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today christmas eve, tuesday, december 24, 2024. holiday headache. american airlines was forced to temporarily ground all of its flights today on one of the busiest travel days of the year. what went wrong and the ripple effect still being felt. major decision. the justice department finds an aspiring lawyer was discriminated against because he took medication to treat his substance use disorder. it's an update to a story we brought you earlier this year. how this case could potentially protect many more people in recovery. hollywood drama. details in the legal battle between the co-stars of the movie it ends with us. some of the film's cast now speaking out voicing support for blake lively. how a publicist for justin balance doney is fighting back. and blue christmas. children awaiting their favorite part of the season, the presents. parents know even santa gets it wrong sometimes.

tips for stopping a holiday meltdown in its tracks. we begin with the last-minute holiday travel rush. for the first time since 2 # 05 christmas day and the start of hanukkah on the same day. that means a lot of people are on the move. aaa estimates more than 119 million people mr. travel during this holiday period which started saturday, goes to new year's day. last-minute flyers taking american airlines flights woke up to a bit of a headache today. the carrier grounded all of flights nationwide for about an hour this morning due to a technical glitch. leading us off, jesse kirsch and nbc news meteorologist bill karins is with us as well. jesse, i think i will start with you. we will go to jesse first at miami international airport. jesse, what is american airlines saying about what caused that

technical glitch this morning that led to the ground stop and how has it impacted things? >> reporter: kate, they said it had to do with a vendor and hardre and that this was dealing with the system that allows for their flights to be, quote, coordinated d dispatched. so, can't coordinate, can't dispatch, you put a pause on your flights. so there was a time they had a ground stop on all american flights. they say it only lasted around an hour. but you can imagine how you can have cascade im impacts. people who make their first flight but because of the delay miss their second. our team talked with a family that missed by minutes a connecting flight to get to st. kitts and is looking at days before they can get a makeup flight. that's the kind of story we are always hearing when you have weather issues or other issues that massively delay some people's travel plans. so that is the scenario for some

people. we also spoke with some taking this in stride. here is what we heard from a few today. >> the airline is calling it a vendor technology issue. when you hear that on christmas eve, what do you make of that? >> i don't know. i have no idea. i try not to think about it. i am trying to stay merry. >> i was on facebook and saw something about grounded flights. i don't know what it's about, but i am hoping, you know, that it's not too bad. >> reporter: and you talked about how so many people of course are going to be traveling, a record setting stretch. the good news, kate, a lot of people have already gotten to their holiday destinations by today, christmas eve. so american, for example, is looking at around 2,000 fewer flights today compared to yesterday according to the airline. so fewer flights scheduled, hopefully, that also helps alleviate the issues in the aftermath more quickly. we will watching to see how it plays out.

bill is herere as ll. he can get into this more. from the travel side of things, dfw, dallas-forth worth have had thunderstorms. that had a ground stop at that airport, specifically that also happens to be a large american hub. so we will see if that causes further problems if that area specifically. >> appreciate that. bill, what about dfw and what about a white christmas tomorrow? >> across the country above average. we don't have additional snow, say, you know, if you have it on the ground already, hopefully, you keep it. we think that will be in the areas of white. most of the mountainous areas in the west and northern plains. not any unusual spots will see a white christmas. 20 to 2 #% of the country has snow right now. dallas-forth worth improving. 30 minutes is the average delays an hour ago, an hour and a half of delays. los angeles now we have just added you on there, 45 minutes.

we have showers and thunderstorms around the dallas area but they are pulling away from the airport. that's good. now we will watch the west close lip. the storm from this morning is moving out. bright white clouds off the coast. a break tonight, a break christmas morning. as we go through christmas evening a strong storm is coming into the pacific northwest. high winds could cause power outages. we will have heavy rain, too. so that's definitely something to watch in the northwest. >> thank you. a scary scene at a popular california ski resort. five people were hurt after a collision on a chairlift at the heavenly mountain ski resort in south lake tahoe, california. come riders fell nearly 30 feet to the snow. joining me nbc news correspondent dana griffin. do we have any idea how this collision happened in the first place? >> reporter: it's a mystery right now. they are trying to get to the bottom of it. you is a you that image, two chairs colliding midair. that is not supposed to happen. in between the chairs you can

see a person still stuck in between. so five team have been injured. we have not received an update on their conditions. we hope they are okay. heavenly confirmed an incident happened. th are not really going into specifics or telling us what caused this lift to malfunction. this is just one of 28 on the massive property that spans california and nevada. they did release a statement which reads in part, the safety of our guests is a top priority and we are investigating. we were in touch with them overnight. they said they would be open today but that particular lift, the comet express lift, will be closed today. no word yet on when they will reopen. >> and just quickly, i heard of heavenly before. there was an incident there earlier this year? >> reporter: yeah, in january. a woman was there for a first time on a girl's ski trip. she was loaded into a gondola to make it down the hill. it stopped, leaving her dangling midair for 15 hours. her friends reported her missing

and she wasn't discovered until the next morning when the gondola started operating again. and that was a really scary situation for her, frigid temperatures, she had to rub her hands and feet together to try to stay warm. these things are very rare. when they happen, they, obviously, tend to make a lot to of news, especially around the holidays. kate. >> that's for sure. they get a lot of attention. dana grachb, thank you. this christmas eve former president bill clinton is out of the hospital after being taken there a fever and treated for the flu of that's according to his deputy chief of staff. the former president's aide says he was admitted to a hospital in washington, d.c., yesterday for testing and observation. joing me now correspondent julie tsirkin in washington and nbc news medical analyst dr. vin gupta. julie, this got people's attention, the former president is . he has some medical history that most of us are aware of. what are we learning about what happened? >> so glad you brought that up. that's why we are paying

attention. even yesterday when an aide to president clinton said he went to the hospital they said this wasn't urgent, he had a fever and wanted to have tests. from that statement this morning we know now that he is home, discharged and in good spirits. you mentioned that medical history and it's important to talk about because when the 42nd president office, he was hospitalized several times. he had two heart surgeries, and then before this hospitalization he was hospitalized for six days in 2021 for a blood infection. important to pay attention to this. we are glad he is doing well now. he has been in the public eye all year, stumping on the campaign trail for kamala harris who, of course, became the democratic nominee after president biden dropped out and we saw him speak at the democratic national committee in august as he has every four years since 1976. he joked at the end of his appearance there saying he doesn't snow how many more of these he can attend. but all in all, he released that memoir this year as well, and in

that statement clinton said, according to his aide, he wishes everyone a happy and healthy holiday season. kate. >> that's a good way to end. thank you. dr. gupta, we spoke yesterday about flu being on the rise in the u.s. given the former president's health history, is it concerning that he had to go to the hospital for a fever? >> well, kate, he must have felt severe symptoms enough to want to get checked out. and it's illustrative to all our viewers that if you're especially medical high risk, over 60 or with an underlying medical condition, it's important to get seen. he did the right thing. he felt unwell. higher fevers. got tested. probably got early treatment, i am sure was on tamiflu. important to present to care because early treatment is vital, kate. for anybody that's exposed over the holidays, somebody you know has flu but you are otherwise well, talk to your provider

about tamiflu for prophylaxis. it's a thing we do to prevent flu from setting in if you have been exposed. >> we are gathering the next few days probably and older relatives might be in the room. how do we decrease the risk of flu? >> flu specifically all respiratory viruses, if you are traveling, especially on airplanes, there is no reason not no mask up. we know it works. hand hygiene is critical. all the things we talked about the last five years, those things work. it's not too late to get the flu vaccine. really critical. if you are feeling unwell, put on a mask, try to avoid being around other people to minimize transmission. >> dr. vin gupta, julie, thank you. still ahead, do you have a last-minute gift you still need to buy? you might want to grab a mega millions ticket and grab one for yourself as well. and part of a california pier crashes into the ocean dragging three people under the water. how they all managed to make it

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work because they are taking medication to treat substance use disorder. after an investigation, the department of justice has found that two organizations in tennessee discriminated against this man that you see me with, derek scott. we introduced you to him in august. he was trying to become a lawyer earlier in his life, he was addicted to opioids and in 2012 he was in recovery, passed the bar exam but told a state program needed to evaluate him. >> i was asked a series of questions related to mental health and one those questions s, are you currently prescribed medication and i answered truthfully and from there that's when all of the problems started. >> he told me the tennessee board of law examiners and tennessee lawyers assistance program made him get out of state evaluations at two clinics which said he should go off medication completely and focus on abstinence only treatment. they denied him a law lins for three years.

ultimately did become a lawyer. he tells us today he feels vindicated that the department of justice has found in his favor. joining me to talk about this more, david sink man, a civil rights attorney and former opioid coordinator around civil rights coordinator for the u.s. attorney's office for the eastern district of louisiana. the holiday especially. both the tennessee board of law examiners and the tennessee lawyers assistance program declined nbc's request for comment today. what do you make of these findings on this particular case, derek's case? >> thank you for taking the time to foc on this important story. this is a powerful finding by the department of justice. it sends a message to tennessee and to other states and licensing boards across the country that these types of discriminatory barriers to life-saving medications violate federal civil rights laws and the department of justice will look into them and pursue legal action. >> he is not alone, right? we followed when we did the story in august other cases where in other fields people had similar barriers put in front of

them saying, you can't be on that medication. how could this decision potentially impact more people or could it? >> definitely could. and it's a powerful vehicle for people who have substance use disorder to ensure that they have treatment access. nurse licensing boards, teacher licensing boards and other professional licensing boards, you reported on this, but this gives them legal ammunition to basically pursue legal action through the department of justice or through private litigation. >> and point at that case particularly. we have a new administration coming in january, the trump administration. do you suspect that they will continue what the department of justice has been doing? because they have been zeroing in on this topic. >> yes, i think the new administration will pursue this. and that's because these medications are proven to reduce overdose deaths, they are proven to reduce criminal recidivism rates and access to protected by federal civil rights laws.

the first trump administration and the biden administration have embraced these medications. this is not a partisan issue. this is an issue about science. this is a public health problem. this is a criminal justice problem and a civil rights problem and i expect the department of justice to continue under the trump administration to expand treatment access. >> part of the legal basis for this is saying it's the americans with disabilities act, right, that protects us from discrimination on the job. do i have that right? >> 100%. the american with disabilities act protects people with disabilities. drug addiction is a disability. opioid use disorder is a brain disease and these medications work. >> they are necessary. >> they are necessary. and they need to be embraced. and i am confident that the trump administration will continue to make sure that there is expanded treatment access. >> david, it thank you so much for being with us, appreciate that. >> thank you. switching gears, how is this

for a holiday gift? tonight could the night a lucky winner gets nearly a billion, with a b, dollars. the mega millions jackpot $970 million and the next drawing is tonight. here is nbc news correspondent emilie ikeda. >> reporter: talk about the potential for a christmas miracle of mega proportions. the mega millions jackpot is closing in on that billion dollars mark at $970 million. no one has won the mega millions jackpot on christmas eve since 2002 when the game first started, and that ticket went unclaimed. let's say you are incredibly lucky, you win. what can you do with your winnings? if you opt for the cash option, we have son festive choices for you. 255 million boxes of candy canes. probably should save some money for the dentist, too, then. or the giant inflatable santas, you could get 5.5 million of those or explore the north pole 13,000 times.

the mega millions jackpot only has been won three times this year and a new jersey player just claimed their billion dollars prize nine months after the drawing. the ticket was sold at a shop right in neptune township, new jersey, in the garden state and many other states as well. you have up until a year to claim your prize before the ticket expires. we are told that the player chose to remain anonymous, which is what many experts recommend. tonight the drawing is at 11:00 p.m. since i'm feeling in the festive and holiday spirit, i stopped at a drugstore, i picked up a ticket. we can go halfsies on this if it's a winning ticket. it's a winning ticket. >> okay, thank you. before taking breztri for my copd, i had bad days. days ruined by flare-ups [cough] that could permanently damage my lungs. then i talked to my doctor about breztri, and i noticed things changed. breztri gave me betttter breathing. ♪♪ starting within 5 minutes,

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but that cough looks pretty bad. try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love, plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? robitussin, with real honey & elelderberry abc news dahle. santa cruz wharf remains closed at this hour after large waves collapsed at the end of the pier yesterday. nbc bay area's bob redell spoke with leaders of santa cruz about next steps. the city of santa cruz is holding a virtual roundtable with the media to discuss what the next steps are for the wharf, which is out there. as you look beyond the boardwalk, for instance, when is it going to reopen? what needs to be done to make it safe? the wharf, which once was and still might be the world's longest wooden pier in the western hemisphere, is home to around 20 businesses, which represent about 10% of santa cruz restaurant's. economy. which is

why the city wants to get it reopened as soon as it is safe to do so. by seabright beach, where you can see the restrooms from the pier have beached onto the mouth of the san lorenzo river. you can see a number of people to the right there who've walked out on the beach to take a look at this. the city says it is working with several agencies to come up with a cleanup plan for that and other debris. now the wharf still remains closed, but this morning the city tells me that they hope to get engineers out there today to inspect the wooden pier to see what, if anything, needs to be done to make it safe for the public. yesterday, large waves took out a 150 foot long section at the very end of the pier. three construction workers on that section at the time went down during the collapse, but remarkably survived. and they are okay. in video, you can see at least two of the workers floating in the ocean on a large piece of the pier. lifeguards rescue two of them. the third rescued himself. now, that

section that fell into the ocean had been closed off due to damage from another storm last winter. the city knew it was weakened and vulnerable to big waves like yesterday. and today, construction workers are making repairs, and in the process of installing 70 new pilings. and again, the only part that was lost was the damaged part from last year. this morning, the city says they believe that the part that remains is strong and stable, but again needs to be inspected first. unfortunately, there's still high surf advisory for our coastline. large waves still out there today which could delay any reopening. again, the city is hosting media roundtable to discuss the next steps here in santa cruz, bob redell. nbc bay area news. thank you bob, as you saw showers this morning, but the heavy rain is over and it should be clearing out across the bay area. here's meteorologist kari hall with our forecast as we take a look at the storm system that moved through the bay area this morning. all of the activity is tapering off. we will have a brief break in the rain before the next storm system arrives. as we go into

the day after christmas, so it looks like we are trending much bebetter. better weather conditions for the today and as well as into tomorrow. but then our next rainmaker will be here with some spotty activity early on thursday. but then the more widespread rain moving in late thursday night. and this could have an impact as we go into the weekend as we continue to see the rain totals adding up, that may cause some flooding. soo wee watching that and we'll take a look at our 7-day forecast coming up in just a few minutes. thank you kari. a bitter three month strike involving thousands of san francisco hotel workers is now over. the last holdouts ended the strike yesterday after a deal was hammered out with the hilton. those workers will vote to ratify their new deal this morning. it follows other deals made last week invololving htt and marriott hotels, and all a half a dozen popular hotels in and around union square were impacted, with san francisco's half $1 billion plan to renovate

fisherman's wharf. moving forward, members of the commercial fishing industry are raising concerns. supervisors this month approved a preliminary plan. it calls for a $550 million overhaul that would include a new seafood market, food hall and performing arts space. but there are concerns. pier 45 will no longer be suitable for unloading, storing and selling fresh seafood. there's still plenty of hurdles to clear before construction begins, starting with an environmental impact report. trending this morning, the 49ers are spreading holiday cheer. yesterday, outside levi's, they held their hope for the holidays drive-thru giveaway. more than 100 families in need were invited. players handed out food, toys and clothing. quarterback brock purdy called it a perfect event for the players and families who need a boost this year. for us players, man, we're able to just show up with our families, wives, friends and have an opportunity to give back and just put a smile on people's face, kid's face, give them some toys, some

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bottom of the hour now. some of the stories making headlines on "nbc news daily." the associated press has named shohei ohtani and caitlin clark

as their male and female athletes of the year. ohtani won the world series with the los angeles dodgers. you remember he was voted mvp of the national league. this is his third time being named the ap's athlete of the year. this is caitlin clark's first time winning the award. the wnba rookie of the year also broke the ncaa division i scoring record for both men and women. while leading iowa's hawkeyes to the national championship game, clark was named "time" magazine's athlete of the year. take a look at the aftermath on the california coast. three people were hurt after the santa cruz wharf collapsed. a building on the wharf fell into the water, and washed ashore nearby. two people had to be rescued. a third was able to swim to safety. none of them was seriously hurt. the half-mile long pier has been evacuated. much of it had already been closed because of previous storm

damage. adnan syed is requesting a sentence reduction as he fights to vacate his murder conviction. it was the subject of a hit crime podcast serial. he was sentenced to life plus 30 years for the murder of his ex-school -- sorry, high school ex-girlfriend in 1999. there is new fallout following those bombshell allegations made by actress blake lively against her co-star justin balance doney. one of the publicists responded to claims of a smear complain against lively as other actors weigh in on the controversy. here is nbc news correspondent chloe ma loss. >> the fallout from the discute continues to spread. more from individuals connected to the film at the center of the controversy. new developments in the blake lively/justin baldoni dispute. following her explosive legal

complaint against co-star and the film's director. >> it's never been the same sense. >> reporter: jenny slate telling today.com textclusively as blake lively's castmate and friend, i voice my support as she takes action against those to carry out an attack on her reputation. slate did not mention anyone else, but added the attack on blake is terribly dark, disturbing and threatening. lively says he repeatedly sexually harassed her on set and crossed boundaries during intimate scenes. his publicist is defending herself that she was a victim of a retaliatory social maniptation campaign. according to "rolling stone" and other outlets, publicist jennifer able to is defending her work saying the team never launched any campaign to smear lively. nbc news reached out but has not heard back. according to the complaint, they

retained crisis pr. the same public relations team johnny depp hired in his high-profile defamation trial against amber heard. heard weighed this on the controversy writing, a lie travels halfway around the world before truth gets its boots on. it's as horrifying as it is destructive. a lawyer representingbaldoni called lively's allegations false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media. his attorney defending the publissy team, writing they must be the most powerful group of publicists for it to be able to completely change the perception of both amber heard and blake lively. as the crisis escalates, the co-host of the podcast the man enough is announcing she is bowing out, posting in part, i will miss you, the listeners, so much.

meanwhile, an award baldoni received for advocating on behalf of women and girls has been rescinded. we are digging the potential harm of something we breathe in every single day we might not be aware of. we are talking about microplastics. tiny plastic particles that can be in everything from the ground we walk onon tothe food we eat. and now new research shows these microplastics are being linked toto a possible increased risk developing cancer. joining me is nbc news medical analyst dr. vin gupta. welcome back. how do these microplastics get into our bodies in the first place? >> kate, as you said, we breathe them in from things like paint fumes, tires, actual emit them from the cars we drive on the highway. we can drink them in the water supply and we wear them. our clothes shed microplastics. so it is quite literally everywhere inin e environment.

there is no avoiding it. >> they sound so tiny. how can they be so harmful and powerful? >> this is the thing that maybe in 50 years we will look back and say, my gosh, hadn't we taken more proactive measures against these environmental pollutants. what happens is we breathe them in, they go to the deepest crevices of our lungs or into our bloodstream and arteries and veins and they cause inflammation. what we are seeing in mice models, we don't have a lot of human studies, but mice models is that when that inflammation happens it can cause magignancy, cancer. that's the concern here, is what we are seeing in mice models is that can apply it to humans. >> when you say a link to cancer, what are we talking about? how much of a risk is there? what kinds of cancers? do we know? >> yeah, you know, right now it seems the biggest concern is air we breathe impacting our lungs. so lungs, colorectal. so the food we take in, water we drink impacting our digestive

system. those are the big ones. and then reproductive organs. there has been some hint in the data that with this -- could had potentially pose increased risk of ovarian cancer, placenta abnormalities. that's the concern that we're worried about. >> i guess the obvious question, are there ways to reduce our exposure? we can't stop breathing in air. what can we do to limit microplastics in our bodies? >> this is such an evergreen topic. i am glad you asked. there is a lot to do to be proactive. first cut down on your single-use plastics, things like plastic forks, try to use a steel fork or steel utensil. natural fibers in clothing. things like wool, for example, versus synthetic material that is filled with actually artificial plastics. that's important. filter your water. this is an investment and is going to cost, you know, money

for every family. it's something that i think over time we will realize we are actually drinking a lot of these plastics and environmental pollutants. if you get filtered water installed or perhaps delivered, that is greg to be something i think we will be talking more down the road. avoid plastics in your cosmetics. and wash your clothes properly. don't wash your clothes a lot. try to minimize how much you wash your clothes. >> you don't hear that often. what about plastic bottles and containers? is that a source? should we avoid those? >> you should. so single use plastics, utensils or plastic water bottles. go for the steel water battle, that's reusable, critical and a huge source of these microplastics. >> dr. vin gupta, great to have you. thank you. happy holidays. for so many the holidays bring out the kid in us, right? for '90s kids that's especially true.

vintage decorations having a moment now. nbc "news now" anchor joe fryer shows us 'tis the season for throw backs. >> reporter: from those built eye colored string lights to the garish ornaments that adorn the trees of our youth, this is the year of the '90s christmas which does go by another name. >> i found out that i'm a tacky christmas person and i don't care. >> reporter: tacky is trending. content creator macy blackwell decked her halls with a cozy '90s theme filled with sentimental decor including a christmas village. >> so special. i feel that nostalgia. >> reporter: it's not a '90s tree without a little stringy shimmer. >> i do have a tinsel which is a '50s a and '60s. for me it goes with the vintage vibes. >> a pain to clean up? >> it is. that will be a problem for me in january. >> reporter: in the uk don got millions of views on tiktok when

she put out her mom's old decorations. >> we don't it decorate like this anymore. i'm wondering what our children's reactions would be. >> reporter: daughter lilly reacted like this. >> is this what you used to do? >> yes. >> reporter: captivated by every detail, especially the tinsel. >> i honestly liked it, but after a while it gave me a headache because of all the colors. >> reporter: an old look maybe trending, but folks are still spending. recent survey found people plan to invest more on decor this year, even as they cut back on gifts. >> ahhh! >> reporter: the '90s don't only live on through tree trim ins. "home alone" remains a must watch comedies. and it's still time for the 1994 mariah carey classic -- ♪ all i want for christmas is you ♪♪

>> reporter: sound track of a season as many welcome an alternative to the perfectly curated trees now dominating social media. >> you will see santas, carolers. i feel like that is what feels magical and special to me. >> reporter: joe fryer, nbc news. >> thank you. fans of the movie "elf" know that the best way to spread christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. now the holiday favorite is doing exactly that on broadway. nbc news reporter takes us backstage. >> reporter: you know buddy the elf. >> santa! >> reporter: for this holiday season, buddy, santa and the elves are returning to new york city. >> i honestly have to stop thinking about the movie for my performance just because i don't want to try to do an impression of will ferrell because he is so genius and i am not him. >> reporter: tony-nominated actor gray henson plays the lead

role. >> people expect a certain performance. but i think they are pleasantly surprised by how different it feels. >> reporter: the christmas story follows buddy, an orphan raised by santa and elves at the north peel. when he discovers he is not an elf, he goes to new york city to search for his biological dad, a corporate worker on the naughty list. >> you came from the north pole? >> reporter: 13-year-old kai edgar plays buddy's half-brother. >> my favorite part of being every single show.the spaghetti definitely 100%. >> it's real spaghetti? >> always. real spaghetti. but instead of sear up, we use honey because it's better for our voices. >> reporter: this broadway version is filled with singing, tap dancing, a snow-filled theater and a star-studded cast, including vie run content creator and actor. tell me about the character you play in "elf."

>> i play the store manager in the movie. but i also play another character called the hot dog vendor. here we have sean astin's dressing room, who plays santa in greenway. you may know him from "the lord of the rings." >> hi, everybody! >> and then -- >> you are so extra. here is drey, who plays buddy. how are you? look at you. you are lounging. these are the principal ladies' rooms. kayla! >> welcome! >> crazy! >> would you! having so much fun. is this every day? >> yes, honey. >> reporter: she says the show hits on deeper message. >> understand christmas spirit outside of money and, like, fame and fortune, to understand the heart and love of it is, like, quite amazing.

>> it's more than just presents and gifts. it's about connection. it's about family. it's about friends. >> reporter: spreading the holiday spirit one show at a time. >> so fun. thank you. coming up, in a few hours santa will on his way. wh

in today's modern parenting, it is christmas eve and that means a lot of kids are eagerly waiting to unwrap those presents under the tree. what happens if your child's behavior is more thankless than thankful? it's not uncommon for excitement to turn into disappointment when kids don't get exactly what they hoped for. so today we are going to talk about how to prevent those holiday meltdowns, reinforce a spirit of gratitude. joining me is psychotherapist and author, good to see you again. happy holidays to you. for starters, why do kids get so upset sometimes after opening gifts when parents just want the smiles? >> kate, there is so much anticipation. what we forget is even though this time flies by for us as parents, it's painfully long for kids. and we have threatened them, manipulated them, santa's watching, the elf, their behavior. so what we are ale seeing is the

build-up of all this expectation. also, one thing to differentiate is there is a difference between being ungrateful and being disappointed. oftentimes, that's what we are seeing. they may have unrealistic expectations they will get everything they want. this is a timeme of a lot of sugar, lack of routine, overstimulation. we have to put that all in perspective when we are seeing the reaction. >> i like what he says about disappointment is not the same as being ungrateful for the presents. what can parents do? we have 24 hours. what can we do to ease into christmas and maybe avoid that possible meltdown later? >> i think we can set the tone in some realistic expectations and let them know, you know, there will be gifts you love and there will also be some gifts you don't like. maybe we should talk about that. correct them to the fact that that person who gave them the gift that they don't like is someone who loves them.

and spend time picking it out. so even if we don't like it, say thank you because we care about that person. and they took the time to do that for us. and then we want to teach them empathy. how would you feel when you brought home that gift from if i looked at the ornament and said, i hate this, i don't like this. we want to help them put themselves in that person's shoes to experience some empathy. >> yeah. i'm flashing back to "a christmas story" and the pink bunny outfit. somebody out there knows what i'm talking about. what is the best way for parents to react if your kid does kind of respond in a way that you wouldn't like them to, to a gift? how do we respond? >> i think we get triggered because we are thinking we don't want to raise ungrateful kids or have them perceived them way. disappointment doesn't mean ingratitude. and then show a little bit of empathy. looks like you are a little disappointed with that. right now.at you are thinkiking if there is a huge reaction, we

don't want to stop the world around them to dole with that situation right there. we have other people we are engaging with and other kids. give the child some space. maybe ask them, do you want to grab a toy you do like or something you like and go to your room until you can cool down a little bit? and help them emotionally regulate in that way and deal with it later. >> we are talking about gratitude. are there ways to teach gratitude and appreciating things? >> always in parenting we want to show, even more than we tell. and volunteering as a family can be powerful. even just having them collect canned goods, food drive, bring them over there and maybe even them over there and maybe even toys r kids when a tough cough finds you on the go, a syrup would be... silly! woo! hey! try new robitussin soft chews. packed with the power of robitussin... in every bite. easy to take cough relief, anywhere. chew on relief, chew on a ♪ robitussin ♪ i am obsessed with olay's retinol body wash. with olay retinol body wash,

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it doesn't overwhelm like: it's campfire leather musk overload. because downy light is gentle and balanced. it's a nature inspired scent, to breathe life into your laundry. it is going to dry out for the rest of the day, but we are tracking more rain this week. here's meteorologist kari hall with your extended forecast. as the rain tapers off, will eventually start to see the waves calming down near the coastline and improving weather conditions for the afternoon into the evening. lows will drop down to 40 degrees, and then we'll see a mix of sun and clouds for christmas and hanukkah, and highs in the upper 50s for the inland areas. by thursday, we will have a slight chance of rain, but most of the rain coming in late thursday night. continuing into friday, and our weekend forecast shows that we'll see more rounds of rain coming in and a chance to dry out early next week for san francisco. that high surf

warning will be in effect until 6:00, and then this evening we'll see. lows in the mid 40s for tonight as the sky clears on wednesday as well as thursday, we will see more rain coming in that will continue into the weekend. thanks, kari. we still don't have an update on the identities or conditions of five people injured when two chairs collided on a high speed chairlifat tahoe's heavenly ski resort, sending skiers plunging 30ft to the ground below. it happened yesterday morning on heavenly's comet express chairlift. photos show the chairs collapsed together in the emergency response on the ground. witnesses say one chair came loose and slid backwards into the other. we spoke on the phone with one woman who says she was on the same lift just ten minutes earlier. as we were getting up in the air, we could see about 15. quite a few emt or all the medics that were there

surrounding someone. and my husband did notice the backpack hanging from the chairlift. we were just onhat. so thankfully that wasn't us. so. and i said out loud, i'm like, i can't even think about that because that'll make me not want to ski anymore. the cirlift is closed indefinitely. the resort did not issue an update on the victims, but did say in part, quote, the safety of our guests is our top priority and the resort is investigating the incident

with gifts for viewers like you. consumer investigator chris chmura just pinned his team's annual message. he has a tradition of making it rhyme, and, well, it's no different this time. good morning. twas the night before christmas. and on our small team, we're basically following our normal routine. we're taking calls and

emails from viewers like you. because a corporate grinch is making you stew. like renee in the east bay, a rental car business owed her $350, yet nothing in her stocking. despite emails and hollers, she contacted our workshop to lend her a hand. we picked up her case and met her demand. we contacted the company and stated renee's case. the business then apologized with candor andnd haste. next, they did something to cheer. they gave renee her money totally free and clear. so many of you, like renee, have called us in 2024, but there's room for more. scan the qr code presently on your screen. it will help you jingle. our team in 2025. we'll continue answering your call and we'll keep up the fight. merry christmas to all and to all a good morning. so close. back to you. he's so creative. thank you. chris. and a reminder if you want to give back this holiday, our annual nourishing neighbors food drive continues through tomorrow. you can donate

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