[ cheers and applause ] this is "nightline." >> tonight, this little girl is meeting her father face-to-face for the very first time. an emotional day giving these kids a rare chance to be with their dads behind bars. except it's only for one day. plus, the heat is on. hol graphic santas, light fountains, snowflake walls. hue these how these neighborhoods are going over the top in an all-out light fight. how far will they go to be the best? he's the newest featherweight star in the cage. conor mcgregor fighting for the undisputed ufc title belt. will his skill or luck of the irish make him the first irish champion in the ring? first the "nightline 5."

works fast? take the zantac it challenge. zantac works in as little as 30 minutes. next yuck can take 24 hours. when heartburn strikes take zantac for faster relief than nexium or your money back. take the zantac it challenge. the best of everything is even better during red lobster's celebration. the grand seafood feast and the ultimate wood grilled feast. why wait to celebrate? hurry in.

>> number one in just 60 good evening and thanks for joining us. i'm rebecca jarvis. we begin with the children of prisoners. the silent victims of incarceration getting a rare opportunity, a chance to spend a single day with their fathers in

some say it can make a world of difference. but how do you fit a lifetime's worth of parenting into just 24 hours? "nightline" coanchor juju chang goes behind prison walls for our series "face to face." >> this is a collect phone call from tre, a prisoner at the department of corrections -- >> hello. >> hey. y'all getting ready to come? can't wait till you get here. >> reporter: 8-year-old arkinia graham has never met her father. they've grown close over the phone. but johnny tre williams is serving 23 years in prison for second degree murder. >> i'm excited to see you and i'm nervous. >> reporter: today she and nearly 30 other kids are getting a special visit with their dads designed to prevent the kind of

is in prison. >> they're going to have fun -- >> reporter: they are some of the nearly 3 million children in this country with a mom or dad behind bars. ethan buckner is 7. >> you're going to see your dad today? >> reporter: maya matthews is 9. she and her little brother live three hours away. your dad? >> very. like, i can jump super high. because i'm so excited. >> you're so excited, i know. >> my dad -- >> she's here, do you want to meet her? >> reporter: maya has visited before but today is different. >> arkinia, i want you to meet maya. she heard about you. >> meeting your dad behind bars is a really big deal. >> why is it a big deal? >> like this is the one time you can sit in their lap, let him hug you. he can't get up at all. >> reporter: the day before the

seminar on fatherhood. that's where we meet maya's father. >> what's it like waiting six months to see your kids? >> reporter: jeremiah matthews has been in and out of jail for 12 years for burglary. >> i just get scared that they're going to forget. i know my daughter forgets me. she told me that this is the last time, dad. she's like, i love you but you keep breaking promises, getting in trouble. she was 7 when she told me this. and i don't want to disappoint. >> i've said some very mean things to him. >> you've said mean things to him? what kind of things have you said? >> like i'm not going to trust you no more because you promised you'd be there for me the rest of your life action then you go back to jail. >> what did he say when you said that? >> he just was like, okay, then, please gain that trust back, as soon as i get out i'll try to make everything different. >> do you believe him? >> eh -- >> you want to?

>> but it's hard to? >> he's lied to me. >> what you want to do when you look your child in the eyes -- >> reporter: arkinia's dad is learning about fatherhood as well. >> there for you, always will be. >> reporter: he wound up killing a man in a bar fight. though they talk a lot on the phone he's still anxious about meeting her face-to-face. >> what are you feeling? >> anticipation. i'm shaking. >> reporter: as nervous as any father getting to hold his daughter for the very first time. >> she brought something for you too. >> hello, daddy, i really wish when i come to see you that you could come home with me. i love you so much. >> i love you too. >> reporter: but this quiet moment is just a preview of what will be a very special day. the next morning, as excitement builds in this humble prison

>> boys and girls, they're coming in just a minute. >> reporter: the dads are announced one by one. ethan hasn't seen his dad in seven months. his pent-up emotions bubbling over. for maya -- all her anguish and her doubt vanishes. >> i missed you guys. >> missed you too. >> i love you. >> i love you too. >> reporter: arkinia doesn't hesitate. her father no longer just a >> finally. >> finally? you happy? i'm happy for you. >> reporter: jeremiah says he's working hard to stay out of trouble behind bars, to earn this day with his kids. there are 1,300 men in this

only 20 of them are here today. >> i know this is a special event -- >> reporter: the program, called one day with god, was founded by scotty barnes. >> -- the importance of these boys and girls having relationships with their mothers and fathers -- >> reporter: she tells us her dad was a convicted drug dealer, spending most of her childhood locked up. >> i never had a hug, never been told i love you by my dad. >> a lot of people would say, these guys are convicted murderers. felons. why do they deserve this kind of perk? >> i think they forget that the children are the silent victims. the children from the time they're 8, 9 years old, go out on the streets and where the gangs are. come on over and join my family. >> reporter: jeremiah says it's giving him incentives so that the next time he's released, in just 11 months, it will be the last. throughout the day it's clear

years of parenting into a couple of hours. >> the trick to cursive is staying on the same lines -- >> reporter: one day with god is in seven states, fueled by private donations. at a time when prison re-entry programs are being cut, they're expanding to five other prisons in michigan alone. they may be walking in circles in a crowded gym, but for these fathers and sons, it's an intimate moment without the bars between them. children of offender are six times more likely than their peers to end up in jail themselves. 15-year-old doricus green jr. is already in danger of fulfilling that prophecy. today he's wearing an ankle bracelet under strict supervision, for his run-ins with the law. his dad is serving a life sentence for murder.

>> i told him i know i'm not out there with him, but i am here for him. always. can't nobody ever take that away from us. >> reporter: for the girls there's a father/daughter dance. >> it hurts me knowing that i hurt her. i mean, she's like -- she's the most important female in my life. other than my wife. she's really the most important. and i've lost so much time with her that i can never get back. to know that they got to go back home. i can't put it all in one day. there's no way. >> reporter: arkinia's dad is trying to be a father figure beyond this one day. when she started acting out in school recently it was her dad who helped straighten her out.

her? i'm like, okay, your dad is on the phone. for business. bars? >> reporter: she has a powerful reason for bringing her daughter from florida to michigan for dad. >> yes. >> you're a single mom. >> yes, ma'am. >> why spend so much of your hard-earned money to bring your daughter here? >> well, i was one of those kids, i was ashamed to tell people that my father was in prison. so i put myself in my daughter's shoes. >> reporter: they have these shoe fleeting hours to say the things that need saying. >> i love you very, very much. okay? you did nothing wrong, it's all my fault. okay? it's all my fault. i'll be home soon. okay?

>> i'll be home soon. >> it means a lot to spend the day with my dad. it means everything. i love you so much. sings my soul >> reporter: so much loaded in one day. for the dads a pledge to strive to be better. for the kids a precious dose of what they need most. and for the rest of us, a reminder of what it means to be a good dad. and that the feeling of being

forever. for "nightline," i'm juju chang in muskegon, michigan. >> what a feeling. one day with god in the end surprised arkinia's mom and us by reimbursing their airfare. coming up next, 'tis the season for festive fun when neighborhoods light up in unison. who will shine the brightest? and you're talking to a rheumatologist about a biologic, this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further damage. this is humira helping me reach for more. doctors have been prescribing humira for more than 10 years. humira works for many adults. it targets and helps to block a specific source of inflammation that contrubutes to ra symptoms. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions,

before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. talk to your doctor and visit humira.com this is humira at work. star light star bright, the first star i see tonight i wish i may, i wish i might, have the wish i wish tonight wishes do come true. the lincoln wish list event is on. right now get exceptional offers on the entire lincoln family. for a limited time your choice of mkc, mkz gas or hybrid for $369 a month with zero due at signing. constipated? trust number one doctor recommended dulcolax use dulcolax tablets for gentle overnight relief suppositories for relief in minutes

of hard stools. dulcolax, designed for dependable relief alaska. finally. the search for brown bears begins. denali highway. low on gas. pit stop. fill up. double points. yep, that's cold.

coffee. eggs. double points. beautiful. majestic... nothing. where are you, bear? warm. warmer. warmer. yes. wherever the journey takes you, carry american express gold. it's more than a card.

some people take their holiday decorations very seriously. but the houses that you're about to see take seasons greetings to a whole new level. with $50,000 at stake, months of planning, neighbors are pulling out all the stop in the great christmas light fight.

maybe, if there's a power outage. and that seems to be a distinct possibility. in the great christmas light fight, it's no longer about individual mac mansions. like this one in elsass paso, texas, doing a yuletide whip and nene. now watch me whip watch me nene >> reporter: this year they're decking the halls of entire neighborhoods like this one in celebration, florida. 11 houses synced up here to michael buble. christmas has started now oh yeah >> reporter: holographic santas, mrs. claus in high definition, trampolines turned into projection screens. >> we have to get our cars in at christmas time. we elevated it seven feet in the air. so the display becomes a 25-foot screen.

christmas like a tongue of fire. keep in mind this is a florida winter. 70-degree heat. 45% humidity. but even here, a 100% chance of a white christmas. >> it's a swarm. whenever that machine goes off, there's a swarm from all around. >> adults too. they'll come from across the street, wanting to get in the snow. >> reporter: celebration is one of three different neighborhoods being featured monday on abc's third annual christmas lights reality show. >> of course we think we have the best one. >> i think everybody thinks they have the best one. >> that's true. >> reporter: three neighborhoods competing for $50,000 in prize money. in addition to celebration, there's also weipahu, hawaii. >> we know we have the best in the nation. >> reporter: and gilbert, arizona. >> that is crazy! >> reporter: sudden hi it's not so surprising to learn that americans really will spend $7 billion this year on christmas

putting together just one high-tech house can be a year-long ordeal. >> those soldiers, those were brought in here by a crane. >> what? >> yeah. >> reporter: lucy in brooklyn long. filled up. i don't like to see a space. >> reporter: she's not alone. just ask keith shaw of cranberry, new jersey. >> lots of extension cords. >> reporter: he has the biggest christmas tree in all of the garden state. we got to go inside it. >> your christmas tree is essentially a flagpole. >> it's essentially a flagpole. >> a lot of extension cords. >> and a lot of extension cords. >> i've got to appreciate this for a second. talk about feeling the christmas spirit. >> oh, man. >> how many light bulbs? >> there's over 47,000 on this tree. >> 47,000 light bulbs? more than rockefeller center. >> that's right. rockefeller center that is

>> yes. >> reporter: it's a lot of hard work. >> it took me 54 man hours. >> a full work week. more than. >> reporter: that's just one feature. the whole lawn is a light grid. there's also his wall of snowflakes -- >> 64 snowflakes. 6,400 lights just on the snowflake wall. >> reporter: and the fountain of lights. the design all his own. >> just like the bellagio fountain. except with lights. >> your own little piece of vegas. >> it is, yeah. >> reporter: all of it timed to flash in time with the music. half of new jersey turns out for the christmas show three nights a week, which doesn't exactly make shaw the envy of his neighbors. their christmas display points back to his. not exactly in a flattering way. but there's one thing missing -- >> new jersey's largest christmas tree. >> new jersey's most fantastic display of christmas lights. no sinatra? no springsteen?

>> you should, yes. >> reporter: darkness on the edge of town wouldn't work. blinded by the light. i'm david wright for "nightline" in cranberry, new jersey. the children grinning from ear to ear singing christmas time is here next, the irish featherweight hoping to make a name for himself here in the u.s. this weekend. i sure had a lot on my mind when i got out of the hospital after a dvt blood clot. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment.

turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt & pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me.

(man) what's that, remy? (remy) it-it's a speck of cork, sir. (vo) a new york gentleman spends $28,000 a week on wine to sit in. (man) i'm so sorry you had to see this. (vo) you'd make a way better rich person. (man) i'll be in the pool. (vo) lotto. making more new yorkers rich

if you think ronda rousey is the only star of ufc, this tough-talking irish plumber turned ufc fighter might just change your mind. tomorrow night in vegas he'll face what may turn out to be the fight of the year. here's abc's darren rovell. >> reporter: he's the fighting spirit of ireland. >> conor mcgregor! >> reporter: 27-year-old conor mcgregor is the next star in professional mixed martial arts. the sport looking for the next big thing after ronda rousey's shocking defeat. mcgregor is looking to make history this weekend by becoming the first irish champion in the ufc. >> before me, nobody knew nothing about this sport. i'm proud to be putting my nation at the forefront of the