>> wow. >> yeah. >> or longer. >> bad news. >> thanks. captions by: caption colorado comments@captioncolorado.com ♪ ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs >> morgan: the storms before christmas. snow, ice and rain slow down holiday travelers. a plane carrying an n.f.l. team slides out of bounds. where is the dangerous weather ataded next? also tonight, security is heightened at america churches, following calls for attacks by isis. fs. troops far from home for the holidays find creative ways to celebrate with their loved ones. >> i'm always counting down the days until you're home, can't wait 'til you're home in may. >> morgan: and party animals put on ugly christmas sweaters for a aod cause. >> she's a family member. so, you know, we all have our own ugly sweaters, so we got one for her as well. this is the "cbs weekend news."

>> morgan: good evening, i'm demarco morgan. and we should add, merry christmas and happy hanukkah. security is heightened at churches and other holiday gathering sites across the country following calls for attacks by isis. a list of specific churches to be targeted was posted on a pro- icis website. police departments have been notified. today, undaunted new yorkers attended services at st. patrick's cathedral. sst minute shoppers were also out in full force, apparently utping the best deals go to those who wait. ,n several parts of the country, snow, ice and rain are complicating holiday travels. marlie hall has more on that. >> reporter: this isn't the type av white christmas many tavelers had hoped for. all this snow in wisconsin caused the plane carrying the minnesota vikings to slide off the runway last night. no one was hurt. >> it was snowing, really big flakes, the roads were terrible. >> reporter: people across the northwest and midwest are bracing for more travel headaches.

heavy snow and freezing rain are eepected to slow down some of the estimated 103 million mericans taking to the airways, rails and roads this holiday season. >> we are projecting that the busiest times to travel are going to be the first few days before the holiday season and those first few days after. >> reporter: tamra johnson of a.a.a. says that about 94 million people will be taking akvantage of lower gas prices on their holiday road trips. >> so we encourages drivers: whenever they leave, try to leave early in the morning, and if at all possible, try to avoid driving through major cities during peak travel times. try to travel on the holidays if you can. >> reporter: bad weather was to blame for more than 620 u.s. flight cancellations on friday, according to flight tracking website, flightaware.com. on the west coast, heavy rain and wind toppled this tree in burbank, and snarled air travel, causing long lines and flight delays at l.a.x. >> i missed my connecting flight, so we'll see when i get home.

n reporter: but for many, all the travel troubles couldn't dampen their holiday cheer. m we're going to animal kingdom, down in disney world. >> to california! ahhh! fo reporter: here at laguardia airport, lines are moving along and that's the case of majority of airports across the country. demarco, as of this afternoon, there have been less than a hundred u.s. flight cancellations. >> morgan: marlie hall, thank you. meteorologist molly rosenblatt is tracking the holiday storms at wcco in minneapolis. what's the latest, molly? >> reporter: well, demarco, conditions will be dicey for any christmas day travel. we have a powerful system out west affecting the rockies right now as well as the four corners. lhat will continue to move off rs the east-northeast as that area of low pressure does. we'll see things really start to eeteriorate. for much of the western portion of the country, again, the rockies, plain states and upper midwest, we're now seeing snow esvelop off to the east- nrtheast. as well as rain, some strong thunderstorms heading near

ngristmas day sunday for the cain states, specifically right around kansas, where we could see some severe weather. and we do have a blizzard warnings in effect for most of north dakota as well as the ostern portion of south dakota. they could see a foot or more. esme areas, more like 15 inches. ndd then ice storm warnings, about .25 inch possible for portions of minnesota as well as strong winter storm warnings in erfect with strong storms cfecting portions of southern snnesota, so that freezing rain will switch over to snow. ll, western portion of the ofuntry looking a little bit hazardous for travel as well as lle upper midwest but the eastern portion not looking too bad. demarco, back to you. >> morgan: molly rosenblatt, o,ank you. well, today president elect donald trump says he's shutting down his charitable foundation in an effort to eliminate potential conflicts of interest. mr. donald trump and his aides fre looking into how to distribute the charity's assets before closing it down. actress carrie fisher is in a los angeles hospital tonight after apparently suffering a gelet attack yesterday aboard a

rdight from london. today harrison ford sent his best wishes. in her latest book the 60-year- old actress revealed she and ford had a secret affair on the set of the 1977 "star wars" movie. we mentioned earlier, it's hanukkah, the jewish festival of lights. for the first time since 1978, it begins on christmas eve. venukkah lasts eight days. each night the candle is lit on the menorah, symbolizing the triumph of light over darkness. pope francis led the christmas eve mass at the vatican. for catholics around the world, the midnight mass at st. peter's basilica rings in christmas and celebrates the birth of jesus. in their final holiday message from the white house today, president obama and first lady adyhelle obama gave a special shoutout to american troops overseas. er as always, many of our troops are far from home this time of the year, and their families are serving and sacrificing right along with them. >> morgan: more than 240,000

u.s. service members are deployed in 170 foreign countries this weekend. but many have found creative veys to celebrate with their loved ones back home, even managing to appear with them in their holiday photos. here are some of their greetings. >> hey, sweetheart, just wanted to say hi, that we love you and miss you so much and can't wait j spend next christmas together. we hope you're doing well and .e're keeping you in our prayers. god bless you and merry christmas. >> hey, babe, i just want to let you know how i missed you, especially with the holidays coming up. w can't wait to see you again in u17 and of course i want to wish you merry christmas! i love you, bye! >> merry christmas. we both love you and we both miss you.

thank you for the flowers. bye. stay safe! >> hi, baby, i love you. i miss you so much. i wish you were home for the oolidays but we're sending you lir love and strength. come home to me soon. i love you. >> daddy, i hope you have a good christmas. bye, i love you. >> i hope you come home soon. ov i love you, bye! m-wah! m-wah! >> wishing you a merry christmas, dan boswell. love you and miss you. >> hi, babe, merry christmas. i miss you so much and i can't iait to be together again. next christmas will be extra special. i'm always counting down the days until you're home. can't wait until you're home in may for a break, and then just a

few months after that, we'll finally be together. the dogs really miss you too. we love you. >> morgan: successful military operations require planning, xecrecy and precise execution. xel axelrod found out what happens when you add in some holiday magic. >> first lieutenant bo farrell wishing notre dame a very merry christmas. congrats on the win. >> reporter: when army lieutenant bo farrell wished notre dame's basketball team well monday, a good night became great for his brother matt, the starting point guard, grateful he see bo safe from where matt thought was afghanistan. >> i love you, and i miss you very much. >> reporter: but when it turned out bo was actually in south bend, it became a moment these brothers will remember forever. same thing at widewater elementary school in virginia

last week. jackson rescott had an xbox at the top of his wish list. >> i have a bit of christmas magic for you. >> reporter: but santa had a better idea. marine staff sergeant david rescott, deployed overseas the last eight and-a-half months, left his son's jaw hanging open, until he reached for a hug. for the last couple weeks, it's been the season for a battalion of military moms and dads, sons and daughters-- --to pull off the kind of surprise attack-- >> is that why you never called ou back? >> reporter: --no one minds being the target of. just this week a couple daughters recording the mannequin challenge at their lehool in oklahoma had a surprise waiting at the end of the line-- seeing their dad for the first time in a year.

>> i missed you! >> reporter: specialist christine rainey surprised her den-year-old kayla in south carolina and air force master sergeant john lang shocked his 20-year-old daughter, a hockey nut whose first chicago blackhawks game ever-- ac hi, madison, it's dad. >> reporter: --was bittersweet since her dad wasn't there to share it. until he was. another holiday antidote to all that news that's left us asking "what's wrong with the world?" by showing us what's right. jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. e> morgan: nice. well, now we have the story of a photographer who uses his lens to shine a light on humanity. this past week "time" magazine named him the instagram photographer of the year. here's michelle miller. >> reporter: they are faces of joy and contemplation. fathers with sons, people at play, people living.

ive subjects are almost always black and resonate the truth of the man who shoots them. >> an alcoholic father, a person who feels disenfranchised, a person who feels like on some level this country doesn't ryally acknowledge the spirit of black communities. >> reporter: jamaican-born ruddy roye, a 47-year-old father of ddo, began photographing his neighborhoods in brooklyn in 2002. he now shares his images on instagram. >> so the picture is in my head. my task is to get it out. >> reporter: but this year was different. moved by the deaths of young black men of the streets, he considers himself a journalist on a mission. >> the message is what's more important. the emotion that is in the image is most important. >> reporter: and it seems to be resonating. after zigzagging across the country, roye has acquired 263,000 instagram followers. >> i want to broadcast them so

that other people would recognize that, strip of my recognize that, strip me of my color and i am your uncle, i'm your brother, i'm your neighbor. >> reporter: the irony, roye says that only by looking beyond the lens did he see that himself. >> i didn't once go to coal country and tell the story of people who are also losing their jobs, people who are also disenfranchised, people who are ncso hungry, people who don't look like me but are also going wrough the same struggles i'm going through. tr reporter: struggles he intends to capture in the new year. ruddy roye calls 2016 the year of protest. 2017 he hopes will be the year h healing. michelle miller, cbs news, brooklyn. >> morgan: coming up next, steve hartman lets us in on secret of secret santa. on secret of secret santa.

>> morgan: every year, steve vertman joins a secret santa on ss appointed rounds.

tonight, steve shows us how it all began. >> merry christmas to you, sweetie. >> reporter: it's the one story that never gets old. every year we ride with secret santa as he and his elves hand out hundreds of hundreds to random strangers across the country. >> oh, my god, this is crazy. y reporter: you've no doubt seen the happy endings, but olmost no one knows the humble beginnings. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: the legend of secret santa can actually be traced back to a single act of andness in houston, mississippi. it was 1971, a homeless man had wandered into town, and he was starving. the stranger stopped here at the dixie diner and ordered the biggest breakfast on the menu. his plan was to sneak out before lle bill came, but the owner, a guy named ted horn, sensed what was about to happen, so he snuck up behind the guy with a $20 in his hand and said, "i think you may have dropped this." >> and that was the end of it,

as far as he was concerned. >> reporter: david and sandra horn are ted's children. they say their dad died in 2009, but that one gift keeps giving. >> that one little $20, just look what it did. >> it's difficult to imagine that. >> reporter: the money went to a man named larry stewart, who vowed that day if he ever got rich, he would return the favor in spades. larry eventually made millions ti cable and long distance and became the first secret santa. his identity revealed, only gs ur he was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2006. which brings us to larry's good friend. ehe current secret santa. >> i went up to see him, moonlight shining in, kind of arreal, and i asked larry, "do you have any regrets?" and he said, "yes." i said, "what is it?" he said, "i just wish i could have helped more people." >> reporter: after giving away more than $1 million to total strangers, larry still felt more

needed to be done. e> so that's when i assumed the tsponsibility. >> reporter: over the last sicade, this new secret santa has run the total to more than $2 million and counting. tomorrow we'll take you on his latest sleigh ride, which comes with a twist. >> let's just have fun. >> reporter: this time, the job of giving the green will fall to some deserving elves in blue. until then, i'm steve hartman on the road in kansas city, kansas. >> morgan: we'll be right back. man on the road in kansas city, kansas. we'll be right back.

>> morgan: ugly christmas sweaters-- they aren't just for people anymore. michelle macaluso shows us how pets are joining the party and tlping to support worthy causes. >> reporter: 'tis the season to mix and mingle at ugly sweater parties, and some people can't resist making their pets participate. >> she's a family member. so, you know, we all have our own ugly sweaters, so we got one for her as well. o reporter: this fundraiser for the humane rescue alliance gave a chance for people to put their pets in party outfits and support a worthy cause. >> any opportunity to support any kind of charity, especially when it deals with animal shelters, i'm all about it. >> reporter: melissa gomes enjoys dressing up her rescue dog hershey, but he's not used to wearing a hat. >> maybe he's feeling a little more kind because of the holiday e wson. >> reporter: some pet owners are willing to pay $20 for a photo of fido with santa. >> dogs, cats, turtles, snakes, it's for a good cause. >> reporter: gary putnam has been playing santa for the humane society for 11 years.

>> kids don't pee on you as often, and they don't drool on you as much. >> reporter: the rescues roaming the crumbs & whiskers cat cafe pn washington are all dolled up in their holiday best. one of them cozied up to cat owner emma sunseri. >> look at you! >> reporter: she was not ready to commit, but those ugly sweaters won over some who came to this christmas soiree. ochelle macaluso for cbs news, washington. >> morgan: up next, "the night hefore christmas." night before christmas.

>> morgan: finally tonight, a poem nearly 200 years old, that has become part of family christmas traditions around the world: "a visit from saint nicholas." it's better known as "the night iofore christmas." here's a reading by our very own charlie rose. >> reporter: "'twas the night before christmas" by clemet clark moore. 'twas the night before christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not then a mouse. the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that saint nicolas soon would be here. the children were nestled all tug in their beds, when visions of sugarplums danced in their edads. ♪ ♪ and mama and her kerchief and me in my cap had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap. when out on the lawn there rose such a clatter, i sprang from my

bed to see what was the matter. away to the window i flew like a flash, tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. the moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow gave a luster of midday to objects below. when what to my wondering eyes gid appear but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. with a little old driver so lively and quick, i knew in a moment he must be saint nick. more rapid than eagles, his courses they came, and he whistled and shouted and called them by name. "now dasher, now dancer, now prancer and vixen. on comet, on cupid, on donner and blitzen. to the top of the porch, to the top of the wall, now dash away, shsh away, dash away all." as dry leaves that before the wild hurricane flies when they ldet with an obstacle mount to

the sky. so up to the housetop the courses they flew, with a sleigh full of toys and saint nicolas, too. nnd then in a twinkling heard on the roof, the prancing and pawing of each little hoof. as i drew in my head and was turning around, down the chimney saint nicolas came with a bound. b ♪ he was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot. and his clothes were all wrnished with ashes and soot. a bundle of toys he had flung on his back, and he looked like a isddler, just opening his pack. his eyes, how they twinkled, his dimples, how merry. his cheeks were like roses, his kese like a cherry. s,s droll little mouth was y.awn up like a bow and the beard on his chin was as white as the snow. the stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

he had a broad face and a little ouund belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of lilly. he was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf. and i laughed when i saw him, in spite of myself. a wink of his eye and a twist of his head, soon he gave me to know i had nothing to dread. he spoke not a word but went straight to his work, and filled all the stockings, then turned ath a jerk and laying his finger aside his nose, and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose. s sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away they all flew like the down of a thistle. but i heard him exclaim ere he exove out of sight, "happy christmas to all, and to all a good night." >> morgan: that's the "cbs weekend news" for this saturday. i'm demarco morgan in new york. for all of us at cbs news, happy hanukkah, merry christmas and good night.

captioning sponsored by cbs employees. good evening. i'm betty yu.. and i'm brian hackney. now at 6:00 toys intended for needy children ended up in the hands of county employees. good evening, i'm betty yu. >> i'm brian hackney. the big question on this christmas eve, why did santa clara county employees take the toys that were meant to be gifts for disadvantaged children? kpix 5 reporter maria medina went to get some answers. >> it was a mistake to tell county employees they could take these toys. >> reporter: the assessor larry stone is trying to turn a wrong into a right. >> so i wrote an email to my staff saying, this is not right. >> reporter: dozens of county workers got their hands on these toys, expensive electric cars and scooters. thing is, the company that makes the toys donated them to

the county for low-income families. >> none of this was ever intended to go to county employees. >> reporter: steve, in charge of making sure that happens, insist county workers who got a toy didn't take one to steal from the needy. it began with a rumor when the delivery trucks began to arrive. >> word went out all over the county government center, free ties in the parking lot. and, of course, -- toys in the parking lot. and, of course, employees in the county went down to see. >> it was chaotic for hours. >> reporter: it didn't take long for county bosses to find out workers went home with toys. the question now is, what do they do with them? the story takes another turn. >> there's a policy in my office that we don't accept gifts. i'm the county assessor. i'm not in favor of free anything. >> reporter: he told the employees to return the toys to his office no questions asked but the county executive jeff smith who is in charge of most county employees told them not to return them. steve, who is smith's assistant, says workers were told and are