. good morning and merry christmas. the christian faithful celebrating around the world this morning. families, friends and loved ones gathering together. many for the first time in two years. traditions going strong. as people reflect on love and loss and make a wish for good health and happiness in the year ahead. we'll celebrate together today, christmas day, saturday december 25th, 2021. >> announcer: from nbc news,

this is "today" with peter alexander, kristen welker, and dylan dreyer. welcome to today and thank you so much for joining us on this saturday morning. merry christmas to you all, peter merry christmas, so great to be here with you today in new york on this holiday. >> so nice to share the holiday together. a special one for you, first one as a mom. congratulations. >> thank you. it is special indeed, a lot to be thankful for. >> we're grateful you waking up with us ahead. including a performance from christian chenway. >> what if the presents under the tree weren't what you were wishing for? we'll talk you through the holiday returns. later we'll look back at the year's biggest headlines from the battle to the pandemic and the moments that made us smile. first let's check with the top stories from nbc's joe fryer. good morning to you and merry

christmas. >> good morning and merry christmas to you. you know, this christmas has an all too familiar feel to it with covid raging and people altering plans. this year is different with a highly infectious variant driving higher numbers and creating travel troubles, impacting hundreds of flights today. sam brock has more. . >> reporter: as americans face another christmas with covid we face headwinds, starting in the skies with hundreds of cancellations already in the books for today. at least 250 so far for delta and united forced to ground 168 flights and counting. >> our cousin is flying from new jersey, their flight got cancelled. >> reporter: both companies acknowledging the virus has taken a toll on staffing with united saying it's working hard to rebook as many people as possible. the airport obstacles coming with sticker shock over the latest infection numbers.

new york state and florida surging past their single days all-time highs with the seven-day average bumping up past the peak at delta currently at 138,000. part of the spike coming from a super charged demand for testing. here in miami -- >> it's a good thing people want to be tested and safe for the holidays. however right across the field we have a vaccination site no way. >> reporter: the lack of demand for shots, feeding a vicious cycle of patients, and americans in hospital beds filled with regrets. >> when someone is dying in front of your face and you see in their eyes the guilt, what if i would have gotten the vaccine and that's what's hard to deal with. >> reporter: to boost a depleted workforce, the cdc is allowing vaccinated workers who are not symptomatic to cut quarantine from ten to seven days.

this hospital reliving the horror of treating patients in hallways and parking lots. >> i can't believe i didn't get the shot. i will be getting one because i don't want to do this again. >> reporter: for "today," sam brock, nbc news, miami. >> sam, thank you. and in just a few minutes dr. john torres will look at the strides we made this year in the fight against covid. also this morning the travel ban posted on eight african countries to curb the spread of the omicron variant will be lifted next week. the cdc advised the president to lift the restrictions since the vaccine has proven to be effective and the strain is already so dominant worldwide. the president made al surprise visit to children at washington's national hospital. the bidens are set to spend

christmas at the white house today. dangerous weather and treacherous travel conditions are dampening christmas out west today. snow and rainfall lasting through tonight. heavy rains and mudslides sparked evacuations in southern california on friday. while the pacific northwest braces for rare snow and freezing temperatures. the governor of

>> joe, thanks so much. and what better time than on this christmas morning to talk about the real meaning of the holiday and the blessings we can celebrate even through these tough times. >> we are joined by wilton cardinal gregory, the arch bishop of the archdiocese of washington. good morning and merry christmas. thank you very being here on this christmas morning. this is a big day for you and, of course, you're going to have a really important message. so can you share that with us? what is your message going to be for mass? >> well, once again, we have to focus on what god has done for us. rather than what we can do for each other. that is we celebrate the fact that god has sent us his son. and that gift alone gives meaning and direction to our lives. >> cardinal gregory, it's so hard to believe that we are now celebrating our second christmas

during this pandemic. it's been such a challenging time for so many people. so how do you find hope and balance during these tough times? >> well, peter one of the things these past two years has taught us is that we do better when we do it together. obviously, many of us cannot be with our loved ones personally. but we've developed or the technological world has developed ways to. and to at least see the faces and the smiles of our loved ones, even if we can't be there to hug and embrace them. and it also means that a lot of people have developed skills that they didn't think possible or at least others didn't think would be possible using technology. still, the technological

outreach is nowhere sufficient and certainly nowhere satisfying as being with our families face-to-face. >> cardinal, you take me to my next question. how important is it that we continue to stay connected into this new year? >> well, one of the great challenges, kristen, of this pandemic era and it's no longer a year, it's two years, hopefully we are moving towards a conclusion, but we don't know. but one of the things we have discovered is that it's easier to deal with a challenge when we deal with that challenge together. the worst part of this pandemic has been, i think for many people, feeling in isolation, alone. and so, the more opportunities we have to be together and to

know that our neighbors, our family, our friends, our loved ones are with us, it strengthens us and gives us a chance to understand that even in the darkest moments there is light. >> and finally, cardinal gregory, would you please share with us a christmas blessing on this morning? >> certainly, peter. in this time of so much uncertainty in our lives we ask the creator of all to bless us and to remain with us as we celebrate the season. bless us with peace and grant us some of the joy and wonder that is distinctively captivating in the wonder of light as we celebrate the birth of jesus christ. may each of us maintain hope in our challenges as we walk together in faith, believing in a better world in the coming new year.

amen. >> cardinal gregory, thank you for that beautiful blessing and for giving us so much to feel hopeful about on this christmas morning. we appreciate your time and we wish you a merry christmas. >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas to you, peter, kristen and your families. this holiday undoubtedly looks different than it did last year for so many of us. now that vaccinations are more widespread and we're able to gather a bit more safely. while life may be returning to normal in a lot of places we are not out of the woods yet and there are serious concerns over the omicron variant, we get the story from dr. john torres. >> a shot of hope last winter. nurse sandra lindsey given the first vaccine just days before christmas. numbers at the time, painting a bleak picture, cases, hospitalizations, deaths all at

record highs. a year later and america is trying to get back to normal. more than 200 million people vaccinated, 50 -- 55 million with booster shots. and while case counts and deaths are spiking again, they are still well below last year's peak. are we better off this winter? >> in many ways we're better off. we have effective vaccines we know better how to treat people. we have testing methods that are rapid and accurate. >> it was a year that saw many americans regain a sense of normalcy in their lives. schools returned to in-person learning, bars and restaurants reopened their doors. family and friends reunited. it was also a year we learned more about the virus. we know immubty wains over time, making boosters criticals. we know masks work keeping our germs in and others out.

we're now better equipped to deal with mutations. mrna vaccines can be changed to fight new variants. and a pill on the way, with pfizer showing it to be 80% effective against hospitalization and death. >> we have seen what we can do so it doesn't dominate our lives. >> reporter: yet as a country we were bitterly divided. fighting over masks and vaccine mandates. >> it's kind of amazing and equally dishartening that those tools have not been adopted by everybody when they're freely available and known to be safe. >> despite progress made we end the year with more than 800,000 dead. a toll higher than the civil war. and the looming threat of a variant we still don't fully understand. but through it all, we did show resilience, a refusal to let covid rule our lives. keep calm and carry on as the

british say. >> merry christmas. >> and now as we gather with family and friends these holidays americans are quietly hopeful. do americans have reason to be hopeful headed into friday? >> i think the first few months of 2022 are going to be hard. that depends on us whether we can roll with the punches. whether we can get past the partisanship and realize we're all in this together. >> a time for cautious optimism at the end of the long year. >> dr. torres joins us now. merry christmas to you. we are in what appear to be the beginning stages of another winter surge right now as so many of us are gathering together with our families. so what do you think the next several months are going to look like? >> merry christmas as well. i think what's going to happen the next several months we're not going to see a light switch

all of a sudden turn off or on and the pandemic is suddenly over. we'll see slow progression toward a near normal type of situation over the next couple of months. we'll see cases go up but not deaths and hospitalizations as much. we'll hear about omicron but we have a better understanding of how to handle the variants and how we can gather together still over the holidays, especially like christmas right now. the first couple months are going to be a little bit tough but beyond that we'll understand how to live with the virus, which is something we have to do for the next few years and how to do that as we start living together as well. >> dr. torres, thank you so much. merry christmas, again. the coronavirus crisis was one of the biggest issues facing president biden and it started that way just when he took office back in january. >> it did. this morning we are looking back at some of the other big agenda items the president tackled this year. monica alba is at the white

house with more. good morning to you, merry christmas. >> reporter: good morning, merry christmas to you. as with any presidential term, the first months and mile stones are critical. for president biden 2021 has been a year of constant tests both here at home and abroad. a president's first year in office, filled with potential and peril. before joe biden was even sworn in, he knew the coronavirus pandemic would largely define the beginning of his term. >> to heal we must remember. >> reporter: honoring the hundreds of thousands dead on the eve of his inauguration. >> this is democracy's day. >> reporter: reversing dozens of trump era rules and regulations during his first months. the biden/harris administration launching a massive campaign to get americans vaccinated. >> it's time to act. we can reduce suffering in this country.

>> reporter: leading to the president's first legislative victory in march in the form of a $1.9 trillion covid relief bill. as 100 days in office marked 100 million covid vaccine shots administered. >> go get vaccinated, america. >> reporter: national headlines like the surfside condo collapse in florida. >> the hole nation is mourning with these families. >> reporter: the atlanta spa shootings. >> hate can have no place in america. >> reporter: and derek chauvin's conviction in george floyd's murder. sparking presidential remarks. >> no one should be above the law and today's verdict sends that message. >> reporter: overseas high stakes challenges on the world stage as the u.s. rejoined the paris agreement. the international treaty on climate change. while also placing sanctions on russia ahead of a critical face-to-face summit with vladimir putin in switzerland.

yet it was afghanistan that would move front and center after the president announced his decision to withdraw all troops from the country by september 11th. >> we'll do it resporesponsibly deliberately and safely. >> reporter: underestimating how quickly the taliban would take control, resulting in a chaotic situation. >> i do not regret my decision. >> reporter: the president attending a summit in rome, meeting with pope frances. >> we meet with the eyes of history upon us. >> reporter: back home on capitol hill, after months of negotiations and democratic infighting, a scaled back $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill is signed into law. >> america's moving again. and your life is going to change for the better. >> reporter: while the second half of the president's economic agenda, a massive social

spending and climate plan remains in limbo. >> we're going to help america win the competition of the 21st century. we're getting back in the game. >> reporter: with much of his agenda still unfinished, the president will now take the country into a new year of change and challenges. there's plenty the biden administration will deal with in 2022, with inflation still soaring and the omicron variant surging, and, of course, we're now less than a year away from the crucial midterm elections. peter, kristen. >> thank you, monica. covid concerns loom large in britain with the queen canceling the family's pre-christmas lunch for the second year in the row. >> and also the first christmas without prince phillip by her side. >> reporter: a traditional

christmas after a year for the royals. spending it without the head and heart of the family for the first time. the queen's husband of 73 years died in april, just short of his 100th birthday. prince william remembering walking to church with his grandfather on christmas day. >> i have strong memories walking down here, my grandfather used to walk so fast there would be huge gaps and spaces. >> he was always such a fun and special part of christmases. and it will be very hard for her this year without him. but i think made easier by the fact that she'll be in a residence she loves, surrounded by family. >> reporter: royal christmases . prince harry once making the

queen laugh with his gift of a big mouth billy bass. harry and meghan missing another holiday after allegations of racism in the family. >> about how dark your baby is going to be? >> potentially. >> william and harry came together to honor their mother in july, but the brotherly rift reportedly is still very real. meghan and harry's daughter hasn't met her royal relatives. the monarch on light duty after a surprise one night hospital stay in october. advised to give up her evening cocktails and long walks with the dogs. the heir to the thrown saying his mother is well. joking. >> once you get to 95 it's not like it used to be, bad enough at 73. >> reporter: christmas for the country couldn't come at a better time. >> it's one of two occasions in

the calendar year she gets to stop working. she does stop working on christmas day. >> reporter: a welcome break before a busy year ahead. marking a record 70 years on the throne. in the past big celebrations like this have drawn huge crowds, hundreds of thousands of people out here in front of the palace to see the royal family on the balcony. the question on everyone's mind right now is will harry and meghan be part of it. >> a lot of people will be wondering. thank you for that. still to come. are you already thinking about returning some of those presents you just unwrapped? >> i feel this is a conversation that should wait until at least noon. we won't tell anybody but we have advice for you on the easiest ways to do it. that's after these messages.

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one of our favorite parts about this time of year, the traditions that we hold near and dear we're going to share some of ours with you. >> excited for that. plus a special christmas song from kristin chenoweth. but first, these messages. . .

good morning, i am kira klapper. this comes after nearly 500 flights cancelled at airports across the u.s. airlines are blaming the omicron variant and their under staff resources. here at sfo, cancellations are impacting travelers. one traveler we spoke with trying to get to salt lake city

to join her husband for christmas. >> i want to see my husband for christmas and i am stuck here. >> going into december, we increased the number of employees for reserve positions to prepare for a busy travel period. some of them may have been exposed to the virus. those employees working in various locations are following our protocols and quarantining at home. our coronavirus coverage continues online. it's all in one place, head to nbcbayarea.com/coronavirus. let's check in with meteorologist vianey arana who has a look on christmas in the park. >> merry christmas everyone. this is a live look in san jose. we did take a break from the rain for a little bit yesterday afternoon. it's still pretty dry in the south bay. we got more rain already

starting to push through the bay area right now. up through santa rosa and vallejo. we got a couple of areas of light rain. i am going to zoom in closer so you can see. 580, the richmond area and oakland getting a little bit of light rain. we were mainly dry in san jose. if you can see the raid rain it's going to be approaching your household the next couple of minutes. here is a closer look at some of the things we are monitoring. we'll see widespread christmas rain and a chance of thunderstorms as well as locally gusty winds into this afternoon. cooler temperatures and more sierra snow. i will have a closer look at the full forecast at 7:00 a.m. we look forward to see you at 7:00. vianey. coming up at 7:00 on today in the bay, an activity scene stolen from a bay area family's front yard but a happy ending

after neighbors came to the rescue to make sure that grinch did not ruin their christmas. we'll have much more and coming up at 7:00, right now we'll send you back to the "today" show.

♪ i'm dreaming of a white christmas ♪ >> we are back on this saturday morning, christmas 2021. a beautiful look at the rockefeller center christmas tree. they usually turn the lights off at midnight but last night because of the holiday they left them on. and there aren't any presents under the big tree, no wrapping paper to throw away and no gifts in two piles, those that will be kept and those that will be returned you know what i'm talking about. >> this is where the

conversation at home gets interesting. returns maybe at an all-time high. how can you be sure not to get lost in the shuffle. vicky nguyen is here this morning with tips. merry christmas. >> merry christmas, great to see you. >> what is some of the best strategies this can be a weird conversation with some of the loved ones sitting next to you right now who gave you the gifts. >> it seems a few minutes ago i was here talking about the rush to get gifts under the tree now we're talking about the rush to return things you don't want. estimating $120 billion worth of holiday goods to be returned up 5 billion from last year's record. you're not alone if you got something you didn't want. number one thing, keep it new, one worn, in the box if you know it's not something you're going to keep forever. bring a receipt if you can, and also time is of the essence. go into the store if you want the money back quickerer.

a lot of retailers have made it easy, print out a mailing label at home, go to the shipper, but make sure you get proof of shipment and keep track of that, because if that package gets lost you will still have your money back if you have proof you sent it. >> let's talk about the time line, a lot of retailers extend the window you can do the returns but it doesn't apply to every item, right? >> no, it doesn't. if you have electronics that you opened this morning and you're thinking i'll never use this, that is the thing you want to make sure you return as quickly as possible. apple products january 8th is the cutoff. best buy, january 16th is the cutoff. amazon, macy's gives you until the end of january. other retailers give you longer time periods like target, walmart up to 90 days. just make sure you get the things out the door sooner than later. >> in the chaos if you aren't able to return things to the

retailer for an exchange or return, do you have any other option? >> a lot of us have credit cards, 61% have credit cards and there are protections when it comes to returns. visa, master card, american express from 250 to $1,000. they will actually reimburse the cost of that item. read the fine print, go through and do the application. that's the protection a lot of people have on their credit card they don't know about. >> that's a double win, you get the gift and the return for it. >> donate that gift or regift. 5 billion pounds worth of returned items end up in a land fill. just because the store takes it back doesn't mean they can resell it. so consider donation. >> that's an important point. >> or in some cases it turns out to be next year's gift for

someone. >> regifting. >> nice to be with good morning everybody, storm right now sweeping through the north bay. we got heavier pockets in richmond. we are starting to see the rain moving into mountain view and san jose. gusty winds from the southwest. 20 to 40 miles per hour. a chance of isolated hail and thunderstorms with cool temperature and heavy sierra snow. just ahead, it's the most wonderful time of the year for being together with family and loved ones. >> we'll share some of our favorite holiday traditions. but first, these messages. >> margot!

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>> it's going to be fun for her, that's for sure. at our home our girls look forward to christmas and hanukkah each year, it's a good gig. it's spending time with family that makes this time of year so special. >> are you excited about this christmas? >> every family has their own traditions. my wife grew up celebrating christmas. i grew up celebrating hanukkah. together for our girls we're blending the two. what does it say? >> it says dear santa, i hope you have a great christmas/hanukkah. >> for me hanukkah like all the jewish holidays was about family. i remember sitting around watching my mom and dad lighting the candles and all of us saying the blessings together. so those are the moments that i really cherish. >> one of my favorite traditions from growing up, i would leave a plate of cookies for santa. >> we're going to make cookies,

are you ready? what do we do? >> we have butter, now an egg. >> anyone who knows me knows that i'm not the best cook. but i really wanted to bake christmas cookies this year. so we're starting that tradition. >> yum. >> just got to make sure it mixes up. >> then we have to taste it. >> one of the new traditions is wrapping gifts, it's books for one of the health clinics in our community. >> ready? >> ready now. put it there. nice work. >> this one -- >> let me just trim this. >> the hope is our girls learn the traditions aren't just about us and our families but about sharing and giving to other families, too. >> i bought matching family christmas pajamas. john is not totally on board yet with the matching pajamas but i know when he puts them on, he's going to love them. look what we got, christmas

pajamas. >> super cute and festive. >> and i have some for mom and dad. >> oh, boy. >> the best part of celebrating the holidays as a dad now is seeing the excitement in my girls' eyes. >> what do you want to name him? >> bruce. mr. bruce the snowman. >> margot is fascinated by the christmas tree. >> is that a branch? is that a tree branch? >> i can watch her eyes wide with wonder as she sees this new vision in front of her. a year ago when margot was our hope and our dream, now we get to actually share all of these amazing traditions with her. >> i love that. i'm only disappointed you didn't end up with the family in the matching pajamas. the oh boy from john is my favorite part. >> it took me a little while to convince him. i love the tradition that you're

starting of wrapping books and giving them to kids who need them this holiday. >> i think the last thing for our families we're new to this. build new traditions for your family and pass on some of the old ones you've shared for years. >> so much to be grateful for. great stuff. >> coming up a special christmas song from kristin chenoweth. that's right after these messages. welcome to silversneakers. are you ready to get moving? (throws punch) our new virtual classes were designed for you and millions of seniors like you. you can now choose from thousands of live virtual classes every week. get moving wherever you have an internet connection. and when you're ready, enjoy access to thousands of locations nationwide. with silversneakers, you're free to move. enroll today at no additional cost by visiting getsilversneakers dot com.

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>> announcer: the citi music series on "today" is proudly presented to you by citi. we are back on this christmas morning and what better way to celebrate than with a special song. >> yeah, a very special song today. we are thrilled to have tony and emmy award winning singer and actress kristin chenoweth performing hello darling, happiness is christmas from her new album. ♪♪

♪ greeting cards, they've all been sent ♪ ♪ the christmas rush is through ♪ ♪ but i still have one wish to make, a special one for you ♪ ♪ merry christmas, darling ♪ ♪ we're apart, that's true ♪ ♪ but i can dream and in my dream, i'm christmasing with you ♪

♪ holidays, they're joyful ♪ ♪ there's always something new ♪ ♪ but every day's a holiday when i'm near to you ♪ ♪ the lights on my tree i wish you could see ♪ ♪ i wish it every day ♪ ♪ the logs on the fire fill me with desire to see you and say that i wish you a merry

christmas ♪ ♪ happy new year too ♪ ♪ oh, just one wish on this christmas eve, i wish i were with you ♪ ♪ i wish i were with you ♪♪ >> such a beautiful way to start the holiday, kristin chenoweth, thank you so much. >> what what a gift. we're back after this. a gift.

we're back after this.

still to come on this christmas morning, the day's top headlines and we'll look back at the biggest stories from 2021, some that will bring a tear to your eye and plenty of others that will make you smile. >> you won't want to miss that. but first, these messages. this is your home. this is your family room slash gym. the guest bedroom slash music studio. the daybed slash dog bed. the living room slash yoga shanti slash regional office slash classroom. and this is the basement slash panic room. maybe what your family needs is a vacation home slash vacation home. find yours on the vrbo app.

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the demand for at home covid test is on the rise. representatives for a dozen companies that make the tests say they are working overtime producing tens of millions of tests each month. they plan to ramp up production by hiring more workers and adding extra shifts. at lab, the officers in the bay area making it possible buy now test. >> our coronavirus coverage continues online. we are posting the latest updates about vaccination and covid testing. it's all in one place, head to nbcbayarea.com/coronavirus. now to a helping hand to thousand who may be 'loan for christmas day. the salvation army is delivering meals. the organization sa

winds pick up especially in into the afternoon so let's take a look at storm ranger. you can tell there is rain moving into the bay area, a couple of rain shatter in spots. san francisco and down into los gatos and mountain view drive now. here is a closer look of what to expect today. we are expecting widespread rain and a chance of storms and maybe even hail this afternoon with

locally gusty winds, cool temperatures and that heavy sierra snow we have been monitoring. it's going to pick up heading this afternoon. everybody stay safe for christmas day. vianey, thank you, coming up on "today in the bay," lights are out for a popular holiday. the reasons the city hopes owners to pull the plug and now neighbors are stepping into the keep traditions alive. we'll have all that coming up at 7:00. right now we'll send you back to the "today" show.

good morning, and merry christmas. a time of joy, a time to reflect. a time for family and friends to come together. the pandemic shaping the past year in a way we never could have imagined. but vaccines are giving us new hope we can get back to life as normal. we'll look back on the year that was as we celebrate all we have to look forward to. "today," christmas day, saturday december 25th, 2021. >> hi, we're from kansas city, missouri. >> we'd like to wish you and your family a very merry christmas and happy new year.

>> we're from southern california and we're celebrating vanessa's birthday -- >> all yearlong. >> with the "today" show. happy holidays if from our family to yours. ♪♪ good morning, and welcome back to "today" on this saturday morning. christmas morning. we are so glad you are waking up with us, a very merry christmas to you and your families and merry christmas to you as well my dear friend. >> merry christmas to you. we have our holiday drinks here, we're ready to go. >> we're off to a good start. nice to be in new york during the holidays. >> there's a lot ahead this morning but we want to start with joe fryer who has a look at the morning's top stories, good morning and merry christmas once again, joe. >> peter and kristen, good morning to you. there will be muted celebrations today as the covid pandemic and raging omicron variant force people to alter plans and

services. molly hunter is in london with more. good morning. >> reporter: joe, good morning. muted celebrations is right. but there are still safe celebrations happening all around the world. this morning the pope delivering his annual christmas day message from st. peter's square, a sign of tradition and today's reality. his midnight mass held at 7:30 last night, a nod to the 85-year-old's pontiff's age, capped out at 7,500 people and overnight in the city of bethlehem, palestinians attended mass despite scaled back activities. and around the world, worshippers donned masks to come together. in paris, as france enters a fifth wave of covid. and several times, worshippers in south korea, the philippines

and australia filled pews christmas day. but tourists stuck in sidney because of covid travel restrictions celebrated christmas on the beach. >> there's no flights home. i'm celebrating in the best way i can. >> reporter: back here in the uk as omicron forces people to stay home, the duchess of cambridge performed a surprise concert last night. showing off her skills she polished during lockdown. it seems almost everyone has been forced to make changes to their holiday plans, including the queen. skipping the traditional family christmas in favor of a quiet day at windsor. and later today, across the uk, people will tune in to the queen's annual christmas message, a royal tradition and her first without her late husband, prince phillip. the queen will be joined by prince charles and camilla today

for a quieter christmas day at windsor. and a happy christmas as they say on this side of the pond to you, joe. >> merry christmas to you, molly. here at home, covid is thwarting travel plans for travelers trying to get home for christmas. delta and united have cancelled hundreds of flights today because of omicron. the virus continues to tear through professional sports, the nhl postponed all 14 games on monday for covid testing reasons. the season resumes on tuesday. an early morning christmas gift for astronomers and people around the world with the launch of the james web telescope this morning. the $10 billion tennis court sized observatory is the largest and most powerful telescope in history to allow scientists to study the first stars and galaxys in the universe and search for planets we could not reach before. the community of mayfield, kentucky is coming together for

christmas just weeks after a deadly tornado tore through their town. ♪♪ >> members of first christian church and first presbyterian church gathered on friday to hold a christmas eve service. the mass was held between the rubble good morning, we are seeing rain today. we had some heavier pockets through the north bay. we'll see rain especially if you live around the coastline and the south bay it will get more intense heading around the 1:00 hour. chance of possibly hail and thunderstorms locally gusty winds and cool temperatures and heavy sierra snow. joe, thank you so much.

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i wonder where froot loops come from? follow me! ♪♪ just follow your nose! mmmm! part of a complete breakfast. we are back now on this christmas morning with a look back at the biggest stories from 2021 from a new president to the ongoing battle against the coronavirus. >> and an olympics unlike we've ever seen before. here's a look at how the last

year unfolded. >> one of the darkest days in american history. >> an insurrection incited by president trump. >> we're going to walk down, i'll be there with you. >> police suddenly overwhelmed and overrun on the steps of the capitol. >> they're walking towards the house chamber right now. >> shot in the capitol by law enforcement. >> violence never wins. let's get back to work. >> congress in an early morning vote confirming president-elect biden's victory. >> the president has been impeached for a second time in over a year. >> he is a clear and present danger to the nation. >> a single article of impeachment accusing the president of incitement of insurrection. >> twice tried, twice acquitted. >> he is hereby acquitted of the charge. >> seven republican senators

voting to convict. america witnessed the birth of a new presidency. >> this is america's day. this is democracy's day. a day of history and hope. >> there was always light if only we're brave enough to see it. texas' sweeping new abortion law now in effect. >> ensures that the life of every unborn child who has a heartbeat will be saved. >> banning abortion in most cases where a fetal heartbeat is detected, potentially six weeks into pregnancy. >> a rare bipartisan celebration at the white house for the president's signing of the infrastructure bill. >> the largest federal investment in infrastructure in more than a decade. >> america is moving again and your life is going to change for the better. my resignation will be effective in 14 days. >> andrew cuomo announces he will step down. >> after the release of a scathing report from the state's attorney general, alleging the

governor sexually harassed 11 women. >> cnn has fired its popular anchor chris cuomo. following revelations he was more deeply involved in his brother's defense strategy. new york city becomes a first to require proof of vaccination. >> if you're unvaccinated, unfortunately you will not be able to participate in many things. >> the vaccination of children as young as 5 under way. >> billions of more americans are officially eligible for covid vaccine booster shots. >> officially identified a new highly transmissible strain as omicron. >> now found in 33 states. >> 800,000 americans who died from covid. three shootings all at atlanta area massage parlors. >> six of the victims of asian decent. >> he claims thomas fire not racially motivated. >> this act of violence reinforcing are we safe. >> ten people killed at a mass

shooting in a colorado supermarket. >> these were people going about their day and their lives are cut short. massive search and rescue effort under way after the partial collapse of a condo building near miami beach. >> who thinks a building is going to collapse. a new twist in the search for gabby petito. >> her death a homicide. >> brian laundrie died from a self-inflicted gun shot wound. alec baldwin in anguish after shooting and killing halyna hutchins with a prop gun. a sea of fans rushed towards the stage, taking nine lives. >> honestly just devastated. a minneapolis jury convicted derek chauvin of the murder of george floyd. >> my brother got justice. >> president biden calling the

family. we the jury find the defendant not guilty. >> three and a half days of deliberations finding him not guilty for shooting and killing two men. convicting three white men for killing ahmaud arbery. >> he will now rest in peace. the first ever launch of an all civilian space crew goes off without a hitch. massive cargo ship wedged across one of the world's most important water ways. >> $400 million of goods blocked every hour. the president and the pontiff. >> you are the most significant warrior for peace i've ever met. israel and hamas agree to lay down arms after the worst fighting in a decade. >> do you think the cease-fire is going to hold? >> who knows. president biden announcing a full withdrawal from afghanistan

by september 11th. >> that cannot explain why we should remain there in 2021. >> the taliban completing its stunning takeover in little more than a week. >> tens of thousands of afghans desperate to leave at any price. >> the u.s. completes the withdrawal of all forces from afghanistan, ending america's longest war. nearly 1 million people across the south facing a fifth day without power. >> it's freezing. it's a blackout. >> the white house declaring a state of emergency. >> many residents are dealing with water issues from busted pipes to flooding. california's biggest wild fire ever. >> 540,000 acres in size, the dixie fire has people under evacuation. >> 21,000 firefighters are on the ground now. double the number last year. hurricane ida strikes as a category 4. >> we are feeling those hurricane gusts around 85 miles

per hour. >> ida's remnants tear through the northeast. >> in new york and new jersey historic rains. >> massive earthquake caused widespread destruction and killed more than 300 people. >> we can't handle by ourselves what is happening now in southern haiti. a terrible night in the southeast and midwest. >> this is the most deadly tornado event in kentucky's history. >> i don't see how nobody can be okay after this. stunning after stunning allegation in meghan markle's tell all interview. >> i didn't want to be alive anymore. >> a new addition to the family. >> diana, a name a touching tribute to the queen and harry's mother. >> to have a boy and then a girl, what more can you ask for. the wheels of justice caught up with r. kelly. >> found guilty on nine counts of racketeering and sexual

assault. britney spears waking up with a new lease on life after a judge ended her conservatorship. the tokyo games under way. >> simone biles is leaving the floor. >> it's been stressful. >> the olympic all around gold medal. >> simone biles marched into this gymnastics center and reminded us why she's a champion. >> i don't give up. >> dressel is going to win gold. >> it was about representing for women and mother. >> 113 medals to china's 88. tom brady and the tampa bay buccaneers dominate kansas city to win super bowl lv. is this happening? it is! >> for the first time in 26 years the atlanta braves are

world series champs. ♪♪ as an actress i should be able to play any type role. ♪♪ >> how many relationships have i been in since you've known me? >> i found this backstage, an oversized hat. it's funny. >> in magic, anything is possible. >> i would just like to be remembered as someone that god gave him the talent to play the game. >> morning, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. >> i'm afraid i've been too much of a real woman. >> i want songs that make people laugh. >> my number one motto, i never learned anything when i was talking. >> never lose faith in america. it's faults are yours to fix not curse. >> in every stage of my life i've been a witness to the greatness of this country.

>> incredible look back at all the people who helped shape our world. thanks to our associate producer and editor for their hard work in putting that together. peter, when you watch that, it's remarkable how much unfolded last year, you and i were there to cover a lot of it. it feels like the vaccines may be the top of the list of biggest headlines. >> it's true. as we begin 2022 we're reliving some of those moments but reminded by the words they started that piece with from amanda gordon who said there is always light if only we are brave enough to see it. we're wishing everybody a very safe and happy new year as we look ahead. we're back right after this.

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good morning, it's saturday december 25th, 7:00 on the dot on this merry christmas. we are taking a live look outside at