this is christmas day. ♪♪ ♪ christmastime is here ♪ >> that's for sure. >> we want to say good morning to you on this christmas day. i'm marcus washington. >> i'm laura garcia. we're spreading the cheer. do you have wrapping paper all over your living room just yet? wake up, it's time to get going. santa has had a very busy night, but clear at least. he didn't have to wear a poncho. i think just maybe a light coat. he does have that big red one, so i think he was warm enough. we're in the 40s right now in napa, 41 degrees, brentwood, 41, san jose, 41. we are seeing areas of fog mainly through the north bay and the interior portion of california. santa rosa is down to about a half mile in visibility, and then i do want to showcase the now and next. in addition to some of the fog, we are monitoring our coastlines.

we have a beach hazard statement in effect, along with a coastal flood advisory. all of it is expected to remain in place through about 11:00 a.m. we're talking about hide tides, sneaker waves, the potential for flooding in low-lying areas. also, it's a dense morning for especially solano county and through the interior. if you're going to be traveling anywhere near the grapevine, fog visibility is down to less than half a mile in some spots, driving through bakersfield or the fresno stretch. our next rain chance moves in on wednesday and then we get another rain chance again heading into friday and saturday. so it's absolutely going to be a week of planning. anything that involves the outdoors or indoors, you're definitely going to want to tune in because i'll break down timing and potentially how much rain and snow in a few minutes. a longstanding tradition in san francisco continues this christmas morning. the salvation army is getting ready to deliver meals to thousands of people who can't leave their homes. >> "today in the bay"'s ginger

conejero saab is live for us at the salvation army meal giveaway. i know a lot of volunteers out there really doing what they can to make a difference this morning. >> reporter: even as early as now, people are showing up and they've been -- you know, they've started setting up for what will be salvation army's annual meal giveaway. talk about spreading some christmas cheer. we're going to see hundreds of volunteers later today deliver meals to thousands of people who can't access their meals or get to their meals because of their age and their illness. we're actually talking to one of those volunteers who has been doing this for a long time, although it's not obvious. victor, you've been doing this for 30 years. >> 30 years. >> you must have started young. >> that would be nice. no, no. >> merry christmas to you. >> merry christmas to you, ginger. >> talk to us about why this is so important, this tradition is so important to you. >> when we were first asked to do this 30 years ago, a lot of us said, oh, no, so early in the

morning. now that we've been doing it, we love doing it. it's part of our tradition. we bring the kids along. you'll see a lot of volunteers who are kids. it's the second generation helping out. we love doing it. we also like to see the drivers who come by, because they bring their kids. there are some families that have been doing it for 30 years. we see their kids growing older and they're still helping out. >> talk about a real community. speaking of some of those kids, we're seeing them put to work right now. they're loading up or getting the boxes ready to be loaded into cars as soon as they come through. >> i'm amazed they get up this early. when i was a kid, forget it. >> i know, right? i was saying the same thing. parents and the volunteers here are really leading by example. what's your favorite part of volunteering? >> when we first did this, we had too many volunteers, so there wasn't a job available. i thought, why don't i do traffic? we used to do the whole alley and there was a backup and i wanted to help people park their cars, make sure their cars were

safe so they didn't get broken into in san francisco. i was just doing the traffic. so i'm cleaning up the alley right now, so when they come it doesn't look so bad. >> thank you for all the hard work you're putting in so early and merry christmas to you, victor. >> thank you, and thank you for getting up so early yourself. >> welcome to our world. thank you so much. >> reporter: well, salvation army is spreading the holiday cheer. it is not the only place here in san francisco and across the bay area. we're really talking about people being able to celebrate christmas and the holiday cheer. glide memorial is opening doors at 11:00 a.m., followed by st. anthony dining hall as well. you can see those on your screen. they're offering free meals on golden gate avenue. those doors will open at 7:00 a.m. city impact over on taylor street has an outreach program that will start at 9:00 in the morning. and across the bay bridge, over in oakland, mama t's will hold their 15th annual christmas day

meal giveaway, that starts at 11:00 on telegraph in oakland. in richmond, the bay area rescue mission will serve up dinners beginning at 4:00 p.m. on mcdonald avenue. and taking it south, city team san jose is hosting its annual christmas meals on charles street at noon. last hour i know we spoke with major darryn who said that salvation army has been doing this for a long time, 146 years in san francisco this year. talk about a longstanding tradition of making a difference. >> really nice to see. >> truly part of christmas now. thank you so much, ginger. there's also a way for you to continue to help those in need this holiday. we would like to remind you about our nourishing neighbors drive. we've teamed up with safeway to make sure everyone has a holiday meal this season. if you would like to help, donate at your local neighborhood safeway store. the drive ends today. as you make last-minute runs to the store, make sure to show off holiday spirit. we are learning new details about a tragic christmas eve

fire on the peninsula. flames broke out inside the menlo park apartment yesterday morning, killing a woman and two dogs. another woman is in critical condition. "today in the bay"'s emma goss spoke with firefighters and a relative of the victim. >> reporter: the menlo park fire department tells me that neighbors were first on the scene to help extinguish the flames. you can see behind me the damage that's left from all the smoke that spread through the apartment. two women in their 60s both lived there. this 66-year-old died in her menlo park apartment christmas eve morning, after a fire started in her living room, spreading toxic smoke throughout the home. menlo park fire says her roommate, a 65-year-old woman, is at stanford hospital in critical condition. >> firefighters forced entry into the unit, used a small amount of water, as it was a small, smoldering fire, but lots of heat and smoke in the unit.

>> reporter: just after 3:00 in the morning, neighbors in nearby apartments noticed smoke coming out a window. they used fire extinguishers and a garden hose to put out the flames and called 911. >> this is an instance, unfortunately, the occupants were smokers and they had remove today smoke alarms in their unit. this is a case that i definitely believe that if they had working smoke alarms in their unit, they would have been alerted early. >> reporter: her beloved dog, as well as her roommate's dog, died. >> on the early morning hours of christmas eve, that's pretty sad. it makes you just appreciate, you know. >> reporter: we spoke with her nephew, who says she was originally from southern california and had worked as a housekeeper in the bay area. she loved animals and did not have any children. the cause of the fire is under investigation. in menlo park, emma goss, nbc bay area news. 6:07. san francisco police

investigating an incident on a muni bus. three people were exposed to some sort of irritant. firefighters have not said what. the christmas spirit was in full swing last night with thousands of people gathering for a midnight christmas mass in san francisco. ♪♪ >> grace cathedral choir had already started performing before parishioners arrived. the bishop told us celebrating christmas in san francisco is special because of the diverse community. >> there's such a vibrant interfaith world here. it's not just christian. it's muslim, jewish, hindu, buddhist, and we work together, and we work together in common cause. >> if you missed that service, there will be another one today at 11:00. i know a christmas wish from a lot of players this morning. a big matchup at levi's, the niners set to take on the

ravens. they don't have much time to celebrate the holiday, but we will go home in the morning before the game. i can tell you most players are already focused on their christmas night showdown. >> it's christmastime and stuff for our family and friends, which is great. at the same time, we all here understand we have to do our job and play. and we have to do what it makes in terms of preparation, our studying. nothing can change. >> so tonight's game will be the third time since 1970 that the best team of each conference is meeting this late in the season. the niners and the ravens both 11-3, and top seeds, kickoff at levi's is at 5:15. a lot of the people attending, what should i wear, the jacket, the scarf, gloves? you say all of the above, right? >> no need for ponchos or umbrellas. tailgating, if you're going to be out and about before or after the game, it does get chilly toward the end of the game, so absolutely please make sure you're bundled up for that.

scarves could be in the picture as well. let's look at some of the countdowns when it comes to the temperatures. the game kicks off at 5:15. notice, it's about 55 degrees. we're also going to see cloud cover around that time. not a windy afternoon or evening. that's a good thing. heading towards the 6:00 hour, we still remain pretty much in those low 50s. you'll notice here we'll start to see, of course, mostly cloudy conditions will remain, and then eventually towards the end of the game, these 50s will dip down into some 40s. so be mindful of your after-party celebrations or anything of the sort, because it had get a little cold. now, everywhere else for christmas day, we're going to be seasonable. believe it or not, we've got 50s and 60s, 59 degrees in san francisco, 62 in san jose, 59 in concord. a very california christmas. we'll talk more about what you can expect in your seven-day outlook. first, let's get a check of the roads. we haven't seen any concerns there. so nothing major to tell you

about as far as traffic delays. good news through that stretch. back to you. 2023 was a year of ticket lines, blank blow ups and barbie. ahead, a look at the headlines which had numerous industries on edge. and the presents are wrapped. santa is set to arrive, or already has. why not relax, responsibly, of course, with a nice beverage? the most popular christmas cocktail here in california and how the boozy selection stacks up with the rest of the country. first, all morning long we are hearing from local soldiers sending holiday wishes to family and friends here in the bay area. >> i'm originally from stockton, california, assigned to 135 ar, we're deployed here in poland. i want to wish my frids anden

it is 6:13 right now. merry christmas. christmas day daytime highs will be in the upper 50s, low 60s throughout. look at san jose, 62 degrees. concord, 59. san francisco, 59. we do have a coastal flood advisory in effect through 11:00 a.m. full forecast. but first let's take a look at the roads. your drive times have been a smooth commute so far. we've got holiday light traffic. westbound 80 toward the bay bridge, seven minutes.

no issues along the san mateo bridge from westbound 92, only 12 minutes. and westbound 84 toward the dumbarton bridge, about ten minutes. no metering lights on just yet. we'll have the full forecast coming up. it is 6:14 right now. the past year was dominated by strikes and inflation. >> nbc news business reporter brian cheung looks back at some of the biggest stories that made headlines in 2023. >> reporter: it was the year of ticket lines and barbie. the economy steered clear of a recession, but the biggest theme of all, worker power. [ crowd chanting ] >> across the country, over half a million teachers, pharmacists fast food workers and more, went on strike. the biggest ones targeting hollywood and the motor city. tv and movie production halted when the writers guild walked out in may, with actors and performers joining two months later. in the fall, members of the united auto workers forced stoppages at detroit's big three automakers, further empowered by president biden's unprecedented

visit to the picket line. >> an attack on a worker anywhere is an attack on workers everywhere. >> reporter: after months of shutdown, who came out better on the other side? the hollywood standstill costs $6 billion in lost wages and business impacts, ford, gm and stellantis lost over $3.5 billion in profits together. pay bumps were significant, with actors wages rising more than 7%, writers up 12.5%, and auto workers a whopping 25%. >> inflation is easing. >> we're still talking about inflation. >> inflation is slowly coming down. >> reporter: high inflation showed signs of improving, dropping from over 6% to over 3% by year's end. some things got cheaper, gas down 34 cents a gallon. prices cracked on eggs, too. over a buck cheaper per dozen. the cost of living continues to keep inflation readings high. with median rents down 2%, hope that affordability will improve next year. a light at the end of the tunnel

for main street, but in 2023 it was high drama on wall street, when silicon valley bank collapsed in march, becoming the biggest collapse since the 2008 financial crisis, overshadowed just weeks later when first republic failed as well, exposing bad bets made by poor managers. in the crypto world, sam bankman-fried, the founder of the now defunct crypto exchange ftx, was found guilty on charges of fraud and money laundering, now facing up to 110 years in prison. but it wasn't all bad blood this year. it was the ladies who may have kept the economy upbeat. taylor swift's tour became the first ever to gross a billion dollars, with spending at tour spots estimated to have injected up to $5 billion in local economies. queen b grossed half a billion on her tour. and, of course, the iconic doll barbie raked in $1.4 billion,

the highest-grossing film of the year. >> hi, barbie. >> hi, ken. >> all part of an eventful 2023 in the world of business. >> thanks, brian. ♪♪ ♪ all i want for christmas is you ♪ >> how long can we listen to this song? let's talk about holiday cocktails in december. they are all the rage. >> and each individual state has a top pick. these are all based on google trends. here in california, the favorite is the irish coffee. yeah, people in colorado like the christmas margarita. in tennessee, my home state, christmas punch. now, the top five favorites are christmas punch, eggnothing, cranberry mimosa, hot buttered rum and irish coffee. >> something for everyone. >> i'm a mimosa girl.

>> i like rum, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon to taste. it's really, really good. so i think that maybe that will be a brink that i'll -- >> since it's a holiday, the producers should have come up with a taste test. they put them in the story but didn't want us to taste it. >> now you've inspired me. i think i'm going to make that today. i have the ingredients for it. man, the weather is really nice. >> yes. >> it's been pleasant to see the rain. we're a little behind on our water year. but i think not seeing rain today is going to be nice, because we actually get to enjoy the outdoors without worrying about decorations being ruined by the rain. walnut creek 41, san francisco 46. you can see the fog and visibility for the most part is okay. clearer conditions throughout, with the exception of the north

bay, and then, of course, parts of central california, extending into sacramento, fresno, the stockton stretch, through solano county. now, we are also going to keep in mind that coastlines through about 11:00 a.m. are under a beach hazard statement, which is this light blue color that you see. and also this green color that you see is a coastal flood advisory. now, this is going to remain in place so far through about 11:00 a.m. we're talking about rip currents and sneaker waves, dangerous high, tall waves around high tide, 10 to 12 feet. keep an eye on kids and pets around the coastline. never turn your back to a wave. keep a safe distance. the sneaker waves will come out of nowhere. you might think it's nice and calm and then you get a really high wave. let's talk about our next chance of rain. tomorrow we wake up to morning fog. a couple of high clouds. i put the high stamp forward to about 9:00 a.m. this is when we could see a chance for decent rain, mainly for the north bay. it becomes scattered and more

widespread throughout the wednesday afternoon stretch. this isn't a huge rainmaker, it's just the beginning of the instability that is going to be setting us up for an active last week of 2023. let's look at the ten-day precipitation outlook from december 28th through january 1st. if you look at the key above, that green color indicates above average. most of california is under that above average stretch. anything in the gold, yellow, darker hues is well below average. so east coast is looking below average, down through, you know, texas, parts of texas could see above average rain as well. as far as our temperatures go, as you all know, we've seen some warmer systems because of the subtropical tap that has brought in a lot of humidity, but not a lot of snow. unfortunately, it does look like the ten-day temperature outlook right now through january 1st is going to remain above average, which means not a whole lot of sierra snow. but our weekend forecast right now does look active, especially for friday and saturday. let's get a look at the roads. so far things have been quite

quiet. the green on this map indicates no issues, smooth transitions. whether you're traveling through any of our bridges from richmond to berkeley, down through oakland, along 880, everything is looking good. no metering lights on at the bay bridge. that always indicates holiday light traffic. the south bay, we've got good conditions. remember, a lot of public transportation, including b.a.r.t., vta, things like that, might be running under a holiday schedule. make sure to check out their times on the website. back to you. >> thank you so much. next here on "today in the bay," nbc bay area responds. >> first, a warm holiday greeting from a local soldier. >> hello, i'm corey o'brien at basic military training in lackland

welcome back. it is 6:24 for you on this christmas morning. for the holidays, millions of families unwrap brand new televisions, many new sets featuring something called nextgen tv. >> it's a huge upgrade for viewers like you. chris chmura shows us how nextgen tv works. broadcasters say nextgen tv is the biggest jump in a generation, perhaps bigger than the leap from black and white to color, or from square to wide screen hd. >> it really is taking all of those things you see in the

streaming world and bringing them to free over-the-air broadcast television. bill hague is a tv researcher speaking on behalf of pearl tv. nextgen tv couples your tv with the internet. it's advertised as offering features like 4k picture quality, bolder colors and movie theatre sound. new interactivity is particularly exciting. some shows will let you participate, take a news poll or play along with a game show. get this, in the future your remote will let you choose different camera angles in the middle of a program. how do you get nextgen tv? with an antenna. yep, an antenna. you also need a nextgen tv set. when you're shopping, look for that logo. you don't necessarily have to go shopping. 15 million have already been sold. >> to see if your is compatible, rescan your channels. you can usually do that by going

to the main menu, then settings. after you rescan channels, go back to the channel guide and look for the nextgen tv logo. an annual meal giveaway on christmas day. take a look. volunteers here bright and early -- well, not bright, but early, to make sure meals go out to thousands of people

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right now at 6:30, providing a meal for bay area seniors. the work happening right now to help those less fortunate this christmas day, and where those in need can get a hot christmas meal. also, a festive and busy night in the city. union square bustling with last-minute shoppers on christmas eve. and here is a live look outside across the bay area. we are tracking the christmas day forecast for you so you can prepare to celebrate with your friends and family and loved ones. this is "today in the bay." and this is christmas morning. good morning to you. i'm marcus washington. >> i'm laura garcia. here with our christmas family. >> yes, we are. >> the news is always happening. hey, you know who else is in as well? >> who is that? >> meteorologist vianey arana is in for kari this morning, tracking what we can expect for the day ahead. >> so far, so good.

cameras looking good. we do have areas of fog through the north bay. temperature-wise, we'll dip down into the 30s range, especially into the next hour or so for the north bay and interior. santa rosa, 41 degrees right now. concord, 40 degrees. if you notice, i want to talk about your travel outlook. because if you look at seattle through portland, there is a system to our north, you might have impacts through there. delays likely for the southeastern u.s. because of this kind of line of storms that stretches from nebraska down through parts of atlanta as well. we're talking about moderate downpours at times. so make sure to check on those travel delays. this is our now and next. the next rain chance moves in locally, we'll talk about it in my full forecast. just into our newsroom, firefighters are responding to a three-alarm fire happening along el camino real and los altos. we don't know what started the

fire at the moment, but firefighters are asking people to avoid the area of north san antonio road and sherwood avenue. according to google maps, this is a commercial building with several businesses inside. we will continue to monitor the story and bring you updates. colorado springs police are investigating a deadly shooting that happened on christmas eve at citadel mall. it seems to have started as some sort of altercation between two groups on of people. one man died at the scene, others were taken to a local hospital. no arrests have been made. moving you forward, the salvation army is getting ready to deliver meals to thousands of seniors. >> and "today in the bay"'s ginger conejero saab is live for us at the salvation army meal giveaway. volunteers have been working hard just to make sure christmas morning is special to those who just need a little extra help this morning. >> reporter: that's right. santa has got his elves, the salvation army has its

volunteers that are here early this morning, this christmas morning, to give of their time and their energy to strangers, to people who aren't able to have their christmas meal, maybe because they are older, maybe because they're sick. but we are getting ready to have volunteers load cars, and then those cars will deliver those christmas meals to people. what's special about that is that might actually be the one contact that those people are waiting for this christmas morning, and so it's really important, the work that these volunteers do. i want to talk to victor chin, who has been volunteering at salvation army for some 30 years now. it's been a while. i'm sure you've seen things before and how they are now. what's changed, what's stayed the same? what's your favorite part in all of it? >> there have been changes. we would do thanksgiving and christmas. sometimes the meals were pre-made and brought here.

now they're made here. it's gone back and forth. but the one thing that hasn't changed is the need, the need for the meals that people have, and as you said, the need for human contact. it doesn't matter what i think the drivers bring, so long as they come in with a smile to the person receiving it, that makes them all happy. just spending a little time saying hi and that makes the world of difference. that need never changes. everything else may. >> that's a need that you guys are really answering. volunteers here at the salvation army. we talked to victor 30 minutes ago, and he says when the drivers come, they even have some of their younger children in the cars. it's a tradition being passed on within families. >> yes, that's correct. we have one gentleman, he brought his daughter, and then we were with them as the daughter got married. one year i said, where is your daughter? he said, she's home, taking care of the baby.

i said, excuse me? they come in with three generations. i saw them at thanksgiving, and the grandson is now a teenager. how did this happen? >> something to make you feel a little dated. >> i feel dated, but i feel happy knowing that the trdition goes on, they know there's a need and they're trying to fill that need for everybody else. >> that's something to be proud of, salvation army, as well as san francisco, this is a tradition that's been happening here for, we're told, 140 years now. >> reporter: i don't know if we can pan over. we've got more young people, volunteers, who look like they're making their way. we've been talking about it, young people, which is really important. some of them on their college break. how is college? how is it going? >> they're here. they have the break and this has been part of their family tradition because their parents come, and they've been coming since they were little kids. they started in elementary

school, now they're in college. i have a feeling one day they're going to bring their own kids here. >> reporter: hopefully we'll be here then, too. thank you so much, victor. thank you for all the work you do and merry christmas. marcus, laura, salvation army is definitely doing their part this morning, but other places in san francisco and across the bay area, they are also spreading some christmas cheer and helping those in need. here in the city, st. anthony's dining hall is offering free meals at its dining room on golden gate avenue. doors open at 7:00, less than 30 minutes from now. city impact is also holding a christmas outreach event and that will start at 9:00. that's on taylor street. glide memorial over on ellis, on the 300 block, is also opening its doors at 11:00 to offer meals. over in oakland, mama t's will hold their 15th annual christmas day meal giveaway. that starts at 11:00 on telegraph avenue. in richmond, the bay area rescue

mission will serve up dinners beginning at 4:00 p.m. on macdonald avenue. in the south bay, city team san jose is hosting its annual christmas meals on charles street, and that will happen at noon. so, really, throughout the day across the bay area, we're seeing these organizations come together and pool their energy and talent to help those in need. it's beautiful to see. much power to these young kids, who are continuing on a great tradition. >> i love it. it's so important to show up and look at them, especially on christmas morning. >> giving back. thanks, ginger. busy there in san francisco this morning. certainly a busy one last night in union square. bustling with shoppers on christmas eve. for many the highlight was stepping into those stores to shop. tourists telling us that it actually gave them a chance to see some of the stores they don't have in their hometown areas. many locals telling us it was

the busiest they have seen in union square in years. >> the last couple of years obviously it's been quieter. it's busier now and people are so nice. >> many families also stepped to take in the tree all aglow at the center of union square, and to visit winter walk on stockton there, on stockton street, which is blocked off to cars so people can enjoy the food trucks and all the activities. >> such a magical time of year. pope francis presided over mass at st. peter's basilica. during the service, the pope lamented that jesus' message of peace was being drowned out by the futile logic of war. his message comes hours after israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu vowed to fight deeper into the palestinian enclave of gaza. pope francis has made numerous appeals for a cease-fire in the

conflict and has called for the release of all hostages held by hamas. pope francis said the real message of christmas is peace and love and he urged people not to be obsessed with worldly success. our climate in crisis is causing trouble for skiers and snowboarders, it's getting harder to predict snowfall. of course, we're seeing less and less right now. one tahoe resort is making its own snow, the donner cross country ski area has brought in new machines that make snow. this is the first cross country resort to turn to snow making, creating enough snow for two miles of trails. that is expected to last until spring. the resort has considered this option for many years and now scientists with uc berkeley snow lab think other resorts will follow suit. >> early season snowfall is becoming less predictable, as is our snowfall in general. the resorts are preparing for the eventuality that snow will become less predictable and there will be a lot less of it. >> regulars say it is nice to

know they can rely on snow that is made, but they are still anxiously awaiting to see the natural snowfall. >> nice resort. to a live look in dublin this christmas, the air quality management district is asking people to refrain from burning wood fireplaces or wood stoves. it says burning wood poorly impacts air quality. people are asked not to turn wrapping paper because it can lead to harsh chemicals in the air. about now, a lot of people are going to have wrapping paper all over the floor. the wood burning aspect, we still have a bit of high pressure, so that tends to trap the gunky stuff at the surface. we have another system that will help clear us out leading into wednesday. i want to show you some areas seeing dense fog right now. notice a lot of the north bay is still seeing some early morning fog, but also really dense through areas like sacramento

and stockton, through modesto, if you're going to be traveling along the grapevine, visibility is down to less than half a mile. please be careful. we have a beach hazard statement in effect for the entire coastline, along with a coastal flood advisory. so that's the difference between those two colors right here that you see, the turquoise versus the green color. this is going to remain in place through 11:00 a.m., 10 or 12 foot waves and that could bring the potential for sneaker waves. keep an eye on kids and pets. it can quickly sweep you in. we have satellite radar and we can see some high clouds rolling through. we have a system to our north, and also stretching out in the pacific it's already starting to line up. this is going to be our next storm system that's going to start to move in on wednesday, and i'll tell you more about that coming up. back to you. >> thank you so much. well, families all across california are getting into the christmas spirit.

ahead on "today in the bay," an up close look at the grand holiday tradition delighting children and families this holiday season. >> quite the coach there. in less than 30 minutes, king charles is expected to deliver his annual christmas speech. the reason this year's address is breaking tradition. first, all morning we've been hearing from some of our local troops serving abroad this holiday. >> on behalf of the community, we want to wish everyone back in my hometown, san francisco, a

welcome back. it is 6:44 right now in san jose. 44 degrees. clear conditions. eventually we'll get some high clouds rolling through. daytime highs today will start to climb into the 50s by about 10:00 a.m., and then expect to see low 60s on the map through most of the interior and the south bay. dry conditions on this beautiful christmas day. let's take a look at some of your drive times. through the east bay so far, we've had holiday light commute. no metering lights on at the bay bridge toll plaza. your east bay drive times, smooth commute, westbound highway 4 to the bay bridge, 14 minutes. we'll have a look at your next chance of rain in just a few minutes. change to holiday traditions in ukraine, amid the devastating war.

ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy addressing the nation today. this is the first time ukraine has celebrated christmas on december 25th. ukraine used to celebrate in january. it was a move amid the distancing from the country, from russian traditions. zelenskyy reiterated that he believes ukraine will win the war. we want to say thank you for spending a bit of your christmas day with us. families in the central valley taking in the sights and sounds of the night ahead of santa's arrival. >> we have a look at a fabulous display impressing a lot of people this christmas. ♪♪ >> reporter: it must be christmas in sacramento. >> this is awesome. >> reporter: the fab 40s and the neighborhood's grand light displays are a holiday tradition here. >> we live in a neighborhood where people are excited and in a great mood.

>> reporter: this christmas eve, families stepped out to see it for themselves. >> it's just magical and just such a representation of the holidays. it's lovely. >> reporter: among the houses, the lights and displays. >> merry christmas, everybody! >> reporter: 7-year-old hunter had a favorite. >> honestly, we're going to -- we saw that one and it's my favorite. >> reporter: lights strung from tree to tree, lines of cars bumper to bumper at times. christmas is here. >> we're just so glad, so grateful, and everybody has been so nice. >> reporter: and whether it's an annual part of your plans -- >> we're so lucky to live in this neighborhood. it's amazing. >> reporter: -- or your very first christmas -- >> now that we have a little one, it makes it all that much better. >> reporter: -- east sacramento says happy holidays, again. >> merry christmas! >> we love you all! >> and to all a good night. >> we love you all!

you know, the warriors will take on the denver nuggets this christmas day, and coming off of last night's win over the trailblazers. the warriors still had time to have a little christmas eve fun. ♪♪ ♪ all i want for christmas is you ♪ ♪ this christmas will be ♪ ♪ a very special christmas for me ♪ >> steph has a little tune there. the players stopped to sing some christmas carols while boarding their flight. >> i love it, the warriors are just like us. >> literally. a sustainable twist on the british royal tradition. >> king charles iii will do his christmas broadcast in front of a living tree. it's been a british royalty

tradition for decades. this time the backdrop will be a live tree with sustainable ornaments. the tree will be replanted after the broadcast. you can watch the address at 7:00 this morning on youtube. we don't know how much giants fans are going to like this, but new dodgers superstar shohei ohtani appears to be giving the gift that keeps on giving. >> he's putting his record $700 million deal to use. >> it's yours, he wanted to gift you a porsche. >> shut up. >> who is that? that's ashley kelly, the wife of dodgers relief pitcher, joe kelly, reacting to receiving that new porsche from ohtani. >> kelly was responsible for the campaign to recruit -- >> oh, take 17. >> the campaign to recruit ohtani to the dodgers. when ohtani announced that he was officially signing with the

dodgers, joe kelly changed his number to 99 to let ohtani keep the number 17. >> wow, what a great gift. from a coworker. a coworker's mate, cool. well, 2023 is coming to a close and youtube is taking a look at the most watched videos and trends this year. >> we know the major pop culture moment, hi, barbie. barbie there's been fashion trends, diys and beauty tutorials. regional mexican music ruled the charts nationwide. artists gained huge fan bases and sold out shows across the country. another major trend this year across the board was artificial intelligence. >> we've seen creators using ai in so many interesting ways to inspire their content and create videos she never would have been able to previously. and i cannot wait to see how

creators use ai in 2024. >> for the fifth year in a row, mr. beast has been youtube's top creator, known for outlandish challenges. his growth this year was in part because he used a language software to reach more than an english audience. google looking at a variety of 2023 trends. >> it's intriguing to see the variety of searches when we look at these lists, from really serious news events and folks wanting to get a little deeper and explain the why behind them, and then pop culture searches. i love looking at the movie category and seeing "barbie" and "oppenheimer" at number one and two. >> this year, the top searched people were damar hamlin, the bills safety who suffered a cardiac episode during a game, jeremy renner, who has hit by a snowplow, and of course travis kelce, taylor swift trends every year, but this year she saw a spike in searches as well. maybe the couple of the year,

other than barbie and ken. >> very, very true. i think so. well, look, today a nice gift from mother nature. >> yeah, dry conditions. we do have something churning out in the pacific, but the timing for this, i think it's just going to be just right, because it's skipping today, we're going to stay dry tomorrow. here is the system i was talking about. you can really see it stretching out. look at this right here. now, we are expecting to keep some high clouds rolling through. we do, of course, have some morning fog, especially through the interior. in through tuesday, we stay dry. you can see the scattered activity popping up as early as wednesday morning. so if you notice, the system is going to move from north to south. so north coast rain, initially ukiah, santa rosa, areas north of the golden gate bridge. then if i put the timestamp forward, you can see how scattered it becomes, even through about 10:30 p.m. so this first system is not going to be a big rainmaker, but it will be enough to wet the roads.

you definitely want to take some extra time, prepare tires, windshield wipers before the real rain moves in. heading into the weekend, we have a second storm system lining up, and these rain totals are showing accumulations stretching not just through wednesday, also through saturday as well. notice, a lot of those higher totals will be heavily focused for the north bay. we do have some areas through santa cruz, the mountain areas, coastal mountains likely could see over 2 inches of rain. rain shadowed south bay and a lot of the interior, we're talking less than an inch of rain. let's talk about sierra snow. a lot of folks have been wondering when we're going to see more of that. this is a live look in lake tahoe. beautiful as the sun is starting to showcase somewhat of some snow on the mountains. here is the thing. we are going to see snow again stretching through saturday, but it's not going to be a lot. this is once again just not cold enough of a system to bring significant accumulations. we're talking 4 to 5 inches of

snow for the most part stretching through saturday. as far as your seven-day forecast, you're going to notice the breezy winds initially with the arrival of this system heading into wednesday. for tomorrow, expect to wake up to some patchy morning fog. then thursday we catch a bit of a break in between systems. friday and saturday, though, that's when we could see more of our rainmaker. now let's take a look at how the roads are doing. so far we've been okay. we've been quiet. if you look at richmond, san rafael, stretching through orinda, everything from 80 to 580 to 680, nothing going on. i do want to remind folks quickly who do take public transportation that vta and b.a.r.t. are on a sunday schedule. make sure to take a look at the website for times. back to you. >> perfect. thank you so much. happening now, christmas day may be your lucky day. no one won the powerball jackpot saturday night and that means the next drawing is tonight with an estimated jackpot of $638

million. that's a cash payout of more than $320 million. a ticket sold in california got pretty close matching all five winning numbers, just not the powerball. that ticket was still worth $1.7 million. and ahead, a look at our top stories we're covering here on "today in the bay," including tragedy strikes on the peninsula right before christmas. an apartment fire kills one person. the one item firefighters and investigators say was not working inside that unit that could have been lifesaving. this morning on the third hour of "today," we're buddying up at a bee farm. then dylan goes on the job at iconic fenway park in boston. and we're going

loving this pay bump in our allowance. wonder where mom and dad got the extra money? maybe they won the lottery? maybe they inherited a fortune? maybe buried treasure? maybe it fell off a truck? maybe they heard that xfinity customers can save hundreds when they buy one unlimted line and get one free. now i can buy that electric scooter! i'm starting a private-equity fund that specializes in midcap. you do you. visit xfinitymobile.com today.

good morning. welcome back. we are moving you forward with a look at our top stories. >> firefighters responded to a three alarm fire at this hour. it's happening on el camino real in los altos. we don't know what started the fire at the moment. firefighters are asking people to avoid the area of north san antonio road and sherwood avenue. according to google maps, it's a commercial building with several

businesses inside. a deadly apartment fire in the south bay is under investigation. this one happening yesterday in menlo park. the two-bedroom unit was on fire. firefighters rescued one person, another died from smoke inhalation. we don't know exactly what started this fire, but firefighters say the unit did not have a smoke detector or alarm. san francisco police are investigating an incident on a muni bus. three people were exposed to some sort of irritant. it happened near california yesterday. firefighters have not said what was sprayed but now say it is no longer a hazard. the christmas forecast today. >> well, we've got a mix of sunshine, a couple of high clouds rolling through. but a reminder, please do not burn any wood today. the bay area air quality management district is requesting folks to avoid it because of air quality concerns. no spare the air alert is in effect. now, heading into tomorrow, we're going to wake up to morning fog and then on wednesday we get our first line

of showers moving through. rain at times. not expected to be completely widespread heavy downpours. notice on thursday we get a break in between systems, and then for friday and saturday we are talking about more rain and wind in our forecast. the "today" show is just ahead. we continue "today in the bay" on roku and other streaming platforms. you can watch our 7:00 a.m. newscast next and see it online at nbcbayarea.com, or even on our smartphone apps. >> merry christmas to you all out there. take the time to tell someone you love them today. have a great one, as our producer tells us he loves us. we love you, too. >> merry christmas. go . merry christmas. >> families waking up and celebrating. it is december 2 good monday morning, and merry christmas. >> families waking up and celebrating. it is december 25th. this is "today." >>jo