ready, set, return! the nation's retailers are ready for the final round of holiday shopping madness. on the mend. england's prince philip is said to be in good spirits after undergoing heart surgery. and open wide. an 8-month-old baby gets up close and perhaps a little too personal with the commander in chief. very good morning to you. i'm veronica dela cruz. those stories and much more, straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. and we begin this morning with many happy returns. christmas is officially over, but for many americans, there is one more tradition to observe. millions of shoppers will head

out today to return unwanted gifts. and if retailers get their wish, they'll spend more money on post-christmas sales. brian mooar is joining us now from washington with details. brian, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, veronica. well, everybody out there in tv land, did you get what you wanted for christmas? after speeding around the globe to deliver all his gifts on time -- ♪ jingle bells, jingle all the way ♪ >> reporter: -- santa and his friends spent time surfing with his friends. and he did a pretty good job this year. foul weather left u.p.s. scrambling to get tens of thousands of packages delivered on time. and speaking of scrambling, it's now crunch time for the republican presidential candidates, just eight days left before iowa. meanwhile, president obama and the first family are chilling in sunny hawaii. >> here you go. >> reporter: this is, of course, the season of giving, and many spent their christmas day doing just that. 1,800 meals served at a church

in north carolina, 22,000 in atlanta, and in florida, volunteers delivered boxes of groceries to their needy neighbors. now that christmas is over, it's time for serious shoppers to spring back into action. >> on average, the week after christmas accounts for up to 10% of holiday season sales, so it's a very important week to close out the season. >> reporter: okay, it may not be this out of control if you're planning to hit the malls today, but if you're looking for bargains, you know you're going to pay a price. the national retail federation estimates eight in ten consumers bought gift cards this season, but what about returns? i have a feeling a lot of people are going to be doing that today. veronica? >> brian mooar in washington. brian, thank you. well, the white house is condemning a series of terror attacks in nigeria that killed nearly 40 people on christmas day. an explosion at a catholic church near the nigerian capital claimed the lives of at least 20

people who had just finished observing christmas mass. it appears to be a coordinated assault. a bomb exploded amid gunfire in a city in the central part of the country and a suicide car bomber attacked the military in the northeast. a muslim sect responsible for holiday bombings that killed 90 people last year reportedly claimed responsibility. new violence in iraq this morning as a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb at a checkpoint leading to the interior ministry in baghdad, killing six people. on sunday, vice president joe biden talked by phone to prime minister nuri al maliki, offering condolences after last week's violence killed up to 70 in baghdad. their conversation comes amid fears of a sectarian split after al maliki's coalition issued an arrest warrant for the top sunni political leader. the u.s. is urging iraqi leaders to follow their nation's constitution to try to work out their differences. it is a sign of the strained relationship between the u.s. and pakistan in the months following the raid that killed osama bin laden. "the new york times" reports the

two countries are now setting their sights on a more limited, less ambitious counterterrorism alliance that could include limits on u.s. drone strikes along with a number of u.s. spies and soldiers on the ground. tensions were heightened last month after an american air strike killed 26 pakistani soldiers near the afghan border. despite that, u.s. officials insist the relationship will endure. here is your "first look" at some of the other news going on around america today. hundreds lined the banks of the delaware for the 59th annual rethankment of george washington's crossing of the river. the surprise military offensive in 1776 took down a band of british mercenaries, turning the tide of the revolutionary war. although he had a very busy schedule over the weekend, st. nick managed to pull off some exciting stunts on the potomac river. for a 26th year, acrobatic performers braved the cold dressed as santa claus, reindeer and elves, to put on a show for

spectators. there were some extremely cute stocking stuffers on display in missouri. for their first christmas, hospital staff members dressed each newborn in a santa hat and placed them inside their own stocking, where they slept like, um, well, babies! they slept like babies. and finally in hawaii, an 8-month-old boy had an adorable response for president obama after he told a room of military families it was too quiet! the instant put his hand in the president's mouth moments after being picked up to take a photo. and as you can see, the president played along merrily. too cute. now for a look at the national weather, we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. happy holidays to you, bill. how have they been going? >> well. >> yeah? >> yeah, 8:00 last night it was time to kick everyone out of the house with waking up early, but yeah, i had a good time. >> i hear you. >> you? >> wonderful, perfect. couldn't complain. >> great. the weather cooperated it was kind of rainy. >> didn't get a white christmas,

though. >> not many people did, and that's the theme this winter. worst of it was down in the deep south with all the rain. but take a look at the temperatures. we're now really getting into the core and the heart of winter, and we're just waiting for the blast of arctic air to come, and so far, it's staying up in canada. actually, it's staying up in siberia and up towards the north pole. we're at 37 in montana, minneapolis 36 26, warm by your standards. we're continuing the trend. looks like it will go out through the new year, mild weather and dealing more with rain than snow or ice. i mean, we had a rainy weekend, unfortunately, for areas of louisiana, especially on christmas day. now, this area of rain is going to track along the gulf and then spread up the east coast, so it's going to be another big rainmaker from monday, tuesday, into tuesday night. maybe on the back side, a narrow area of snow, and i'll show you who's going to get that. as far as the rain this morning, louisiana, shreveport, all the way across the highway and interstate.

as we head into areas of jackson, mississippi, getting some rain. also rainy on and off, even into new orleans, especially during the afternoon hours. and if you're in mississippi or alabama, that rain is going to spread your way. this green shows you where the rain's going to go the next 48 hours. notice it soaks the southeast and then right up the east coast. looks like an inch, inch and a half at most for just about everyone. i mentioned there may be just enough cold air on the back side of this that if you're in areas of say eastern or northeastern ohio, back up towards the buffalo and erie areas, that's where we could actually add some snow on your forecast. possibly, if we're getting any heavy snow, adirondacks into areas right around watertown, new york. you haven't had a lot of snow there this year either, and you have a chance tuesday into tuesday night. the forecast for today, looking really good the eastern seaboard, no problems at all. pretty nice day, in the 40s and 50s. there's the rain from new orleans, mississippi, even dallas dealing with some showers. northern plains, 45 in minneapolis. sno nowhere on the ground? i mean, that's a great day for you.

looks like you will cool off on tuesday. chicago, looks like two nice days for you, and denver, 43. we're starting to melt the snow from last week. veronica, yeah, we didn't have a lot of white christmases, but at least it was mild for the kids to go play with their toys. >> it was actually a beautiful day, though. >> many areas. >> thank you. just ahead, a look at how u.s. service members spent their christmas holiday overseas. coming up, the nba unwraps a new season and aaron rodgers spreads christmas cheer throughout green bay. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ morgan ] the super bowl. the most epic day in america. and the end of a journey that began here... ...when the swipe of a visa card... ...gave one man the chance to bring happiness to ten friends, including the knuckleheads at the car wash. those are super bowl tickets? yes dude! you're going to the super bowl! [ morgan ] use your visa card for a chance to win.

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welcome back to "first look." i'm veronica de la vuz. here are some of the top stories this morning. police in texas are investigating the shooting at a christmas gathering in ft. worth. authorities believe the men and women are related and that the shooter is among the dead. a tragic scene christmas morning in stanford,

connecticut, where a mire killed five members of a family, including three children. two people were able to make it out of the burning victorian home. it took dozens of firefighters to get the fire under control. thousands of credit card numbers and other personal information belonging to the clients of a texas-based security think tank are apparently now in the hands of the hacking movement known as anonymous. one hacker says the goal is to pull for funds from individual accounts to give away as christmas donations. a south korean polar research ship has reached a leaking russian fishing vessel that's been stuck in the frigid waters off antarctic for the past ten days. the "sparta" and 32-member crew hit ice that tore a one-foot hole in its hull. and in england, the queen's husband, prince philip, duke of edinboro, remains hospitalized after successful surgery to unblock a clogged artery. he got a visit from princes william and harry and is said to

be in good spirits. well, while the u.s. military has now left iraq, tens of thousands of american service members remain in afghanistan for the tenth christmas in a row. the holiday was able to make its presence known among them so far from home. >> merry christmas! >> reporter: tonisha starts off christmas at camp acres as she does every day, reaching out to her home. a mother and a wife, she knows the pain of being this far away, especially at this time of year. it's her job to make things better as a morale officer. she helps them fight depression and alleviate stress. >> we are here to do a job, but in order to do it effectively and productively, you have to have a peace of mind. >> reporter: she reminds troops that folks back home care, handing out goodies sent by grateful americans. and she sets up special events like this jingle bells race,

making spirits bright. >> merry, merry christmas! >> reporter: but no fun and games at the post office. >> oh, mercy. >> reporter: they're busy sorting and handing out christmas cheer, and the 292,000 pounds of holiday mail that arrived at camp eggers this month alone. >> the packages we get mean so very much. >> reporter: a big smile on specialist cooper mcpherson's face. >> we make it easy on each other. >> reporter: he shares his care packages with his band of brothers, following the time-honored tradition, the gift of giving. there are some festive moments, but all over afghanistan, troops are carrying on as usual today, serving their country and fighting a war. this quick response team is heading out on a mission, responding to enemy activity. it's business as usual for this colonel that oversees training of afghan police. 26 years in the army and it's still hard to be away. >> i've got a couple meetings to go through, and then phone call

to my wife. >> reporter: a christmas service where soldiers take time to reflect. their thoughts and prayers are with families, front line troops and fallen comrades. the words of this carol have a special meaning here as they ask for peace on earth. kiko itasaka, camp eggers, kabul. in health news this morning, this is the time of year when many of us are resolving to exercise more, yet studies show january is usually when people work out the least. experts say this is largely because of the weather. nbc's erica edwards has a look at ways you can get your body moving when everything around you is freezing. >> reporter: drudging through the snow on a subzero, arctic day, is not how most people want to burn their holiday calories away. the good news is there are a lot of exercises you can do without leaving your heated home. >> an empty bleach bottle or something, put water in it or

sand, do some light weights and do them vigorously as you say, wow, i really feel this is a lot of work. >> reporter: or add new meaning to work at the office. >> every office building in the world has a great exercise facility none of us ever use. they're called stairs. >> reporter: dr. steven copetski works at the mayo clinic in minnesota. he says vigorous exercise for ten minutes at least three times a week will significantly lower your risk for heart attack. that adds up to only 30 minutes away. he says that half hour isn't meant to be a walk in the park. >> that means like intervals, where you go hard for a couple of minutes, hard enough that you say, wow, i can't do this for more than a couple minutes, i'm going to give out. then back off, don't give out, get your breath back and do it again. >> reporter: if you choose to brave the winter weather and exercise outdoors, experts recommend wearing lots of layers. shield your extremities with heavy socks, gloves and caps,

and stay hydrated. or you could do a combination of both. work up a sweat clearing snow off your car so you can drive it to the gym. erica edwards, nbc news. >> for more information on this and other health stories, you can always check out the health page online at msnbc.com. all right, in sports now, after a long and frustrated lockout, the nba finally had its season opener on sunday. here's nbc's fred roggin. >> good morning. it was the christmas gift that every nba fan had on their list, the start of a new season. and here we go to dallas. the mavs celebrated their first nba title by raising the championship banner. then lebron james and the heat crashed the party. the favorites to win it all this year started this season with a bang. jumped out to a 15-point lead in the first quarter and kept it going all game long. at one point, they were up by 35. lebron led the way with 37. mavs are the champs of the heat they came to beat, 105-94. in los angeles, kobe bryant played in his record 14th

christmas day game. and like so many before, this came down to the final shot. up one, 20 seconds to play. lakers turned it over. chicago needed a bucket and the mvp delivered. derrick rose hit the floater for the lead. one last shot for the lakers, but kobe was swarmed by three defenders and blocked at the buzzer. bulls rally from six points down in the final minute to win it 88-87. spike lee and chris rock enjoyed christmas together at madison square garden. the knicks rode the hot hand of carmelo anthony into the fourth quarter against the celtic's. 17 of his game-high 37 in the final frame. kevin garnett had an open look at the buzzer, but the shot came up short and new york held on to win 106-104. to oklahoma city, where i see mama kissing kevin durant. no mistletoe needed between mother and son. and kevin went out and punched the magic in the kisser, dropped 30 points in the opener. the thunder rolled 97-89. finally, what's a sunday without football? packers and bears. aaron rodgers spreading christmas cheer all over the

field. threw five touchdowns. you can hand him the mvp award right now. packers improve to 14-1 with a 35-21 win. that's your first look at sports. i'm fred roggin. three new films suffer from silent nights at the box office. plus, it's mission accomplished for tom cruise this holiday weekend. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look." confidence. available in color. depend for women is now peach. looks and fits like underwear. same great protection. depend. good morning. great day. fmf]n]

welcome back to "first look."

i'm veronica de la cruz. one man in the south has been making a difference for more than 20 years by granting christmas wishes. nbc's thanh truong takes us to a town where hundreds of kids can ride in to christmas with more than just a smile. >> reporter: in fayetteville, north carolina, tucked away in an old warehouse is, perhaps, the next best thing to santa's workshop. armed with tools, holiday spirit and a heart of gold is the bicycle man. >> my real name is moses, but they don't know that. >> reporter: moses mathis, a retired navy mechanic, earned his nickname two decades ago for his work hand-crafting bicycles for less fortunate children. >> we have so many kids out there that wake up christmas morning and will have nothing under the tree. i try to fill in that gap. >> reporter: year round, the bicycle man and his helpers repair, refurbish and revive donated secondhand bikes. all of that hard work all year long comes down to just one day.

just in time for christmas, the bicycle man will give away 1,100 bikes to kids in need. 6-year-old asiana bigby's wishing for a bike this christmas. a grinch stole hers. >> it's usually in the backyard. put it in the backyard. the next morning that i came back, it was gone. >> reporter: on the day of the giveaway, the kids line up early. first come, first served. >> i think that's exactly what you're looking for, huh? >> reporter: each child is escorted to pick out his or her new bike. >> i like this one. >> reporter: next up, asiana. after some searching, she finds it. pink with white wheels. >> perfect. >> reporter: a bicycle to replace the stolen one. in a matter of hours, the bikes disappear. ♪ we wish you a merry christmas, we wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year ♪ >> reporter: and the man responsible for all the giving is receiving as well. >> there you go. >> reporter: how much does this help out your family? >> it's helping a lot because i don't have the money to get them

bicycles. >> thank you a lot. >> bless you. >> it gets me right here. it does. it makes you feel good. this is why we're doing it all year long. >> reporter: they may not know his real name, but they know his generosity. the bicycle man, once again, making sure hundreds of kids ride into the new year with smiles. thanh truong, nbc news, fayetteville, north carolina. >> that is just awesome. it is time now for your first look at entertainment news. tom cruise had an extra reason to celebrate this holiday weekend. "mission impossible: ghost protocol" easily sailed into the number one spot in the box office with an estimated $26.5 million in its first weekend in full release. still, that's about half of what cruise's other "mission: impossible" films opened with, mainly due to the timing of its release. last week's top flick "sherlock holmes: a game of shadows" dropped to second with $17.8 million, while alvin and the chup mincks' "chip-wrecked"

dropped to third. this weekend's three newcomers failed to light any fires. "the girl with the dragon tattoo" starring daniel craig debuted in fourth. steven spielberg's "the adventures of tintin" came in fifth. and "we bought a zoo" placed sixth with a dismal $7.8 million. and i understand that's not a film that you want to go see, right? >> it's just the name. i mean, if you're at home and you're like, want to go see "we bought a zoo"? it doesn't -- the name, i think. >> it has some good actors in it. >> there's no argument about that. scarlett johansson and matt damon, they've both had really big movies before. >> what about steven spielberg's movie, are you surprised? >> "tintin"? they're saying it's more of a european thing, a lot of people in our country don't know the backstory. >> it did really well overseas. >> that's why it was released

there first. made sense. can be entertaining. a quick update on the forecast. around the country, not a lot of issues today. we had a decent weekend in new england, and it's going to be another decent day today. temperatures are pretty mild for this time of morning. it's cool, it's brisk. you need the gloves and the hats if you're heading out today with the kids, but temperatures in the 40s. you can't complain. we had some snow showers overnight, especially coming off the lakes. a little cold front came through. so, central in central new york, may have a little dusting of snow, but that's about it. it will be a nice day, brisk and breezy early, then the winds die off this afternoon. 40s for a lot of the big cities. in the suburbs, probably only going to be in the upper 30s, but with the sunshine, it will feel nice. as far as how the week shapes up for the east coast, similar to d.c., no real cold shots of air coming, but a good chunk of rain on tuesday. then as we head towards next weekend, forecast looks decent all the way through thursday and friday. really not too many issues. veronica, only travel trouble today is down near louisiana and

mississippi. >> bill, i just want to say thanks because we had some nice christmas weather. >> that was your gift. >> thanks. i'm veronica de la cruz and this is "first look" on msnbc. forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa.

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