in rome thousands of follows gathered outside of the vatican this morning to hear pope francis call for peace in the holy land and across the globe. at home it is the warmest christmas ever on record. some are celebrating in some unusual ways. >> we have team coverage of how the tri-state area is celebrating this tropical christmas. we start with steve langford live in front of st. patrick's cathedral. >> reporter: on this holy day outside st. patrick's cathedral reflection after the trying year of the congregation here, the country and world certainly in need of prayer and perhaps a good laugh. this year provided on christmas day by timothy cardinal doland.

people with the mid-morning christmas day mass lead by cardinal doland told everyone a inventory about his little nephew, charlie, in st. louis who wasn't pleased about the part he got in the school christmas play. >> i said what are you going to say? he said ye ehaw. >> reporter: laughter and tears of joy for many grateful to be here on this christmas day. >> it makes me cry it is so wonderful. it is so beautiful. words can't describe it. >> reporter: uptown and morning side heights a holiday mass at one of the world's great

devine, a crowd of people on this holy day. >> the message i'm bringing you from god is don't be afraid. >> reporter: worshipers at st. patrick's from near and far for a total of eight christmas mass services today at this recently renovated cathedral magnificent in its grandeir. it was warm in st. peter's square in rome where the crowd gathered to hear pope francis deliver his annual christmas message. >> translator: a day of peace for all the people. >> holy father prayed for world peace talking about the recent terrorist attacks, migrant crisis and clashes in the middle east. he called for the israels and palestinians to reach an agreement to live in harmony. president obama had this

>> merry christmas everybody. this is one of our favorite times of the year in the obama household filled with family and friends warmth and good cheer. that's even true when i chase away sunny from the cookies we leave santa. i'm joined by a special holiday guest star, mrs.obama. >> the message this year is to honor the servicemen and women defending our country. he is also urging americans to care for those on the margins of society, as well. president says a simple act of kindness to someone who is poor or sick personifies the spirit of the holiday and what binds us together as a nation. as the clock struck midnight we hit a new record for warm temperatures on christmas. >> we have thick fog in parts of the area. the fog so thick look how it

state building cutting off the top. you can't even see it. as people traveled into new jersey from know work the road was swallowed up by the fog. >> meteorologist erica martinez here with a look at the forecast. >> we broke two records yesterday and today. we have thick clouds. it is soupy right now. conditions will be like that for the next couple of days. while we do have warmer temperatures we have colder temperatures on the way. after all it is december 25th. mild conditions right now with the exception of the clouds developing at the lower levels. yesterday we topped out at 72 degrees christmas eve. certainly an impressive number there at 11:31 a.m. we hit the record high. today at 12:31 a.m. 66 degrees.

the warmest day on record today december 25, 2015. the coldest one below in 1980. the wettest over an inch and a quarter in 2002. the snowiest seven inches in 1909. coming up in my forecast i have what we can expect in the upcoming weekend. looks like we could see showers in the forecast. florida. us. people in the area are certainly celebrating christmas in a different way. instead of chestnuts on an opened fire people are enjoying the record-breaking warm temperatures on the beach. meg is on the jersey shore. this weather? this board walk has been busy all morning people walking and jogging wearing light layers.

balconies on this christmas. check out what else people were able to do due to the weather. surfers were riding the waves because it is so warm out. >> what is the temperature in the water? >> i one wearing any gloves. think. volleyball? >> since 8:00 a.m. no better way than to start christmas day off than with my volleyball i got for christmas and my buddies. >> this is not that normal christmas. i would normally be sleeping or wrapping last-minute presents. this is probably the best christmas present i'll have. >> reporter: bellmar mayor rode his bike over to check in with us. >> when there is more people coming into town it is good for small business. >> reporter: beach chairs in december. these revelers can't get enough.

headed to the islands thinking they were headed towards warm weather, they may have wasted their money. were live on the board walk in bellmar meg baker cbs 2 news. >> thank you very much. the weather is a developing story in other parts of the country. christmas has turned into a huge cleanup day in many regions after a deadly tornado outbreak. at least 14 people were killed. and dozens of homes destroyed. >> oh my gosh! >> reporter: cell phone video caught the tornadoes touching down last night in northern california. >> we have been here 45 years. we have never had anything like this happen. >> reporter: severe weather knocked down trees leaving a path of damage and shaken residents. >> seeing trees swirling like they were in a blender is scary. >> reporter: this destruction comes as people across the midwest and south clean up for a deadly system that moved through on wednesday.

in eight states. at least 12 twisters hit mississippi alone. >> i looked up. the roof was blowing off the house. >> reporter: many people lost everything. pastor reynolds church was left in shambles. he calls it a test from god. >> he is testing to see how strong we'll be. >> reporter: they still plan to hole services but in the parking lot. >> i think it devastated everybody. never in the history of this town have we seen this. >> reporter: at this red cross shelter volunteers are overwhelmed with a number of donations pouring in all to help lend a hand in this time of need. another bizarre storm is developing in the southern plains. it is forecast to bring heavy rain and blizzard conditions to the region this weekend and possibly the first snow of the season to the unseasonably warm northeast next week. still to come, why it has became a working holiday for fed-ex. the second wave of holiday shopping is about to begin.

you think. living lesson about the true meaning of christmas. highlights from a special celebration in westchester. >> santa is done here. spotted. >> this is kim johnson with my husband john johnson we are stationed in germany with the 86 air medical squadron. we are wanting to wish my mom my sister tina and her husband

christmas. welcome back. the wild winter weather has fed- today. carrier is trying to make good on deliveries delayed because of severe storms that interrupted schedule. fed-ex did not originally plan on making christmas day deliveries but workers are putting in the overtime to make it a great christmas for those expecting presents. sometimes you receive a gift that wasn't on your wish list. >> returning the gifts you don't want can be difficult. cbs 2's kenneth craig explains. >> reporter: when shelly goes holiday shopping she tries to

want to return. she always has a backup plan. >> i ask for gift receipts and put it in the box. >> reporter: that is a smart reports. the group estimates 40% of americans try to return or exchange a gift they don't like. experts say doing that is becoming more difficult without a receipt because of fraud. increasing number of merchants are reporting they have been victimized by shoplifters who try to return the item for cash. >> many retailers require identification if you don't have a receipt. >> reporter: consumer reports editor said if you don't have a receipt and trying to get a refund keep the gift in the original package. be prepared for possible restocking fees and store credit only. many retailers allow shoppers

the end of january. together. >> i found the best thing to do is give money. >> reporter: kenneth craig cbs news edge water, new jersey. that dazzled a crowd in westchester. a pasta dish that is easy to make and perfect any time of the year. christmas. an appearance?

news at noon. it was a traditional christmas day service for queen royal family. prince charles with his wife, prince william with kate and prince harry attended this holy day of service at the estates in england. they were joined by about a thousand well wishers. the youngest royals, george and charlotte stayed home possibly playing with the toys santa brought. in westchester county a christmas tradition that began a century ago at a bronxville

>> the reenactment includes real animals. >> reporter: holy family in the flesh made their christmas eve appearance to reenact the story. >> i'm riding in on a donkey and going to give birth to baby jesus. >> reporter: and the manger angle 9-year-old belle rodriquez. >> i sit with mary in the manger with the baby. >> reporter: this is the 101st year the pageant has come together in bronxville. real animals, including a donkey and camel were called in to make it feel authentic. religious leaders read bible verses to narrate the christmas story. >> it is a warm moment for people to be still, enjoy the season and their families. >> reporter: a live band played sounds of the holiday season. all of it a community effort

>> it is special because all of the elements of the community coming to to make it happen. >> it is very special. it is our first year here in bronxville. we have never seen this before. >> reporter: in westchester county. >> merry christmas. >> reporter: valerie castro cbs 2 news. >> they bring the spirit to life there. >> absolutely and no winter jackets in any of the shots. it is so weird. let's head over to erika martinez for the strangest christmas forecast, at least in our lifetime. >> conditions are above normal. we are seeing a high of 66 today. that's what we topped out at. yesterday 72 degrees. weather watchers thank you for participating. everyone is impressed by how warm these temperatures have been. steve reports 57 degrees.

i'm sure he has merry christmas wishes for everybody across the area. we always appreciate your input. a live shot outside cameras showing the clouds thick and soupy. we are socked in all due to a stationary boundary. we have showers light at best. conditions are still warm and balmy 60 degrees. winds east northeasterly 3 miles per hour. danbury 60. morris town 59. red bank 65 along with trenton. middle town in the mid 50s. there is your cold front. that colder air sliding on in. ottawa 46. detroit 47. all of that cold air filtering in, so cooler temperatures in the forecast by tomorrow. vortex radar picking up on a few clouds as we seen on the live camera. keep in mind these clouds are at the lower level.

fog and those light rain showers. as we take a wider perspective we see showers moving in from the great lakes. it looks like we may see a couple showers tonight and certainly through the weekend as a series of disturbances move in from west to east. here is your boundary that is stationary. milder conditions for tomorrow. cooler temperatures. again, we have to keep in mind that we have those series of lows moving through west to east. cooler temperatures on saturday. warmer temperatures for the second half of the weekend. now today's high 66 degrees. we did set that record. tonight we'll keep temperatures in the upper 40s. as we look at what to expect for tomorrow, we have a couple of clouds in the forecast. 52 is expected high. northeasterly is breezier. extended forecast is cooler monday into tuesday. models are favoring wintry- precip. we are tracking that here for you. some snow maybe.

just like what we expect in new york. >> thank you. for anyone cooking today we have a rich and hearty dish that is easy to make and easy to clean up. >> that's the key. stephanie heads to the kitchen with a celebrity chef to show us how it is done. >> reporter: chef shelly's restaurant may be packed every day. today she is showing us how to make a holiday favorite in a flash. >> the thing that's great about this dish is it is simple to make. you can make it without the meat. all i do is i start by browning the sausage. >> reporter: the spicy lamb sausage is one of the signature dishes and pairs perfectly with the yellow tomato sauce. >> it reduces and gets thicker. there is a lot of natural pectin in tomatoes so it

>> i drop the pasta in. >> reporter: do you want the tomatoes to cook in the grease? >> the less dishes you use the better. two, you get the wonderful flavor from the grease of the lamb sausage on the tomatoes. it brings all the flavors together more. a two-pan dish, people. little chive over the pasta. little bit of parm to bring it all together. this just goes over the pasta. this is also in your cook book. >> it is. this is thing we have been making at butter for a really long time. >> reporter: after another quick stir the pasta is plated and we are ready for a holiday special. >> that is incredible. thank you for showing us how to make this. santa's job is never done. >> next, some of the unusual places we are finding the man

news at noon. come seek the royal caribbean. there is a place where the cold melts away the hustle and bustle dies down and the only thing left

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there apparently have been santa sitings across the globe. >> apparently santa has been doing more than riding his sleigh. they road through lima spreading messages of love, warmth and safety. >> he paddled down rivers in lithuania looking for children wanting gifts. that's it for us at noon. for the entire cbs 2 news team