good morning. breaking news. manhunt over. the suspect in that berlin christmas market attack killed in a shoot-out with police in milan. we're live with the latest. going nuclear. president-elect trump calls for an expansion of the american nuclear arsenal just hours after russian president vladimir putin says his country should fortify their arsenal. this morning, the exchange that could defy decades of u.s. nuclear policy, and we'll ask one of trump's closest advisors to explain it. rough flight. two men kicked off a jetblue plane after one of them is accused of confronting ivanka trump and her family with harsh words for the president-elect. did jetblue overreact? what the airline is saying this morning. and, the great escape.

one of the busiest travel weekends of the year gets under way with 103 million people set to hit the road and take to the skies. but will bad weather dampen your holiday spirit? what you need to know before you get on your way "today," friday, december 23rd, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. what a pretty sight. good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a friday morning. we made it to the long holiday weekend. you made it through a week where you haven't felt good. >> i got plenty of tea and lots of goodies on the side to take care of that. >> hoda is in while savannah continues to stay home with baby charlie. we wish them the best. we've got breaking news to start with can with on a friday morning. the suspect in that deadly berlin christmas market attack has been killed in a shoot-out with police in milan, italy,

overnight, bringing a global manhunt to an end. nbc's anne thompson has the very latest. anne, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. the drama ended some 650 miles south of berlin in a milan, ita italy, neighborhood, a routine police check at 3:00 in the morning and suddenly shots were fired. and just as quickly, an international manhunt was over. this morning, italian investigators gathering evidence at the scene of the shoot-out. the most wanted man in europe, 24-year-old amis amri, dead, killed after he was asked for i.d. by italian police. police say he immediately pulled a gun and started firing. there is no doubt, italy's interior minister told investigators, that the man is amri. the truck on the left of your screen is a dark menace. at 40 miles an hour running over

people and stalls in the market. the panic caught by a taxi's dash cam video. german authorities say they found amri's fingerprints inside and outside the truck's cab. italy was familiar territory to amri. after leaving his hometown in tunisia in 2011, amri spent more than three years in prison there for setting fire to a refugees center. a prison official tells nbc news amri was violent but showed no signs of religious fundamentalism. at the berlin market, it is back to business. returning here, an emotional moment for this woman who, like amri, is from tunisia. >> there is a kind of double sadness. but good people are everywhere and bad people are also everywhere. >> reporter: now the police officer who was injured in that shooting, he is in an italian hospital and is recovering. he is said to be in stable condition. his injuries are not life

threatening. german authorities here in berlin are thanking their italian counterparts for all their cooperation and support and saying they are very relieved that amri is no longer a threat. matt? >> anne thompson, thank you very much. to politics now. the back and forth between president-elect trump and russian president vladimir putin over the nuclear arsenals of both nations. are we on the verge of a renewed nuclear arms race? our team has it all covered and we will speak to trump's newly tapped pick for press secretary live in just a minute. but first, nbc's andrea mitchell is in washington with the latest. hey, andrea. >> good morning, hoda. vladimir putin today defiant against claims that russian hacking helped elect donald trump. even as trump's tweets are up-ending decades of u.s. nuclear policy. overnight, russian president vladimir putin, holding his annual marathon news conference at the kremlin, rejecting democrats who blame the election loss on the hacking of their

e-mails. according to a russian government translation saying, "the party that loses always tries to pass the buck." adding, "one has to know how to lose decently." and addressing the controversy over his call to expand russia's nuclear arsenal. putin saying, if anyone accelerates and speeds up the arms race, it is not us. after a campaign where donald trump's statements on how he would handle nuclear weapons set off alarm bells, the president-elect went even further thursday tweeting, the united states must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability. until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes. reversing u.s. policy since ronald reagan to cut the number of nuclear weapons. president obama has proposed modernizing the u.s. nuclear arsenal but not increasing the number of weapons. last spring trump drew fire for saying he might use nuclear weapons in europe or against isis. >> they're hearing a guy running for president of the united states talking of maybe using nuclear weapons. nobody wants to hear that about an american president. >> why do we make them? >> reporter: one month later

with savannah on "today" -- >> would you rule out the use of nuclear weapons in the fight against isis? >> i don't want to rule out anything. i will be the last to use nuclear weapons. it is a horror to use nuclear weapons. >> reporter: trump spokesman jason miller telling nbc news, trump's latest tweet was referring to the threat of nuclear proliferation and the critical need to prevent it. along with improving nuclear deterrents. newly named presidential counselor kellyanne conway says she spoke to mr. trump directly about the nuclear comment. >> he is saying we need to expand our capability to be ready for those who also have nuclear weapons. >> reporter: but nuclear experts say the president-elect's words matter, and the medium. >> what is your concern when you see what sounds like new policy being made on twitter? >> this is no way to run a country. every word matters. strengthen the nuclear arsenal, fine. expand it? everybody's harping on that word, whether donald trump meant

it or not, he is changing u.s. policy. >> trump's willingness to dive into complex issues like nuclear arms on twitter on the same day that he also injected himself into relations between the u.s. and israel has upset the obama white house which is expecting the president-elect to observe a long-standing tradition that on foreign policy there is only one president at a time. and in fact, today he is already talked to mika brzezinski and said regarding an arms race, he will meet the russians point by point. >> all right, andrea mitchell, thanks so much. while president-elect trump fills out key positions in his administration this week his daughter ivanka trump is on a hawaiian holiday that got off to a little bit of a rocky start. nbc's white house correspondent kristen welker has more on that. what can you tell us? >> reporter: matt, good morning. well, ivanka trump isn't spotted on commercial airlines very frequently, but yesterday she flew jetblue and became the target of lingering tensions of the bitter 2016 campaign.

ivanka trump and her family landing in san francisco on their way to a hawaiian vacation after some tense moments before her commercial jetblue flight took off. a fellow passenger later identified as daniel goldstein, a new york lawyer, had words with her, according to witnesses. >> he didn't say anything to her. he said aloud you are aruining our country, now you're ruining our flight because the flight was delayed. >> reporter: goldstein's husband, matthew lassner, tweeted out a picture of the moment, ivanka looking stunned. both men were removed from the plane and eventually booked on another flight. tmz's cameras captured them once they landed in san francisco. mark sheff seen here sitting in front of ivan ka watched the striking exchange unfold. >> he was upset. he walked on as soon as he saw her, he started shaking. he was visibly shaking. >> reporter: ivanka was seated in coach and protected by secret service but was the confrontation planned? lassner tweeted about an hour before the flight, ivanka and jared flying commercial. my husband chasing them down to

harass them. #banalitdofevil. but in a later tweet he tried to downplay the whole thing. my husband expressed displeasure in a calm tone. jetblue staff overheard and they kicked us off the plane. >> he was agitated. if i was security, i wouldn't take the chance either. but he didn't yell. >> reporter: in a statement, jetblue said the decision to remove a customer from a flight is not taken lightly if the crew determines that a customer is causing conflict on the aircraft, the customer will be asked to deplane. meanwhile, president-elect trump still in mar-a-lago, his inner circle coming into clearer focus, naming two campaign staffers to his team. former gop communications chief shawn spicer as white house press secretary and former campaign manager kellyanne conway will have his ear in the west wing as counselor to the president, telling reporters -- >> i can be supportive of his legislative priorities and overall agenda. >> reporter: just moments ago mr. trump sent out two tweets. i'll read them for you.

he says, my wonderful son, eric, will no longer be allowed to raise money for children with cancer because of a possible conflict of interest with my presidency. isn't this a ridiculous shame? he loves these kids. has raised millions of dollars for them and now must stop. wrong answer. all of this underscoring just how complicated the trump family's business and charitable entanglements are, something that he has vowed to talk about in a january news conference. >> kristen welker, thank you very much. rnc communications director, he still holds that position, shawn spicer was just spoken to be president-elect trump's white house press secretary. good morning. congratulations. >> thank you. >> before we get to that or that flight, i want to talk about this tweet that president-elect trump sent out yesterday talking about nuclear weapons. said the u.s. "must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability." expand. explain it. >> the tweet continued -- unless other countries come to their senses. i think the point that he is making is that we're not going

to sit back as a country and allow other countries to expand their nuclear capability with the u.s. just sitle idly by. this president is going to take action and make sure that american interests are protected. >> this president then is going to reverse 40 years of policy in this country where presidents since ronald reagan pledged to reduce the number of into you clear weapons and warheads -- >> we're not going to sit back, matt, and watch other nations threaten our safety. if another country wants to expand their nuclear capability, the u.s. is not going to sit back idly by. just to be clear, the president isn't saying we're going to do this. he said unless they come to their senses. it is a warning to them that this president's going to take action. >> he doubled down this morning, sean, speaking to mika brzezins brzezinski. he said, "let there be an arms race. i'm paraphrasing. if there will be an arms race, we will match them at every turn. he is preparing for an arms race? had. >> since he was elected november 8th he has had one success after

another with carrier, with boeing -- >> this is nuclear proliferation. >> i understand that but other countries need to be put on notice that he is not going to sit back and allow them to undermine our safety, our sovereignty. he is going to match other countries and take action. >> was this a knee-jerk reaction, a shoot from the hip reaction to vladimir putin yesterday saying that he planned to fortify the russian nuclear arsenal? >> there he a been several countries, russia among them, that have talked about expanding their nuclear capability. the point that he was making is very clear. other countries, whether russia, klein or others, that want to threaten u.s. safety with are not going to sit back and allow this country to not act. >> if there is going to be an arms race -- >> there is not going to be. >> he says, so be it, we will match them at every turn. >> he is going to ensure other countries get the message he is not going to sit back and allow that. what's going to happen is they will all come to their senses and we will all be just fine. >> this goes right to your role, actually, that he takes on this vital and complicated and consequential policy issue.

nuclear proliferation. in a tweet. and so -- >> but he will get action, matt. >> but you hit the word tweet, it sends -- it goes out. and our allies and our enemies are left to just react to it. . isn't that dangerous? >> look what happened yesterday. he put out a statement about the egyptian motion that was going to happen at the u.n. it was revoked. president al sisi called. prime minister netanyahu called. he is getting results. whether it is domestically or abroad. the fact of the matter is, business as usual is over and things are going to change and america's going to be put first. >> let me briefly talk about your new role because it is going to fall on your shoulders to communicate his policy and his views to the media and as a result the world. there's been a contentious relationship between president-elect trump, candidate trump, and the media. he is even -- i've been to some of his rallies where he urged his supporters to hate the media. how are you going to navigate this delicate relationship? >> it is a two-fold relationship. one is i think we have genuine

respect for the role the media plays in our democracy. but at the same time i think the president-elect has been very clear that when stories or facts are not communicated accurately he is going to set the record straight. so we understand the role but he's also got a direct line to the american people with this twitter account, with facebook, with instagram. there are 40-million-plus americans. >> as a result of that direct line will you continue the long-standing tradition of daily press briefings? >> i assume so, yeah. but again, what we need to do in every aspect of government is stop saying this is how it's always happened. look at traditions, look at things. if they can be improved, we improve them if we can make them better. we need to involve the american people more in these processes. >> real quickly. this jetblue situation with ivanka trump and her husband and family. what was her reaction to it? what was the president-elect's reaction to it? >> ivanka is the epitome of class and grace. i think she exhibited that yesterday. this individual, as you saw in

kristen welker's piece, put out a tweet he wanted to harass her. ivanka and jared and the kids were trying to enjoy a private moment and -- >> mr. trump's reaction? >> obviously disappointed but he's proud that jetblue took the appropriate action. >> sean spicer, again, congratulations on the new position. good luck. now to a growing controversy in texas where a ft. worth police officer is under investigation this morning after a video went viral showing him in an altercation with a woman who had called police to report an alleged assault on her young son. so how did she end up under arrest? nbc's gabe gutierrez has that story. >> don't grab her! don't grab her! >> reporter: this morning, outrage is mounting in ft. worth, texas after this controversial confrontation. >> it made me feel less of a parent that i couldn't protect him when he needed it. >> reporter: jacqueline craig says she called police wednesday to report that a neighbor had grabbed her 7-year-old son's neck for littering.

the video begins after the officer arrives and shows him speaking with the neighbor. but then questioning craig. >> don't put your hands on my son. >> why don't you teach your son not to litter? >> i can't prove to me that my son littered. but that doesn't matter if he did or didn't. it doesn't give him a right to put his hands on him. >> reporter: the exchange escalates. >> if you keep yelling, you're gonna -- >> reporter: and the officer takes craig and two other women into custody. at one point even pulling out his taser. craig's 19-year-old daughter recorded the video. >> we see police kill people every day on video and that could have easily been my mother, myself or my 15-year-old sister. that's why i felt it was the need to record it. >> reporter: the video appears to have at least three gaps, the family's attorney says it was not edited but it is not clear what, if anything, happened in those sections. >> if this was a white child

that had been choked by a black man there is no way on god's green earth that they would be walking free and that the mother of that child would have been arrested. >> reporter: ft. worth police say we are acknowledge that the initial appearance of the video may raise serious questions. we ask that our investigators are given the time and opportunity to thoroughly examine this incident. the unidentified officer is now on restricted duty pending an internal investigation. for "today," gabe gutierrez, nbc news. with just a day to go until christmas eve and hanukah, today is already shaping up to be perhaps the busiest travel day of what could be a record holiday travel season. more than 103 million people are expected to travel more than 50 miles away from home. that means the nation's roads and airports are going to be jammed all day long. nbc's tom costello is at reagan national airport in washington. tom, good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, matt. we've got a full airport here. behind me, reagan national. this is the ts a-line it goes all the way there past the

christmas tree. this is 1 of 3 checkpoints. 6 million people are going to be flying over the course of the ten-day christmas holiday period and the good news is we don't have much bad news this morning. take a look at the misery map which is from flight aware. not a lot of misery today. the northeast corridor pretty much all green. just slivers of red today, slivers of delays and cancellations. really a very good day to fly. busiest airports, no surprise, especially if you live in these cities. atlanta, chicago, l.a., dallas, and denver. the tsa urging travelers to remember to check your liquids and gels, be prepared to take out your laptops, remove your shoes, your coats, your belts. if you don't have pre-check, the agency has stepped up dramatically since last spring when we saw long lines stretching for hours. they've also opened a tsa airport command center here in washington that tracks every tsa checkpoint nationwide at the 30 busiest airports that coordinate with the airlines and they try to move things along much, much faster.

it all helped move things along very quickly over the summer and spring break. all hands on deck. now you mentioned 103 million people, most of them going by road. in fact, 94 million people are traveling by road, fueled by cheaper gas which is now averaging $2.26 a gallon. that's up 26 cents a year. but still the second-cheapest pump prices we've seen since 2009. back here at the airport, the tsa reminding folks, show up a couple of hours early if you want to be sure that you're going to clear tsa. also remember you're competing with everybody else on the plane for that overhead bin space so maybe you want to pack lightly on your carry-ons. >> all good pieces of advice, tom. thank you very much. >> i'm getting ready to fly, too. i am thinking about what tom said and what rafael miranda is about to say. he's filling in for al with the weather picture. how is it looking? >> not looking so great out west. unfortunately, a powerful storm is moving onshore. if you have taravel plans to th

west coast, i would expect significant delays. snow and rain extending from the border with canada all the way down into southern california. as the day goes on, heavy snows in the mountains, heavy rain for southern california, a flood watch is in affect for the los angeles area. tomorrow for christmas eve, heavy snow moves into the rockies. we could see one to two feet of snow in higher elevations and rain and snow may cause additional delays as we head into the southwest. on sunday our storm turns into a blizzard for the high plains. dakotas especially, a blizzard likely there. rain and maybe even weather farther south. today where you see the red is where we expect the worst delays. it is the west coast. san francisco, heavy rain. seattle and los angeles could all see delays. tomorrow, salt lake city. sunday and monday, delays possible farther east with that blizzard monday, the day after christmas. maybe some delays in the great lakes and the eastern seaboard. we'll get

good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. we're on our way to a nice friday. great day for getting out of town or last minute shopping. we'll see sunshine, dry conditions. and look at the warm ups. 40s all around today. up to 48 degrees in philadelphia. the normal high temperature this time of year is in the low 40s. even lehigh valley, the suburbs will be into the middle 40s this afternoon and 47 degrees for delaware. at the shore up to 47 degrees this afternoon. rain that holds off until tomorrow.

>> all right, thank you. how about this? spending all night in a store? kind of sounds like a nightmare but for a growing number of teens, it is becoming a new viral challenge. why one major chain is telling kids, hey, cut it out. and some royal family secrets revealed. the never-before-seen letters from princess diana now going up for auction in london. we'll tell you about those. first, this "today" on nbc.is

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using order pickup. stay fresh! get last minute gifts with order pickup at target. 7:26. good morning. i'm tracy davidson. let's get the right your first alert neighborhood forecast with meteorologist bill henley. bill, looks warm. >> well, it is going to get warmer this afternoon. the temperatures are climbing with sunshine. it's only been up for six minutes now but we'll see sunshine through the day. a little bit of breeze, a bit stronger above building level. right now 33 degrees in philadelphia. just below freezing for delaware and right at freezing in some of the suburbs. some neighborhoods that are in the. look at unionville, right now 24 degrees. collegeville 27. 23 degrees in fort washington. warming to the 40s this afternoon. let's check the roads with francesca ruscio. >> very smooth traffic on the

schuylkill expressway. our camera in and out of center city, people enjoying 4550 and 60s. back to you. new this morning a person is dead and more than a dozen others are out of their homes after an apartment building fire in pottstown. nbc 10 was on the scene this morning. the red cross is helping six families who evacuated safely. fire chief says he believes careless smoking sparked the fire. today marks final dead lynn to get your holiday package to get where it's going by christmas. i'm tracy davidson. we'll have another update in 25 minutes. stay updated while on the go nbc 10. you'll get news and weather. it's a free load. the "today" show continues in just minutes.

we are back now on a friday morning. it is the 23rd day of december, 2016. 7:30 in the morning and a huge pre-holiday crowd out in rockefeller plaza. we'll get outside and say hi to those nice people in just a little while. we are going to celebrate christmas eve eve with them. back inside studio 1a, let's check out today's headlines. the prime suspect in the deadly berlin christmas market attack has been killed in milan. the 24-year-old man was stopped by police for a routine check when he reportedly pulled a gun from his backpack. he was shot in the confrontation that ensued ending the global mubt f manhunt for him. russian president vladimir putin is speaking out this morning over growing fears of a

nuclear arms race with the u.s. putin said his nuclear military is "sfrong "stronger than any a" andhat hack being helped trump win the election. two hijackers plet erers t bomb a lynnian plane. teams were dispatched in malta where security forces aren staing by. we want to begin with the troubling new trend among teens that is going viral. kids are hiding out overnight in popular stores. then posting videos of their sleepover adventures online. nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer is in los angeles. he's got more on this. this is going to need some explaining, miguel. good morning. >> absolutely, matt. teens call it the sleepover challenge. they hide inside these big box stores, get their cameras out. when security disars when they start to roll video. but stores call it troubling and now my beginning to push back.

>> and tonight we are going to try to sleep in ikea. >> reporter: the craze appears to have started with these two belgian teens. back in july, the best friends filmed themselves at their local ikea store, hiding in a closet until closing. then they spent the night roaming the store. bouncing around. and mugging for their camera. >> we made it. casually slept in ikea. >> it began a little bit as a joke. we came up with the idea to film it and to put it on the internet. we blew up like crazy. >> reporter: their youtube video it be two idiots at night in ikea, went viral with more than 2 million views. and it has apparently inspired copy cats worldwide. in canada, these two filmed their escapades in a walmart.

>> we have to be extra sneaky. >> reporter: here in the u.s., these friends report the their night hiding inside the play set at a mcdonald's. >> is this considering trespassing? >> reporter: they weren't caught but these british youths weren't so lucky after their night in an ikeast arrested fortress passing. >> are you worried you may have started somngother kids in trou >> maybe a little bit. be free but also be responsible. >> reporter: in a statement to nbc news, ikea said, "the safety and security of our co-workers and customers is our highest priority and that's why we do not allow sleepovers in our stores." do not condone any activity inside our stores that could result in vandalism, destruction of property, or physical injury, and we'll take appropriate action if necessary." as for these two, they never heard from ikea after posting their video and don't plan on

any more sleepovers there. >> i guess you have to think about it twice before you do it. >> the teens we spoke to said they did get in trouble with their parents but to be clear, kids can be arrested and even face jail time. >> miguel, thank you very much. i think the title of their video said it all. >> what was it? two e have a powerful storm ot west. it is going to be a very messy day. under 18 million people under some sort are winter weather advisory or watch. this heads into the dakotas heading into sunday. could see very heavy snow and visibility reduced like places in north and south dakota. good news is we need rain in california and we're going to get it, maybe an icot and maybe higher elevations. again, this is not goor traveling today and into tomorrow. skiers rejoicing, snow piling up in the sierra and also the

rockies. one to two feet of snow as we head throughout the next couple of days. with the possible blizzard on sunday we could see very high accumulations as you head into the dakotas. the rest of us today, enjoy that thaw-out back east. today temperatures above average for a change. it was so chilly early on this week. 47 degrees as you had ed into sen good morning. i'm meteorologist bill henley. we're on our way to a nice friday. great day for getting out of town or last minute shopping. we'll see sunshine, dry conditions. and look at the warm ups. 40s all around today. up to 48 degrees in philadelphia. the normal high temperature this time of year is in the low 40s. even lehigh valley, the suburbs will be into the middle 40s this afternoon and 47 degrees for delaware. at the shore up to 47 degrees this afternoon. rain that holds off until tomorrow.

>> of course, you can always get your weather forecast on the weather channel on cable. coming up, whether we're traveling around the country or right here in studio 1 a, 2016 was action-packed for us at "today." we're going to take a look back at some of our favorite moments. and, we're going to have a first glimpse at some touching private letters written by princess diana. what she revealed about her young sons, william and ha ♪music

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friend at the palace reveal so much about her relationship with her young sons. she is still the queen of hearts to the public. but it is what princess diana had to say privately that reveals the special bond she shared with her sons, william and harry. these heart-warming newly revealed notes going on auction next month offer a glimpse into the life of the royal mom. on kensington palace stationary just five days after harry's birth, the princess writing the reaction to one tiny person's birth overwhelmed us and i can hardly breathe for all of the flowers arriving here. brotherly love, it seems, took root at first sight. diana joking that she could hardly get near the newborn prince. william adores his little brother and spends the entire time swammiping harry with an endless supply of hugs and kisses hardly letting the patients near. and hinting at an early naughty streak in harry when they were 10 and 8. the boys are well and enjoying

boarding school a lot, though harry is constantly in trouble. >> i'd run a bath and i came back up to get in the bath and suddenly i felt my bath was entirely red. harry had been down to the kitchen and asked the chef for a bottle of food coloring. actually poured it into the bath. this was the sort of joker that he was. >> reporter: diana also opens up about the painful death of her grandmother at an already-difficult time just a year after her separation from prince charles. her death comes as a great shock, she wrote, but even here, the princess who gave so much to others taking time to say thanks. it has meant an enormous amount to receive messages of support such as yours. resigning from public duties just five months later -- >> my first priority will continue to be our children, william and harry, who deserve as much love and care and attention as i'm able to give.

>> reporter: these boys, now both men. together, they got through the tragedy of her death and today they are as close as they were then, carrying on the charitable legacy of their mother. the future king now a proud father of two children of his own. guys, those letters generating a ton of interest said to be worth up to $18,000 at auction as the thirst for all things diana continues to grow. hoda? matt? >> it certainly does. lucy, thank you so much. up next, do you still have a tricky present that you have no idea how to wrap? carson's over in the orange room with some hilarious and creative solutions right after kohl's is now open 24 hours

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married. >> thank you, guys, very much. it is december 23rd, it is my anniversary. which means your time to wrap christmas gifts is almost running out. if you think you are a terrible gift wrapper, i want to make you feel a little bit better this morning. look at rebecca. go to wrap my presents thinking i bought silver wrapping paper, but, inno, i bought cellophane. and this one -- already failing at christmas. wrapping fail. that's when you come up short and are using that last bit from the roll. that's no good. lisa, ran out of tissue paper so i used real tissues. this is a sentimental gift that would be good. but otherwise -- don't have to tell you. brian, i thought i was wrapping presents but then i saw my dad's gift to my mom. aluminum foil. yeah. we've also got a holiday treat for everybody at home. every day the "today" show staff has been lighting up the christmas tree. matt joined in as the celebrity

tree lighter, i guess. >> it was very touching. ♪ rockin' around the christmas tree let et christmas spirit ring ♪ ♪ later we'll have some pumpkin pie and we'll do some caroling ♪ >> everybody! ♪ you will get a sentimental >> there was a shorter version of this, by the way. i haven't seen this yet. i'm waiting for it to kick in. ♪ deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪ >> happy holidays to everybody. in the daly household you don't feel like wrapping the gifts, play hot and cold. just put the present in like the wine closet, you have the kids play hot, hotter, warmer, cold -- then you are not wrapping anything. >> do you have to keep it inside the house? >> ♪ with advil, you'll ask

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just a few minutes before 8:00. good morning i'm tracy davidson on this friday morning. let's get to your first alert neighborhood forecast. bill henley, how will it took. >> 31 just below freezing in delaware. in the 20s in the lehigh valley. sunshine is nice and bright. sunshine will warm each of the neighborhoods from the 30s into the 40s this afternoon. that's a little bit above-normal. normal high is 43 degrees. >> if you're heading out there's an accidents on schuylkill expressway. radius is watching that. where on the expressway? >> specifically on the eastbound side right near the conshohocken curve. take a look at these travel speeds. we're seeing a bit of a crawl from the blue route to vine take you 16 minutes. you see these lights over here. that's the accidents. police activity is on site. back to you. an abington mother is a

person of interest in the death of her daughter. grace parker's body was found dismembered in luzerne county. this summer her mom sara parker reported grace missing and now she's in jail facing child endangerment charges. three d.a.s and prosecutors say she's a person of interest in the killing and she's misled detectives. happening now philly international is already packed with holiday travellers. if you have a flight later today expect long security lines. our photograph at the airport did say lines are moving quickly those. the airport is suggesting you go the airport two hours before your scheduled detour time. i'm dave david. we'll have another update in 25 minutes. if you're on the go today stay updated with news and weather and breaking news and traffic with nbc 10 app. it's a free download. the "today" show continues in just a couple of minutes. thanks for watching. have a great day.

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up -- getaway day. millions take to the roads and the skies. but, will weather threaten holiday travel? we'll tell you what you need to know before you head out the door. ♪ i'll be home for christmas plus, a very country christmas. >> i love christmas so much. i just want everybody to feel in the spirit. >> music star brett eldredge shows jenna the reins as he talks with jenna over holiday traditions. and oh, the fun we've had. >> it is time to meet our puppy. the drum roll, please. >> from puppies to pop music, to pregnancies.

>> are you pregnant? well, yeah, i am pregnant. >> we look back at laughs and lighter moments we've shared this year, "today," friday, december 23rd, 2016. ♪ we're here from knoxville, tennessee, to celebrate christmas with our daughter. go rocky top! >> it's my 15th birthday. >> on the "today" show in new york city! woo! >> all i want for christmas is a photo with hoda. ♪ >> look who's turning 13 today! woo! >> hey, "today" show. wish us a happy double birthday. >> merry christmas, colorado! woo!

we're back now, 8:00 on a friday morning. it is the 23rd day of december, 2016. it is really not bad out here considering just a couple of days to go until christmas. take a look at this huge crowd we have. >> look at this crowd! >> wow. happy holidays. christmas eve tomorrow, start of hanukah tomorrow. big time of year. >> some sweet 16s birthdays. >> are you guys ready for christmas? is. >> never really ready. but running around and getting ready for it. >> we have the year-end review coming up of some of the fun moments we've had here on show. stay tuned for that. but right now time to look at some headlines. here's your "news at 8." >> reporter: the international manhunt for the christmas market terror attack suspect is over. i'm anne thompson in berlin. the manhunt ended in milan, italy this morning when 24-year-oldered amis amri was

shot in that neighborhood. italian authorities say amri was stopped during a routine police check at 3:00 this morning. they say he looked suspicious and a policeman asked him for i.d. instead of pulling out his papers, amri pulled out a gun and started firing injuring that policeman. another police officer fired back killing amri. german officials say amri was identified by his fingerprints. why did amri go to italy? it was a country that he knew. he went there originally in 2011 after he left his home country of tunisia. he spent more than three years in prison in italy for arson. did he have a support network in italy? was he on his way to tunisia? those are all questions that need to be answered. german officials in berlin this morning thanked authorities in italy for their cooperation and support. as for that italian police officer who was injured in the shoot-out, he is doing well this morning. he is said to be in stable condition and his injuries are not life threatening.

>> anne thompson. thank you very much. as we mentioned, millions of americans are on the move today hitting the roads and of course taking to the sky in what is expected to be a record setting holiday travel year. they're also headed for the madness of the mall in search of some last-minute gifts. nbc's jo ling kent is in jersey city, new jersey. jo, good morning to you. happy holidays. >> happy holidays, matt. good morning to you. for all the procrastinators out there, a lot of you will be shopping this week. we've got some tips to show you who you to take advantage of the last two shopping days ahead of christmas. first, set a time limit and make sure that you are not leaving the house without everything planned. here's why -- 30% of americans are going to be shopping until the very last minute. 20% will actually shop on christmas eve, and that is tomorrow. what we're going to see is a lot of people out so don't leave the house without a plan. second, it is 2016. take advantage of same-day shopping. what you'll see is places like

amazon and saks still offering same-day delivery. if you want to order online and pick up in store you can still do that at a place like kohl's or walmart. they offer that option today and tomorrow. last, but not least, if you are really struggling what to gift someone, make sure you think with a gift card. kind of old-school, but there is a new virtual technology that allows you to order a specific item ne e-mail to your loved one do at macy's or neimen's or even coach. what they can do is pick out the size and color. best of all, if they don't like it, they can just return it right there online. time's running out. hurry up and get it done. >> it is not too late. how about if we get a check of the weather from rafi? >> it's been so cold for the past couple of weeks. now a nice gift just in time for the holidays. a warm-up across much of the eastern half of the country. international falls, 34 degrees. it seems chilly but that's 20 degrees above average.

boston, 44 degrees today. it gets even warmer as we head into christmas eve. mobile, near 80 degrees tomorrow. philadelphia, same story there. the warmth continues as we head into next week. that a look at's good morning, i'm meteorologist bill henley. we're on our way to a nice friday, a great day for getting out of town or last-minute shopping. we'll see sunshine, dry conditions and look at the warmups, 40s all around today, up to 48 degrees in philadelphia. the normal high temp this time of year is in the low 40s, even the lehigh valley and the suburbs will be in the middle 40s for this afternoon and 47 degrees for tell del, at the shore up to 47 degrees this afternoon. rain, that holds off until tomorrow. have a great day. >> nice and mild. >> good news, rafael. thank you very much. coming up, we're going to shine a light on the best of "today" throughout the year. all of our adventures from rio to the white house. and, baking cookies be with

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i'll make the cocoa. get a great offer on the car of your grown-up dreams at the mercedes-benz winter event. it's the look on their faces that make it all worthwhile. thank you santa!!! now lease the 2017 c300 for $389 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. >> announcer: "today's" year in review is sponsored by mercedes-benz. the best or nothing. it was an exciting year here at "today" highlighted by some big baby news. times two, really, in the "today" family. >> whether we were here in studio 1a, out on the plaza or rio for the olympics, we all had a really good time. so let's look back at some of the fun and laughs we shared. ♪ ooh something magical it's in the air it's in my blood it's rushin' on ♪ i don't need no reason don't need control ♪

i've got that sunshine in my pocket got that good song in my feet ♪ ♪ ♪ under the lights when everything goes nowhere to hide when i'm getting you close ♪ when we move well you already know so just imagine just imagine ♪ >> one small thing i do every morning, go on the play list, play classic rock 'n' roll. >> the one thing i do is put my fingers in my ears. >> we have a viewer outside anxiously awaiting your weather cast right there. >> i like to leave my audiences riveted. >> carson making dreams come true this morning. >> um, are you pregnant.

well, yeah, i am pregnant. >> yes! >> you guys, i didn't really want to make a big deal of this or anything about what it was going to be, but -- oh, my gosh, what is that? >> it's a boy! >> round of applause for charles max feldman. 9 pounds 8 ounces. it is one cute little boy. >> we've been working with him on a cool new trick all morning long. let's see if it works. >> you were supposed to >> boom. >> matt? grab some couch here, buddy. >> thank you very much. >> you know what time it is, kath? >> it's wine-o-clock. >> really, are you pregnant. you guys need s>>ne wow! >> shut the front door!

>> saturday morning dylan gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, value kin bradley fuchera. >> it is time to meet our puppy. let's have a drum roll, please! >> hi, charlie! >> i'm down to about five opinions in life of the people that matter. it's a very freeing thing. >> am i one of them? >> no. >> i sat on a bee once when i was a little kid. and it was terrible. >> for the bee. >> nancy, tell us the story about when savannah got caught shoplifting. >> no, no! my gosh! we are out of time. >> where did we hear that? >> i made it up. but apparently -- >> willie, come here. come here. willie, i know the trick now. i got to go. >> you know what? >> this is like a remake of the defiant ones. >> that's my stupid human trick. >> are you kidding me? that's not your first rodeo, is

it? >> get your face right up here. put your face right there! ♪ >> that's not his first guinness, by the way. >> she's cooking! hoda's cooking! >> i'm so sorry. >> i have to say real quickly, the soup is delicious. really good. >> savannah has never met a milkshake she doesn't like. >> milkshakes. milkshakes. milkshakes. >> that is so good. >> mmm! >> guys, are you like lovin' it, or what? >> 13 states where these are illegal. you need to eat these potatoes in your pajamas before flopping on the bed. >> i can just say, it is so nice to see you two together? no, you and the stove. >> that's onions? are those peaches? what is this? >> this is fennel.

>> wait a minute. hold on. >> you got it! you got it! yeah! she sticks the landing! >> lucky for us, we have assembled the greatest culinary talent in the country. food brings people together. so here's to more food. ♪ >> i want you! ♪ >> it is -- >> very interesting. >> i'm telling you, savannah, i like the new look. >> you look good! ♪ >> what are you wearing? >> we want to be classy. >> classy. >> we're looking back at the biggest pop culture moments of the '90s. ♪ hey macarena

♪ hay macarena >> i heard she was going to dress up like a witch so i did, too. ♪ hey macarena >> 1961 also the last year that carson appeared on the "today" show. >> no! >> i thought it was cool then. i deeply regret it now. >> i'm just going to sit right here. >> oh, no you don't. >> now the latest internet craze is called the -- manikin challenge. >> you take too many, there's something -- the doctor said -- it's a medical thing. >> you know what it is? right here. drinking the wine. >> start the day with something

good. >> every day! >> savannah guthrie, always something, no doubt, the "today" show all day yo come play with my poker face my al roker face. >> hold on. okay. all right. >> no, no, no! ♪ ♪ just call me angel of the morning angel ♪ >> what is your preshow ritual? >> well, i -- i pray and pee in that order. >> me, too! >> three, two, one -- >> just a bit slow. just a bait slow. ♪ >> i see you averting your eyes. that's because sasha has some kind of plumber's crack going on that is like beyond anything i've ever seen.

>> god help me, i can't take my eyes off it. >> i have a single sister, she's available. >> we can talk maybe off air. >> i'll give you her number. >> he ha is to go to the toilet! >> high five! >> i love this show. i'm so excited! i love it! >> this is "today." >> i want that on the holiday new year's eve reel or whatever y'all do. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ when you want it the most there is no easy way out ♪ when you're ready to go and your heart's left you out don't give up on love ♪ that's the way it is ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ he placed a wreath upon his door ♪ ♪ drove him uptown for a diamond. >> so you're a singer. >> yes. i used to be. >> okay. you have 16 cds? i'm the worst. >> it's fine. i don't expect you to. i don't have any of yours either. ♪ i meant it i said it i stole my mama's credit i'm hot sock you in the stomach one more time ♪ >> we're on steps of the white house. i have to say, that qualifies as special. >> i'm not leaving. this is -- i always wanted to

stand here. ♪ >> the vice president of the united states. bo and sonny obama. >> i think we're more excited about this moment than anything else. >> cleveland, ohio, we're in the heart of it here. nice crowd gathered on this wednesday morning. >> mr. roker, yoo-hoo, you down there? >> welcome to philadelphia. >> oh, my gosh. >> it's hot here, people. >> the nation's waking up to a stunning upset. donald trump is the president-elect. >> not so easy getting the forecast right, is it? >> this is the first spot in the country that the sun hits the horizon. >> if we survive this, it will be a miracle. >> yeah, baby! yeah! >> this is the whale's mouth. if you look close enough, you can see pinocchio. largest tree on earth. >> wow. >> yeah. >> i see it.

i see it. wow. >> beautiful. >> it is really pretty, isn't it? >> feast your eyes. >> sweet mother of nuts. >> all right, everybody, here we go. stand by. animation, music. animate. >> it is a party on the beach in rio. >> it's time for al's portuguese class. [ speaking portuguese ]. >> no. >> shouldn't we call this natalie's portuguese? >> absolutely, we should. >> oh, my gosh. it is a cliff. >> we're going on to our next item on bucket list. >> that's more fog up there. >> if we look right up there -- >> how perfect is that? ♪ ice cold for that white gold ♪ >> hey, zac efron, i think we need you here at the team final. >> hey, if it works, i'd like to

say, you're welcome. >> thank you for giving us a front row seat to a great run. >> those are fantastic. >> winning the decathlon yesterday. ♪ ♪ go crazy let's go crazy we're gonna live we're gonna live forever ♪ ♪ >> looks like a kitchen -- ah! >> are we still on? >> these might have been in the fridge for too long. >> can i have my tooth back that's in there? >> check out "today's" pinterest

page. we have a pinterest page? >> cook this for three minutes on each side. >> why are you giggling? >> you are so messy. >> celebrating her 81st birthday, jane doody -- i didn't say doody. >> let's be clear, you said jane doody. >> he said look at this stone, he picks it up and realized -- oh, my gosh, that's a turd. >> it had the feel of tex-mex. >> that's so gross! >> look who's here from one dimension. >> what? >> performing live in our studio. >> one direction. >> boy, you can tell we don't rehearse. ♪ i can't stop feeling

♪ just dance dance dance ♪ ♪ ♪ can't stop feeling i got this feeling in my body ♪ i got this feeling in my body ♪ ♪ i can't stop feeling want to see you move your body ♪ i can't stop the feeling i got this feeling in my body ♪ ♪ take it down got this feeling in my body can't stop the feeling ♪ got this feeling in my body ♪ come on ♪ >> who has more fun than we do! >> rewind it. roll it again. >> all in one year? >> yesterday we showed the look back at all the news stories. i think we all agreed it was a tough years, so many things that were depressing. it is nice to know we were able to have some fun and laugh a

little. good morning aim etracy davidson. right to your first alert neighborhood for this friday. meteorologist-shn watching that. >> a sunny day today tracy, looks like it will be a nice one, too. nice warmup, clear skies over philadelphia, still a chill in the air, above freezing? centre city 36 degrees. it's 34 in bustleton in northeast philadelphia. just below freezing in andorra and manion but that won't last long. temperatures warming into the 40s this afternoon. rain holds off until tomorrow. lets's check traffic specificcally around the mall, last-minute shoppers, francesca ruscio is watching that. >> specifically for all of you last-minute shoppers and planners for the whole day

weekend our route 202 light traffic but we'll be busy as the king much prussia mall, premium outlets for philadelphia. also watching an accident lower moreland at high road and welsh road and we'll be watching. two men on the run after a shooting at a home during a home invasion in philadelphia. police say the men forced their way into an apartment in kensington around midnight. they said that the intruders wounded the woman, shot her and then left without taking anything. eagles fans are rejoicing this morning, this sealed the bird's 24 slchb is the victory over the giants. the win snapped the eagles' five-game losing streak. i'm tracy davidson. we'll have another local update in 25 minutes. stay updated with news and weather with the nbc 10 app. have a great day.

we're back now, 8:30 on a friday morning, 23rd day of december. we got a great crowd outside. we came back out to say hello. we got charlie with us. got rafael miranda here. we've got mel b. gathering toys as part of our annual toy drive. by the way, mel b. is going to be back in our next hour co-hosting "today's take." also ahead, country star brett eldredge is out with a in if you christmas album. jenna went to nashville to hang

out with him and his mom. they made cookies. they had some fun. that's a fun story. some last-minute hostess gifts. no-fuss appetizers. martha stewart has answers for all of your holiday emergencies. but first, al's not here today. rafael miranda is here from nbc. got a check of the weather? >> that's right. very busy travel day so we're dealing with a nasty storm in the west. you can see lots of rain and snow watching out for those travel delays. they will build throughout the day today. lighter snow in places like chicago. maybe some minor delays there. dry along the eastern seaboard. as we head into christmas eve and hanukah, some of that snow spreads into the rockies. dealing with rain along the eastern seaboard but no major event there. drying out in the midwest. for christmas day, a blizzard in the high plains. dakotas will see lots of snow and it will be very mild for christmas day. sorry, guys, not a white christmas for the good morning, i'm meteorologist bill henley. we're on our way to a nice friday, a great day for getting

out of town or last-minute shopping. we'll see sunshine, dry conditions and look at the warmups, 40s all around today, up to 48 degrees in philadelphia. the normal high temp this time of year is in the low 40s, even the lehigh valley and the suburbs will be in the middle 40s for this afternoon and 47 degrees for delaware. at the shore up to 47 degrees this afternoon. rain, that holds off until tomorrow. have a great day. don't for get to tune in to "sunday night football" rightot here on nbc as the chiefs take on the broncos. coverage begins at 7:00 eastern on christmas. now, here's carson. >> announcer: the share kindness getaway contest is created with our sister company, universal orlando resort. with amazing theme parks and spectacular on-site hotels, it's days and nights of endless fun. all right, we are in the

middle of our shared kindness campaign and need to inspire 1 million acts of kindness. all month long we are logging your great acts you've been doing by putting a lego piece in that giant box out there on the plaza. we're almost at our goal. up to 929,169. our nbc affiliates have been sharing kindness in a big way. wtvj in miami donated more than 500 toys for children. thank you, guys, so much. we launched a contest to reward somebody kind in your life. it is time to announce who that winner is. who is going to receive the big vacation for four to universal orlando resort and stay on site at the beautiful new sapphire falls resort. the winner is -- tonya from hugoton, cans. we understand tonya is a hard working mother, a grandmother and a second grade teacher who constantly puts others first. during her summer when she does

have time off, she runs a camp for inner city kids. she also packs meals for kids who don't have car pools. students who need a ride. she does so much. she even does laundry for kids who don't even have a washing machine. tonya, thank you for all of your kindness. congratulations and enjoy that trip to orlando. >> really nice, carson. this morning on our special series "jenna's country christmas," jenna bush hager joins country music singer brett eldred eldredge. >> i recently got to spend some time with country cutie brett eldredge at his house in nashville and he proved a country christmas is all about family. >> reporter: brett eldredge is one of the hottest stars in country music and he has a new christmas album, "glow." >> i am christmas through and through and always happy. "glow" is a classic christmas record. it's kind of throwback to the songs that i loved hearing growing up. >> reporter: eldredge grew up in

a small town, paris, illinois. >> since i was a little kid, i loved christmas music. i mean i remember i'd get up at 6:00 a.m. every christmas and i'd crank it up and make all my family wake up and they'd be so mad at me. i was like, i love christmas so much. i wanted everybody to feel in the spirit. >> what were some of your favorite childhood christmas memories? >> probably my favorite childhood christmas memory actually still happens to this day. it is a tradition that we've kept in my family since my first christmas and that's we go to christmas eve service at the little church in paris, illinois. >> reporter: home is special for eldredge. >> i love where i come from. i have a song that says i come from the heart of the heartland. that's such a true thing. >> what is a country christmas to you? >> actually in one of my songs called "glow" on the album, it says you are my sunshine over a field of snow. and i love to watch you glow. there is nothing like seeing a

snowy countryside with the sun shining on it and it is just sparkling. >> reporter: in fact, i had a little glow surprise. you can open. i actually found these at your local super store. >> look at that. >> do you know what i'm doing here? >> no. >> you don't know what i'm doing here? >> you are a he glowing. >> exactly. >> you're glowing. that's a -- >> can i be part of -- ♪ i love to watch you glow >> now i'm blushing. i'm glowing and blushing. >> everybody, welcome to another christmas cooking with brett. >> reporter: eldredge shares his love for christmas making fun videos. you've been doing something called the 12 days of brett? >> the 12 days of brettmas. it is me and my best friend, greg, who actually dresses up in a wig as my aunt janice. that's what 12 days of brettmas is, just a lot of love of music and love of life and spreading that around.

>> reporter: to celebrate his family's traditions, i joined brett, along with his mom and dad and brother to bake some holiday cookies. >> that right there is going to be really good. >> that's going to be a large cookie. ♪ >> ooh! >> those are good! >> good. >> what are you thankful for this year? >> i'm thankful for just the support that people have shown to me through the years of just giving me an opportunity to do this and play music and hopefully help other people have a merry christmas. >> reporter: and in the spirit of christmas, i brought a little gift from the "today" show. can you make it glow? >>y he. >> by singing to it? >> yes. okay? ♪ this fire is nice but so are your eyes ♪ they sparkle when you smile ain't felt this warm in a while ♪ you look good in the light of my

christmas tree so good you and the mistletoe and me ♪ so nice you are my sunshine over a field of snow ♪ and i love to watch you glow ♪ >> merry christmas! thank you for having me. i had so much fun with brett and his family. his album "glow" just makes you feel the christmas spirit. and his momma's cookies, they were delicious. >> your husband called, by the way. you can find brett's mom's cookie recipe at today.com. coming up next, elizabeth smart opens up about her new chapter working as a crime reporter. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ think of your fellow man.

♪ lend him a helping hand. ♪ put a little love in your heart. ♪ ♪ take a good look around... ♪ ...and if you're lookin' down, ♪ ♪ put a little love in your heart. ♪ ♪put a little love in your heart.♪ ♪ in your heart. (avo) the subaru share the love event is happening now and will have given ninety million dollars to help real people like these.

it has been more than a decade since elizabeth smart was abducted from her moment in the middle of the night. nine months later she was

discovered, returned to her family and the country breathed a sigh of relief. her experience inspired elizabeth's new role for "crime watch daily." good morning. how are you? >> i'm doing great. >> this kind of surprised me when i read this. elizabeth smart is going to be a correspondent talking about crime stories. why was that something that you thought was important to do? >> well, thinking back on my own experience and kind of everything i learned after i was rescued, really over and over again was how pivotal media played in my kidnapping and in almost everything that i've done since then, whether it's been pushing a bill or talking about a cause. media has always kind of been that big push that we've always needed to help get it passed or to help get our word out. this is an incredible opportunity for me to be able to go out and help these other survivors and victims share their stories. >> when you are sitting across

from a victim, i would imagine, if i were a victim and i were sitting across from you as a correspondent, i would feel safe. i would feel like, you know what? she's been through what i've been through, or probably a lot worse. have you noticed in these interviews that people that you wouldn't expect to open up are really opening up to you? >> i think that's always my main concern because i have been on the receiving end of good interviews, and bad interviews. >> sure. >> and i just always want whoever i talk to to feel like they're safe. i know that tim's not out there to get them and that i'm doing this because i believe their story is important to share. not just for themselves but for our victims and survivors out there. >> does it ever feel to you like you're picking a scab? i think there are times when you feel like that is in my rear-view mirror, i'm moving forward. then you listen to a story that's similar to your own -- i know you've covered some just like your own -- does it bring you back to those days? >> not in a bad way. it's certainly not retraumatizing me. i think, if anything, it reminds

me of how i felt and why i feel what i'm doing is important. >> speaking about your life now, you have a beautiful 21-month-old, chloe. has having that baby changed the way you think about these kind of crime scenes and the things that have happened, even to you, in the past? >> definitely. >> how? >> when i had my little girl, it felt like -- felt like my heart was relocated into my throat and just like all the time i just -- everything -- every second of my day was is she breathing? is she okay? like what does she need? and so now as a parent, going out and talking to other parents, talking to other survivors and hearing their story, i can't help but think of my own parents and what they went through because if anyone wants to hurt somebody, you go after their child. you don't actually go after them.

you go after their child. and sometimes it almost makes me think that as bad as everything that's ever happened to me, sometimes i think maybe it was worse for my parents because they didn't know and they only had their imagination to -- to guess what i was going through. and that would be the worst thing in the world. >> well, we're so happy that you are with us today and we're happy that you're shining a light on other people's stories dhere it needs to be. elizabeth smart. thank you. thank you so much for being with us. good luck with this new show. "crime watch daily," check your local listings. our good friend martha stewart's here with great solutions to all of your last-minute holiday emergencies from cooking to wrapping gifts. even what to do with a great bottle of wine. but first -- how are you, first of all? >> i'm very well, first of all. i'm tired of wrapping. >> me, too. first, this is "today" on nbc.

back on this friday morning with more of our share kindness series. >> today two families who managed to endure one of the fiercest rivalries in sports managed to grow closer. >> good morning. as gridiron feuds go, it is hard to find one more heated than the game we saw right here on nbc last night. the new york giants were in philadelphia to take on the eagles. we spoke with some families who may stand on opposite sides of this conference match-up but who always manage to find common ground. >> reporter: over 80 years of animosity. the new york giants and philadelphia eagles have been bitter football foes since 1933. >> everybody's covered. >> reporter: a rivalry renewed on the field on thursday night football. it's a conflict that runs deep. sometimes dividing families as well, pitting father against son. >> they are both very loyal

philadelphia fans. no moving on that at all. >> reporter: and husband against wife. >> nobody's perfect. i fell in love in spite of. >> reporter: this couple met in college. ian bleeds blue for the giants. beth is a big-time eagles fan. >> a little birdie told me you used this as an excuse to kind of flirt a little bit. is that true? >> i think so, yeah. it was -- there was lots of wonderful things about football days and so the opportunity that we got to hang out together and -- >> it brings people together. sometimes pushes people apart. but -- >> reporter: married for ten years, they have a 3-year-old daughter, cecelia. her parents say she can pick her own side but for now, even her pjs are divided. >> we've been getting her involved since she was born. >> reporter: before thursday night's big game, ian and beth gathered as fans in front of xfinity which owns nbc

universal. jeremy was born in the bronx. but when he was 1, the family moved to within a hail mary pass of the eagles stadium. >> i love my parents dearly but they had to accept the facts i grew up 50 minutes outside of philly. >> reporter: that hasn't stopped jeff from trying to convert his grandkids. does he ever try to get you to come over to his side? >> yes. >> what do you say, i love you, grandpa, but -- >> i'm never going to go on to the giants' side! >> reporter: it wound up going the eagles way last night. >> touchdown! >> reporter: but win or lose -- >> it was a great time. awesome day. >> reporter: -- it's all love. football and sports in general of course can be a great thing when it brings families closer together no matter who you are cheering for. >> those pajamas. >> those were adorable! >> it was fun. >> i'm a little grue grumpy ovet

game. there will be plenty of cheering going on christmas day when the steelers host the ravens on the nfl network. that starts 4:30 p.m. eastern time. later that christmas night, the kansas city chiefs take on denver. again, coverage begins at 7:00 eastern right here on nbc. no one does holidays better than martha stewart. she's here with some great ideas to help you get through last-minute holiday emergencies. but first, this is "today" on nbc. fios is not cable. we're wired differently. that means incredibly fast 150 meg internet for the holidays. so in the 3.7 seconds it takes gary watson to beat the local sled jump record, fly, gary, fly. ...his friend can download 13 versions of the perfect song...

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back now at 8:52 with our series "today's" stress-free holiday. less than 48 hours to go until big day. >> we've called in the queen of holiday entertainment. any kind of entertaining. martha stewart to help you cross some last-minute items off your to-do list. easy diy ideas from martha stewart living. happy holidays. you are going to divide and conquer this morning. >> you are always remembering the other person that you haven't wrapped a gift for and you just have to have some >> you go to a party, you forgot with that host you have a bottle of wine and you can make this look like you thought about it in advance. >> grab a beautiful bottle of wine and beautiful vintage or brand-new dishtowel. roll it up like this. tie the top with a nice little piece of twine and add, if you

can, a corkscrew. you know how corkscrews disappear in your house? is just tie it on there. >> comes off looking like this one here. >> it is very charming. another great way to wrap a bottle of wine, to embellish it, i print out every single holiday i print out cards with image from my farm or -- that's one of my horses. >> pretty. >> you just print it on that sticky avery paper and you -- don't cover the label. do the back. just put that there, tie some bells on some string and right around the bottle and it is festive and beautiful. >> i like this one the best. >> this is so cute. this tinsel is available ready at holiday time. put a piece of double-stick tape all the way down the back of the bottle and start either at the bottom and just wrap this around. you can do this, matt. >> even i could do this? >> even matt can do this. just that he it all the way around and wrap it so it looks

like this. you can put -- put a non-breakable ornament. i love that one. >> can you wrap some last-minute gifts, martha? can you get one of those bottles of wine? >> that's going to be hard. i wanted to show you how to actually make some wrapping paper. personalized. for little -- take old christmas cards. i save all your cards? >> i save some of them. the good ones. >> i have them for like 25 years. not my cards. other people's cards. just cut out the pretty parts of it. like this. that could be your little name tag. >> that's beautiful. >> just hang that on the gift. but to make your own wrapping paper, i love making my own. so i take a plain colored paper and you can just use a metallic paint or glittered paint. you can stripe it. water down the paint a little bit and just -- you're going to do this, matt. i know you are going to make your own wrapping paper. you can do stripes. you can do plaids.

you can go this way. >> you can see how beautiful. those are gorgeous. >> for people -- a beautiful bow makes a gift. >> how do you tie a bow? >> like my sneakers. >> two loops? >> the way you teach children. >> yes. >> just two loops like this. use a generous amount of ribbon. do you save ribbon from year to year from your presents? >> i don't. >> you can save your ribbon and iron it and put it around some cardboard. >> iron it? >> of course. >> have time for carson here. >> martha, i'm having a dinner party tonight. i need a show-stopping appetizer. >> how about something that looks like this? this is is a brie. store-bought puff pastry, sprinkle the puff pastry with ground-up pecans or walnuts, whatever. roll those in like that. wrap your brie. get a good brie. make sure that's on a cookie

sheet. wrap that under. embellish with nice little decorations with your cookie cutters. >> you can use other shapes. >> turn your oven on to 450 degrees. you like baked brie, don't you? >> absolutely. >> he's already in there. >> put these little stars all over the top. >> how long you bake that for? >> bake for about 20 minutes at 450. good morning, i'm katy zachry, a few minutes before 9:00 a.m. on your friday. let's get right to your first alert neighborhood forecast with bill henley >> we're looking at lots of sunshine and the temperatures started to climb. the suburbs now at 37 degrees, mostly sunny skies over king of prussia. into the 40s at 11:00 and low 40s by 2:00 this afternoon and topping out at 46 degrees just a little bit warmer in

philadelphia. katy? >> thanks. first lert traffic reporter francesca ruscio is keeping her eye on 422. what to you have there? >> traffic flow is holding up on 422, watching eastbound traffic for the schuylkill expressway, camera at trooper road not all that bad. folks okay in the 50s and 60s for the most part. accident lower merian city avenue and kings grant drive. taking a live look at philadelphia international airport, weather should not affect your flights in and out of philly today but depending on where are' going it may. one thing that will affect your flight may be the amount of people traveling this holiday weekend. they're already starting to get out there. we saw long lines this morning at the airport. here are tips from airport o officials to make sure things go smoothly. know which terminal you're going out of, wait until the person you're getting is outside on the curb. thanks for joining us. we'll send you back to the "today" show.

we'll have another live update in 5 minutes we'll have much more on the holiday deadlines that are today and also last-minute shopping if you're headed out to the stores. see you in about 25.

this morning on "today's take," annette benning, the golden globe nominated actress, opens up about her buzzy new film. and mel b. joins us sharing her favorite christmas traditions. and a last-minute gift guide and the perfect chance to win a "freebie friday" present. all that coming up now. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today's take," live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. ♪ welcome to "today" on this friday morning. it is december 23rd, 2016. it's "freebie friday." you'll have the chance to win the perfect gift heading into this holiday weekend. i'm sheinelle jones along with our special guest co-host for the day, mel b. good morning to you. >> good morning.

>> al and tamron on a well-deserved vacation. we've got sheinelle and mel holding it down on this friday. here's the deal. you are in town. you're just days away from debuting as roxie hart on broadway. >> until the middle of february. >> are you ready? >> i don't think i'm ever going to be ready. i am very excited and very nervous at the same time. >> she's like the accused murderess? >> yeah. she's very emotional and thinks very fast on her feet so i kind of identify with that character. i just don't want to mess up on any of the lines, any of the text. >> it is one of those things where people are so into it. people come, sit down and have this spirit of expectancy. >> exactly. pressure! >> but it's you. >> you are allowed to put your own spin on it. >> that was you! >> that's me doing the photo shoot. >> girl, look at that stance

you're ready. >> the cast and the company is so great and so beautiful and so warm. i just hope i do the part justice because it is a great show. it really is. >> classic at this point. since you are sitting right here, america's got talent, i read yesterday the holiday spectacular premiered. monday night? >> it already premiered. >> heidi sung which was really cute and adorable. it was nice to film this and get into the christmas spirit. i've never had christmas in new york. i am really excited to be here and to be able to be -- >> here! >> this is a classic spot. people go and see the tree. people take pictures at macy's didn't you do that? >> i saw santa claus yesterday. i was a really good girl. >> with your daughters. >> with my 5-year-old, my 9-year-old, and i dragged my soon -- >> wait. have you a 5-year-old -- >> a 9-year-old and my

18-year-old. they wrote their own list for santa. i said you are only allowed five things on the list because anything more than five is a bit too much. >> you're right. otherwise they just open stuff and aren't as grateful for the few things they have. so do they still ask for things? >> they ask for kind of random stuff like kitchen set and yoga mat. >> really? your kids are so fancy! >> well, not really. >> i love that. >> in the santa's letter they actually said about each other that they've been trying to be really good and trying not to fight with each other. there's madison's letter. >> i love the fact that it just so happens, mel, this morning i found the letter from my son. i love how your daughter, madison, you're like cute and in markers. this is what i found on my dresser this morning. my little guy is 7. he's sorry writing he asked for his cousin. then that was -- i posted that a couple weeks ago. that was on the dryer door.

mom, can i have $400. he didn't say what it would be for. >> maybe he wants to buy you something for christmas is it. >> i doubt it. you never know. speaking of kids and munchkins and christmas, have you seen mariah carey's new videos? >> very va-vavoom. >> that's a very good way to put it. first of all in red, a dance version of "here comes santa claus." no surprise it's gone viral. ♪ here comes santa claus here comes santa claus right down santa claus lane ♪ >> wow. >> then bring in santa. >> it's one of those things where you have to watch it more than once. you have the hot guy with the scarf. wait. see? you see new things every time

you watch the video. >> i'm just looking at one thing. >> what is that? >> the va-vavoom? >> the scantily cladded mariah herself in that dress. >> my thing is -- they don't move. they're just perfect. is that appropriate for this time of morning? i don't mind. >> it's mariah. it's christmas. she can do whatever she wants. she can cook. here's another festive video. this time she's in her kitchen cooking like i'm sure you do every day. >> i actually don't cook. my husband cooks. >> neither do i. he doesn't either. >> oh, wow. she's got the twins and this beautiful kitchen. >> she does have great christmas music. i'm sure everybody plays mariah throughout the house. >> this is the song everybody kind of rocks out to. what's in the sauce? i'm impressed. i have never made anything that

looks like that. >> i just get the jar and throw it in the pan and heat it up. that's it. i'm done. >> have you ever rocked out? is when you can't sing and you wish you could sing, you rock out to yourself in your dreams. i would sing to myself all the time. >> i do like to sing a little bit. i didn't feel like i was singing that much, i was kind of yelling a lot. i like to do that a lot around the house. we do have dance-offs in our house. sometimes i slip in the spice girls there and my kids just laugh. i'm like what? what are you laughing at? >> i tell you what you really want. wait a minute. do they realize that mom is -- >> i like that. to them i'm just mom. it's funny because they've been at my rehearsals for chicago. they're like, oh, mom, you can actually move. i'm like hello. scary spice in full effect. >> can they sing or no? >> actually, my 5-year-old and my 9-year-old can. they can hold a tune.

they have like high-pitched voices. >> we make music videos at home. >> i do, too. >> one day i'll share mine, you share yours. we're out of time. >> do we have time? all right. coming up, how to turn a bad gift into something good. unique exchange idea that's going viral. plus, of course, more mel b. ♪ as soon as i became a parent i changed as a person, drastically. ♪ i tried hard to quit smoking. ♪ but when we brought our daughter home that was it. ♪ now i have nicoderm cq. the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release technology helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. it's the best thing that ever happened to me. can you say thanks nicoderm cq? every great why needs a great how. the holidays don't officialy begin, until it's time to make: flaky, delicious, piping hot things.

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conversation today. you can certainly weigh in on facebook or twitter. should i say the worst present ever? just say a present you don't like. a burger king in miami is giving you a solution of what to do when you get a christmas gift you don't like. it is a great idea. right? apparently on december 26th, bring it in, give it away, and exdha change it for a whopper. they'll give the gift to a local charity. >> i've got some really bad gifts. they've all come from the same person. >> would that person be watching? >> yeah. but i don't care. i'm just going shame them. how howie mandel. the first present was a bird. a small bird. >> a real bird? >> a real small bird. so i walked into my dressing room at the end of wrapping up "america's got talent" about two years ago, why is there a bird

like squawking in my dressing room? i read the note. howie had got me a baird. i'm like, well what am i going to do with this bird? i had to bring it back to l.a. my kids fell in love with the bird. >> i feel like a bird would be like a dream. howie's like mary poppins. >> then the bird was kind of old, so it died. weeks later. i'm like what kind of present is that? so the second present howie got me, the following year -- this is last year. he got me a silver slipper. >> one slipper? >> it was just like this silver ornament slipper. so i thought, well, i don't like this gift so i gave it back. >> you did not. >> i said, thank you very much. the thought's great but i don't know what i'm going to do with this. >> what were you supposed to do with it? >> exactly. it was something that you put on the mantel. why do you want a silver flip-flop on my mantel piece? i can't even put candles in it. doesn't even make sense. >> we're going to have to get him on the phone.

what if he shopped long and hard -- >> howie is a comedian. i think he partly does it to wind you up and partly see what your reaction is. who gets somebody a bird without asking? >> that is kind of true. >> no! >> we did that for my grandmother once. s it was squawking. i for gogot about the droppings. >> the fact that he got me a bird that was old. already on his way out. >> did you get him anything? >> no. >> can we get howie on the phone. >> we have a stand-off now. >> howie, he wins. i've never received a bird. just things like scarves that you don't like or things that aren't really your style. i had a lady that gave me this christmas china. when you have two 2 year-olds running around, the last thing you are thinking about is china. >> china or tea china? >> tea china. for gifts that i don't like, i kind of put them aside for another time in life.

>> so you don't regift. >> i don't regift -- well, the candles and the soaps. >> if you get a candle this christmas, it's a regift. >> what if it is not your scent? i don't want to smell like food. i'm trying no the to eat chocolate. i don't want to smell like chocolate. >> i don't mind candles that smell of desserts, like creme brulee or strawberry cheesecake. >> you know what? if you have toys everywhere and it smells like creme brulee, it is a hot mess. you go into the fluffy pillows that say welcome and there's chandeliers and garland, cinnamon -- >> you make it sound so posh. >> one day i'm going to be there. buzz feed has this holiday this or that quiz that caught our eye. we thought we'd play along. also some from our producers. we don't know the questions. do you prefer -- this is a good

one -- a real or fake christmas tree. >> i've had both. growing up my mom always used to get a real tree. but now these days for me and my family i get a fake tree because i don't have to clear up all the little -- you know. what do you call -- >> needles. we're looking at -- needles? needles. mine is prelit. comes in three pieces. you just put them on. put some lights. the other day -- because we are going to chicago for christmas, i got these empty boxes so it looked pretty. i went to marshall's. the other day my daughter came in with a box on her head, it was empty. she's like, there's nothing in it! i was like, those are just decorations. here's the next one. what's more important this time of year? time with family or time with food? >> that's a hard one. both go hand in hand. >> i have to say family. i'll give you the corny answer. >> has to be both.

family and food. >> do you have like a traditional food or something that you love? >> because i'm married to -- my husband who is american for ten years, we have to do the traditional like american christmas dinner but i like the traditional english dinner which is more like chicken and sturgeon onion stuffing rather than turkey, turkey. with onion and sprouts. >> maybe's they're tweeting you right now. some kind of onion? >> sage and onion. >> sage! i thought it was a surgeon onion. i'm sure that's yummy. what about dessert? >> i always like a victoria spro sponge cake for dessert with proper fresh cream. we'll have six kids. what's the best christmas

anthem. "last christmas" by wham or "all i want for christmas" by mariah. >> i am wam all the way. >> i am going with mariah carey. what was the name of the magazine, you could open it with the tear-outs that you could put on your walls? i used to have all of them on my walls. >> that's classic but wam -- >> "tiger beat." you remember that? >> no. no. is that an american magazine? >> oh, that's tree. you have your feet in both ponds. >> i do. >> that's cool though. >> i kind of like it. even though i can't do an american accent. i'm having to learn to do an american accent for the show. >> say great video to share with you from the torontoaccent. >> great video to share for you -- you do your "ers."

to share with you from the toronto zoo. >> that's fantastic. >> here's what she's trying to tell you about that. i like how you have to put your head down and really focus. >> all my kids are american. they're like mommy, your accent's so terrible. >> they say mummy? >> they say mom. >> a zookeeper built that snowman. how about this one? this is what al would normally say. >> no time -- no, i can't say it in american -- now tim to checke

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that sound. like nails on a chalkboard. but listen to this: (family talking) that's a different kind of sound. the sound of the weekend. it's baking season. warm up with pillsbury. it is freeb"freebie friday" you guys are in for a treat because we are about to bring you a performance unlike any other. here is my own rendition of "heart and soul" with mel b. the duo. ♪ heart and soul lost control you don't know the words ♪ ♪ la la la la la merry christmas ♪ happy holidays ♪ >> that's not bad. that was a bit bad.

yes! ♪ >> here we go. thanks to casio, three lucky fans on the plaza are about to receive digital pianos. the perfect last-minute gift. >> those are really cool gifts. if they haven't actually got be a last-minute gift for somebody, they can regift this. >> i feel like that would be better than a bird. >> much better than a bird. >> or a silver bloody slipper. >> here we go. >> i feel your energy. >> yes! feel that wind! okay. who wants these pianos? is let's see! >> shall we go over here? >> yes, let's. >> hi, everybody. >> hi, tiffany. happy holidays to you.

>> happy holidays to you. >> would you like to be my first winner? >> yes. >> here you go! there's tiffany! >> let's do another one. how about you? hi! okay. wait a minute. take a look. that is what you are about to take. what's your name? >> debbie! >> do you have somebody you into ed to buy a last-minute gift for? >> lots of people. >> would they like a keyboard? >> absolutely! >> maybe you should keep it yourself. let's do one more. one more. one more. what's your name? >> kevin. >> where you from? >> san diego, california. >> it's so cold. you deserve this. you have anybody you need a last-minute christmas gift for? >> yes. >> well you can have that. merry christmas. >> now if you can't make it to the plaza, you still have a

chance to win. thanks to casio we are giving away three more keyboards to viewers at home. visit facebook.com/today's take. don't forget to like us. next we are combining 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.

good morning, i'm katy zachry. few minutes before 9:30 on your friday. let's get right to your first alert neighborhood forecast with meteorologist bill henley. warmer one in our future. >> we're going to see temperatures in the 40s, not as warm as yesterday but still warm for this time of year, where we normally see low 40s t will be up to 46 degrees in the lehigh valley, new jerseyingut sunshin the weekend starts with rain on saturday, by christmas day sunday, sunshine returns and the temperatures will be near 5ill,. now a check on the roads with first alert traffic reporter francesca ruscio. what are you seeing on 95? >> we're watching for an accident on the northbound side of 95, i'm pointing to it over here a multivehicle accident. we are starting to see some

delays but for the most part once the camera makes up its mind a multivehicle accident northbound around route 413. be mindful traveling on the northbound 95. for the most part we're doing okay on the rest of the majors. back to you. new this morning two women are now charged in connection with a deadly shooting inside a lyft car in trenton last month. police say the two worked as accomplices in the shooting death of 27-year-old amber dudley from camden county. dudley was using the ride share service lyft when someone got in the car, demanded machine and shot her. police have not said how the women are involved but say they are still looking for the shooter. i'm katy zachry. we'll have another live update for you coming up in 25 minutes. get the latest news and weather with the nbc 10 app. we'll send you back to the "today" show and see you shortly.

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time for some cooking. if you are looking for last-minutemen u items heading into the holiday weekend, you're at the right place. first, we have our eggnog. you've never had eggnog. >> no. >> and that's the non-alcoholic one. >> we've got two delicious classics for you, perfect for christmas and hanukah. what's that say? a salt-crusted prime rib and potato. how do i say it? >> will the >> latkas. >> we have the chef and owner of lonesome dove -- in texas and tennessee. and gail simmons, a judge on

bravo's "top chef." we'll start with this prime roast. >> prime roast. we're from texas. we don't cook things that are small. >> clearly. >> let's be honest. i have a whole prime roast here with a bone in. bones are still in. beautiful piece of meat. if you look at our grid, we have salt, pepper, cumin, a little chili powder. thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, chili powder. put it in here along with some garlic and put it in olive oil. if you want to do the low-fat version of this. i add olive oil to this. you want to do the low-fat version, you just add water. >> but it is christmas. >> nobody really cares. >> pour that in there! >> we grind this all up. when you get the paste, this is important. it is the most important thing

about roasting whole meats is when you put the paste on, it is going to put this beautiful crust but you don't want to push it in -- the meat has pores and the more you push the seasoning into the meat it closes up the pores so it doesn't really get into the meat. so loosely pack it on top. >> i didn't know meat had pores. >> that's why i'm here, see? i don't do very many things. put it on here, then roast it. it takes 2 1/2, 3 hours. >> you guys take it away. >> these are my mom's famous latkas. i've been making them all my life. the key to the applesauce is plums which makes it that beautiful color. i start with potatoes that i'm just going to put right in the food processor with an onion. you're going to shred.

the key here is i'm using a shredding attachment as opposed to grating them. i think that makes a really fine, crispy, airiy ly latka. >> this seems easy. >> it is. into this i'm putting baking powder, salt, some dill, two eggs, lightly beaten, and a half-cup flour. mix that all together. really well. then you're going to put it back in a colander. there is a lot of liquid and starch in potatoes. let it drain for about 15 minutes so you get some of that liquid out of there. >> i could totally handle this one. >> turn up the heat because we're about frying. hanukah is all about frying. it is all about the oil. we like oil. we embrace oil on hanukah. you just put them right in the pan. >> why on hanukah? >> hanukah is the festival of light. the temple was destroyed and they had just enough light to

keep them for one day. but the miracle of hanukah was that the light lasted for eight days. it is all about the oil. we fry latkas. we fry doughnuts. >> you never had a latka before? >> no. >> that's okay. we've got lots. >> gail simmons and tim love, thank you so much. a reminder to catch gail on "top chef" thursday nights on our sister network, bravo. coming up, "20th century women" star annette benning. right after this. grandma is so happy to be here for your very first christmas. i hear you're quite the expert at waking people up in the morning. let me show you how grandma does it. your daddy made this when he was a little boy. this is your dad at my house, where he had his first christmas. thanks for making the coffee.

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like is happy what you thought it would be when you were nye age? >> seriously? you don't ask people questions like that. >> you're my mom. >> especially your mom. look, wondering if you're happy, it is a great short cut to just being depressed. give me that. >> this movie is set in 1979. you play dorothy, a middle-aged mom raising a teenaged son. but in '79, i know i was in my mid 20s. you were probably in your early 20s. 21. was there something about this that resonated with you in this time period? >> yes. when i first read it actually, i thought about that so much. i had so many associations. i also grew up in san diego and this is santa barbara so it is very close. but like i knew the people, the whole innouveau of it, it was vy

familiar. i felt like whoever wrote it contextualized it in a way i couldn't do. >> talk about the other characters. they kind of revolve around you. you have them over for dinner. it is interesting to me because you are a connecter but yet you have trouble connecting with your son. >> yes, it's true. what i love about this woman, dorothea, there is a certain enigmatic quality to her that i loved and i sensed it right away. this was based on my mom. that was sort of the point of departure with the character. we talked endlessly about her. it is not exactly about her. she is a woman who in some ways does what you think she might do, given her generation and given the situation that she's in. but then she is also a real iconoclast, does things that "good moms" don't do. so i love that about her. she's very unpredictable and the way he's written her is with such sort of depth. i mean i love that. >> even though he wrote this, is

there a little bit of you in dorothea, a certain unpredictability than the way you raised your kids? >> i'm a sort of different mom. but, yeah, i think any of us that do work on camera, actresses, there's always a part of us that's there. absolutely. >> i like when you dance. everybody just seems so free and it's who i want to be at times. i want to just dance. be the free mom. >> yeah! >> you're also in "rules don't apply" with your husband, warren beatty. it's kind of a nice thing coming out of the end of the year and going into next year. you've got a lot going on. how does that feel? >> it feels amazing. i don't think we quite realized -- he had been planning his movie for so long that -- and just so happened that this film that i did came out at the same time. so, no, it's been a great, great thing for both of us together. it's a thrill. i feel really excited about his movie and i'm so proud of him, that he did it, that he made it.

it's beautiful. and that this movie happens to be coming out at the same time. it is just a co-indianapolis dense and it is a delight. >> "20th century women" hits theaters in new york and los angeles on december 28th with a wider relea in seja good morning, i'm meteorologist bill henley. we're on our way to a nice friday, a great day for getting out of town or last-minute shopping. we'll see sunshine, dry conditions and look at the warmups, 40s all around today, up to 48 degrees in philadelphia. the normal high temp this time of year is in the low 40s, even the lehigh valley and the suburbs will be in the middle 40s for this afternoon and 47 degrees for delaware. at the shore up to 47 degrees this afternoon. rain, that holds off until tomorrow. have a great day. coming up next, you'ller in guess where these gorgeous gift baskets came from. how about the gas station and

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day away. >> if you have a late addition to your gift list, we have got you covered here. >> here with our last-minute gift ideas is lifestyle expert melissa garcia. >> good morning. >> these are things from the drugstore, gas station. >> yes. if you forgot someone, we can still cover you. i'm a gift procrastinator. are you guys? these places will be open christmas eve and even christmas day. first, we are starting out at the grocery store. don't be naughty and get a box of cookies. if there is a cook in your life, make like italian night. we took olive oil, pasta, sauce, put in a big colander. if someone you know loves ice cream, get them some cones, toppings, sprinkles and put it in a mixing bowl. if you put it in something that kind of goes with the them theme, it is all with the presentation and looks like you spent so much time thinking

about it but you really didn't. >> and thoughtful. >> the gas station. >> no way. >> go figure, right? but don't be naughty and buy windshield wiper fluid. okay? get them something thoughtful and creative. for the sports person in your life, we took a big cooler, we filled it with men's magazines, scratch-off lottos. everyone gets that. beer, beef jerky, gatorade. for the college student in your life, down here, so fun. we took a coca-cola six-pack bottle, took them out. put in -- a little carry-all. pre-paid gas cards. some candy. some advil if you're not feeling so hot. for the car enthusiast, we just took a car wash bucket. we put in microfiber towels,

armorall wipes. it is all about the presentation. just put it in something that goes with the theme. >> one of my favorite places to shop is your drugstore, your walgreens, your cvs. they have everything there and they have normal hours, christmas eve and christmas day. guys, you're good. if there is a creative kid in your life. we got a plastic bank, so the crayons, markers, you get hungry when you're working hard, a little snack, goldfish. then for the woman in your life, an at-home spa day. you just take a make-up bag, open it up, put in some cozy slippers, a loofah, nail polish, facemasks. one and done. >> guys, if you're listening. sometimes my husband and i don't do gifts because we have little kids. pore something like this, you know you didn't spend a million

bucks. just give me this. >> one store and done. >> we have more? >> one more. yes. one more. last, but not least, don't be naughty and just get a basic bottle of wine from the liquor store in that typical silver bag that everyone gives. it's okay. we've all been there and done it. but step it up a little bit in an easy way. take a basic jar like this and put some sample size of different alcohols. mix them up. you have a mini bar in a jar. >> how cute is that? i'm obsessed with this one. any host or hostess would love this. another one is bartender 101. basically just take a cooler, fill it with a six-pack of beer. some wine. beer cozies. some little snacks. >> i'll take this then. this is going with me. see you later. >> we're right back. this is "today" on nbc.

hello, peco. so i'm calling to see if you can help me save on my energy bill. we can do that. great. i live in a post-war, pre-war, mid-century home and the heating system is a turbine, hvac, reverse hydrogen, boiler pipe unit. well sir, i can see that you live in a twin and based on the size, your usage has been spiking. ♪ that's exactly what i thought. if you're not an expert, peco can help. we have lots of ways to help you

save energy and money. peco. the future is on. it is the final day of our 23rd annual "today" toy drive. mel b. did double duty. where are you? you were a celebrity elf this morning. she collected a bag full of toys and games for children in need. and, making a donation today on behalf of music worldwide, the ceo, susan darrow. >> hi. what are you donateing today? >> what could be better than the gift of music. >> i love this. >> music together's mission is to bring music to as many families as we can all over the world. we do that normally through classes and these books and cds are part of the classes. we're donating all over -- over half a million dollars of cds and songs books today. we really are grateful to the do

i drive for allowing us to partner with you to bring more music to more families. >> i remember playing the little recorders in school, then playing the clarinet and piano. there is something about music for a child. especially kids in need sometimes may not have access to pianos and stuff like that. >> music is important for all of us. but the good news is you don't have to be a great singer or great musician to raise a musical child. >> you're right. >> in fact, we help parents regardless of their own ability. we help parents learn how to create a music environment at home, how to play with music with their children. it has nothing to do with ability. >> i love that. >> just gives you joy. >> susan, thank you. that puts really a bow on top of our 23rd annual holiday toy drive. thanks to your generosity, this year's donations exceeded $17 million in gifts for more than 3 million children in need served by more than 150 different family charities. we are proud to say that brings

our 23-year total to approximately $450 million! for kids! if you're sitting at home and feeling moved, there's still time left to donate online at amazon.com/today. check our website for details. mel b.? mel and sheinelle. this was fun. come to new york city every christmas and we'll do this thing. merry christmas and happy holidays to all of you out there. we hope you have a great weekend. >> have a great weekend. >> we're back after your local news.

good friday morning. i am a katy zachry. few minutes before 10:00 a.m. let's get right to your first alert neighborhood forecast with meteorologist bill henley. >> lots of sunshine, the temperatures are climbing not in the same rate, the same warmup that we can yesterday. it's updating 40 degrees in philadelphia, 40 in the suburbs and just on the verge of the 40 degree mark in the lehigh valley. plenty of sunshine in the lehigh valley and it will warm into the 40s with sunshine continuing this afternoon, the rain holds off until tomorrow.

katy? >> bill, thanks. let's get a check on traffic now nbc 10 first alert traffic reporter francesca ruscio. you're keeping your eye on the vine tree expressway. >> our camera at broad street a little busy but traffic in the 50s and 60s. busy for the 611 exit. >> a lot of people out on the road. >> a live look at the philadelphia international airport. weather should not affect your flights in and out of philly today but depending on where you're going it may. one thing that will affect your flight is the amount of people traveling this holiday weekend. if you're wondering what kind of holiday goodies you can take through security, pie is a go. check the airport's twitter pick to see what else is permitted. today is the final deadline from the u.s. postal service to get the holiday packages to where they're going by christmas. the deadline applies to the post office priority mail express. i'm katy zachry. we'll have another live update in about 25 minutes. get the latest news and weather

with our nbc 10 app. now back to the "today" show and we'll see you shortly. always wins.

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>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. ♪ i don't want a lot for christmas ♪ >> love that. >> that is mariah carey. it's christmas eve, try die friday, december 22nd. >> and a lot of bus, the new denzel washington movie "fences." >> and global singing sensations. known for their popra sound, getting you in the chrisas