it's wednesday, december 25th. this is cbs news mornings. ♪ christmas celebrations. from the vatican to bethlehem, people around the world gathered to mark the birth of jesus, under a shadow of war. christmas miracle.

is there a $1 billion gift waiting for some lucky mega millions player. and netflix is hoping today's live nfl games and beyonce's halftime show won't bring the same technical glitching as the jake paul/mike tyson fights. good morning. i'm michael george. merry christmas and happy hanukkah. the jewish festival of lights begins at sundown this christmas day. that's a rare occurrence. that's happened 4 other times in the last 125 years. celebrations of both faiths have taking on a subdued tone amid the ongoing wars in the middle east. we look at how the faithful are marking the day around the world. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, michael. you mentioned the subdued tone this year. in bethlehem they called off celebrations for the second year in a row. this is a place that people flock to this time of year. it's believed by christians to be jesus' birthplace. the archbishop says he hopes

this christmas is the end of darkness, saying enough with the vision and violence, a prayer that many people had in regions around the world. it was described as a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many of the worshipers in notre dame cathedral in paris. the first christmas midnight mass since the iconic monument nearly burned down in 2019. >> amazing. >> blown away. >> a special night. a great thing to be a part of. >> reporter: at the vatican pope francis presided over the christmas eve mass. across the globe, other church leaders also prayed for peace. in the west bank town of bethlehem, and on the streets of ukraine. thousands gathered to release christmas wishes on paper lanterns in athens, floating in the sky, like the astronauts on the international space station. >> from all of us to all of you, merry christmas. >> reporter: and back on earth,

thousands gathered in mexico to admire traditional christmas radish sculptures, while santas caught a wave in cocoa beach. in germany, preparations to celebrate hanukkah, the festival of lights, which begins on sundown on christmas this year. a unique moment, and, perhaps, a sign for unity around the world. and the pope is scheduled to deliver his christmas day blessing later today. and tonight, the me norah lighting in washington, d.c. will take place to mark the beginning of hanukkah. merry christmas and happy hanukkah. >> lea mishkin, thanks. >> thanks. president biden is sending a message of unity this christmas, calling for peace, kindness and compassion. president-elect donald trump is blasting him for commuting the sentences of nearly all federal death row inmates. trump posted on social media, when he returns to the white house, i'll direct the justice department to pursue capital punishment.

that's not the only idea that trump is floating ahead of inauguration day. he is talk about expanding america, with greenland and the panama canal. of

buying the island. kelly o'grady, cbs news, new york. former president bill clinton is home for christmas after being released from a washington, d.c. hospital. the 78-year-old was admitted monday with a fever. it turns out, he had the flu. a spokesperson says clinton is deeply grateful for the exceptional care provided at medstar georgetown university hospital. once the gifts are unwrapped today, it's probably fair not all of them will be to your liking. before you return your unwanted presents, there's a few things you need to know. josh sidorowicz from cbs philadelphia explains. >> this is easy. >> reporter: queen stewart probably speaks for a lot of us. the mother of two does most of her shopping online. which means -- >> i'm going to return. >> reporter: she is bound to send some of it back. >> i'm writeling a description of why some of this goes back. and hopefully i don't get a fee. >> reporter: more retailers are

charging return fees. as online shopping has exploded, from the company narvar. >> we're seeing 20% more retailers on our platform charge for returns this year. >> reporter: some of the big names have added fees to ship returns back. nar vn var estimates a $100 item could cost a retailer $32 to restock and resell. avoiding the fee can be as simple as taking it back to a physical store. and before you go, get a gift receipt. >> this makes returns or exchanging, quick, hassle-free. you don't have a receipt. many stores will offer store credit or a gift card instead. >> reporter: stephanie carls from retailmenot says it's important to check the store policy. some retailers like apple accept returns on items until january 8th. >> keep items in the original packaging, even if the item was a gift. having original packaging and

tags increases your chance of getting a full refund or exchange. >> reporter: if you are sending back a gift online, make sure you read the fine print and see if the retailer offers a return label. i'm justin sar wix, cbs news, philadelphia. home for the hollidays. a family's wish comes true after a young son's medical emergency. and the nfl makes its debut on netflix. how the streaming giant hopes to score big with football, beyonce and a glitch-free production. you can count on me. please have snow and mistletoe and presents under the tree. right now

all over the country, kids at shriners hospitals for children™ are able to go home and be with their families for the holidays. and it's only possible because of the monthly support of people just like you. thanks to a generous donor, every dollar you give, will go three times as far to help more kids. with your gift of just $19 a month, only $0.63 a day. we'll send you this adorable love to the rescue® blanket as a thank you and a reminder of the care you'll be providing so kids can be with their families. christmas eve will find me where the love light gleams. it only takes a moment to call the number on your screen. or you can visit loveshriners.org right now on your phone or computer. your gift of $19 a month

will have three times the impact in the lives of kids like me. because every child just wants to be home for the holidays, and your gift makes that possible. your call is the best gift of all. your gift will be my favorite christmas present this year. please call the number on your screen or go online right now with your monthly gift. and when you become a monthly donor, your first gift will be tripled. thank you for giving. well, the bald eagle is flying high this morning. president biden made the country the country's national bird. if you're having, wasn't it already? the eagle has appeared on the united states seal since 1782 but never received designation of the national bird until now. as people across the globe sit around the tree this morning opening their presents, one

maryland family already got the best christmas gift they could ask for. their toddler is home for the holidays after undergoing emergency brain surgery. cbs' natalie brand introduces us to this special little boy and his family. >> reporter: watching 3-year-old phillip play with his parents, you would never imagine the ordeal he survived just weeks ago. >> all of a sudden, he started having these episodes in the mornings where he would going. >> reporter: his mom said his symptoms grew in severity. >> it wasn't easy. he was not being himself. >> reporter: after multiple trips to different doctors, a c.t. scan revealed a brain tumor the size of a golf ball. >> the cerebellum, the little brain, the balance part of the brain. >> reporter: alan cohen, the chief of pediatric of neurosurgery at johns hopkins performed a nine-hour surgery to remove the tumor. >> he said, i know how hard it is.

but it's life-threatening. you know? this is the only way we can save him. so, we knew we had to do it. >> he's a really tough kid. to talk to him, he's a really, really warrior. we expect he's going to have a normal life. >> reporter: dr. cohen believes phillip's strength helped give his parents hope. his mom, seven months pregnant at the time. >> it was never an option but recovery. >> he's our superhero, for sure. >> reporter: his dad says he is back at school. >> he is doing great. almost back to himself. >> reporter: the family says the best christmas gift of all is health. >> we're glad everything turned out the way it did. >> the only thing that matters is health and your family and your kids. you know, the love of your life, that you just live for. >> reporter: the family is growing. phillip is a big brother, with an amazing story of survival to share. natalie brand, cbs news, baltimore, maryland. and coming up next,

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ask your doctor about farxiga. and here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ well, sadly, there was no billion dollar christmas eve miracle for mega millions players. no ticket matched all six numbers in last night's mega drawing. that means friday's jackpot is estimated to be $1.15 billion. 11, 14, 38, 45, 46, and a megaball of 3. christmas eve travel trouble and wall street kicks off a santa claus rally. here's carissa lawsen with today's "money watch." >> u.s. stocks surge in the shortened trading session before today's christmas holiday.

the dow jumped 390 points. the nasdaq gained 266. and the s&p 500 picked up 65 points. christmas morning travel is off to a better start for american airlines passengers after a computer glitch forced the airline to ground all of its flights nationwide on christmas eve. the airline blamed the problem on technology from one of its vendors. the disruption lasted about an hour but caused delays all day long. a five-day strike for starbucks workers came to an end on christmas eve. but not before expanding their job action from coast-to-coast. workers are demanding higher pay. but the coffee chain says their demands are not sustainable. starbucks says it's ready to continue negotiations when the union comes back to the bargaining table. and if you need to grab any last-minute items today, not to worry. some stores are keeping their doors open for christmas. most cvs and walgreen's stores

are open. 7-elevens are open. and if you need a supermarket run, acme and food town are open until 2:00 p.m. that's your "cbs money watch" report for this morning. i'm carissa lawson, cbs news. >> thank you, carissa. netflix is expecting a huge audience around the world this christmas for its first two nfl games. the streaming giant will show the pittsburgh steelers/kths kst city chiefs, followed by the baltimore ravens and the houston texans. netflix is hoping for a glitch-free show, after last month's technical problems during the tyson/paul fights. and beyonce poked fun at netflix glitches for her halftime performance during the texan/ravens game today. mariah carey will have a taped performance of "all i want for christmas is you."

no word if taylor swift will make the trip to pittsburgh to watch her boyfriend, travis kelce. coming up, the special way that santa is bonding with kids in a calmer, more mindful setting this christmas. paxlovid is an oral treatment for adults with mild-to-moderate covid-19 and a high-risk factor for it becoming severe. it does not prevent covid-19. my symptoms are mild now, but i'm not risking it. if it's covid, paxlovid. paxlovid must be taken within the first five days of symptoms, and helps stop the virus from multiplying in your body. taking paxlovid with certain medicines can lead to serious or life-threatening side effects or affect how it or other medicines work, including hormonal birth control. it's critical to tell your doctor about all the medicines you take because certain tests or changes in their dosage may be needed. tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver problems, hiv-1, are or plan to become pregnant, or breastfeed. don't take paxlovid if you're allergic to nirmatrelvir, ritonavir, or any of its ingredients. serious side effects can include allergic reactions,

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. ♪

all right. santa claus has been very busy delivering presents around the world to make it a special christmas morning. and children everywhere has been able to track his and the reindeers' move on norad's santa tracker. norad has been tracking santa every christmas since 1955. as santa wraps up his busiest night of the year, we know santa sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake and he knows when a child may need a calmer santa experience. cbs' jericka duncan caught up with the man in red. >> how good have you been this year? >> very good. >> very good. i'm glad. i love santa hugs. >> reporter: this sensory-friendly experience brings santa to kids in a jolly and mindful environment.

each december, simon property group hosts private meetings like this. there's no long lines, lights are dimmed. and there's quiet areas for children who have unique physical or emotional needs. >> we do it before the center opens. specifically to create an environment that allows families and children to visit santa at their own pace. >> there's no commotion for him. it's quiet. he can really just relax and enjoy getting to see santa. >> reporter: the mother of 12-year-old justin says one part of santa's magic is knowing how to speak just the right language. >> i'm right here. you don't have to worry. >> reporter: justin does know some of the signs. like, all done and more and everything. it's great. justin can sign when he's all done. or if he wants more time with him. >> i've been on this earth for 1,755 years. i had to learn how to be patient quite a while back. >> there she is. >> reporter: among the families

and their traditions, we saw santa form a bond, while playing peekaboo with savannah. >> there she is. >> reporter: proving every child wants a special gift in a season that's all about seeing and cherishing everyone. >> she wished for a friend. i told her, i said, she can always have santa as a friend. i love you, too. i lover you, too. >> reporter: jericka duncan, cbs news. >> isn't that great? coming up on "cbs mornings," we'll talk with alicia keys about her hit broadway musical "hell's kitchen."

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♪ ♪ ♪ christmas morning, and we are here! we welcome you to a very special edition of "cbs mornings." i'm gayle king here to say merry christmas to