>> the "today" show is up next. see you in a few for local updates. good morning. war of words. more fallout over donald trump's use of a derogatory term to describe hillary clinton's loss to barack obama in 2008. he's doubling down, blaming the media for misunderstanding. her response measured. >> you are looking at somebody who has had a lot of terrible things said abo me. we shouldn't let anybody bully his way into the presidency. >> the while trump's fellow republicans try to stay out of the fray. near miss, a drone carrying a television camera comes crashing down in the tracks of a champion skier. what he's saying about the incident. what was it a mysterious light streaks across the sky in california?

how this ignited a firestorm on social media. and the holiday crunch christmas just hours away. are you weather from the weather to travel to shopping for the last-minute gifts? we've got you covered today, wednesday, december 23rd, 2015. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer alongside hoda kotb who is filling in while savannah is on vacation. >> hey. >> look at this. we've got a countdown clock we're putting up to show how far we are from christmas, one hour, 17 hours and 59 minute. a couple days you lied to us all about being done with your christmas shopping. how did you plead this morning. >> i panicked more, are we done, is the show done, are we finished? a few little things to get, nieces and what not. may get there a little late but it's all right. >> help you out with helpful

information a little later on. let's get to our top story though. without naming names hillary clinton subtly fires back at donald trump for his most recent controversial comments about her, that bathroom break joke and his use of a crude term to describe her loss to barack obama back in 2008. well, last night trump defended himself on twitter. nbc's hallie jackson is in washington with the latest on the war of words. hallie are good morning. >> reporter: hi there, matt. good morning. this morning donald trump is blaming on what he calls the biased media for the latest controversy, arguing that the yiddish slang word is a commonly used one in politics, a claim many are questioning, hillary clinton's staff calling it a sexist slur. after donald trump's controversial word choice hillary clinton is choosing hers carefully. >> you are looking at somebody who has had a lot of terrible things said about me. we shouldn't let anybody bully his way into the presidency

because that is not who we are as americans. >> reporter: not a direct response but directed clearly at trump after he used a word many find offensive to describe her 2008 loss to president obama. >> she was going to beat, she was favored to way and she got [ bleep ]. she lost. >> reporter: trump overnight insisting that word is not vulgar, tweeting the mainstream media is giving it false meaning. tell them it means beaten badly. trump's rival jeb bush raising eyebrows with his comments on clinton. >> she's great at being the victim, you know, the school enhancer verdictology status. this is what she loves doing. >> saying someone was [ bleep ] is not bad language. >> i'm concurring with the question. >> reporter: other 2016 candidates choose to keep kwai. >> i didn't say i have no

thoughts. no interest. plenty of thoughts and no interest in discussing it. >> i don't need to be another political pundit. donald trump will speak for himself and i'll speak for myself. >> reporter: ted cruz in his own feud not over words but a picture, this one, a "washington post" editorial cartoon showingled senator as an organ grinder, his young daughters dancing monkeys. the cartoonist callingled kids fair game claiming cruz used them as political props in this campaign ad. >> i know what she will do she said with a snicker. >> cruz tweeting sarcastically @washington post. stick with attacking me. caroline and katherine are out of your league. >> reporter: this morning that cartoon has been removed by the post replaced by a editor's note explaining the policy of generally leaving candidates' kids out of cartoons and cruz got some backup from a surprising source, marco rubio, who called the cartoon disgusting in a tweet, matt.

the two have been duking it out on the campaign trail. remember, they both have young kids, not too far apart in age. >> hallie jackson, thank you very much. chuck todd is moderator of "meet the press." we'll get to the cartoon in a second and i want to start with the latest comments from donald trump about hillary clinton. take those two out of it for a second. they are putting -- those comments are putting other republican candidates in a tough spot. they don't seem to know how to react. >> they don't, and i think because they feel as if they end up attacking trump then at that point he'll turn his fire on to them, and i think some of them don't want that. jeb bush i thought did, but he seemed to back away and i think part of it it's a fight with hillary clinton so no republican -- they are sort of caught between a rock and a hard place here. they attack trump, looks like they are defending attacking hillary clinton. they defeattack clinton it look like they support what donald trump said and this puts hem in

a more difficult box than even previous comments. >> jeb bush says she loves to play the victim this. will enhance her verdict ol my status. i'm not sure about his choice of words but is the underlying message accurate in the does the clinton campaign like the war of words with donald trump? >> reporter: oh, matt, they love it. this is what they have been looking for, and, by the way, donald trump loves this. trump versus clinton, donald trump wants republicans to get used to the idea that he will somehow take it to hillary clinton. hillary clinton would love to run against donald trump. look at every national poll we've shown you over the last three months. she struggles against the marco rubios, perhaps even against the ted cruz. against donald trump she's comfortably ahead. you pick the poll and she's ahead so this isn't one of those cases where this feud is one that benefits both of them right now. and i think they secretly love going tad. >> we've talked so much about the tone of this campaign so far, chuck.

that cartoon on "the washington post" website depicting ted cruz and his daughters in a demeaning way went too far in your opinion? >> absolutely. i mean, we've always had this call it an unwritten rule, maybe you ought to write the rules. no kids. i mean, come on. these are little kids. ted cruz -- i mean, this is -- you know, everything feels as if the line got erased, and i think donald trump has made everybody think all is fair right now, but, boy, come on, unforced error. >> i can't remember a campaign that needed a holiday break more than this one does. good to see you. happy holidays to you. >> you, too, sir. now to a story getting a lot of attention in hollywood and here in new york, too. federal prosecutors announced tuesday a man from the bahamas was arrested for hacking into celebrities' e-mail accounts to steal unreleased movie and tv scripts and private sex tapes. they say lorenzo knowles was looking to sell the tapes and videos to the heyest bidder and

told an undercover agent he had files of at least 130 stars from the worlds of entertainment, sports and media. snoelz is being held without bail on charges of copyright infringement and identity theft. the woman accused of runninging over dozens of pedestrians on the las vegas strip will face a judge for the first time today 24. -year-old lakeisha holiday is charged with felony murder, hit and run and child abuse. police say her 3-year-old daughter was in the back seat of the car during sunday's crash that killed one person and injured at least 35 people. holloway's attorney has acknowledged that her mental health could be an issue. and we have new developments this morning in the case of robert durst. the new york real estate heir will be brought back to los angeles next year to face murder charges stemming from the death of his friend susan berman 30 years ago. he's in custody on a weapons charge in new orleans. l.a. prosecutors say they have struck a deal with defense attorneys to have him returned by mid-august. on a much, much lighter

subject, just two days away from christmas now so if you're starting to feel the crunch this morning, don't worry, we have you covered from shipping presents to travel hassles. let's start with dylan dreyer who is filling in while al is on vai care, and she's going to tell us about the christmas eve forecast. >> the christmas eve forecast is looking very, very warm, but before we get to that, we've got today a big travel day for the christmas holiday, and we're going to see a lot of travel troubles. right now we're focusing on this area, where there's a red box that indicates a tornado watch box. north of little rock there's a tornado warning in effect and severe thunderstorm warnings across southeastern mississippi. this is going to be an area that we need to keep a close eye on later on this afternoon. we've got 60 million people at risk and especially across western tennessee where we have a bullseye where we end up with long track and long duration tornadoes. they could cause a lot of damage and besides that looking at hail and damaging wind gusts and in the eastern part of the country up and down the east coast we're talking about record high

temperatures. boston, the record is 61 and we're forecasting 69 degrees and new york city, the old record for christmas eve, 63. we should hit 72. in washington, d.c., 66 is the old record set back in 1982. we're forecasting a high of 76 degrees. that's ten degrees above record highs, unprecedented heat for christmas. >> santa wearing a tank top. >> that's right. >> along with everybody else. >> exactly. >> all right, and wherever you are, more holiday travelers are predicted this year than ever before. nbc's gabe gutierrez is in atlanta at world's busiest airport. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning. lines are already starting to build here. we've seen a light here here all morning and so far no major delays. aaa projects the number of rear-end holiday travelers will top 100 million for the first time ever. prai prices way down in the air and on the road. this morning the rush is on. >> seemed a lot busier. >> reporter: nearly one in three americans will take a trip this

holiday season. >> how many miles, probably driving about 1,200. >> reporter: more than 100 million expected to travel 50 miles or more. that's 1.4% higher than last career. >> we live in tennessee. his mom's in stewart, florida. we're going home for a week and then we're going to indianapolis where the grandkids are at for a week and then we're going to go for to texas >> reporter: more hectic holiday hustle caused by rights incomes and low gas prices. for the first time in six years regular unleaded averaging under $2 a gallon, the lowest in lub yoks, texas, $1.64 and the high nest original county california, 2.90. >> less out of my pocket, that's for sure. >> reporter: air fares for the domestic routes are 67% lower this holiday season, averaging $174 round trip, but the price of hotels and rental cars is up slightly. and this year a first for amtrak now allowing pet on that trip to

grandma's house. and atlanta's airport is expecting its 1 millionth passenger so far this year on sunday. what are many drivers using to beat the rushes here? well, waze has quickly become a go-to traffic app since being bought out by google and it's an app that helps track traffic jams using information provided by other drivers. according to waze the absolute worst time to travel this holiday weekend will be today from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. sunday is also a bad idea. according to the company, it estimates that it will send out 87% more traffic jam alerts on sunday, so if you can swing, it might be a good idea to take monday off and travel back then or, guys, just thinking, maybe i'll just take the whole rest of the week off. back to you. >> you've earned it. >> two comment after that. first of all, dogs on amtrak. i always have to rent a car to go home to see my mom because i can't take the dog. >> no more. >> no more and the second thing

is waze. i have a boy band, do any voice you want for waze, it's such a great app and i have a boy band app so you can listen to it. >> i have c3po. >> a lot of people will be using it over the holidays, yes, dogs on amtrak. if you haven't sent your packages yet, you're probably not alone but the clock is really now ticking. nbc's tom costello is at a postal service facility in bethesda, maryland. good morning to you. >> reporter: this distribution center handles four very congested zip codes and the final push is on. listen to this number. nationwide the postal service will be delivering 15 billion parcels, cards and letters by the time we're all singing auld lang syne. santa is not the only one trying to get presents under the tree by christmas morning. the nation's shipping giants are moving faster than rudolph.

fedex expecting to deliver 228 million packages. ups 420 million and the postal service 545 million. that's more than a billion packages, up 8% from last year. the surge in deliveries, thanks largely to a record-breaking cyber monday. online sales totalled more than $3 billion. >> peak season hits right now so we'll be busy through the 24th. >> reporter: more shipping means more staff. amazon hired 100,000 temporary workers and-ups 95,000 and fedex 55,000, and the postal service 30,000. at the ups world sorting port in louisville the sort fashion silt is the size of 90 football fields. on monday night millions of packages came here sent to waiting trucks and planes and with all the extra help will your packages get to you in time, yes, said shipping giants though on tuesday morning a postal service tracking service was down. some customers took to twitter. tracking function down three

days before christmas, great, just great. but at post office itself last night -- >> so today i'm finally shipping my christmas presents. i'm hoping they get there by christmas day. >> reporter: last-minute hopeful shippers. anyway, it's christmas, we only do it once a year so it's fine. >> reporter: once a year indeed. listen, if you haven't shipped that package too late for regular mail but you can do express mail so here's now all breaks down. if you want to ship a five-pound package from new york city to chicago through the postal service it will cost you about $49. fedex also an option, but that package is going to run you somewhere about $74 with their standard overnight option. as for ups, the next day air service costing you $79. so if you are prepared to spend a little more money on that day before christmas eve, christmas eve eve, you can still get there. >> that's a lot more money. that's in some cases the cost of the gift itself, tom, but good information. >> tom, thanks so much.

we've got new developments this morning getting lots of attention around the globe. it looks like steve harvey will be invited back to host the miss universe pageant despite sunday's big flufnlt harvey, as you probably know crowned miss colombia the winner when in fact miss philippines is the one who won. the show's producer said on tuesday they want harvey to return as host. >> i definitely want him back, and i would hate to see him not come back. i mean, he's going to want a shot to, you know, redeem himself. look, the world forgive. the world forgets. it could happen to the best of us. >> meantime, miss colombia is speaking out for the first time since the pageant. in an instagram post she writes in part i want to thank each and every one of you who have sent messages of support and strength, and she continues i also want to congratulate the philippines for their new miss universe. life continues and in the future we will find out why things happen the way they happen.

>> if he does returns and i think he should. >> i do too. >> imagine the moment of silence next year right before he announces the winner. everybody will be watching. >> a mistake that will never happen again, right? >> probably not. >> let's get at check of the weather from miss dylan dreyer. >> rainy across the eastern half. country. thank you. thank you, again. pat yourself upon your back. your shopping is done. you ain't no slack. rest at ease it's all ok. you ordered online and got them in the same day. navigate the app at will with incredible digital ninja skills. the holidays could not be better. maybe you have time to knit him a sweater. i don't know maybe a snowman. i could do that. let's get out of here. i'm just thinking. order gifts online and pick them up the same day. walmart. >> good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. grab an umbrella if you're heading out. we're starting off with fog, rain moving in and we'll stay much of the day.

through it all warm, look at the temperatures, this afternoon the high temperatures rain from 61 to 64. might go warmer this evening, a chance of a record this evening, we'll be setting records tomorrow. 75 the high temperature. all time record high for philadelphia, could tie the record on friday for christmas day. showers and cooler saturday but a warm-up sunday. have a great day. >> and that's your late forecast. >> dylan, thank you very much. want to talk about a mystery in the ski out west this. thing lit up social media. willie's gotmore on it. >> good morning, guys, a wild one. astronomy nance know this is special, a full moon for christmas for the first time since 1977, but last night, a couple of days before rudolph is due, people from las vegas to california caught a glimpse of something sparkling up in the sky. >> what is that? >> in a city known for its strip full of bright lights it was a mysterious flash in the sky that had everyone looking up. >> those are afterburners. >> my immediate thought is the

is this a ufo? >> the streaking light described as a fireball visible in california and nevada overnight and social media lighting up like the sky from the scared tweeting i thought it was a missile or something, crazy. looked like a plane on fire. tooled supernatural, ufo in las vegas? and just santa on a test flight. >> these days people want to find a conspiracy in everything when in factled universe itself is pretty much a marvel. >> in this case the truth was out there. u.s. strategic command the light show came from the remains of a u.s. sl4 rocket body after monday's supply launch from kazakhstan. after soaring acrossled sky its remains eventually broke apart on re-entry somewhere over arizona. comes a month after another missile launch created a mysterious streak across the western sky. it's just one of 16,000 objects that stratcom tracking in near earth orbit. >> we see something like this in

los angeles maybe once a year. they happen all around the planet every day. >> initially some experts believed the lights were part of the merced meteor shower expected to peak last night. walking along vegas strip, had a long night and you don't know what you're seeing up there. it's wild. >> willie, thank you. coming up next, caught on camera. close call by one of the world's greatest skiers. something comes crashing down behind him on the tracks >> i think we got the message. >> and do you believe in miracles? a grieving daughter writes a message to her late father and gets a surprising response? but, affirmative action on a wednesday morning, this is "today" on nbc.

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good morning. i'm tracy davidson. the rush is on with just three days to go until christmas. today is the busiest day for air travel. nbc 10 at philly international a short time ago. you see the crowds making their way through security and there are delays. details on those from jessica boyington who has been keeping an eye on travel and the roads. >> we are seeing delays at the philadelphia international airport due to foggy conditions. we're at 73 minutes now, they have traffic management program for arriving flights and some departing may be affected. check before you go. we're watching this accident in hammonton, new jersey. on the atlantic city expressway westbound around 54 and exit 28. the left lane is closed east and

westbound but the good news is here we'll leave you with this, the schuylkill expressway, 95 and the rest of the majors not seeing delays at all. rare for this time of morning. >> more about the fog and the rain to come with meteorologist bill henley. bill? >> we're seeing plenty of fog and the rain is inching into the area. the thickest fog in some of the western suburbs, low clouds over center city. that's a good view across the delaware though. 5 mile visibility at philly international. wilmington, coatesville, trenton all reporting dense fog. and rain. moving through delaware, rain in wilmington, steady rain across delaware and south jersey. and more rain is on the way with temperatures that will warm into the 60s. >> we'll have another update in 25 minutes. you can get the latest news and weather updates and travel updates with the nbc 10 app.

you should see what hoda is doing right now, dancing to some holiday music. >> 7:30 on a wednesday morning. it's the 23rd of december, 2015. nice crowd. that is a cute baby. >> on show here, you're right. >> christmas two days away. we'll stop outside and say hi to the the nice people in a couple of minutes. >> one of my favorite songs. news making stories, donald trump went on twitter last night defending the vulgar term he used towards hillary clinton saying the media misinterpreted the meaning. word. the tweets followed clinton's response saying we shouldn't let anybody bully his way into the presidency. today a court appearance for the woman who police say delivery drove her car into a

crowd of pedestrians on the las vegas strip killing one and injuring dozens. lakeisha's lakeisha's holloway's 3-year-old daughter was in the car at the time of the incident and she's charged with murder and child abuse. >> a fireball streaking across the sky in california, lighting up social media with speculation but it was identified as the remains of a russian rocket breaking apart on its weigh into the atmosphere. >> the debate over the use of drones, now a slippery slope more than ever after one of them came crashing down and narrowly missed the world's greatest alpine skier as he sliced his way down a mountain in italy. tamron is here with more on this. crazy video. >> so crazy. the skier is breathing a sigh of relief after the drone carrying a tv camera shattered to pieced along his tracks and barely missing him happening on a world

cup competition a day after officials in the u.s. began cracking down on the commercial use of drones. the world's best alpine skier was almost taken out after a drone flying overhead dropped out of the sky. marcel hirsher, the four time world champion was competing in italy on tuesday, when ten seconds into his run a drone carrying a tv camera smashed into the ground. seemingly unaware, he finished the race. later shrugging it off on instagram writing heavy air traffic in italy, #luckyme. the international ski federation says they will work together with all of the involved parties to see what occurred during the crash and ensure that this will not happen again. this isn't the first time a drone has posed a danger to athletes. in september a new york city resident was arrested after his quadcopter crashed into the stands at the u.s. open, but the risk doesn't end there. tuesday's near miss comes one day after u.s. officials began a

national drone registry. recreational vehicles weighing up to 55 pounds are now required to register with the faa, and officials are threatening hefty fines for anyone who fails to do so. this, a result of several hoe-profile incidents including two separate events at the white house where drones became a security threat. with one crashing into a tree on the white house lawn, commercial pilots are also concerned about unmanned vehicles flying into their airspace. reporting nearly 700 close calls this year but despite the danger the popularity is undeniable with some officials predicting massive cesales this holiday season, a gadget and tool it a comes with risk. the company apologizes to marcel hirsher and to fis with the unfortunate incident with the drones. detailed technical analysis will be conducted and more information will be given as soon as possible. a very technical answer to just

a scary thing sglmp good news. >> now over to dylan with a check. weather. >> hey, guys. a lot of people traveling today and a lot of travel trouble areas across the country so let's focus in on them. out west it's all about the snow. in the eastern half of the country it's all about the rain and storms. if you're headed up near seattle or portland, it's really rain in the lower elevations and then mountain snow making it very difficult to get through the passes out in that part of the country. in the south, that's where we're looking at a chance of very strong storms, especially western tennessee and through most of mississippi and alabama, eastern arkansas. we could see strong storms that produce large hail and also perhaps long duration tornadoes. if you're headed up through minneapolis, a major hub, looking at potential of icing in chicago. looking at rain and some fog and up and down the northeast we're looking at fog and rain as well. that could create a lot of travel delays so just you definitely want to check with your airlines if you're traveling today to see >> good morning.

i'm meteorologist bill henley. grab an umbrella if you're heading out. we're starting off with fog, rain moving in and will stay much of the day. through it all warm, look at the temperatures, this afternoon the high temperatures range from 61 to 64. might go warmer this evening, a chance of a record this evening, we'll be setting records tomorrow. 75 the high temperature. all-time record high for philadelphia, could tie the record on friday for christmas day. showers and cooler saturday but a warm-up sunday. have a great day. and that's your latest forecast. >> all right. coming up, we've all gotten gifts from people that you don't live. what to say or do to hide your disappointment? >> i like that one and a spark

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crest pro-health advanced is superior in these 5 areas dentists check. this is gonna go well, for sure. advance to a healthier stronger, cleaner mouth from day 1. great check up. my sister was right. back at 7:40 now. another installment in our series "do you believe" and this next story truly cap turts spirit of the holiday. >> a woman says she now believes in miracles after her late father made good on a promise through the words of a perfect stranger. jenna bush hager is here. >> this will warm your heart. two people brought together by a series of events some might call a miracle. do you believe in miracles? a few years ago 36-year-old stephanie eragann left reeling after the loss of her beloved father and nephew would have

easily answered no. when your dad was sick you had a conversation you never really forgot. >> i asked him if he thought when you die you just die or, you know, if we go to heaven. he said our energy moves on. our energy can't die. and so i -- i was kind of skeptical to that. he said if i can prove it to you i'll prove it to you. >> reporter: after his death missing him one evening steph wrote a simple message to her dad on a sky lantern. >> i love you, dad, i miss you so much. love steph. >> centuries ago paper sky lanterns were used to send messages far distances but they have since come to symbolize hope. >> i get comfort from thinking about my dad, just because he understood me and he knew when i was scared. he knew when i was feeling weak. >> reporter: and during that time you were feeling particularly vulnerable. >> very. >> reporter: days later and 3737 miles away in vancouver,

washington, matt saw what he thought was a plastic bag in his driveway, a chance encounter that would change his life. >> it was a sky lantern and written on it in magic marker were the words love you, dad, miss you so much and then a woman's name steph. it wasn't a piece of garbage anymore. >> for the father of three young girls that message delivered to his doorstep struck a chord. >> the idea that someone had lost their father and had written a note, a love note essentially to their dad and sent it off was really moving to me. >> matt, a writer did, what he does best, penning an open letter to steph and posting it on his blog knowing she would probably never see it. >> i've always loved you. i'm proud of you. >> the letter went viral reaching the far corners of the world and eventually making its way to stef's computer in kansas city. >> it was like he was writing it from my dad to me. everything in that letter my dad has said to me.

>> so were you shocked? >> yeah. it was really kind of surreal. you can't put words to it. it was just -- it was an amazing feeling. >> reporter: did you feel like that letter found you at the perfect time in your life? >> yeah. everything i was feeling as far as -- >> >> reporter: it's okay. >> my nephew. i know that they are both okay and i've made peace with that, yeah. >> reporter: and you know he's looking down on you? >> the two saw it as a sign, forming a fast friendship. when we met it was almost like we knew each other forever. >> reporter: how did you explain how this paper lantern sailed hundreds of miles and landed in your front yard? >> i don't know. i mean, as near as can i tell even the wind blows the wrong

way. for me it doesn't feel like just a coincidence. it the seems like, yeah, there's something or someone involved there, right? >> yeah. >> reporter: it seems like something bigger. >> i didn't believe in stuff like that, and for that to happen to me and all the things that needed to happen, and for it to come to this, it's pretty amazing. >> matt wrote a book about this whole experience called "sky lantern" and he said that steph also changed his life, you know, as much as he changed hers. he said have you written a love letter to your girls, and he realized he never had so he did, penned three letters to his three little girls and we thought that this christmas season, you know, what's better than a lovely letter to the ones you love so if you want to go to today.com he gives tips about how to write letters to those you love. >> some people call those god wings, you feel like it's something beyond, you know, what was hospital. >> the he could have so easily picked that thing up and

crumpled it up and futd on the garbage can. >> he said if it wasn't on that size he never seen the writing. >> and she saw it pop up on her facebook book and she kept pressing refresh, refresh, not something she was interested in and it kept backing up over and over again. >> coming up, why the vatican isn't feeling the force of a new "star wars" movie. willie is trying to find an elusive panda in an illustration driving the internet bonkers. we're back after this. why let someone else have all the fun? the sometimes haphazard, never boring fun. the why can't it smell like this all the time fun. the learning the virtue of sharing fun. why let someone else have all the fun? that's no fun. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop.

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♪ can i have a little more? ♪ ♪ five, six, seven, eight, ♪ nine, ten, i love you ♪ ♪ sail the ship ♪ chop the tree ♪ skip the rope ♪ look at me ♪ all together now everything star wars for everyone. kohl's. thwith aches, chills,g. and fever, there's no such thing as a little flu. and it needs a big solution: an antiviral. so when the flu hits, call your doctor right away and up the ante with antiviral tamiflu. prescription tamiflu is an antiviral that attacks the flu virus at its source and helps stop it from spreading in the body. tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people two weeks of age and older

whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu, tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion, or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. anti-flu? go antiviral with tamiflu. a panda is driving the internet crazy. >> this is wild.

>> can't go anywhere without seeing this online. this was the year of the blue dress, black dress. and today it's finding the panda among the snowmen and here it is, let's take a look at it. this is the puzzle. we'll pull it up for you full at home. check it out. there is one panda in all those snowmen. >> i found it. >> i found it. >> dylan has it. we ran it by our readers as you look at this. >> 59%. >> it's right thereto. >> 59% of our people found it online under 50 seconds. took 30% others up to a minute. >> i'm taking it away for a minute. taking it a way. darren on facebook, been looking for 15 minutes. still can't find it. >> oh, darren. >> we'll help you out. >> lisa says there is no panda,

but it was nice. there actually is a panda, we'll show you in just a second. >> let's bring this up one more time. >> give me 15 seconds. >> take your 15 seconds. >> it really hits you when you find it. >> oh, i see it. i found it. >> everyone found it. >> you guys all have it. yes we have it. shall we give it away. you've had long enough. >> i don't know. >> no, no, no. >> i don't think we should do it. >> that's because we found it -- >> we're not giving it away. >> don't give it away. >> we're not giving it away. go online on our website today.com and take a peek at it. >> how about dylan's reaction, bingo! >> i got very excited. >> you're not fun to play games with, i'll tell you that. >> you rub it in. >> i win. >> coming up, use it or lose it. how to get the most out of your money before 2015 comes to an end. we'll have that, and keep searching for the panda. >> where is it? >> after your local news and weather. >> right there.

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the whole day to sell to the their old cart aside and buy a new one... oops. nana's got the kids til 9... but it's only 2. guess you'll just have to see a movie... ...then get some dinner. what a pity.

good morning. i'm tracy davidson. a cloudy and foggy start to your day. let's get your first alert forecast with meteorologist bill henley. >> a couple of locations reporting zero visibility, one of the spots the pocono mountains. look at this view from blue mountain. dense fog in mount pocono. zero visibility there and in coatesville down to zero visibility. fog may be slowing flights down at wilmington's airport, dover also seeing that dense fog and trenton same story, fog may be delaying flights there. as far as the radar, the rain moving into the area. we'll see on and off rainfall during the day and temperatures that will be climbing into the 60s this afternoon. >> let's talk about the flights right now. people are flying and driving to their holiday destination. a check on that. >> the flights are what we're worried about. the philadelphia international airport already dealing with delays due to foggy conditions up to 73 minutes, a traffic

management program in effect for arriving flights. departing flights may be affected. we are still watching the scene out in hammonton, new jersey, a fatal accident scene. an youfr turned tractor-trailer on the atlantic city. around exit 28 at route 54. we have a lane blocked east and westbound right now. also watch out for an accident out in cherry hill, new jersey on kings highway. the rest of the drive times great looking like a holiday already. >> today a judge will sense a man convicted of manslaughter in the death of his 2-year-old son. his son doyed from a fatal dose after painkiller. prosecutors say he admitted to a jail house informant he killed the boy to get back at the child's mother. i'm tracy davidson. we'll have another update in 25 minutes. you can get updates with the nbc 10 app.

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, use it or lose it. you may be thinking more about spending than saving during the holidays but we've got three simple ways to avoid dropping the ball on your finances before the new year. then, carolling and uppercuts. ♪ we wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year ♪ >> one of the more unusual ways a broadcaster got into the spirit on a pro hockey game. and the force was not awakened. the vatican newspaper slams the new "star wars" movie at confusing. why they said it wasn't evil enough today, wenz, december

23rd, 2015. ♪ >> here in sunny new york. >> here for a selfie with hoda! ♪ >> merry christmas from texas. hi, mom. >> celebrating christmas with my sister in new york. >> all i want for christmas is see a "today" show tag. >> we are back now. 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it is the 23rd day of december, 2015. who have you found? gavin. >> hi, gavin, hi. >> where did you find gavin. >> don't worry. >> she stealing babies. >> is anyone missing, gavin. gavin's mom is way over there. right over there.

>> so adorable. >> i said we have to him him for the open. >> does gavin like dogs? is gavin okay with dogs? >> i think so. >> here eswrangler, sit. >> wrangler okay with babies. yes. looked a wrangler. hi, you want to say hi. no. >> we think not. >> cute baby. >> anyway, we have a great crowd the here on a stunningly warm day two days before christmas, and coming up, if you have not purchased your last-minute gifts we'll have some great tips to keep you covered. >> all right. and cooking for a crowd. our friends are here. we've got elana and anthony. they will have a recipe to make for everybody. >> you want these? >> hey. >> just so calm. he loves the crowd. >> let's go inside and tamron is inside with a check of the morning's top stories. tamron. good morning, everyone. hillary clinton is not

responding directly to the latest comments from donald trump answering questions about school balancies saying she had a lot of terrible things said about her and add that had we shouldn't let anybody bully his way into the presidency. that was apparently a reference to trump who insisted on twitter overnight that the media is making too much out about a derogatory term he used to describe clinton's 2008 primary loss to president obama. expect plenty of company if you still need to travel to your holiday destination. aaa says a record 100 million americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more this season. that's largely due to the cheapest gas in six years with regular unleaded averaging under $2 a gallon. air fares for the top 40 domestic routes are also lower this year, and amtrak is luring new customers by allowing pets this year. two places you might not catch a break, prices for hotels and rental cars are both up slightly. last-minute shoppers could still have one last chance to

beat the christmas shipping deadline. the u.s. postal service, ups and fedex are all offering overnight express service if you send your packages today. expect to pay more than if you had taken care of things earlier and more than a billion packages will be delivered this holiday season. that's up 8% from last year. delivery companies all say packages, the pipeline will get there in time though a postal service tracking system did experience a malfunction on tuesday. heavy rain is being blamed for a landslide that was caught on camera. tons of mud and rock came rushing down a hillside in central pru. two people were killed when their truck was caught in that flow. unfortunately, such accidents are common in rural peru where landslides destroy hundreds of homes every year. one of the world's best athletes is laughing off his brush with danger that fell from the sky. alpine skiing champion mar kell hires,er just started his

downhill run and suddenly a drone carrying a television camera crashed behind him. he kept on going. the international ski federation is taking a look at this near miss but he wrote on instagram wrote later heavy air traffic in italy. #luckyme. and if you think the nation's airports are craze they time of the year, you don't know the half of it. take a look at what passengers found running through the baggage area at airport. look closely. this is myrtle beach on tuesday. this was a coyote. not chasing a road runner. officials were able to wrangle the animal and how did the coyote get to the other side, like the chick snen. >> i don't know. we get it, tamron, thank you so much. a time of year a lot of people are preoccupied with spending money rather than saving it but you can drop the ball on your finances before the ball drops ringing in 2016. nbc's business and tech correspondent olivia stern is

here with three things you need to know. love it when you break down the three things. welcome. we've got -- a lot of people get gift cards, okay, and sometimes i've looked through my drawers and seen old gift cards. is there a time when they just expire, use them quickly? >> reporter: this is the one card americans are maxing out. the average american house hold has $370 worth of unused gift cards. that's ridiculous. money out of window so find those gift cards and check the balances and check the expiration dates. under federal law gift cards can not expire less than five years after purchase, but it is use it or lose it because you can be charged a fee for inactivity so it might be even worth buying something little, don't have to max out the card so that you don't get hit with that inactivity fee. >> a few get hit for restaurant you don't love, a store you never shop in, what should you do with that card? >> sounds like a re-gifter to me. >> can you tell sell them online. >> absolutely. considering selling them on

line. you won't get dollar to dollar. might get $80 and go to sites like cardhub.com and resell them. >> let's move down to flex spending, special accounts that cover some of your health and medical costs before taxes. >> yeah. >> there are some surprising things on this list, but, first, do you need to spend it all by the end of the year? is that part of it? >> good news, according to a new federal law, the treasury department changed the rules a couple years ago. can you roll up to $500 if you've got a balance bigger than, that now might be the time to start figuring out how you want to spend it. >> i was surprised at at couple thing. you can get sunscreen under there and cough drops, the list, i mean, crazy, pregnancy tests. >> yes. >> a lot of very valuable items. a lot of things are covered under flex spending that you might not consider medications. for example, training diapers. funny rules, so you can buy pull-ups under flex spending but not traditional diapers. lumbar supports for the office and look at this, massage or

acupuncture, get a doctor's note but basically you can sort of float a trip to the spa with your flex payment. >> reward credit cards, if you spend money you get money. what are the rules when it comes to the end. year? >> actually check what the rules are on your specific car, check the fine print so for a lot of credit cards it's spend more and earn more. for example, a lot of credit cards have a certain threshold and say you hit $5,000 worth of spending and then you're suddenly going to get 10,000 points or perhaps you have a hotel rewards card and you have to spend a certain amount of money and then you'll suddenly get a free night. you want to consider spending more before you hit 2016 to earn some of the benefits back and if you have to spend more money consider spending it and buying miles and then spend the whole thing on vacation and it's kind of a win-win. >> all good pieces of advice. thanks so much. we appreciate it. coming up next, after making a list and checking it twice find out what happens when santa uses a lie detector to find out who is naughty or nice.

>> uh-oh. >> plus, change your tune as a certain british invasion coming to the streaming music services and pardon me. how to politely deal with pesky therbottle of tropicana pure oranges squepremium.o each and absolutely no space for added sugar, water, or preservatives. tropicana. we put the good in morning.

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this isn't mine. this is someone else's. >> it says mine. >> it's not mine though. >> it's jacob and that's your gift. >> who is next? >> eddie murphy. >> i love it. >> oh, my gosh. the eddie murphy is the best. >> eddie murphy the, i'm a combination between the eddie murphy and high pitch. >> is that good? >> i fake it until i make it. oh, my gosh -- i'm grateful that you thought of me, yes. >> what about you? >> the high pitch, oh, my gosh. i love it. i can use it, can really use this. >> i'm one where the guy gets a piece of clothing and can't show

it and he takes his clothes on right there just to prove that he really likes it. >> i do the overreact. i go way over the top, and it's great thing i've ever gotten and everybody knows i'm being a phony. >> yeah, exactly. >> interesting takes on popular christmas songs. first of all, we all know "the nutcracker" but we're betting you probably haven't quite seen it like this. ♪ >> these are hip-hop dancers performing a pop rocking version of the holiday classic and it happened recent any chicago and the guys are backed up by the california philharmonic. the maestro wanted to combine the magic of the 19th century with the music of the 21st century, the moves of the 21st century. kind of nice. >> watched a lot of this type this morning, these guys are fan tastdic. >> wow. >> all right. nothing says holiday cheer like a good hockey brawl so take a look at how this announcer got

into the christmas spirit during an unchristmas like incident. ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year ♪ >> you make the best of the situation that presents itself. >> yeah. >> the the merry stylings of announcer jack edwards trying to lighten the mood during a fight between players from the boston bruins and the st. louis blues. jack ended by saying i love the holidays. >> somebody didn't like their gift. that's one of the reactions. >> exactly. >> what does -- what does santa always want to know? he wants to know whether the kids have been naughty or nice and now he's getting a little help from an elf and a like theior. >> you been naughty or nice this year? >> nice. >> lie. >> nice.

>> oh, watch that start moving now. >> nice. >> there's not one thing. >> maybe one. >> do you think you deserve a lump of coal this christmas? >> well, i should deserve like ten lumps coal on one present. >> how much do you want the monster tracks. >> like 0,000. >> would you rather have that or world peace? >> monster truck. >> all right. >> at least you're honest. >> you know, i think they are on to that not being the real santa. didn't seem too concerned. >> it's not admissible in the court of law. they don't have to real worry about it. >> now to the christmas gift that's coming for beatles fans and the vatican takes on "star wars." willie, your turn to "pop start the". >> a big gift, big news for beatles fans just announced this morning for the first time the entire beatles cat log will be available to stream online. it starts tonight at midnight. you'll find your favorite songs on spotify, apple music and google play and amazon prime and tidal among others and offered on the free versions of those

services as well. >> you go crazy for dogs on amtrak but not crazy for the beatles. >> huge. >> i was subtle. i didn't want to interrupt wilily. >> this is one where you don't have to fake a good reaction. that is big. next to hollywood mom swap, let me explain, the most famous mother-daughter pairs, goldie hawn and kate hudson on the threat and melanie griffith and dakota johnson, all four ladies vacationing separately in aspen and decided to take a photo to mix things up a little bit, goldie on left with melanie's daughter dakota and melanie and kate hugging there on the right. melanie posted this picture on instagram with the caption mother-daughter times are awesome. >> let go to "star wars" breaking box office records around the world. there's at least one person though not a fan of "the force awakens" and he's at the vatican, not pope francis. the movie critics for the van

kase's official newspaper. rhett viewer calling the movie, quote, confused and hazy. among his biggest gripes, the villains are just not evil enough. he wanted kylo wren to be meaner. to be clear, vatican officials assures nbc news this did not come from the pope himself because, quote, he doesn't want movies. >> interesting they have a move critic at the van can. >> congratulates to the former figure skater and special correspondent is engaged and she announce the the news on instagram engaged to sports producer todd kopostases. tara's friend and fellow figure skating johnny weir tweeted congratulations to my partner in crime tara lipinski and congratulations on the engagement. waiting to see what johnny wears to the wedding. >> thanks, willie.

dylan, how about a check of the weather. >> a warm one for christmas. we're look the at temperatures getting into the '60s and '70s and with the warm air comes some fog, and we have visibility down to a mile in charlotte and columbia. atlanta seeing six-mile visibility. watch out for airport delays and anywhere on the eastern half of the country. very low visibility and delays in laguardia and seeing those visibility problems causing some delays. washington, d.c. we've got visibility down to under a quarter of a mile so that will obviously create some delays. not just the fog but the rain. stronger thunderstorms moving through the panhandle of flower and strong storms through st. louis and moving into western arkansas. tennessee is going tonight area. western tennessee near memphis where we could see the stronger storms that could produce high tornadoes. highs running 30 degrees above average and close to 40 degrees above average in some areas. 66 is the old record and we'll fall just shy of that in philadelphia, but tomorrow is the day we'll be talking about on christmas eve.

boston's record is 61. we should hit 69 degrees in boston on christmas eve. 75 in bse and crushing that old record, charleston getting up to 78 degrees and on friday for christmas day we're going to see most our records down south with highs getting up to 77 in atlanta and 65 though is our forecast for christmas day in new york city. exceptional heat. want to focus on this area through here and later on this afternoon could see ve good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. grab an umbrella if you're heading out the door. we're starting off with fog. rain moving in. it will stay through much of the day. through it all, it will be warm. high temperatures will range from 61 to 64. might go warmer this evening. chance of a record this evening, definitely be setting records tomorrow. 75 the high temperature. all-time record high for philadelphia. could tie the record friday for christmas day. steady showers and cooler saturday. another warm-up sunday. have a great day.

>> and that's your latest forecast. >> all right. dylan, thanks so much. on today's hassle-free holiday, how about this, proper etiquette. >> look who we have here, mr. manners himself. thomas farley who will help us politely get through some of the awkward holiday moments. thomas, nice to see you. happy holidays. a lot of different scenarios. >> we sure do. >> the one we mentioned earlier. a lot of people bought gifts and because of shipping issues they will not get there on time so when you walk into a party and see someone who has given you a gift and yours isn't there yet, how do you handle it will? >> we know it's the thought that counts so if it's an afterthought. make the gift thoughtful in another way, a box that represents that gifts. put some thought into it, wrap it up and make it beautiful and -- >> nice note inside or something like that is. >> exactly. >> now let's talk about very common scenarios. around the holiday table and your family is in from all over the place and one person just

wants to talk about politics. we know how that can go. political pete. how do you handle political >> follow. three ds as i like to call them. first, you're going to try to discourage so pete, you know what, it's christmas, for just today let's not talk politics. if that doesn't work you're going to try diverting, so you're going to switch the subject to something else, maybe bring up the beautiful pandas and the snowmen. seen the panda in the snowmen, that will get people. >> the third "d." donald trump? >> the third "d" is that you're going to dismiss so -- that's very interesting, pete, has anyone tried the casserole? >> i've got one. how about the woman who will not leave the party? she hangs around so late. >> guilty. >> dylan's hands is up. >> we're calling her won't leave wanda. what do you do with her? >> a couple things with that. put on the coffee, always a signal that the party is winding down.

wanda, gosh, i've got so much food can i send you home with something? and last but not least if they are still not taking the hint, you're going to said kids have a really early day tomorrow, this has been lovely but i need to ask everyone to leave. >> dinner is at 4:00 and here's the guy who shows up at 3:30. early bird ernie. >> early bird. >> yeah. you need to put ernie bird earn toe work so if you have time -- say i need some ice. could i give you some money and you go out to the store and grab a bag of ice. a little bit of extra time, not a half hour, can i put you to work with this cheese board so have early bird working. >> they will never show up early again. >> okay. we've got one. >> plus one perry, the person who is always trying to bring somebody with them. what do you do? >> you should never show up unannounced with another guest. however, as host you've got to be ready for those unexpected guests, so you don't bring it up. you don't make a fuss.

maybe later on you might say something away from this particular occasion but you want to be welcoming and gracious because the holiday that's what it's all about. >> when you open the door you can't say who is that. >> nice to have you both. >> "hunger games." >> and i think at a party we've all been stuck in that conversation that we can't get out of so i introduce to you non-stop nina. >> you've been together an hour and she knows nothing about you and you know everything about her and all of her friends. you'll try and change that subject. nina, that so reminds me of something that i happened last week, if she's not picking up and say this has been lovely catching up, i want to go check on the host and see if she needs any hope. >> i always say i need another drink. >> what do you do with the person that drinks too much, sometimes they throw down three and four drinks. >> at at holiday party there's a good drunk and bad drunk and if they are adding joy devive to the party, threat be. >> or won't stop or won't leave

wanda, could you drop this guy home, get him out of here. thomas, always good advice. thanks so much. happy holidays again. >> coming up. >> the a beefed up recipe for the holidays, and first your local news.

good morning. i'm tracy davidson. the day is beginning with reduced visibility depending where you are. let's get an update with meteorologist bill henley. bill? >> check the radar, rain making steady progress across cape may, delaware, and into the philadelphia area. it will be a rainy day today. still some serious fog to deal with. dense fog for delaware, wilmington and dover. zero visibility in coatesville, down to a quarter mile in allentown and trenton. a busy travel day. it's in swing here at philadelphia international airport. crowds are making their way through security. and there are delays. let's check on the delays and traffic on the roads with

jessica boyington. jessica? >> biggest problem we're seeing are delays at the philadelphia international airport due to foggy conditions and low visibility. traffic management program in effect for arriving flights and maybe departing flights affected as well. 73-minute delays right now out of philadelphia. in hammonton, new jersey, watch out for that overturned tractor trailer on the westbound side right around route 54 at exit 28. right lane was closed east and westbound. this accident scene is fatal as well. there will be an investigation under way for quite some time. we're actually not seeing much of a delay on any of our majors. it looks like a holiday already. 95 avenue 14-minute southbound to the vine. >> jessica, thanks. we'll have another update in 25 minutes. you can always get updates and track the rain on the nbc 10 app.

8:30 now on a wednesday morning, 23rd of december, 2015. just take a look at some of the nice people who gathered here pre-holidays in rockefeller plaza. we thank them for coming down. and coming up, our gift to you. some last-minute ideas for gifts, deck rating and cooking so you'll have a hassle-free holiday. >> yeah. also ahead, cooking up a storm,

a sunday sauce recipe, perfect for a lot of friends. >> breakfast of champions. >> looks delic. >> quick reminder, a contest that we have, gold-in ticket. you can win an official trip to the golden globes party, walk the red carpet, stay, dine, shop. party with the stars. this is all thanks to discover los angeles and the partners at the partners at the beverly hills hotels and beverly hills center. >> the to go today.com and post a picture showing you're a big golden globes fan and tell us all the reasons you should win. >> before we go further i want to pay tribute to two longtime friends and colleagues of nbc news, premiere, premiere camera man anthony derosa started his career at nbc in 1979, over his 36-year career he's made us all look great on hundreds dreads of shoots and traveled on eight different where in the world shoots, shot stories on eight

continents and worked on eight olympic games and shot footage in war zones, cruise ships and aircraft carriers and the list goes on. no matter where we travel or what location, the not matter challenges, if we get off a plane and we see anthony derosa on the ground we know everything is going to be amagtz. the same thing goes for audio genius and engineer mike noseworthy. he actually traveled with me to every one of the 50 places where we did where in the world. every single one. he and i have circled the globe about a dozen times together. mike managed to make it all work from places that people didn't even know existed, remote, dangerous, crazy places, but aside from their technical achievements, and the any and mike are two of the nicest people will you meet anywhere. they are dear friends who taught us something new each and every time we had the honor of working with them. guys, well done, congratulations. thank you from the bottom of our hearts. >> wow.

>> thank you. >> i think we can all raise our hands and say if you worked with those two guys it was a great day. >> beautifully said. that was wonderful. >> great. >> dylan, check of the weather? >> yes, it's warm for christmas. hard to follow. we are looking at record-breaking temperatures, especially as we go into tomorrow, but let's take a look at travel forecast for today where we are looking at a chance of some severe storms, especially western tennessee this afternoon. long track tornadoes are possible, a little bit tricky going up through minneapolis where we're looking at temperatures only in the mid-30s and ice. foggy across the northeast. on christmas eve it's going to be the warmest christmas eve we have ever seen on record. highs will get well into the 70s in washington, d.c. we're looking at upper 60s even up into boston and still coming through with some rain and some storms and christmas day, still stormy down across the south and scattered showers in the northeast and temperatures in the 60s and 70s and all of the snow, for anyone wanting a good morning.

i'm meteorologist bill henley. grab an umbrella if you're heading out the door. we're starting off with fog. rain moving in. it will stay through much of the day. through it all, it will be warm. look at the temperatures. this afternoon, high temperatures will range from 61 to 64. might go warmer this evening. chance of a record this evening, definitely be setting records tomorrow. 75 the high temperature. all-time record high for philadelphia. could tie the record on friday for christmas day. steady showers and cooler for saturday but another warm-up sunday. have a great day. >> and we've got special guests out on the plaza, min is one of our coordinating producers and her family. >> i'm from gentleman and they are from maryland. >> did they tell you we were going to get you on tv. surprise, you're on tv. merry christmas. nice to have you guys here. >> dylan, thanks so much. >> i get so wound up about anthony and mike. >> matt wanted to point out, i think we got that, and --

>> the other way. >> what did you say? >> six not eight. >> this is really getting cleared up, thanks. if you procrastinated all of your holiday pasts, don't panic yet. abby larson founder and editor of the site style me pretty, quick tricks to relax this holiday season. how are you? >> still can take care of us even though we have hours left. >> hours. >> we have such easy simple, going to take a few minutes on each of these. we'll start with sparkly dwliter pillows. you need glitter iron transfer sheets. trace it on your paper, cut it out like this and lay it down directly on your pillow case, a towel and iron it for 35, 40 second and when you pulled back off you have a cute custom pillow that adds a nice little statement. >> doesn't come off. >> beautiful. >> we'll drugs our mantle. >> i'm ready. >> i got these cones at a craft

supply store, papier-mache and cover them in at he'sive and roll them in sequins. the best part is the cupcake stands because they add a special touch of luxury. head one, head over to the mantle here. i love these, add height to our mantle and pick any spot. >> the there you go. >> there you go. >> up next. >> simple and inexpensive, too. >> so elegant. >> this is our mitten garland. >> i'm going to grab a mitten. all you need is a set of either matching or not matching, whatever you have on hand and use the mismatched once in storage and slip it right on to your rope there. >> hang some stock, in between, greenery and get at bargain basement prices right now, faux or real. >> i love that everything is very inexpensive and you have different sized candles which is important. >> and keep consistent with white. >> we're talking gifting here. two really simple coaster gifts. the first are agate coasters, a slice of quarts, get these on

etsy on amazon, turn it into something you can use every day, use theed a he's f-pen and put a little gold leaf around the edges. >> tough to get anything there. have that problem, hit up your local hardware store, vergic tiles 16 cents a piece and a gold pen. if the stencil is your wheelhouse, have tat. >> or you need incredible handwriting. >> i go with the stencil i? like the food department. >> my favorite table. >> s'mores kits. grocery store items, perfect for a family gift, gram crackers, marshmallows and chocolate, wrap it with a ribbon, a few jingle bells. >> and great for a hostess gift and show up for a hostess gift and want a little something. these are chocolate melted into heavy cream and condensed milk and pure if into a dixie cup, add a spoon, a lollipop stick and i like toppings on my,

salted caramel. >> show me how to make this. >> you need a one-inch cutter and pop it into a brownie, so simple and i have a pastry bag. you melt those into steaming milk and i love that you went right in. that's awesome. >> i was not aware but it's delicious. >> it's good, nonetheless. >> add a little dollop of frosting. >> yeah. >> your little santa hat and if you want you can add a topper to it as well, a little pom-pom. >> all creative, beautiful, unique ideas and inexpensive. thank you so much. >> thanks for having me. >> thanks, abby. find these tips and more by liking todayhome on facebook. coming up next a favorite recipe for all of us. you and your family coming up right after this, but, first, this is "today" on nbc.

38:40. back now with a holiday

trifecta. family, friends and food and all covered in our kitchen now. anthony and elana scotta of new york city's fresco by scotto is showing one their pham favorite family recipes. good morning, happy holidays. >> when you gather you have a big group. does one person do the cooking and you do a pot luck? >> the great thing about the sunday sauce is everyone is getting involved in that. we like involvement of all family members. >> especially good this time of yesterday, sunday sauce, take me through the ingredients. we have a little red wine and pepper and tomatoes, basil, pan cheta, two different sausages, pork, meat balls which are only beef and some onion. >> here's what we got here and before you do everything you've already got the meat braising. >> i started the sausage and pork earlier, just to brown it, not cooking it through. >> okay. >> bus the rest is cooking in the sauce. i'm then going to start a sauce that's going to start with a little bit of onion, a little

pan cheta, a little garlic and we'll just let that the sweat down for a second. and, you know, just get it going and get little love in there, show a little love and then we wanted to glaze the dish or the pot realic. >> if you can. >> how much, all of it? >> happy holiday. >> there you go. a little red wine is we'll take that in there and then we'll deglaze the pan and get all the good bits off of that and i'll add plum tomatoes which i've hand-crushed and then we're going to put that in. >> okay. >> by the way. we've go the our tasters downstairs, anthony and elana. happy that they are there digging into this. >> meat lovers pasta, amazing. >> so then we're going to take the sausage and the pork. we'll put back in here. >> and now we're going to cook through. >> an hour and a half and cook through. >> elana, let's make the meat balls. >> you've been here in the past and use a combination.

just ground beef because -- >> there's already pork in the recipe. >> if you have pork or veal can you always throw it in. let's talk about ingredients. we have ground beef, onion, garlic, parsley, parmesan cheese, eggs and here i have -- this is one of the secrets, to nice moist meet balls. bread soaked in milk. how long does it need to soak? >> hon estly just until it's soaked through. so this is what will make your meet balls and not golf balls. this keeps them carrier, is that what happens? >> just keeps them moist and the key is when we're doing these ingredients you is want to not overmix the meat so we're just going to fold all the ingredients in, doesn't matter in what order. we'll keep folding it in, and then the next key is once you have folded in your ingredients you're going to roll them. mom's secret with rolling meat

balls is first she likes to have some cold water on the side. the cold water will allow the meat not to the stick to your hand. >> don't compress them too much. simply roll like this and we saute it in the pan with a little olive oil. we like that crunchy side so it's important to do all sides. you don't have to cook through and then as you see my -- my assistant is putting it back into the sauce. >> okay. so now do they also cook for that hour and a half time. >> yeah. >> they all cook for an hour and a half. >> and when it comes out you have one of the most amazing sunday sauces and how do you like to serve of it? >> usually with rigatoni, anything big and round is great because you want the sauce to get in between it. we love the fact of -- there's two versions of this, matt. can you take the pasta with a little bit of the meat and push

it and put it on a plate and have the meat separately with a little sauce on top of it. >> guys, let me check in with our taste sflers what toss this taste lyrics guys? >> heaven, delicious. >> the meat balls are killer. >> what about my sausage? >> you sausage, is too. >> i love pork chops in a sauce. >> it's tasty. >> by the way this, seems like it would be great the day after. >> unbelievable. >> it's the gift that keeps getting. >> keep eating it for a few days after. >> happy holidays. >> for all of our holiday recipes head to today.com/food. up next, a look back at today's christmas past. more than 60 years in the making, but, first, this is "today" on nbc.

from secret santas to off kitsch christmas carols and

seng-alongs on all six continents always had fun celebrating the holiday season. >> some of the fun we've had over the last six decades. ♪ >> good morning, this is "today." >> christmas morning, 1964. ♪ i like christmas, i like it ♪ ♪ >> and i just stuck myself. ow. >> you know the best thing besides the presents is the

music s.y. ♪ they never let poor rudolph ♪ silver bells ♪ silver bells ♪ this christmas ♪ laughing all the way, ha, ha, ha ♪ ♪ ring-a-ling ♪ holy night ♪ have a holly jolly christmas this year ♪ >> talking about the traditions of christmas, two words, eggnog. >> is this stuff fattening. >> fedex arrived with egg nothing. >> the tree is lit and so are we. >> back with gametime and this is called picture this. >> this was a problem. >> that's ice skating, that's the rockefeller tree. >> oh, my gosh! >> don't even get me going. don't even get me going. >> thanks for playing. you go back over there. >> have you see what they do over there? >> have you ever seen ice skating? >> and then you just turn

etch-a-sketch upside down and you shake it upside down and the picture disappears. >> you have brought with it, karaoke machine? >> what? >> karaoke. >> god bless you. >> a chocolate leg. >> open it quick. >> oh, that's the wrong one. >> oh, sorry. this one. >> okay. i'm trying. i'm so they are vows. oh, that's so pretty. >> who likes you more than you? get out of here. >> that's the spirit that keeps on giving. >> ho, ho, ho. >> congratulations. >> a hulk hogan action figure. >> it's a blanket with our faces on it. >> and apparently mine, too. >> and yours too. >> santa-tizer. ♪ chestnuts roasting on an open fire ♪ ♪ jack frost nipping at your nose ♪ ♪ yuletide carols being sung by

a choir and folks dressed up like eskimos ♪ ♪ merry christmas to you ♪ frosty the snowman was a fairy tale they say ♪ ♪ he was made of snow but the children know how he came to life one day ♪ ♪ ♪ call on your angels, let's go the down to the city ♪ ♪ let's all crowd around the big tree ♪ ♪ all you strangers, you know me ♪ >> christmas, streaming lights of joy and ringing bells of hope and singing carols of forgiveness hforgive ness high up in the bright air. we look heavenward and speak the

word aloud, peace, and we look at world and speak the word aloud, peace. ♪ ♪ wishing you a very new york christmas ♪ ♪ and the prayer for peace on earth if not too late ♪ >> ho, h ho, ho. ♪ we hear them say merry christmas ♪ ♪ sing hallelujah and merry christmas ♪ >> beautiful. >> that's awfully nice. if you weren't in the christmas spirit before, that put me right there, it wasn't? that was beautiful. >> reminded of all the nice people who have come and visited us during the holidays and brought a little music into our lives when we needed it. >> how about barbara walters with the etch-a-sketch. that's a great tv moment.

>> and the karaoke machine being revealed. >> brian saying what is this? >> don't get brian started on this. >> we'll be back in a moment, but, first, this is "today" on nbc.

rapping things up over the first couple of hours on

"today," the gang is here to take us through the next hour. what do we have? >> allegedly, the great jania kousky is taking time out of her holiday week and will sit and co-host with us for the hour and when jane comes you don't know what's going to happen. >> a party. >> i get to play game show host and have you to hum some christmas songs. >> we do. >> we didn't get that note? oh, boy. >> and holiday fashions, because, come on, you've got to

good morning. i'm tracy davidson. let's get your first alert forecast with meteorologist bill henley. you're watching a lot of things today. >> that's right. the fog and the rain. rain is steady. radar shows showers in

philadelphia. it won't be an all-day rainfall. it will be on and off rainfall. fog won't be around all day either. socked in still at coatesville and pocono mountains with zero visibility. up to half a mile at trenton and wilmington. improving there. low clouds will stay with us with rain and temperatures will climb into the 60s. today is expected to be the busiest travel day for the season. let's check in with jessica boyington. jessica? >> the roads aren't giving us too much trouble today. it's the airport right now. foggy conditions at philadelphia international airport. 73-minute delays. traffic management program is in effect for arriving flights. departing flights may be affected as well. overturned tractor trailer, fatal accident scene on the atlantic city expressway caused problems westbound right at rou route 54, exit 28. we're still doing okay on the rest of the majors. schuylkill expressway, belmont avenue, west and eastbound,

travel times are okay. looks like a holiday already. tracy? >> thanks for that. pennsylvania's budget stalemate could be headed toward resolution, clearing a procedural hurdle in the house yesterday which means a spending package could land on governor tom wolf's desk some time today. we'll keep you updated. i'm tracy davidson. we'll give you another update in 25 minutes. you can always stay updated with the nbc 10 app.

this morning on "today's "today" take" you never know what's going to happen when allegedly, our buddy, guest hosts with us. plus, why this elf on a shelf led to a 911 call. and rock 'n' roll hall of famer darlene love sings us a holiday classic. all that hand more coming up next. >> 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." it's wednesday morning. can you feel christmas in the air, december 23rd, 2015, two days to go. great holiday crowd out on the plaza. willie, tomorrow ron and dylan and look who is with us, the

very talented allegedly. allegedly, ladies and gentlemen. >> look at the earrings. >> the best version i've ever heard of this song. >> an amazing singer and the vocals are incredible. quiet, everybody, please. ♪ >> this is a way back wednesday moment. >> "run, run rue dorval." >> the who is the artist. >> a very complicated name. >> adele, that's what everyone at home was thinking. that is from my "alley mcbeal" days. >> that's allegedly. >> the allegedly. one of my not christmas hits. >> we're going to make it a head. >> one of my non-christmas sglits how about another one of your non-christmas hits. >> oh, there's mom. ♪ i saw mommy kissing santa claus ♪ >> you have the perfect voice for this song. >> i love christmas songs. i appreciate it the. >> from the "alley mcbeal" sound track. >> available on itunes. >> downloading right now.

>> it's ready for immediate downloading. perfect office gift. >> if you haven't given somebody in your age, they have to be of a certain age or they wouldn't know about "alley mcbeal." >> let's talk about one thing, talk for the cause, fashion. >> here we go. >> look at this. can you please show the audience the boots. >> do i have to get up. >> okay. >> this is the greatness, in addition to a beautiful face and amazing voice, ladies and gentlemen, overall talent. look at that catwalk. >> and look at how she walks. >> merry christmas. >> you were getting into it. >> would you like to tell us a little bit about this. >> by giovanni and boots by jimmy chiu. i live at and get my post office box so you can send them over, size -- >> ding. >> that's something. >> i love that we all sort of -- i was searching for red, green holiday and when i got here we all went for the sort of black vibe today. >> yeah. >> like the quentin tarantino

version of christmas. >> the hateful four. >> i wore my red and green too early. i don't know why. monday tuesday was my red and green and i only have one red and green dress. >> we're in that mode where it's the end. you've shopped. you've dropped and you're like let's do black. >> it's a dark christmas. >> jane also played, keeping in the holiday spirit. >> i love these moments when you say jane also. >> remember christmas past, 2004, "a christmas carol." the musical, kelsey grammer as scrooge. >> wow. >> me. >> and it doesn't appear you're in that movie. >> oh, there you are. >> i fear the reason they did not show the musical number i did in this. maybe it's going to come up. because i'm ghost of christmas past and i haunt his bedroom and after we filmed the whole thing, i read a review which, a, don't

ever do that, but the review said that allegedly's version of a ghost of christmas past does like a bedroom pole dance but i did dance around his bed but i'm a ghost. >> why would we show that clip? >> maybe that's why. maybe that's why i'm assuming we didn't pick the musical. that's how some people thought. >> were you wearing those boots? >> twerking goes to christmas past. >> no, no. >> it aired on nbc. it was lovely. can i just say, i want to thank you so much for having me here so much this year. i have such a blast coming heerngs and you give me so much joy and i wanted to share a holiday tradition with you all. since my son has been born we have this tradition you know a little bit about because i sthard with you and your family where we wear on christmas eve the goofiest sort of pajama sets that we can find. >> good tradition. >> and i think i brought a little picture of little bennett.

when he was first born, how it sort of started. >> that's not goofy. >> and that's when he's a little bit older. >> it grows. >> and now he's -- now his full name is on them because he has more real estate on the back of the pants, but just to say merry christmas, i got you little presents. >> thank you. >> to say thank you -- >> i don't feel like i'm not even here that much. >> presents with you. >> i sent -- >> they are in our family tradition. >> can we open before christmas. >> jane gave us these jammies. >> i sent you a picture. >> oh, my gosh. >> i am so happy right now. >> i'm changing right now. >> oh, no. >> no, no. >> i'm surprised you didn't put my first, middle and last name with the real estate back there. >> oh, okay. >> i'll be back. >> i'll be back, jane, hold on. >> got the little trap door. >> the little trap door. >> you don't want to get cold at

night, wow. >> that's awesome. >> merry christmas. >> thank you so much. >> thank you so much. >> i love these. tamron's left now. >> that was awkward. >> because i don't have anything for you. >> really. >> the spirit of giving. >> i have it, it just didn't get here yet. >> there it is. >> very smooth. >> these are awesome, jane, thank you. >> thank you, so cool. >> now you have more -- >> wow. so cute. it fits perfectly. i think it's the dress. there it is, it's not my butt, willie, i mean that. >> those are made for twerking. >> i know, my whole skirt is still under here. >> you look adorable. >> there's my name. >> i love these. >> we're going to boston for christmas and now this is all i have to pack. family, i'll be wearing this. >> i feel like elf on the shelf. these are the best. >> that's amazing. >> it's christmastime. >> thank you.

>> thank you, jane. >> just mentioned elf on a shelf. >> and speaking -- do you do the whole elf on a shelf thing? >> yes. >> we used, to yeah. >> everybody still does because kids, you know, they are watching. >> yeah. >> it's serious business. >> it's serious business. >> there are rules you can't touch the elf on the shelf. >> what happens if you're a 7-year-old girl from old bridge, new jersey and you accidentally knock the elf on the shelf off the shelf? do you call 911 because this is now a christmas emergency, and isabella said the elf fell on the floor when she threw a ball and she was scared that the christmas magic would disappear from her home so she called 911. her mom was asleep and didn't really know what to do, so the police actually came to her house and then -- well, here's what happened. here's the phone call. >> hello. >> it'sis blal. >> hi, hi,is blal. why are you calling 911? >> don't come to my house! >> okay.

>> i was trying to call my dad but i had an accident. >> you can just say you made a mistake, okay. >> well, that's kind of how the phone call ended and then the police ended up coming to the house and she was in tears and tried to get them to go away while her mom was napping but then it turns out, you know, in her world this was an emergency, and her mom told her that this really doesn't qualify as an emergency, everything will be okay. christmas magic will still be in our home. >> i understand. >> from what we heard, she said the elf fell down and i need your help. >> no, i don't think she ever got to that point. >> they came over not really knowing what the problem was. >> the poor thing. >> oh. >> christmas is going to be okay. >> we're very into elf on a shelf. it feel likes it's the new pre-christmas tradition we follow. >> always watching. >> yeah. >> i just read the back story on the elf. i didn't note history of it, and it's really sweet. he's a really, keeping kids in

order. >> yeah. it lays down sometimes which does happen. he's tired because he went back to the north pole. sometimes you need to lay down and have a little nap. >> we'll have some fun with you, jane, you ready? >> some more fun. >> this puzzle, willie was talking about it this morning in the original room. it's taken the internet, as they say by storm. the question is can you spot the panda. there's a panda. >> wow. >> we're not going to started clock on you because we don't want to put pressure. >> have it on a tiny monitor far away from jane which is not helpful. you can walk over there if you want. >> i want to see the shoes. >> we ran it by our readers today.com. 59% said they found t.found it under 15 seconds. >> they did. >> the all right. >> so you know where it is. >> yeah. >> it took 30% of our readers up to a minute. you're at a minute now. >> 6%. here we go.

this ain't good. >> 6% could not find the panda at all. can you see it? >> let me look back here. >> this is a great shot. >> once you found it it dreams out to you. >> wow. >> i'm not good at these things. >> yes, you are. >> go methodically row by row. it's clear once you arrive. >> staring at me right now. >> oh, okay. >> you're still under a minute. oh, gosh. >> right now. i really wish i had practiced at home. >> i'm just not seeing it. >> you'll find it. >> no, no. >> you show me. >> okay. here. we're going to go to weather. >> we've yet to show it on tv. >> we'll reveal after the weather. >> oh, wow. >> you've been staring at it. don't pay attention to the weather and you look -- >> you reveal the panda. >> i'll make it nice and slow. >> she found it, see. >> why am i so proud because it

was the slowest and most lame. >> where is the panda? >> can i go point? >> go point it out. >> i'm so excited. >> am i going to ruin it for the world. great moment in television history. i got to climb over. here it comes. so elegant, and the angels reswrois. >> well done, santa, well done. >> you did a great job. >> dylan, and jane could also be a meteorologist because i do a lot of this, too. i go here's the rain and here's actually an area where we're looking at stronger storms. had some severe thunderstorms develop already and now had a tornado watch in effect until 1:00 central time. we are going to see the storms continue to fire up through the afternoon. 63 million people are at risk for severe weather and our biggest threat will be right near memphis. this area in red now through northern mississippi, including western tennessee. this is where we could see long track tornadoes later on today so a big area of concern later on this afternoon.

now, as far as we go for christmas eve, we're looking still to break record high temperatures. the warmest christmas eve ever on report. the old record in boston was 61. we should hit 69. in new york 63 was the old record and we should hit 72 and in washington, d.c. the old record 66 degrees set back in 19 good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. grab an umbrella if you're heading out the door. we're starting off with fog. rain moving in. it will stay for much of the day. through it all, it will be warm. look at the temperatures. this afternoon, high temperatures will range from 61 to 64. might go warmer this evening. chance of a record this evening, definitely be setting records tomorrow. 75 the high temperature. all-time record high for philadelphia. could tie the record on friday for christmas day. steady showers and cooler saturday but another warm-up sunday. have a great day. >> that's your latest forecast.

>> congratulations on finding panda. >> right there when you see it. took me a little bit of time. >> coming up next, do in the arrive empty-handed. last-minute gifts your own pers my sister raves about her toothpaste and mouthwash all the time. i'm like, huh? aren't they all the same? you know, i had to see for myself. so i went pro. with crest pro-health advanced. advance to a healthier, stronger, cleaner mouth from day 1. this toothpaste... ...and mouthwash make my whole mouth feel amazing. and my teeth stronger. crest pro-health advanced is superior in these 5 areas dentists check. this is gonna go well, for sure. advance to a healthier stronger, cleaner mouth from day 1. great check up. my sister was right. coughing...sniffling... and wishing you could stay in bed all day. when your cold is this bad... ...you need new theraflu expressmax. theraflu expressmax combines...

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thought i was crazy. but this morning, a city i'd never been to felt like home. thank you for sharing the world with me. airbnb. belong anywhere. looking for giftsof so there won't be tears. ♪. ♪ ♪ eleventh hour shopper...that's you. ♪ ♪ it's ok because they know you. ♪ ♪ they're loaded up with gear. ♪ an xbox for the children. ♪ and a mixer for your dear. ♪ no need to shop around for present you've missed ♪ ♪ it's all here. you're off the naughty list! ♪ ♪ eleventh hour shopper... that's you! ♪ see you next year, buddy! get low prices on all your last-minute gifts. walmart. . time for more christmas confidential, last-minute gifts for the hostess with the mostest. >> whether you're dropping by a holiday shindig or staying with

friends for a festive weekend, as your mom always told you, don't show up empty-handed. >> here is. >> had to find these at a brick and mortar store. couldn't are more than $25. >> everything i have to stress, everything on table this morning under $25. who could not. >> cool. >> perfect. >> and last-minute, one, two, three, let's get rolling. >> so we have these -- so, okay, for cheese so you can cut up your vegetables and show your cheese. they are platters, under $25. and i love them, too, because you can also get them, this is a stone, write your name on the chalk and write your name on the wood and a great gift to have and last minute and from bed bath & beyond. >> available to everybody. >> let's not go the back there. >> i've already done terrible on the panda test. >> running out of time. >> we have wine. these are great wine glasses because, remember, you can write

your name on it and pair it up with a great bottle of wine. >> i love that. >> i'm always forgetting my bottle of wine? don't mind if i do. >> let have a glass. >> cheers. >> and have a glass. happy holidays. >> this is great. >> does the pen wash off? >> one, two, three, and you know whose glass it is. >> this year's charms. >> and here's a selfie stick and make your own party with pictures and here are your glasses. >> that's wacky. >> $12 the whole. >> and here's your little bowtie. >> and then that's for the selfie. >> bringing your party to the party. >> i love it. >> that party is going to be great. >> all right. remember, when you're shopping for your gift who doesn't love grilled cheese. grilled cheese maker from cvs, your cheese, bread and everything and here you go,

grilled cheese picker. >> goes right in. >> what about the melt the cheese part. >> and it melts one, two, three. >> that's incredible. >> everybody loves a grilled cheese sand ich. >> awesome. >> now, french bread, some -- your jam and you're ready to go and wrap it up, 1, 2, 3. >> makes your own jam. >> have a lot of friends that make the jam. >> i don't. >> but people who do. >> everybody loves a french baguette. >> now, for the morning after. >> you want to stay in bed. hot cocoa, hottie toddies, great leggings and stay in bed and drink hot cocoa. >> i love all these gifts. >> and who doesn't love a mask. masquerade. we love these masks. >> and it's for the night before and for the day after and we love these and these from

nordstroms and are $7. >> makes you look better when you're done. >> look better the day before, morning after. >> i love giving a frame as a gift. you write a little thank you, put a photo of your family or friends and this is $11.95. >> great ideas. >> and last but not least, better half from pier one imports. >> have a little coffee the morning or day after. >> liz, thank you so much. >> happy holidays. >> great ideas. coming up next your "pop fix" with

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lift your mugs, it's hump day. guess who is the happiest woman in the world, theresa guidesy. became a household name after appearing in all six seasons of braffo's "real housewives of new jersey." hot-tempered momma is certainly more famous for his high-profile court hearing and conviction on fraud charges. after serving nearly a year behind bars the reality star is free. theresa released at 59:01 today, this photo courtesy of "people" magazine and is headed home to and joe is expected to begin his 21 mount sentence in march and i'm sure we'll see that all play out on reality. >> sylvester stallion's rocky and other movie memorabilia has earned over $3 million, red, white trunks from "rocky iv" were worn sold for $57,500.

i forgot the blue, red, white and blue and pay of 1990 muhammad ali training gloves signed by the greatest given to stallion sold for $47,000 and the top earning item, stallion's leather jacket worn in 1976's "rocky." the top item sold. three-day auction, winning bid, $149,000. i'm pausing because let me tell you, about two things in this world i want, i want to go to heaven and i want that jacket. portions of the proceeds will benefit military charities. that is fantastic, and take a look. wow, hard to see this one, but take a look. looks like thousands of pictures of kim kardashian you see before your eyes, can you see it, no you don't. look closely. right there. this is not kim kardashian, a canadian blogger, camila osmond who is incredible, a doppelganger of kim k. and spells her name even with a "k"

and the internet has gone crazy and the instant famous camila has 990,000 followers on social media and -- that's -- that's incredible. "pop fix" would not be complete without a little dance party and no one likes to come to my club but guess what, my girl jane krakowskiy is here. >> do we play whatcha doin? just prepping for my boss's party in a couple weeks. what are those? crest whitestrips. they whiten way better than paste. crest 3d white whitestrips whiten 25 times better

than a leading whitening toothpaste. someone's making quite an impression. this holiday season, select crest whitestrips are buy one, get one free. good morning, i'm rosemary connors. let's check in with meteorologist bill henley. zero visibility and holding in mt. pocono and coatesville. dense fog still being reported in dover. rain showers have been moving through. they'll be on and off this morning. heavier rainfall this afternoon. and through it all, the temperatures climb. low 60s later today. jessica boyington has her eye on the holiday travel.

jessica, fill us in. >> the biggest problem we have so far is at the airport, rosemary. traffic management program in effect for arriving flights and some departing flights may be affected as well. 73 minutes for your delay at the airport. as for the rest of our majors here, 422 around trooper road, pretty much empty. already looking like a holiday right now, eastbound to the schuylkill expressway, nine-minute trip. we completely ran through rush hour, hardly have any delays at all. schuylkill expressway looking great into center city. no delays there. and blue route to the schuylkill, 95, looking good. counterterrorism officials are trying to track down dozens of propane tanks and the person who stole them from two philadelphia businesses. investigators are trying to determine what the thieves may want to do with those tanks. some of them are heavy enough that the thieves need a forklift to move them. i'm rosemary connors. we'll have another update in 25

minutes. now back to the "today" show.

taking a look at the headlines. expect plenty of company did you still need to travel to your holiday destination. aaa says a record 100 million americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more this season. that's largely due to the cheapest gas in six years with regular unleaded, if you can believe, averaging under $2 a gallon. airfares for the top 40 domestic routes also lower this year and amtrak is luring new customers by allowing pets. thank goodness. a reason to think twice before you buy one of the tiny turtles as a gift. small turtles can carry salmonella bacteria on their skin and shells. researchers say there have been eight large outbreaks of salmonella in recent years. most of the cases involve young children who have handled the turtles. there's a federal ban on selling

turtles less than 4 inches long but there's still a market for them. just in time for christmas, santa has an extra gift for music lovers. the beatles will join music streaming services including apple music and spotify on thursday unlike artists like taylor swift won't allow free songs on versions of those sites. the beatles will be available to everyone. merry christmas. and a christmas present came early for a seventh gradener long island, new york. grace hernandez couldn't hold in excitement when her big brother surprised her at school. justin hernandez has been station the with the u.s. army in south korea went march and went straight to from the airport to see his sister and joseph gets to stay home for two weeks and that's never long enough and certainly they appreciate it and a great sacrifice that's made by all of these men and women who serve this country and their families as well. so we salute all of you and your families. that is so beautiful to see, and we're going to pass it off. here we go. >> tagging in.

>> boom. >> dylan's up. >> and looking at weather across the country for upcoming holiday. today is a huge travel day, and we're going to see a lot of troubles, especially down through the south and western tennessee where we could end up with very strong storms later today. tornadoes are possible, too. in the northeast delays because of fog and also rain. on christmas eve it's going tonight warmest christmas eve we've ever had ever on record. temperatures in washington, d.c. getting into the upper 70s. new york will be in the lower 70s and then on christmas day we're still staying in the 60s and 70s and still looking at some of those scattered showers and storms and good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. grab an umbrella if you're heading out the door. we're starting off with fog. rain moving in. it will stay for much of the day. through it all, it will be warm. look at the temperatures. this afternoon, high temperatures will range from 61 to 64. might go warmer this evening. chance of a record this evening, definitely be setting records tomorrow. 75 the high temperature. all-time record high for

philadelphia. could tie the record on friday for christmas day. steady showers and cooler saturday but another warm-up sunday. have a great day. >> quick costume change. that's your latest forecast. wondering why i'm dressed like this and you have bows over your neck because i'm secretly trying to take over the show, a new game sweeping the nation, called bah humbug, bah being the key word. i have christmas masks and the bow goes over your mouth in case everyone was wondering. when she's humming you two guess and when you're humming you two guess. >> i think we've got it the. >> those are the rules. >> is this a game played in america's homes? >> it should be.

>> don't look. >> okay. >> and then you -- >> okay. the bow goes over your mouth. >> this is so stupid. >> is this to humiliate us on the end of year show. >> okay, okay. ♪ >> jane. i'm going to call it "chestnuts roasting". >> called "the christmas song." >> i left out run of the rules. >> you have to sing the song when you get it. ♪ chestnuts roasting on a open fire ♪ ♪ jack frost nipping at your nose ♪ >> she's going -- >> like a jack in the box on that seat. >> and don't forget the bow. >> i'm not cheating. >> stop cheating. >> willie 's the bow. >> i've got to see it.

>> oh, gosh. >> two, three, four. ♪ ♪ silver bells, silver bells ♪ it's christmas time in new york city ♪ ♪ a few other cities, too >> okay. jane is the champion of the game. >> you can't sing. >> it's -- it's what america has been clamoring for. okay. >> you don't have to put yours o on. ♪ rocking around the christmas tree ♪ ♪ rocking around the christmas tree have a happy holiday ♪ >> go, jane. ♪ he doesn't know the words >> all right.

>> tamron. i'm sorry. really. >> you thotd we were all here. >> another opportunity for jane to sing. >> tiebreaker. >> you each have one. okay. easy. >> they are all easy. they are christmas songs. ♪ ♪ >> take it, take it, take it. you go, take it on home ♪ we wish you a merry christmas, we wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year ♪ ♪ good tidings -- >> in the christmas spirit. >> you win. >> the >> can you sing us to break? >> sing us to break. >> a copy of "a muppet christmas." >> the starring whoopi goldberg. >> good fun. >> coming up next while we sing ourselves out of here, last-minute holiday style for the whole tamale.

♪ dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh ♪ ♪ or the hills we go, laughing all the way ♪ ♪ ha, ha, ha ♪ 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. knowing eliquis had both... 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.

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whfight back fastts tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue and neutralizes stomach acid at the source tum, tum, tum, tum smoothies! only from tums we're on. the lights are lit and the gifts are wrapped and what are you going to wear to the party? is heading out to a party or staying and opening presents by the fire, if you know what i mean, we've got festive fashion ideas that the whole family will love. >> isn't it nice when the best friend in the world appears next two and our style editor at today.com. full disclosure, if you've not gone to today.com to see the fashion blog, emily kills it. >> thank you. >> showing you how to rock the fashions without spending a ton of cash. >> follow us on facebook. a ton of information especially

for the holidays, these are some of my inspirations and ideas. add a piece or two to your closet. >> okay. >> kind of shop your own cross. >> okay. good to shop your own cross >> let's start in mad for plaid. >> such a classic kind of holiday theme and print. >> yeah. >> but you can really have fun with it and make it funky, too, and don't be afraid to mix it around. >> brook is wearing an amazing skirt. >> i love that it's plaid. >> can change from that gold. >> it's like a two-for. >> mix something dressy with a casual plaid. >> and is really rocking it. gerard is wearing a shirt for less than their 0 and wear it with a knit tie and keeps it young and fresh and doesn't feel too staged. >> i like seeing the casual -- the cotton shirt with the tie. i like seeing young men in ties. don't see that that often. the time to dress up, the holiday season, why not.

>> and rick is wearing an actual polka dot tie with the plaid so the chick is to make sure that the patterns, one is much bigger than the other. otherwise feel free to mix them. >> look great. >> people tell you look like bill nye, the science guy, a dead ringer, both are handsome. >> thank you, guys. >> the next trend is monochrome. >> monochrome. >> yeah. >> so feel to just wear one color all together. it actually looks super chic and kind of cohesive. >> we'll start with daniel. she's wearing this amazing sweater. had like light and air we perforated holes and really wear this year round. >> who are the shoes by? >> mishka. >> so pretty and elegant. >> oh, my gosh. >> with the sweater it dresses down a little bit. >> yosef, burgundy on burgundy. amazing, and the shirt and attire from two separate places.

>> our "men's health" star. >> and he's been getting marriage proposals. >> and the plum color is gorgeous. >> looks great on him. >> and then we have the purple jumpsuit. women are sometimes afraid to wear a color like this but look at how amazing. >> you look great. >> and let's bring in our last group. you guys like amazing. yosef, you have to say yes eventually. >> comfy and cozy. now they look spectacular. >> we're all into pajamas right now. >> exactly. >> yeah. >> so if you can see caitlin is wearing this adorable outfit from justice, looking comfy and cozy and it's about the instagram, the candy cane legs and the old navy furry slippers and the headband. look at how cute. >> i need to find these for my son because he would love that shirt. >> the slippers. >> the wookie slippers. >> a layered shirt and on the top the "star wars" santa.

darth saider in a santa hat. >> today.com and all the fashions lists, wookie slippers, we're taking those to your son. up next, a sound of the season from the in 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. my favorite part is to be able to lift your legs up a little bit... ...and it feels like i'm just cradled. at mattress firm get zero percent apr financing. and there you have it. visit mattress firm, america's number one tempur-pedic retailer today.

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rock 'n' roll hall of famer, the great darlene love is in the house. >> we're so excited. >> many know her from her traditional holiday appearances on david letterman's show that she did for 28 years, her story told in the academy award winning documentary "20 feet from stardom" and her latest album is called "introducing darlene love" and here to sing one of her classics. >> so great to have you other. >> so good to be back. >> merry christmas to you. >> merry christmas now. >> introducing darlene love, explain the title a little bit because a lot of fans feel like we met her a long time ago. >> you have to do something

different, but the truth is he wanted people that haven't seen me in the last 30 years that mother and fathers are now bringing their children and now we're trying to catch those, trying to kwacht teenagers and the 20-year-olds. >> a new generation of fans. >> so lucky to be introduced to be darlene love. >> what are you singing for us today? >> i'm going to sing -- >> what am i singing? >> marshmallow world." >> just do what i do on stage every night. ♪ ♪ ♪ it's a marshmallow world in

the win the ♪ ♪ when the snow comes to cover the ground ♪ ♪ it's the time for play, it's a whipped cream day ♪ ♪ i wait for it all year round ♪ those are marshmallow clouds being friendly ♪ ♪ in the arms of the evergreen trees ♪ ♪ and the sun is red like a pumpkin's head ♪ ♪ it's shining so your nose won't freeze ♪ ♪ world is your snowball, see how it grows ♪ ♪ that's how it ghost whenever it snows ♪ ♪ the world is your snowball just for a song ♪ ♪ get out and roll it along ♪ a yum-yummy world made for sweet hearts ♪ ♪ take a walk with your favorite girl ♪ ♪ it's a sugar date, what if spring is late ♪ ♪ in winter it's a marshmallow world ♪ ♪ oh, yeah ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ it world is a snowball, see had you it grows ♪ ♪ that's how it goes whenever it snows ♪ ♪ the world is your snowball just for a long ♪ ♪ get out and roll it along ♪ it's a yum-yummy world made for sweet hearts ♪ ♪ take a walk with your favorite girl ♪ ♪ it's a sugar date, what if spring is late ♪ ♪ in the winter it's a marshmallow world ♪ ♪ it's in winter it's a marshmallow world ♪ ♪ in winter it's a marshmallow world ♪

♪ >> yeah! >> darlene love. >> thank you. >> "it's a marshmallow world." >> introducing darlene love and you are on tour finishing up right now, is that right? >> i will be at bb king's tonight. >> okay. >> and i finish my month of christmas tour at bb king. >> congratulations on a great run. >> darlene love, pick up the al budgets, ladies and gentlemen. thank you all very much. this is "today" on nbc. >> thank you.

[gus singing] ♪ dashing through the snow ♪ careful on the ice ♪ keep scratchin', cousin joe. ♪ [cousin joe singing] ♪ oh gus, you're much too nice! [gus singing] ♪ a gift for uncle dave, and 1 for auntie jane ♪ ♪ mom and dad and grandpa zack all get a scratching game ♪ [everyone singing] ♪ oh, instant games! ♪ instant games! instant games for me! ♪ ♪ 6 new holiday instant games from the p.a. lottery ♪ keep on scratchin'!

>> oh, my. with jane. >> merry christmas! >> look at that the. >> the i think so.

good morning, i'm rosemary connors. it's 9:56 on this wednesday morning. >> you will not have to shovel any snow. but rain. and fog. that's blue mountain. still fog on the ground with zero visibility. also in coatesville. starting to improve a little bit

in wilmington. now the rain coming in. light rain showers will be on and off this morning, potential for heavier rainfall this afternoon. but the temperatures will be climbing. looking at 60s, low 60s during the day today. jessica boyington has an update on the traffic for us. >> not much volume on the roadways but delays at philadelphia international airport due to foggy conditions right now. 73-minute delays. a traffic management program is in effect for arriving flights and some departing flights will be affected. check before you go. here is the 42 freeway in new jersey around the new jersey turnpike. really no volume there at all. that drive time still in the green, approaching the walt whitman bridge and same in center city, schuylkill. michael aiken is now suspended with pay for his part in a porno graphic scandal. he will be off the job as he is

investigated. he is one of state officials accused of exchanging lewd e-mails. i'm rosemary connors. we'll have another update in 25 minutes.

♪ this holiday season, my good friend gave to me ♪ ♪ 7 powerball tickets ♪ 6 match 6 chances ♪ 5 cash 5s ♪ 4 cash4lifes ♪ 3 pick 3s ♪ 2 mega millions (joe) happy holidays, rita. (rita) thanks, joe! (man) what a great gift! (announcer) pennsylvania lottery tickets make great gifts, like the new holiday millionaire. (joe) happy holidays! ♪ and best wishes from the lottery ♪

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. yes! it is winesday wednesday, december 23rd, and just two more days until christmas. >> i can't believe it. two mo ready ♪ ♪ and we'll say no man >> boy, can she sing. we have a great love story to tell you about. >> and every of people come to the plaza, but one couple in particular who we have singled out happened to ve