two knots. >> this is two pieces? >> this is one piece. i tied it together and tied it again to make sure we have a secure ribbon. >> okay. >> i like to use ribbon that has wire at the ends. >> you can shape it? >> you do a little pinch action with your fingers. it gives volume to your ribbon here. >> this looks a little boring. >> it is a little boring. there is a way to spice it up. we're going to fold in the edges and cut it from the corner. and it creates a little snake tongue. >> that's so smart. >> you fold it in, do the other edge. we have these guys hanging around. what i like to do -- just moving the ribbon. >> we should open the wine now. >> now, what we're going to do

is i like to take double-sided tape and put it at the end of your ribbon. you will tape it on there. just a little bit. >> sharing tips among experts. luis, thank you. this is so nice. >> look at that. >> that's nice. >> it feels empty. >> that better go to somebody you like. >> empty but full of love. >> do we have time? brian from neiman marcus. i want to wrap this tie. i don't have a box. what do i do? >> look around and get creative. bought a shirt and tie for dad. we're going to put the tie around the box and make it look special that way. i'm going to talk about what you do when you have no boxes but tons of wrapping paper. no problem. we're going to make a tube of wrapping paper. we're going to push the two ends in to what i like to call a frog's mouth.

you're going to fold those two over the top, right? you get that secured with your double-sided tape. you're going to open that up, just like so. made yourself a little bag. you're going to throw in the t-shirt, like so. it goes all the way to the bottom. you're going to fold this over, two holes in the top, thread through a ribbon and who needs boxes. >> i need you to show me the frog mouth thing. >> certainly. >> there's my tie right there. >> amazing. >> it's a president trump style. >> it's a gift. >> that's a wrap, ladies and gentlemen. brian, thank you. and to all of our experts, merry christmas and thank you so much. need more pointers? we have them for you, and a 16-second wrapping hack that's awesome. today.com. coming up, more holiday help. we rush to work, grab a drink, hurry home.

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"national geographic" photographer joel sartori has made it his mission to document species around the world, one photo at a time. and his book, "the photo ark" is in hopes of people wanting to save animals. "the photo ark" what is that? >> this is a project where we are trying to document every species in captivity around the world. 12,000 to 15,000 peesspecies. it will take about 25 years. we're 13 years into it. and we're announcing our 9,000 species today. this is a big day. the goal is to inspire the public to realize there's other creatures we share the planet with. there's a lot of diversity and to encourage people to save them

while there's still time. >> the pictures are just breathtaking. the 9,000th species, what is it? >> the bangala barb. >> what is it? >> it's a little stream fish. it lives in 1.5 kilometers of stream in sri lanka. and the villagers realized they had the only population of fish. they agreed to save it. >> how did you capture that photo? >> it was in a captive breeding population, in the czech republic. i learned about it there, on the day we came across our 9,000th, that was the one. >> you put together something fun for us. the 12 photos of the holidays. >> 12 days of "photo ark." >> there you go, yeah. >> let's walk through a few. what's the first one?

>> the first one is an orangutan. that was shot in the philippi s philippines. it's an amazing animal named trixie, a female. we let her out to our white background. she just laid down and posed. isn't that amazing? >> there's a family of passossu in here, right? >> we have a momma possum, with babies on her back. we want to show the world what bio diversity looks like at this time. we want to celebrate all bio diversity. we love them all at "the photo ark." >> which is your favorite? >> i don't have a favorite. they're like my kids. the next one is my favorite because we care about everything coming in. whether it's a mouse or elephant, we love them all. >> i thought i saw some flami o flamingos there, as well. i'm a sucker for flamingos. what day is the flamingo?

>> eight, i think. that was at the children's zoo in lincoln, nebraska, where we started the photo ark. >> i see some butterflies, as well. >> monarch butterflies started us out. that was down outside of mexico city. we shoot animals in the wild once in a while. that's where the big migration goes to over winter. >> while you're here, 'tis the season for a lot of amateur photographers to try to capture some pictures of the family. >> that's right. >> do you have any pro tips for us? >> i do. people use their smart phones for everything, right? so, the big thing is, have the background nice and clean. shoot horizontally. turn your camera horizontally. have the ground clean so there's no phone poles sticking out, and get close. get close. walk up and get closer. that's the way to do it. >> those are pro tips. you don't use your iphone to take pictures. >> not for "the photo ark." but once in a while.

>> good tlluck. the book is "the photo ark." we'll have information on today.com/shop. we're back in a moment. but first, this is "toy" on nbc.da ♪ not long ago, ronda started here. and then, more jobs began to appear. these techs in a lab. this builder in a hardhat... ...the welders and electricians who do all of that. the diner staffed up 'cause they all needed lunch. teachers... doctors... jobs grew a bunch. what started with one job spread all around. because each job in energy creates many more in this town. energy lives here.

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and we're back with a holiday edition of "today food." this morning, we're throwing a holiday open house. >> instead of a stressful sitdown dinner, why not host a party where guests can mingle, mix and come and go as they please. >> elizabeth mayhew is here with a few ideas. i went to a party last night and another one tonight. open-do open-door policy, kids running around. why is that better than the stress of a formal din center. >> it takes the stress out. food can be eaten if your hands. you can use prepared ingredients that you can run to the grocery store right now. >> give us an example. >> we're making, right now, aom.

minced garlic, fresh basil. brie, you do this one trick with brie. you can eat the rind, guys. the other thing about it, if you put it in the freezer for 20 minutes, it will be easier to cut. and add some olive oil. you're going to mix this together. fresh pepper and salt. >> what is -- >> almost like a brie caprese. think of it that way. you can let this sit for an hour or two. open houses are usually in the afternoon or evening. give clear times of start and finish. you're going to let that sit and marina marinate. then, you take puff pastry. go ahead and you're going to trim one edge off of one side. you're going to take a knife and

trim the edges off of the others. then, you're going to take an egg wash, which is one egg mixed with a tablespoon of water. you're going to brush it all over. and then, to adhere these, the egg is going to act like a glue. you're going to go ahead and put your edges on, like that. >> okay. >> if you extra leftover -- >> is that for decoration? >> it's to keep the sides up. >> you built a ledge. >> you built a ledge, but when you put the filling on top of it, the filling is going to weigh down the puff pastry in the center. you want that nice edge. you're going to spread that all out. >> it's like a pizza you're making. >> you can take the brie or motz rela mozzarel mozzarella. >> and you put this in the oven. >> what is this? it looks like a pizza. >> i call it tomato brie puff

pastry. >> there it is. >> you can do that with all different things. so, mulled wine -- >> we got right to the wine. >> when you're doing open house, keep the drinks simple. >> it smells so good. what about the spices? is that a key part? >> it's spices and mulled wine. >> what is that? >> it's like a beaujolais nouveau. you don't have to use an expensive wine for this, either. you heat it up with spices. in terms of a dip this, is a pretty way to serve a dip. you carve out whatever that thing is. >> cabbage. >> it is not hummus. it's a pesto dip. pesto, sun-dried tomatoes. >> dylan loved your ham idea. >> i make a huge ham. this makes so much sense. >> you put this in the oven. you want this stuff to be good at room temperature.

i put a little fingginger ale o mine to keep it moist. >> is that it? >> and serve it with mustard and pickles and really good rolls. >> what's at the end? >> a gruyere apple tart that i suggest you try. >> i'll do my golf announcing voice here. you can get the recipes and other ideas at today.com. it's a breaker outside of the

i )m - -... happening now... police are looking for good morning, it's 8:56, i'm kris sanchez. police are looking for the person who shot and killed another person near a nightclub in oakland. shots were fired around 9:40 last night. a $5,000 reward is being offered for tips leading to an arrest. also it is day three of the federal government shutdown. the white house says it is very

possible that the impasse between president trump and congress could spill into january. here in the bay area we are keeping a watchful eye on the impacts of the shutdown on popular tourist destinations. tours of alcatraz will continue as usual for now, but the behind-the-scenes tours are suspended until further notice. ft. point is closed to vehicles but nearly every national park site in the bay area is open to pedestrians. after a series of nbc bay area investigative reports looking at the talks encleanup of hunters point, a change that could affect future development at the former naval ship yard. several banks are now reportedly no longer offering loans for homes there. we have more local news coming up for you in about half an hour as well as weather. you )re suret

cards for christmas. what you need to know to make sure they don )t become worthless. plus: a second act. the bay area retiree making a difference for bay area theater. tomorrow morning from 4:30 to 7.

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from nbc news, this is "today." >> good morning, everybody. welcome. i'm al, along with craig. we have jenna, sheinelle and keir, all the way from the u.k. >> here i am. >> talking christmas eve. we're looking forward to christmas. want to talk about traditions, some of our favorite holiday traditions. anything you guys do special on christmas eve? >> when i was growing up, we would go to my grandmother's house, my maternal grandmother for christmas eve, and we would get to open some of our gifts from her on christmas eve. that was always the highlight. now, this is the first year where my