of 59 degrees. thursday night and two early friday morning is where we are watching for the chance of rain and mountain snow, gusty wind and much cooler temperatures.

dana: just days away means not many people out there. a little congestion at this getty bowl but that is pretty much it. like traffic around us sierra. light traffic. good news. kim: we are awaiting any moment, metro will await -- have a news conference for the officer installed shooting. the one on your screen is last thursday involving a local officer who was forced to shoot when a man was coming at him. we may learn new information. if you want to watch it in its entirety, we will have this streaming on our sister station. we are also watching this and we will break into the today show from -- programming if it warrants.

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it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, show me the money. we'll tell you why giving out cold hard cash for christmas never goes out of style. plus, turning the tables. >> this is my space. >> look who is taking on tina fey in a brand new spoof of her hit show "30 rock" and the one and only giada de laurentiis is cooking up a feast for a hungry holiday crowd with a little bit of an italian twist, today, tuesday, december 22nd, 2015. rocking around the christmas tree at christmas party hop >> merry christmas from south carolina! >> happy holidays from hattiesburg, mississippi. >> here from new mexico.

california. hi, mom! we're back now, 8:00, on a tuesday morning. it's the 22nd day of december, 2015. and we've got another enormous holiday crowd out on the plaza. hopefully not dodging too much raindrops on a beautifully warm day here in new york city. really great weather is crazy. hoda is over there taking selfies with people. everybody is in a festive mood. it feels like spring break weather-wise, and the crowd is sort of -- feels like that as well. just a huge, huge crowd. how are you? good to have you here. >> matt, where's your picture, of the one back of you -- oh, we've got it the. >> those were the days. >> is he here. oh, that's him right there. >> hi, how are you.

great to see you again. wow, that's all i've got to say. >> we were in las vegas when that happened apparently well, remember what they say, it should stay in vegas. welcome back, everyone. the new year quickly approaching. awards season is going to follow. around here we're looking forward already to the golden globes. >> and that's because this year, get this, we want to take one lucky viewer with us to the party. so we're launching a special contest, and it's called "today's" golden ticket. all have you to do is go to today.com and post a picture that shows you are a huge golden globes fan and tell us the reasons why we should pick you to come with. >> and wait until you hear this. >> what? >> we've brought out the big guns courtesy of discover.com. we will be flying you and a friend to the entertainment of the capital entertainment

but you'll get your hair did and makeup did and spa there and $500 shopping spree at the amazing beverly center. >> but there's more. the hollywood foreign press association is also going to have you have your turn at red carpet so nbc entertainment will have your exclusive tickets to the golden globes viewing party. i mean that's a great ticket, right? >> it should be a great weekend for one of our viewers. >> golden ticket, wasn't that willy wonka's whole thing? are we stealing that. >> don't miss your chance to join us in historic los angeles, sunshine and fun. go to today.com to enter. all right. now let's get the top stories from tamron hall. good morning, everyone. trump's attacks on democratic front-runner hillary clinton are getting very personal. he mocked her for taking a bathroom break calling it,

a crude term for the male anatomy describing her 2008 primary loss to barack obama. >> she was going to beat and she was going to win and she got [ bleep ]. she lost. >> trump has been demanding an apology from the clinton campaign claiming his fiery rhetoric is being used by isis as a recruiting tool. but a clinton spokesman says there will be no apology. today sergeant bowe bergdahl will be arraigned facing a court-martial on charges of desertion and behavior before the enemy. bergdahl is accused of leaving his post in the afghanistan in 2009 before being captured by the taliban. he was held for five years and freed in a controversial prisoner swap for five detainees held at guantanamo bay. bergdahl faces a maximum life in prison if he is convicted. and now to the latest in the sandra bland case. she is the chicago woman found dead in a texas jail cell three days after being arrested in a routine traffic stop that went dramatically wrong. five months after the incident

jury has declined to indict anyone, including the jailor in connection with her death. grand jurors will reconvene in january to reconsider remaining issues. bland's family says they have no confidence in the investigation. and police say the driver who intentionally ran down dozens of pedestrians on the las vegas strip sunday did not have any alcohol in her system. 24-year-old lakeisha holloway faces a bail hearing today. she is accused of killing a 32-year-old arizona woman, jessica valenzuela and injuring five other people by driving on to the sidewalk. holloway's 3-year-old daughter was in the car with her. prosecutors say they were homeless and living in that car. history has been made again at cape canaveral. spacex launched a falcon 9 spacecraft carrying small satellites last night and then the 15-story booster returned for a vertical touchdown on landing.

success triggered a lot of cheering as you hear and see at mission control. a store security camera was rolling as a customer and a clerk teamed up to tackle a man who threatened to shoot anyone who didn't hand over their money. this happened this weekend near the university of miami campus in coral gables, florida. the suspect, 47-year-old javon reddick, was pinned to the ground until police arrived. he tried to tell them he was joking, but officers say he did have a gun in his pocket. it's a scary scene out there. the people jumped into action. don't know what would have happened if they had not. >> thanks, tamron. with the numbers of travelers expected to top 100 million for the first time on record this holiday season, a lot of people will be taking to the skies, and they will encounter some rules that may cramp their christmas style. >> "today's" erica hill here with a story of a mother who found herself at center of a controversy for trying to bring breast milk on a plane. hey, erica.

always a little bit of hectic as we head to the airport and first full disclosure, i did once cry at security when i was told i could not bring my milk with me. one text as mom's recent battle which she posted on social media and that got us to thinking about all the hinges we need to know before heading to the airport no matter your age or >> vanessa did everything by the book before heading to the airport with two weeks worth of breast milk. >> i tried to make sure, that, you know, i did my due diligence and checked with delta. >> reporter: she says the customer service agent told her to pack the milk in a cooler with dry ice so she could check it with her baggage. when she arrived at the airport the message was much difference. >> out of three agents, no one could tell me what to do and basically said you can't take this cooler on the plane. >> after plenty of confusion and frustration, vanessa threw out

frozen breast milk with her on the plane. next time she will have the advice from delta in writing. >> if someone isn't educated as were these desk agents, if they don't know their own company's protocol, then at least you can show them what the correct procedure is. >> reporter: for vanessa the issue wasn't the milk but the dry ice. travel expert and mom samantha brown says a hard copy could have helped. >> she did everything right. a lot of times it's just a miscommunication between customer service and the clerk who you are having face time with. >> reporter: per the tsa breast milk, formula and baby food, like medicines, do not fall under the 311 guidelines. they can be carried on and the amount isn't limited to three ounces or less. with some 5.8 million americans expected to travel this holiday season, there's no shortage of

bringing gifts, wrapped present are not encouraged in the cabin and even in a checked bag experts recommend you wait to wrap until you arrive. brown also suggests doing a security line run-through with the entire family, especially if you don't travel often. >> my top three tips for families traveling during the holidays is, one, arrive in plenty of time. two, bring food so you don't get hungry, and, three, smile, breathe. everybody is in the same boat. or plane. >> reporter: at some airports across the country united airlines has created an oasis of happiness, therapy dogs ready with a cuddle to help with the holiday stress. as for vanessa, delta contacted her to apologize and offered to reimburse her for the cost of preparing her breast milk for travel. in a statement to nbc news, the airline says it's," working directly with miss oranga." >> i just hope that they use

>> the tsa website is a great resource, it lays out regulations for carry-on luggage. doesn't hurt to check with the airlines and print the recommendations if there's any question. it never hurts to pack a little patience. >> what happened when that happened at the engagement? >> when kate and wills got engaged, i said can i bring my breast milk back, no problem but the rules were different at heathrow, i didn't print anything out and the gate agent said you can't bring it and you have to check it and i didn't have any dry ice so i cried. >> erica, understandable. >> up next, ladies, listen up, is breaking up harder to do if the man you're breaking up with has a great sense humor? >> plus, our friend meredith vieira asks kids which stars have been naughty and nice. >> that should be good. >> and spiritual leader, find out how they find peace in these

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all right. it's now 8:14 and time to do a little trending. >> oh, good. a couple days left until christmas so you've got a gift you still need to buy for a very picky person. anybody fit into that category? >> i'm not picky, but i know people like that, yeah. >> if you run out of ideas, would you give that person cash? >> no. >> i would -- >> yes. >> i would probably give a gift card, like an amex gift card which seems classier than cash. >> my nieces live on the other side of the country, i don't know what they are into. just cash. >> who would want 20 bucks? i don't know to get you, here's 20 bucks, get yourself something you really want.

or just kids? >> i would do to an adult. >> i would. >> that's the spirit. >> cash is king. >> i give my niece and nephew, they are 19 and 16 cash but i wouldn't give a 30-year-old friend of mine cash. >> i give cash to people that you would tip but not to people who are friends. >> that's a good rule of thumb. some people it's tacky to give cash. in a new article published on yahoo! here's what "consumer reports" says. cash is always a good gift. the magazine argues money is a safer bet, especially for picky people and one etiquette expert says cash is a gift that's rarely returned and one size fits all. >> if someone handed me $40 and that's what i was going to spend, i earmarked this for your gift, i'm not sure of your alcohol choice, go get what you want. i'd say thank you very much. >> and you would say, by the way, it's pabst blue ribbon. >> get a lot of that. >> asked you on twitter, is cash a tacky gift? 81% said no, it isn't. 19% said yes, it is.

>> next christmas cash. >> speaking of cash, new startup is giving you a chance to book a hotel room at half the price. it sound perfect, right? >> what's the catch? >> well, yeah, you know there's a catch. you have to share the room with a complete and total service. the service is called the winston club, invitation only and members can get screened and set to launch next year. hotel rooms will be available in various cities and this is how it works. you book a room and the club pairs with you a stranger, you approve or reject and if you approve you split the cost. >> the that's a great idea until it isn't a great idea and something goes wrong with that room. >> could anybody sleep in a hotel room with a perfect stranger, even if they seem nice. >> yes. >> gender. >> is it a hookup site? >> it will be. >> not today. >> carson is going what was the website? >> exactly.

>> cash is king. >> safe to say we've all been through break-ups at this table, right? >> yeah. >> but ladies, a new study says women have a harder time recovering from a break-up if her ex has a certain quality and we now know what it is. >> a sense of humor. >> do you agree with that? >> absolutely. >> i agree. >> why, what is it about a humor? >> if a guy is mean or edgy it's easy to say good-bye and you think about the nice guy and funny moment. it's harder. >> what if the hilarious guy cheated on you? >> not so funny, huh? >> he made me laugh, but you were sleeping with my best friend. >> and carson's reality has checked in. >> oh, gosh. >> such a funny guy. >> you know what's funny, when they said that they took all the research out of the prompter, it's not even worth going into. >> here's a good one. sarah palin is getting her revenge on tina fey, and which celebrities are on santa's naughty or nice list.

>> first to sarah palin turning the tables on tina fey on saturday. tina once again playing the former alaskan governor on "snl" and now in a new video sarah palin takes a whack at playing tina fey, a spot of a hit show "30 rock" a trailer for a fake show called "31 rock" and see what you think of palin's impression. >> when it begins this january, america will meet lynn melon. >> this is my safe space. >> a tv writer who left a small town for the big city. >> no snow flakes? >> will she be able to round up a cast and produce a hit show? >> where's the new page? >> or will the writers ruin everything. >> nerds. >> and force her old friend -- >> even a cameo from her former running mate john mccain. >> spent some money on this. >> this is not a real show, by the way, won't be coming to tv, just a spoof from a conservative website. >> amazing how interchangeable

our dear friend meredith vieira on her show monday talked to a panel kids and asked them which celebrities would make santa's naughty or nice list. naughty or nice list. >> nice. >> naughty. >> naughty. >> naughty. >> do you know who that is? >> no. >> why are you saying naughty? >> because she just looks like it. >> how about this person. >> i don't know. he's -- >> naughty, naughty, naughty. >> he looks weird! >> i used to work with this guy. >> oh, my gosh. he doesn't look. >> i feel bad for you. >> i got over it, honey. it took a lot of therapy. >> a double whammy for matt. >> not only do the kids not know who he was, they thought he was creepy based on looks alone you.

trouble breaking up with her because of that sense of humor one bit. doesn't bother me one bit. love you, my dear. >> that was awesome. >> carson, thank you. dylan, how about a check of the weather. >> big travel day on wednesday. it's not going to be so great around the country. we've got a chance of heavier rain up and down the east coast, and we are also looking at some severe storms down across the gulf coast and that could create some delays at airport and also out west we're looking at a lot of mountain snow and that lasts into christmas eve into the eastern half of the country. that's a look at the weather and that's your latest

>> all right. dylan. thank you very much. time now for our series do you believe. this morning an interfaith discussion about peace. hoda has more of that. the stories of terrorism and intolerance almost everywhere you turn these days. some of the problems brought about in the name of religion, so with that in mind we talked to some influential faith and community leader for their thoughts on whether peace is possible. first of all, i'd like to start off by saying girl power. our panel boasts three amazing women, the reverend dr. jackie lewis of new york city's middle collegiate church, rabbi angela bouddahl of central synagogue and peace activist sahar el salani. do you believe there can be peace? >> absolutely. we see it in the microcosm of people finding peace through themselves personally and i

spreading out. we have the possibility of peace and aspire to that. >> i find myself taking a deep breath in saying, okay, i am the beginning of peace. i think we're all called to be peacemakers, and the source of the peace is a kind of self-love that acknowledges that we're beautiful and wonderful. i think violence comes through self-hatred and peace comes from love. >> islam means peace and all of our scriptures which are very much intertwined are road maps to justice and peace and finding salvation in this world. >> but what do you think the barriers are for working on a global scale because we've seen often it doesn't? >> it's one of the barriers that the sense god belongs just to me, that i own god. god is not christian, god is not christian, god is not jewish. god is love. >> can you believe exactly what you believe as strongly as you believe it and yet acknowledge that people on either side of you believe with equal conviction in their faith, and i

their head and say, yeah, can i do that, it would work. >> i think there's a sense that god wants justice and love in the world and each of our religions have a different way of saying it, but we recognize that really at base is the same and we can work together, that's also one of the ways that we make that kind of peace. >> when you see what's been going on, you know, in san bernardino and what's been happening and people say we want to bar muslims from coming into the country and all that sort of stuff, what do you tell people of your faith and when do you share with them? how do you explain what's going on? >> i remind our youth that we are told to strive for unity and for harmony and nonviolence, and a core principle of islam is nonviolence and is interfaith cooperation. >> it seems like the biggest barrier to peace is ignorance. it's like you don't know somebody, right? >> so true. >> you don't know what they are about. >> so many people think they don't know muslims and i'm saying, yes, you do, yes, you

that's your teacher. that's the pta president. that's the shopkeeper. of course, we do. >> what would your message of peace be during this season? >> peace in our tradition is not just not having war. you cannot have wholeness and perfection unless it includes all of humanity. we are all one whole and we seek out that peace. >> up of my favorite verses from the koran god does not change the condition of the people unless they change the condition within their hearts. take time and remember that there are many ways that you can worship and love your lord. one of the best ways to love god is to serve of others. >> i believe that there's more than one path to god. i celebrate all these paths, but i'm a christian, i choose this path because i'm captivated by this story. i'm captivated by the story that god comes all the way down to earth. each of us embodies love in our best day and then just go out and do love.

>> i think, you know, i'm a believer that peace can work, and if you've ever lived in new york city or been here and you watch people of all different faiths or no faith living in such close quarters and it works, like if you think that new york city can work, if you're an optimist you believe the world can work, because we work when we're all intertwined like this on top of each other and somehow the city, you know, makes it happen. >> we should run that piece every day at end of the show, the same piece over and over again to just get this into people's minds. it doesn't seem like it should be as difficult. >> those three ladies make it very simple. should be just like that. >> but you also point out learning about others. not everybody lives in new york city where you come in contact with such a diverse range and with the internet and social media it can be a positive platform to interact with people not like us. >> thanks. coming up, giada is in the kitchen and is showing us how to cook for a crowd in holiday season with a bit of italian flair. >> a bit of italian.

short ribs lasagna. >>&get ready. dana: breaking news. metro holding a news conference right now talking about three recent officer-involved shooting. kim: i have been watching this for the better part of half an hour, and the local police are building a compelling case about white officers were forced to shoot in many of these cases. in one case, a woman pointing a shotgun at a local officer. it was said she wanted to be dead suicide by cop. that did end up happening. they wanted to show the community the particular scenarios.

from last thursday. making a full recovery. this led to a big manhunt in our community. dana: the department of justice doing an investigation into practices. they want to be as transparent -- transparent as possible. back some of the images and video absolutely compelling. we will put all of this together. want to let you know this is happening as we speak. >> kelly karen has more information on that. >> low-pressure moving through right now bringing rain showers to parts of the area including mesquite. las vegas valley supposed to stay dry, just mostly cloudy

59 degrees the expected high. watching another system that could bring rain and mountain

into early friday all i want for christmas is you. we're back, 8:30 on a tuesday morning. december 22. it's 2015, and that dylan dreyer knows how to predict the weather. she said we're about to get some rain about a half hour ago. and guess what? the rain is here. >> right on cue. >> that's right. look who else is here. that's brian darcy james, our elf this morning for our toy drive which is just about to come to an end. >> oh.

down now, but he's going around and collecting gifts from the kids. we have had such a successful toy drive. the second biggest year ever. if you add it all we have raised $440 million and betting millions of smiles too. we want to thank everybody. we'll talk to our elf, brian darcy james in a bit. >> hats off to the people who worked so hard on organizing that toy drive every year. >> absolutely. also ahead, giada de laurentiis has a short rib lasagna. it's going to be crowd pleaser here. you can perhaps make it at home. >> yeah. exactly. also this morning, we have illusionists taking things to a whole new level. in just a minute. >> jeff hopson, he's very funny. you saw him as santa's helper, but when brian darcy

collecting toys he's a big man on the big screen. good morning. >> hi, everybody. >> the guy stars in an amazing movie called "spotlight" all about "the boston globe's" investigation into the catholic church. are you happy with the reaction? >> it's an incredible reaction and the film and i'm lucky enough to be in with it rachel mcadams and the list goes on and on. i'm pinching myself i'm in it. >> and you play a journalist who exposes the whole catholic church. did you get to meet him? >> i got to meet matt carroll, a wonderful reporter, who works for "the boston globe." all of the reporters, the spotlight came at "the boston globe" as a former team. they do extraordinary long lead investigative journalist work so matt and i -- i took a crash

>> any holiday things, i love your scarf. >> thank you. i'll have christmas eve off so that's good. whatever is happening in any particular -- like the year is what i do. >> usually working on something. >> by the way, the name of the show doesn't -- >> a disclaimer. >> it's true. it will be a little bit of a break for me. i have a show on christmas night. so, yeah, i'm lucky to be working on the holidays. yes. >> happy holidays. thanks. >> thank you. thank you. >> merry christmas. >> you can catch him on the big screen in "spot light" and "something rotten." >> dylan, with the weather. >> it's starting to rain here, and i'm getting used to the warmer weather and we sent bob radel up to the north pole to find out what's going on up there.

>> reporter: merry christmas to you. there's only three days to christmas eve. time is running out here in the north pole. santa right now he's taking a nap, resting up before the big night with the sleigh here. each year we try to get into santa's toy shop, but it's such a top secret operation he doesn't want to let anyone -- hold on. we have leaked security cam footage from inside santa's toy shop operation, a top secret thing. we were just talking about this. this is so -- this has never been seen before, you guys. you look at the elf. that's one of the "star wars" light sabres. the hottest toy that the elves have been putting together. i don't know if you realize they test each individual toy before sending it out. make sure they work. i'm -- i'm not sure that that guy should be testing those toys

i counted three osha violations stuff now. >> well, they have three days to kind of figure out how that thing works. [ laughter ] >> reporter: quickly, i'm getting some word inside, that was an isolated incident. that the toys will be fine and ready for the sleigh on thursday night. >> what a relief. thank you for getting the latest sc >> and that's your latest

>> all right, dylan, thank you. the red carpet will soon roll out for awards season and there's talk that eddie redmayne may get a nod for "the danish girl." >> and we're joined from london by keir simmons. >> hey, good morning. transgender rights have been front and center this year but it turns out the fight for those rights have been happening for a hundred years. as you mentioned i sat down with the cast and the director of the danish girl to talk about that fight and in this movie the pressures it put on a marriage. >> the first time we met, she propositioned me. she seemed so sure. >> i was sure. >> incredibly powerful love story. >> that's something you'd like to tell me. >> something you'd like to not? >> i'm your wife. i know everything. >> a marriage of two artists that changes as the husband played by eddie redmayne

is. what was it like in this movie, guys? because it's a beautiful, beautiful movie. >> clearly, carefully crafted. what were the challenges? >> i think everyone who's seen the film realized that it's a very emotional ride that the two women go on. >> we should go out tonight. give them something different. >> you're exquisite. >> oh, the shock. >> reporter: you, for example, are a fun -- i think a really important piece of the puzzle i feel like. >> you know, i was lucky in this case because when you play characters that just see the people for who they are. they're people. >> who's your friend? >> matthew plays an art dealer and long-term friend of the character. >> i think being an art dealer, it's -- it's always looking for beauty.

caitlyn jenner's "vanity fair" article and she said the entire time she was bruce jenner she was lying. you don't get the sense from lilly or do you think that's what's happened? >> i think it's always there, because it is the same person in the end. >> the fact is, i think it's time to be a woman. >> i believe it too. >> lilly was one of first people to attempt sex reassignment surgery. through it all her wife supports her and loves her. >> it could kill you. >> it's my only hope. >> the film is unconditional love. >> and that love is not defined by body, gender. it's about souls. >> it raises some questions about how we articulate and define love. >> reporter: right.

you can define it and i don't know how anyone can't watch it and not have tears rolling down the cheeks. >> i love you because you're the only person to make sense of me. and make me possible. >> reporter: to the folks back at home, who have seen what movie already, matt. i think you have seen it. if you like eddie redmayne, there's another -- there's a scene in it that might be a reason to go see it. matt, i'm guessing you would have watched this scene with your hand over your eyes like that. no other way to describe this -- >> i think i know what you're referring to, but i will say, yes. scenes in the movie. i recommend people see it. it's an extraordinary film. thank you, keir. >> what was that about? >> i know what he's talking about. see the movie. >> okay. we have a live performance from the illusionist. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

impressive. >> rachael: ho, ho, ho, three days to go until christmas. >> announcer: sara moulton

for your next going to be asking how on earth did they do that which is exactly what i was wondering when i caught a show called "the illusionist" on broadway with my family. >> we've invited the magical troupe here to show us what they can do. jeff hobson is the host of the show and joined by adam trickster and add am trent as the futurist. >> why do i need to stand by the trickster. so much fun. do you play cards. >> oh, good. >> few jokers, don't need it. >> queen. >> you'll figure it out. >> pick a card, quick, quick, quick. >> i want your signature, if you don't mind, hoda. right across, so we can identify. >> houda. >> matthew broderick, got everybody here. >> oh, look. >> look, look, look, look,

of the pack, take a looky, there it is. see it, see it, see it, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, go, go, go. >> take a look. >> you make those dealers in the casino pop their pants, that's right, don't ever do that again, that was awful. i'll place the pack of cards inside my mouth and locate the card with my signature three times. watch. >> is this your card. >> no. >> is this your card. >> is this your card. >> no. >> somewhere in the middle. >> no, that is not the card. >> oh, no. >> you feeling okay. >> no, no. how long has that been in there?

one card, one folded once. >> why are you wiping my slobber on me? >> take a look. it's going to be -- >> yeah. >> that's amazing. >> right there, right there. >> yeah, thank you so much. >> very nice. >> i appreciate it the. >> that's awesome. >> let's move over. >> come on over here, guys. >> this is great. >> hoda, let's have you over here. very, very important. you are on bag duty. okay. nothing enters or leaves the bag. >> carson right here you're on knife. you said adam, i've got one and matt i need to borrow your phone. >> this is great. >> need to borrow your phone. >> out of the case. >> somebody asked me to take it out of case. >> a lot of famous people in there. >> we take matt's iphone and place it inside one of these envelopes like this, very important that we know this has your iphone because i have three more envelopes that don't have

aluminum plastic, same size and weight as your phone. a little bit of a marking like that so we know that one indeed has your phone in it and the ones that don't have it we place an "x" on it so we know you don't have t.hold that one finger like that. touch an envelope, that right there. here's the way the game works, matt. you chose that based on intuition. you did not choose. oh, wow. this is good. >> i have an industrial strength blender here. >> don't screw this up. >> you'll have my phone in my mouth like he did, this is made for destroying iphones. made my microsoft. >> here we go. >> i can't even look. >> there is metal in there. >> that's metal, matt. >> wow. >> please be my phone.

>> matt, take that envelope out, rip it out and show to to the audience. >> this round of applause is all for matt. >> oh, no. >> not his phone. >> you better have a good explanation. >> you may want -- >> commercial break time. >> hoda, the bag, the bag, this is good. pass it over here. >> his phone was nowhere near that bag. >> this is a special moment, matt, something very rare and hard to find here, in a honey dew, hard to find and i take the knife. you have the knife. >> you missed that part, i cut into the honey dew, you'll see and smell the juices. a real honey dew. >> i'm going to cut it all the way open. >> no way. >> there's something inside the melon. it's a phone, but it could be any phone. is that indeed your iphone >> the greatest trick i've ever sgleen yes, it is.

>> that's unbelievable. >> that's a miracle. >> how did you do that? >> this is a real melon. >> you're the one who saw the show. >> didn't do this at the show. >> that's amazing. >> that's a little something, something. >> can i say, and i don't do this often. it's fantastic, go see the show on broadway, limited time only. get soon. >> wow, that was awesome. thanks, guys, terrific. up next, giada delaurinaitis is in the kitchen with crowd pleaser. nothing is going to be better

>> nicely done. we're back now with "today food." chef and "today" contributor giada delaurinaitis has an italian favorite with a little bit of a twist. happy holidays. welcome back >> i love lasagna. >> don't i know it. >> love lasagna but you're

>> beefing it up and adding a little bit of kale as well. ground some short ribs and season them with a little salt and pep remember? before we get to the browning. >> not that many, in the that complicated. >> okay. >> you know the thing about lasagna, it's intimidating because there's several steps. the great thing about lasagna you can make one to two days in advance. >> it's better as leftovers. >> absolutely. >> took your short ribs and brown them in a pop. >> season them salt and pepper, brown them in a pot each side, don't worry about cooking them through. take them out and then you add theonsions, chop onions in a little bit of oil. then we add rosemarie and garlic first. >> healthy amount of garlic, too. i like it. no, it's great. >> look, we didn't chop the garlic, just smashed it, always take it out if you want to and it's not as potent because we didn't chop it. the do you smell the rosemarie.

had before the liquid. it's more potent. add the wine, pinot noir. use beef broth. >> how long is this going to cook down for? >> this is going to cook down for about two and a half hours, and then we'll take the meat and put it right pack in and make sure that there's enough liquid to cook the meat and you're going to took it for two and a half hours and it willreduce down and once the smaet cooked, then lid on, really important to put the lid on. >> okay. >> then you've got the short ribs and let them cool. >> this is going to basically fall right off the bone you. >> want to do it. >> no, do you it. >> you do it. >> no, come on, matt. >> you just shred this up. >> go, go, go. >> take some of the fat off. >> taste, it it's cooked, i'm promised. >> no one did anything to it. >> your hands are clean, that is. >> that's good. >> mm-hmm. >> then you move over here. we'll put the short ribs over here and we're makingled easiest

cream, okay. then we add mozzarella, shredded mozzarella, parmesan cheese, chopped kale, basil, garlic, go. you don't have to make a roux or add anything tolls this. melt the cheese and wilt the kale. use baby kale or this kind of kale. >> magic of tv. >> and you've got your sauce like this. >> and now it's a layering job so go, grab. >> flat noodles. >> what was on the bottom. >> tomato sauce first. noodles, a little bit of the cream sauce with kale. shredded short ribs. >> how many layers would you make in this? >> probably three. >> after you've done the layering, in the often. >> tom it with tomato sauce, 400 degrees, 20 minutes. >> may i taste. >> threat cool though before you cut it. >> threat cool for 15 to 20 minutes. >> want it to solidify, otherwise it's liquidy everywhere. you want it to be like that it is guys downstairs. >> what do you think?

>> carson, with the kale this is actually healthy, right, giada? probably losing weight. >> it's a meal all in one. >> it's delicious. >> delicious, guide a. thank you so much. a little lasagna short ribs. what could go wrong? check out this recipe at today.com/food. coming up, our season of

nbc. season of kindness on "today" is sponsored by amazon smile. you shop, amazon gives. >> and today is the last day of the season of kindness campaign. 40 days we have celebrated good deeds, both big and small. so many of you got on in the act. over 15,000 uses of shared kindness on twitter and over 11,000 people got involved on social media. our sponsor, amazon smile, sent gifts to "today" fans who tweeted and gave away gift cards to 200 people out on the plaza to help them pay kindness forward. how will you share kindness forward? tweet us and share with us. they support many different organizations and we'll share. over to you. >> my favorite one of the month, when you surprise that woman on

she was -- i won't forget her. she was a sweet woman. we did an ambush in her room, it was her birthday. julie the cruise director surprised her. she was a lot of fun. so it's been fun celebrating. >> yeah. >> and just because the campaign is over doesn't mean the kindness should end. we hope that you'll spread love and kindness during the holiday season and beyond. we're back inkim: good morning. kim and dana wagner. this has turned into a busy news day. dana: it has. the 911 calls relief sunday night from the incident on the strip. >> a female just hit several people on the strip and has turned herself in.

we need units to go back northbound. the scene goes as far down the valley with people all over the door. we need that someone on the scene. >> those are the calls that came in and immediately after a woman and an oldsmobile hit a number of women on the strip, killing one, critically injuring three. lakisha holiday is behind bars accused of committing the crime. kim: big holiday on the horizon. here is kelly with the details. >> right now we are tracking rain showers and mountains no moving southeast through the area. this is where we have seen some of the activity. it is dwindling as it moves to the south and east. mainly mostly cloudy skies with

a big storm system brewing for thursday night into early friday morning. look at the impact on the temperatures. 46 is the high. dana: it looks like it is going to rain out there today. look outside the valley. kim: it is like popcorn. you do not know where it is going to pop up sometimes. >> showers are more widespread today.

kim: this morning on "today's take" we've got quentin tarantino, kurt russell, the all-star cast of "the hateful eight." ho, ho, ho, three days to go and the ultimate sabtd ark challenge and deck the halls with kids' homemade gifts. all that hand more coming up now. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales, willie geist and tamron hall live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. welcome to "today" on a drizzly tuesday morning it's december 22nd, 2015. by the way, the official first day of winter. >> winter at 11:49. >> hear this song. >> many people don't know it. >> yes. >> this is my favorite christmas

it's billy squier "christmas is the time to say i love you". >> i will listen to this song all year long but more accessible during christmas time. >> good choice. >> did you keep the christmas music going, i have it 24/7 now? >> oh, yeah, absolutely. >> think new year's eve. >> hours, just had the music playing in the background. >> i love that. can't stop my ring tone. i have "star wars." >> we're balancing. >> but i need to get a holiday ring tone. >> we have you here as a meteorologist what is going on out there is. >> happiness. >> it's 60-something. it will be 72 here on christmas eve. >> 72 degrees. washington, d.c. will be close to 80 degrees on christmas eve. isn't that wild? >> that's the record for new york? >> the record for new york i believe is -- >> we're pushing it. >> we're going to crush the record. >> the record i believe is 72. i think we're going to get to 75.

>> this week it's going to be 75. >> going to be crazy, but it's an el nino year but seen still it tends to be warmer during the beginning of winter during el nino but this year it's breaking -- it's never been this warm for this long around this time of year. >> when natalie was here last week she said it was difficult for her to get into the holiday spirit because -- i'm quite the opposite. i grew up in west texas so this is winter in many respects and when you look out on the plaza no, coats. there are rain jackets. >> it's raining. >> a few rain jackets, umbrellas, but like no coats. >> kind of bumming me up. i like the snow, fire in the fireplace. >> you can have a fire. >> just sweat. >> doesn't feel right. >> sweat out christmas. >> get a snow globe and look at snow globe. >> i say enjoy it now because -- >> yeah. >> winter is coming, end of january, february, i think is when we're going to get -- we'll make up for it. >> winter is coming and not just "the game of thrones."

watching. >> comedians and cars getting coffee for my money is the best, i thinky that the best show, web series and jerry seinfeld if you don't know about it picks up one of his celebrity buddies in a vintage car, a big car guy and knows everybody in the world, anybody you would want to sit down with in the world comedy and picks them up in the car and if out and have coffee for 20 minute, 30 minutes, get cool car and great guests. well, he's taking it up a notch. this season we've go the our first look at the new promo and among many guests, will ferrell, a lot of big names, the president of the united states is going to be on "comedians in cars cars" and they will drive a '63 corvette stingray and split window coupe and the conversation focuses on the lighter side of the presidency, i would think so and an opportunity to pull back the curtain. it's on crackle available december the 30th and you can catch it anywhere. such a good show. the episodes with people like

who don't do a lot of talking in long form interviews. >> it's amang. >> i wonder if the president will loosen up a little. i know he has his little jabs and has these funny moments but very deadpan. i wonder how the whole conversation. >> ever seen the whours correspondents dinner, his little riff there, he knows how to let it down. is it wrong that i'm only obsessed with the car? >> did you see the car. >> hilarious and i love jerry seinfeld. i wanted to google like what does that set you back? >> got to have time to have money. >> do they make a match box version of that? >> there is a great picture in the promo of that corvette, light blue corvette parked in front of the white house, polls up and picks up the president for a cup of coffee, very cool. >> 1963 stingray with a split window coup. >> jerry's got the best car. >> did you bury me.

>> we talked about this yesterday, and i don't like calling it the fallout, but the conversation continues over steve harvey's mistake on sunday night's miss universe pageant where he named miss colombia the winner and later crowned miss philippines and i actually saw this the night that it happened but i didn't know if it was real. there's a snapchat video that's been floating around, and it shows steve harvey talking with some of the stage crew people there. the audio is difficult to hear, but the caption on the snapchat video reads, quote, teleprompter said miss universe colombia, so people are pointing to this, even though steve got on stage and add mirabelli said, you know, this is my fault, i got it wrong. there are people who are pointing to this video that you can't hear the audio. on the counter side you have some who said if it was in the teleprompter it means the

unlikely they would have had in the teleprompter. >> i know what the text said but how do we know what he said? >> i saw it that night and how do we know what he said? >> even if that's what he's saying and not knowing and saying it was a teleprompter issue and he went up there and owned. it didn't throw anybody under the bus. >> not like what we do when the prompter is wrong. why is the prompter not running, team, really, what's going on? that's what we do. we go low brow. not half the people that steve harvey is. just go and tell them the cards are wrong >> i understand why people are interested. it was an amazing piece of television, shockingly, but steve harvey a villain, no, no. got the wrong guy. made a mistake and owns it. >> yesterday, of course, stunning. never seen anything like it. day two, i'm like, okay. exactly. >> but he is getting a lot of love. al roker re-tweeted al's tweet and talked about steve saying

live tv is tough and mistakes happen. took responsibility. nobody got hurt. nobody better and steve said thanks, man. magic johnson the night it happened within seconds, magic johnson sent this out. people are having fun with t.justin bieber actually said, like no disrespect, man, but he did a meme of steve harvey's face on his body and said too late to say sorry. >> yeah. >> i've known steve harvey for many years, used to have comedy club. one of the best comedians where he made his living in so many years kind of poking at things like this. in addition to that, he's an incredible philanthropist he and his wife. >> let's not forget, this is live tv. we've all had mistakes on live tv so we've dug some up. >> willie. >> so glad you were able to find them. >> did you know you left quite an impression on amanda siegfried. >> i always say it wrong? great actor. >> what did he do? >> i don't know.

>> amanda from her roles as a little bit d dzy teen -- >> a little bit itsy. >> are you channeling ted? >> willie geist. >> she was very ditzy in that movie, as i said early. >> well, i think you have to. >> you don't have -- i won't explain how that happens and these things happen. >> dylan, funny you bring up that moment with me. >> yes, dylan. >> ten years ago watching wjar in providence, our nbc station up there, which i love and it's a great station and were you doing the weather, and it was great. ultio. >> i love this one. >> and, again, we do lose an hour of sleep so turn your [ bleep ] ahead one hour before you go to bed. gusts up to 25 knots. one to two feet except five feet at bay entrance. >> i can't regain my composure. >> turn it ahead.

out the news. >> huh. >> one of those moment that didn't exist anywhere on -- on youtube or anything,but our amazing producer team seem to find it. >> they find it all. >> thanks wjr. >> anything ever happen to you? >> not one thing. >> roll the tape. >> you think that's their priority or what we're looking at at that the screen. may whole chair just broke on set. >> just the thought, tamron. >> that is -- we have a new set and clearly couldn't afford -- >> that happened. >> the whole chair, msnbc. >> that's a credit to you. >> budget. >> there you go. >> having like a serious conversation on politics and this chair just goes under. >> you stayed with it. you're a were. >> that wasn't good enough so let's try another one. >> what? >> the biggest located entirely in the united states. >> what's -- the biggest located

>> great lakes. >> oh. >> they all touch canada, mississippi. >> the mississippi lake. >> the mississippi lake. >> and you're shocked you don't have a point. >> the mississippi lake. >> i think -- i think you guys dubbed that in, the trickery on this show. well, yeah, so we figured we'd show you those moments -- the highlights of our career. our parents are all proud right now. >> go over there, no flubs. >> i don't want to fall. >> don't fall. time. >> it is winter though. yes, 11:49 last night we officially turned the corner. it does not feel like it and won't at all through the christmas holiday. eastern half. country. we'll see a lot rain though. had heavier of pockets of rain down alone panning handle of florida. this continues to be an issue through the day today, and also have a chance of stronger storms from texas, oklahoma into

>> tamron says it's 99 degrees, your official weather report. >> the i got a tweet are you wearing white in the winter? >> yeah. >> you can wear white in the winter, especially -- what is winter anymore? >> it's 75 out there. >> all right. coming up next, kurt russell, jennifer jason leigh and quentin tarantino team up for "the hateful eight" and dylan sat down with the cast of [ dog barks ] [ bark ]

[ gasps ] oh no! look, the sky's awake! that. was. epic! [ bark ] ow! so you think santa will like these... red and green m&m's? i don't know! i never met the guy! whaaaaa! he does exist! they do exist! uhm... santa?

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sticks with them. make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around. use clorox disinfecting products. because no one kills germs better than clorox. there are 16 fresh-picked oranges squeezed into each bottle of tropicana pure premium. and absolutely no space for added sugar, water, or preservatives. tropicana. we put the good in morning. the hotly anticipated eighth film by named director quentin tarantino is finally here called "the hateful eight" and i got to interview mr. tarantino and seven of the named stars and you can see how much this crew liked working together. >> one of them is not what he says he is. >> "the hateful eight" is not only quentin tarantino's eighth movie but it also focuses on

by a terrible blizzard. >> no way i'm spending a couple of night under a rof with somebody i don't know who they are. >>et? post-civil war wyoming, tarantino's latest labor are love tries to keep the viewers guessing who is working with whom. >> it throws these brutal characters together and tests their loyalty and their principles but it's all set in this fun, funny, snowy western. how do you describe this movie? >> it is definitely a western. there is a comedic aspect to it and definitely a mystery. first time writing a misery >> no, no, no, no. >> yeah, yeah, yeah. >> follows a bounty hunty who takes his mistress to justice. >> your characters were attached the entire movie and how does that change the dynamic on set? >> took a while to get accustomed and it was weird to be unattached.

honeymooners couple. they are pretty out of it, but they are kind of fun to watch at times. >> and for most of you this isn't your first rodeo in a quintin film and damien and jennifer, your first time. do you feel now that you're graduates of the university of tarantino? >> never heard it put like that before. >> you do feel like you've been on to this set and into this film experience that is have sort of privileged to be a part of. >> he gives you a chance to get bert, and that's the most exciting thing for me. i think we all never knew that we were in school, burks honey, we were in school, trust me. >> so you film this in telluride, and the whole movie takes place in a blizzard. i would assume working in those harsh conditions it would be nice to get back in the studio? not so much. >> the studio was -- was refrigerated basically. >> what?

exactly what we wanted so we got breath every day all day. we're hear the hot tea call. hat tea, guys. hot tea. let's go. >> to capture the sprawling scenery as well as the intimate scenes inside the hab dashry the film was shot using historic 70-millimeter lenses from 1959. >> thought it the would give it a real big look, but they can be quite intimate the. there's always two plays going on in this movie once you're in the haberdashery. there's the foreground play of what's happening with the actors and then there 's the background play so you always know where everybody is and hopefully that's kind stretching the rubberband of suspense. >> now we're talking. >> and as all tarantino's veterans can attest there's always one more take. >> there was a famous thing you said, every time you want to do one last take. >> oh, yeah, everybody, everybody. we got it. we got it, but we're going to do one more.

>> because we love making movies! >> a great cast to sit down and take to. "the hateful eight" opens in select theaters christmas day and nationwide christmas eve. up next, time to don the red suit and find out which of these people know how to be santa the best. the snow is starting to fall... and all the decorations are just right. the presents have all been opened... and our loved ones are gathered all around. so share that extra joy in your heart... and make this christmas even more special than the last. walmart has everything you'll need for a christmas meal they'll never forget. share wonder every day.

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finally got miss universe sorted out and the next question is who will be crowned america's best santa. the big question santa's in the barn will answer that this week. >> that kid is so cute. >> let's welcome the show host tom galbraith and tammy hall, no relation. >> ho, ho, ho, to you all. >> incredibly excited about this. >> so are we. so are we. early for santas to be up. usually work at night, but i think we'll be able to do it.

people who haven't steen? >> that's a great question. i hosted it and i'm almost 100% positive how it works. we had ten santas competing for the title of america's best santa claus and a $100,000 grand prize, and they compete in various santa activity that demonstrate, you know, jolliness or kindness or kid-approvedness and kind ran out of nesses there. >> how does an elf qualify? >> i do all the work. >> we make the toys, make the list. we pretty much do it all. santa can't do it without the elf. >> an elf with attitude. >> what are the special skills you guys would say you have? >> well, i'm a mom so i know all about the kids, and i'm a military family so we've been all around the world quite a few times? >> and i'm a musical santa. i know every christmas carol written. >> you guys have agreed to break off into teams with us and we'll compete on some of the things santa needs to know and do. >> we'll do like a combination of a bunch of different

we'll do a little relay race. the first station will be eating cookies and chugging milk. >> that got my name on it. >> tommy. >> chugging milk. my old frat boy came out for a minute. >> oh, wait, wait. >> don't start yet. >> we have to follow strict game shaw laws. >> the next challenge is stfing presents into bags, and that's dylan. >> oh, yes, yes. >> and then you're -- >> am i going now. >> i guess so. >> i don't think this is the way it works. >> i'm going now. >> okay. >> and willie, you untangle the lights. >> okay. >> we're all working together or against each other. >> i feel like we just left you. >> i'll just stand over here off camera. >> but i think we're supposed to start and then we tap and go, relay. >> you can high five me. >> let's start the clock. ady, go. >> i'll start us off.

>> the last hoo are or first one. >> there will be one ho. >> hey, it's a morning show. all right, guys. your teammate, ready, set, ho. >> go, go, go. >> why are you eating -- >> take bigger bites. >> this is cold of tamron to offer to do this on television. >> why aren't you taking bigger bites. >> nibbling like a mouse. >> is that how you eat cookies. >> good cooky. >> tamron, is how you. >> like a little mouse. >> this is going to take forever. >> i don't know if you watch the show or not but this is the longest time he's ever gone without talking, a true delight. >> i don't think we have enough time for tamron. >> all right. >> just go for it, guys. >> okay. get them in there. there we go. lauren is a little slow but that's what we love about him.

>> that's not in the bag. >> there you go. >> untangle the lights and wrap them around. >> who packed these, these are horribly tangled up. >> willie, willie. that's how you untangle. >> willie has a distankt advantage and being tall and long arms to get to coughing...sniffling... and wishing you could stay in bed all day. when your cold is this bad... ...you need new theraflu expressmax. ththaflu expressmax combines... maximum strength medicines available without a prescription... ...to fight your worst cold and flu symptoms... ...so you can feel better fast and get back to the job at hand. new theraflu expressmax.

kim: our running rebels looking to get back in the win column. maybe they can get it done tonight. they are taking on south dakota and are doing so from their home port. they have to do this. they are going to win without their star freshman, steven zipperman. he has been on fire. he also played high school best will town. he reaggravated his thigh injury during saturday's game. th up december 30. kelly curran, it doesn't matter, because they play indoors, but people are concerned about the

kelly: a lot of people doing traveling by road and air and want to make sure things are goodt of clouds around the area. precipitation expected tuesday north of the las vegas valley care temperatures are warm inside. wind out of the southwest, overton, 57 deprint, 59 degrees for the expected high. we are looking at a high of 59 degrees in las vegas with wind kicking up in the afternoon. what we are watching closely, thursday night into early friday morning, chances of light rain and mountain snow. breezy conditions, much cooler temperatures. the high on christmas day, just 46 degrees. kim: thank you very much. a quick programming note -- tomorrow morning when you wake up with the wagners, tom hawley does what he always does on a wednesday. reaches into the video vault, bringing us back in time for the story tomorrow is from 30 yearsago. it was a major announcement about high-speed rail being the future of southern nevada. if you have heard tom chuckle about this when he talks about current proposals, it is because

nevada being linked to the los angeles area has been talked

he has a pop-up video to taking a look at headlines, federal health officials are looking into new e. coli outbreaks linked to chipotle restaurant. the centers for disease control and prevention says five people in kansas, north dakota and oklahoma all got sick after a week -- a week after eating at chipotle outlets. chipotle believes the cases are related to the earlier outbreak that sickened dozens of people in nine states but the cdc says early evidence shows a different strain of the bacteria may be skrfd. a new study finds heart attacks may not be so sudden. researchers studying cardiac arrest in portland, oregon, for over a decade found half of patient experience warning signs in the month before suffering their abrupt heart failure. the signs seem obvious, too, including chest pain and shortness of breath. heart attacks claim the lives of

amazon's upstart rival jet.com promptsed a better way to order when it took flight last summer, but now that company has hit some delivery turbulence. in a statement posted on its website jet.com is alerting customers if they ordered gift with the exception -- with the expectation that they would be delivered on time for christmas, that it won't half. jet.com has tried to lure customers by undercutting online discounters like amazon and walmart. and the u.s. post office predicts it will deliver more than 15 billion letters and packages this season but not a lot are actually holiday cards. the greeting card industry says $400 million. that's this year alone. another concern, they are too expensive, especially when you add 49 sent postage for each one. people find it easier and cheaper to e-mail their holiday hellos. sky high scare at orlando's seaworld theme park b.50 people were stranded high in the air after the park's sky power ride

passengers appeared in good spirits waving at maintenance workers were hoisted up in a basket to fix the problem. the double-deck cabin stopped a quarter of the way up the 400-foot pole. three hours later, can you believe, that everyone was on ground safe and sound but i'm sure that three hours, dylan, felt like an eternity. check of the forecast for us. >> certainly did. yes, a messy travel day on

>> and that's your latest forecast. now it's time for christmas confidential where we're helping you make it through your holiday gift-giving list. >> abby larson is the founder and editor of the site style me pretty and style me pretty living and has great homemade ideas for kids. freight to see you. >> you, too. have tons of projects starting with finger painting. nico is helping us paint some ceramic tile coasters. get at square coaster, tiles at the home depot hardware store. nico is going to use non-toxic paint. the finger to good finger painting is for grown-ups to choose the color palets. you choose the colors and let him go to town >> i love it. >> show it how to dress them up a little bit. >> once you have your dried coaster here we'll kind of make it a little bit more giftworthy

take your adhesive pain, draw a shape, triangle, dots, squares and take your gold leaf and lay it right on top and press it down and when you peel the back off it will look just like that. >> that's cool. >> gold leaf, any craft store. >> and then you'll add some mogge podge like a sealant over it and then some pads on the bag. >> nice job. >> this is fingerpaint. this is so easy. black construction paper. the paint really pops on top and then moms or older siblings can actually trace letters with stens yils. we added gold to it because we add gold to everything. stick it in a frame, adorable. >> a nice joint project for the kids to get started and you finish it up. >> this is for your little east guys. dab your little baby's thumb in the green paint and work your way around the wreath and the pinky for the berries. we have a template on style me

that one. >> cool. >> a little more varns than just finger painting. >> one of my favorites. these are illustrated candles so what you're going to do is have your child doodle on some tracing paper, doodle on the paper and actually will late paperer right on to the candle itself. after do you that, you'll wrap it in wax paper here and you'll below dry on a really high setting and when you pulled wax paper off the design has appeared on to the camera. >> cool pillowcases. >> easiest gift ever. >> literally drawing on a pillowcase with a fabric marker. >> lila is doing her own masterpiece. >> if you want to do a phrase, start with some dots and have your child connect the dots. my 4-year-old did this one and that's part of happy accidents that you get.

sleey head. isn't that awesome. >> bar none my favorite gift ever. a photo book mark. how cute the. so you'll -- you're going to take a picture of your child holding kind of a preteebd bureaucrat of balloons, print it on photo paper and cut it out very close and have lam nate, print shop or buy a laminator online for super inexpensive. cut it out and poke a hole at top, add asles, string, ribbon, whatever you want. >> i love it. >> dominoes. >> now the real message here is you can dress up any neutral project to be totally something special. basic box. megan is adding pink painted. used tape to use the geometric pattern and then you have something sparkly and pretty. >> all doing so good. >> i realize why you love the gold so much. >> go commodores.

>> coming up next, tamron's favorite tuesday trend. her beauty products make perfect ho dave, i'm sorry to interrupt. i gotta take a sick day tomorrow. dads don't take sick days, dads take nyquil severe the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep with a cold, medicine. ow! so you think santa will like these... red and green m&m's? i don't know! i never met the guy! whaaaaa! he does exist! they do exist!

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on land and water, in the air, space and even cyberspace. we operate in a complex world with one simple mission. win. ( ) just head around the corner to walgreens when you're searching for that perfect little something. walgreens has great gifts like toys, beauty gift sets, and photo gifts, and it's all just a hop, skip, and a bark away.

on the gift of the week. well, it's just a few more days until christmas. you feeling the pressure? don't worry. your girlfriend is here to help alleviate the gift-giving stresses. "today's" tuesday trend is all about my favorite beauty products used all year long. weeded out the bad stuff i think and picked out the ones i really like. now, i'm sure you're wondering how does that alleviate your shopping stress at home. let me tell you, the holiday tradition i have with nye girlfriends. what we do we give each other our favorite beauty product and that way we help share what we've discovered. i brought my good girlfriends with me, willie, you might know him and dylan, my other girlfriend to share them them. this started some years ago, because, you know, you find a mascara, for example and say to your girlfriend, you have to try this mascara. >> i know.

>> and so that's what we d.okay. i've got my list here. >> this is my -- so i'm going to put it on the table and you life. this is what i gave all of the women that are on our show rk this as a gift, the people who put this show together and make it magic called pretty passion, a skin tightening body lotion. the reason, my legs, all of you who send the tweets about my legs being shiny, it gives you a nice shimmer, but if tightens, and you can use it all over your body. >> gets rid of cellulite in the. >> no. >> the i have it on right now. it is amazing. the small bottle is $29, this is it. i swear to you this will last you an eternity. a drop will go a very long way. >> my legs are so tight i don't need that. >> it's all on you. >> i'm going to take the family size. >> you get to the winter and may get a little more pale and have a tinted version of it.

>> they have a tint in this. >> will this match me? >> dylan, i've got you. >> the this is what you do to people giving gifts. >> i ask a lot of questions. >> a lot of women will want that. i gave that out. >> my other favorite from this season, i do my own makeup every day. i'm obsessed with their mascara. this one is called the fat brush mascara, find it at nordstroms right now. gift it your girlfriend. that's all you give to them. >> can i take this. >> thanks. >> number three, every morning, every single morning of my life, take a shower -- not every, and i use this bodiy scrub. how i scrub my body because i think to get moist skin you've got to the do an exfoliation first >> every day. >> i do it every morning, and it helps wake me up. this is amazing, exhausting but it byes off. bamford, boom. phenomenal, smells good, it's 58 bucks and it's pricey and i promise you this jar will last you at least six month.

not like a poyola kind of thing >> is that in addition to the soap. >> in addition. >> that's a long shower. >> this is what i wash my face with every morning. it's a white marble, earno laszlo. $:45. i've had my same bar almost all of this year and keeps my skin clear, i love it. it's a face soap, a cleanser, and you can travel with it because you don't have to worry about -- >> it removes makeup too. >> two more on the list. >> running me out of time. >> have all the time you need. >> real quick. >> sorry. >> i'm obsessed over this. this is a bodiy wash. >> by kai. >> a scrub, a soap and a body wash. >> pays off, trust me, your husband will like you or me for the ideas. this is the most amazing body wash in the world, $46. >> okay. got to the get this and last but not least because i ride my bike every day, can i show this, got

word, an infinity scarf, amazing, made out of bamboo fleece, live for this and give this to christina. >> we'll put them online. hop to it. the meek of christmas. we'l introducing kisses deluxe chocolates. with a whole-roasted hazelnut, delicate crisps, and layers of rich, creamy chocolate, they're twice the size of the kisses chocolates you love.

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there are some people you should give underwear to this holiday. and there are some people you shouldn't . people you should. shouldn't. janice! should. shouldn't. yes. no. should. no way. should. no. definitely not. ha ha, nay. you shouldn't give underwear to everybody. but for those you do, give them fruit of the loom. this morning on "mope to it" a special kind of holiday block party. family, friend and neighbors spreading the holiday joy by feeding the hungry. once a year the community of sunset hills in greensboro, north carolina, gets together to create something very cool. >> they are balls -- they are made with chicken wire and then you put them up in a ball and we put lights on it. >> we made a star?

christmas and gets you in the mood for it. >> the tradition started 19 years ago with jonathan smith and his children ally and justin. >> allison came home his sophomore year and i saw these lights, here they are and i have to make them. >> making chicken wire balls and throwing them in the front trees. >> neighbored were intrigued. >> we thought that they were doing a little interesting decorating, and they did that for a couple years, and then another family started doing it, and it just started growing down our whole street, and it game this magical event. >> an event where hundreds of giant christmas balls are made and hoisted high in the tree. >> they are trick toe make but it's worth it in the end because they are beautiful. >> but the lights of greensboro have become more than just ornaments. they now also help feed those who are hungry in the community.

metropolitan area are food insecure meaning they don't know where the food coming with. >> so the town set up a food collection trailer asking those who toured the lights to bring food. >> the vult magical. it's become an annual holiday destination that lights up the sky, illuminating more than 20 block and 30 hundred homes. >> what's amazing is that car after car after car the is stopping and saying i've got some canned goods. >> to help raise money they added a nighttime 5k called running of the ball. in eight years the combined events have provided one million meals to local food banks. >> i never would have dreamed that making a lighted ball would have the impact it had on this city and on cities around the country. >> other towns have embraced tradition, too, including port huron, michigan and morgantown, west virginia.

they are, that folks are making it about more than just these pretty lights. shining a light on hunger, loneliness and community. >> a holiday event making streets and spirits bright across the country. >> i mean, you take beauty, getting together and doing something for a common good and i think that's what mankind's heart is made for. >> beautiful story and those are beautiful. learn to make those at today.com.

this is "today" on nbc. do you believe it's the final day of our toy drive, and melissa brunson is the senior vice president, education and meeting services at the direct selling association. she is here with ethan, jack brunson, charlotte and lila cox,

good morning. >> good morning. thanks for having us today. >> this has been incredible. >> let me swrustdjust say the direct selling association represents more than 170 companies who sell their product pace to face so at a home or in a party with friend. we've been doing this for more than a decade with the "today" show. >> tell us about your donation this year. >> we've had about 17 member companies a have contributed over $15 million this year alone. >> wow. >> yes, and we have several of our companies we're just highlighted on the show because i know they have been highlighted throughout holiday season which is awesome. essentials. >> we're almost out of town.

thank you f kim: good morning, i am kim wagner. we have a lot developing with that big, high profile case with the deadly crash on the strip. dana: we are hearing for the first time released hours ago the 911 audio from sunday nightake a listen. >> she just had several people on the strip and wants to turn herself in. >> we need units to go back northbound on eastbound. we will be returning to the scene. this scene goes down the valley.

dana: you could hear how chaotic it was from the last transmission.the suspect remains nhl in downtown las vegas awaiting -- murder charges. kim: the forecast is dicey this time of your. kelly:seeing some rain showers to the north and east of the las vegas valley. vegas is expected to stay dry today. warmer temperatures because of the wind out of the southwest. boulder city at 60 degrees. pahrump looking at a high of 56. 59 in the las vegas valley. looking at mostly cloudy skies. 55 tomorrow. it is going to be thursday night into early friday when we are watching closely the chance of mountain rain and snow. breezy condition temperatures, highs only in the 40's friday and into the weekdana: this is a good day to be outside, it looks like. kim: it sounds like it. i am laughing because i'm

the tos video vault retakes where he takes us back in time. we could make a movie out of how many times they have proposed high-speed rails for southern nevada linking us to southern california. the more things change the more