from nbc news, this is "today", with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live, from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> i can't tell who that is, but it is funday monday, december 21st, and winter arrives tomorrow, but cheer up, because this friday, it is christmas. >> and wow, if you are too busy to do the last-minute shopping to find out what your favorite celebs are up to, we will tell you, and including all from

gift. >> and we sent liliana vasquez to the north pole and find out what she found there. >> real live reindeer. >> and old dominion are going to be performing their latest single for us. >> i i know, that we are all feeling terrible for the guy who had the best year of anybody would be of course steve harvey. >> steve harvey is a friend of ours and a great guy. and you know when nice people make a mistake, you feel horrible. >> yeah, yeah. but he made a whopper. >> he did and it happened live on television during the miss universe pageant. >> that's a whopper. >> and he crowned the wrong

ms. colombia instead of ms. and this is the moment. >> miss universe 2015 is colombia! [ applause ] i have to apologize. the first runner-up is colombia. miss universe 2015 is philippines. >> philippines. but he said something else. >> this is exactly what is on the card, but i will take responsibility for this, and please don't hold it against the ladies, and please don't.

a great night. >> oh, gosh. >> ugh! >> if you were watching it last night live like some people were, amanda, avery, they didn't actually take the crown off to give it to the other woman on tv, and so they saw miss colombia with the crown on and miss philippines next to her clapping. >> and then it was worse, he tweeted it out how sorry he was and then spelled both countries wrong. he spilled philippians which is a wonderful book in the bible. and colombia was spelled columbia. >> and you know how you mess up and then it just keeps messing it out and one causes the next and the next. >> yes, it is because he wanted

and he took credit and didn't blame anybody else. he is a great guy, everybody. and i like him taking, he didn't blame it on everybody. >> we as you try to brush it off when it's us. and he even showed the card. and here's how, the two women really acted like a champ. here's them backstage. >> do you have anything to say to your fans? >> everything happens for a reason. so i'm happy. i'm happy for all what i did for becoming this way, so i'm so happy. thank you for all, thank you for voting for me. >> we love you! >> it's a very non-traditional

>> yeah, very, very 2015. >> why is ms. usa there? she was third runner-up, though, right? >> she was support. >> no, second runner-up, because ms. colombia was first runner. >> why don't you just say you're a second, you're a third? >> i don't know. i don't know. >> steve harvey looked at the card and saw first and thought colombia. don't you think your brain's funky when you're in the middle of something? >> my brain's funky right now. that explains it. >> he says his mother-in-law and mic. thanks for coming to visit. >> nice talkin' to you. >> all righty, merry christmas to y'all. >> we do have a statement from ms. universe. she said the excitement of live tv was evident.

means humor error can come into play. >> unfortunately, donald trump was asked something. and both of them, he basically said i would have given both of them the crown and if he were running ms. universe this never would have happened. >> vintage donald. amy poehler and tina fay were back together, two besties hosting snl, and a lot of people were wondering if they would reprise their roles as hillary clinton and sarah palin. take a look. >> you changed your hair. >> people said i should, so i did. >> aren't you worried about the republicans? who's their front runner? >> i will tell you but only if you grab onto something to brace yourself. >> tell me. >> i'm warning you. >> just tell me. >> donald trump. >> oh, geez, it looks like i went through time and space again.

had to become a secretary. >> of state! >> that was a real fun election, i was paired up with that cute lil jon ttle john mccain fella, may he rest in peace, i'm guessing. >> still alive. >> i will let you get back to sleep. >> yes, i need to get back to 2008 and send a bunch of e-mails. >> no! >> cute, too cute. their movie was well-reviewed. but it's obviously in the juggernaut of "star wars," it didn't do so well. >> i think it might be one of those things people go to later. if you didn't stick around to the very last of snl, you missed out on something. paul mccartney joined the boss, bruce springsteen, and trust us, it was excellent. you better not pout, i'm tellin' you why santa claus is comin' to

santa claus is coming to town >> he always, i don't know, he looks terrific -- >> he works out a lot. >> there's something very cute i haven't seen. have you seen this? >> hm-mm. >> microsoft opened a new store right down the street from apple. it's a new commercial for the holidays, addresses the rivalry, i guess it's legendary between the two companies, let's look. let peace begin with me let this be my moment now with every step i take let this be my solemn vow to take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally

and let it begin with me [cheers and applause] >> pretty cool! >> they auditioned everybody that worked for them and said we want the best singers we've got. that's what we're hearing. i don't know if it's true. but microsoft got permission from apple to film the stores. >> that's very, very sweet. >> that's something you don't often hear me say around here. it's a beautiful song. has a beautiful sentiment to it. >> so theresa giudice is going to get home before christmas. she's expected to be home on wednesday. show's confined, she's got like home confinement, and she'll be there until february 5th. >> i don't think she'll mind home confinement. she'll be with her kids. she's been there since january. then her husband's going next for 41 months. >> and then after that, he may be taken out of the country back to italy?

? merry christmas. >> the pop sugar boxes, people are getting them. >> remember the things we told you that had our favorite things in them. they've been arriving, and we told you to take pictures. lark tommy got hers in arizona. she took this picture with her goodies. >> one is all she got. go to klg and hoda.com. tell them where to purchase this gift box. one person got it? >> what happened? hoda? chocolate. it looks like chock lacht look at the red lipstick. hold on. wipe off mine.

i took it off. >> okay. and it's chocolate! >> it won't last very long, right? because you'll eat it off. >> it's chocolate lipstick. it's a miracle. >> my god, it's a christmas miracle. >> it tastes like chocolate. you'll be licking your lips all day long. >> $48. >> isn't that interesting? >> mine is a daily planner for 2016 by anchored press. it includes daily bible verses and inspired devotions, and i have a friend who has a boat, so i thought i would give it to her, because look how nautical it looks. emily, if you're watching, that's for you, $49 from anchored press.com. >> can you believe it really is lipstick in. >> i don't think it is, but it looks beautiful, i've got to say. >> coming up, how john legend gets chrissy teigen's wheels spinning. >> the latest buzz right after this. is.

phlegmy cough. yeah...but what about mike? he has that dry scratchy thing going on. guess what? it works on his cough too. cough! guess what? it works on his cough too. what? stop! don't pull me! spoiler alert! she doesn't make it! only mucinex dm relieves both wet and dry coughs for 12 hours with two medicines in one pill. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. ugh! heartburn! no one burns on my watch! try alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews. they work fast and don't taste chalky. mmm...amazing. i have heartburn. alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews.

(cell phone rings) where are you? well the squirrels are back in the attic. mom? your dad won't call an exterminator... can i call you back, mom? he says it's personal this time... if you're a mom, you call at the worst time. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. r it's what you do. where are you?r it's very loud there. are you taking at zumba class? ugh! heartburn! no one burns on my watch! try alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews. they work fast and don't taste chalky. mmm...amazing. i have heartburn. alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews.

all righty. it is time for "today the's buzz" when we bring you a wrap-up of all of the hollywood headlines that you may have missed. >> and bob is here. we love you. >> i love you. >> we loved you first. >> and taylor swift with another good, good deed. >> talking about the fantasticness of taylor swift, over the weekend, she went to colorado to visit a child with cancer. a 13 year old, delaney has blastoma, and so her mother said you have a guest, and she came in and visited her and they took instagrams. >> so dear. >> it really is sweet. >> this all started because friends of delaney's started a hash tag of delaney meets taylor, and thousands of people retweeted it and now they are best friends, and it is beautiful. taylor is great. >> what a beautiful person. and the way she uses her celebrity to do so much good.

concert film just came out this week on itunes and she says that her favorite place is blank space, and so in this break in the tour she is going to become a mixologist, and how fun. >> yes. >> and she is going to learn how to make drinks. >> she should come here, and make us a drink. start a hashtag for us. >> and john legend and chrissy teigen. an interesting christmas gift. >> i think they're the most fun couple out there. >> and he got what he called her dream cheese wheel. >> she says that she he got a cheese wheel to cook my pasta side. basically, i don't know if you've ever had pasta rolled in the cheese wheel. it coats it in deliciousness. any pasta served any other way is like being the runner-up at

>> oh! >> that's not what i thought it was. you actually cut the stuff in there? >> it's hot and cooked and you roll it in this cheese wheel. and it's just. >> and you put that in the fridge? >> it's a storage thing. >> you do need storage. >> i think they can afford it. >> honey, where's the cheese wheel? >> that's one of the things i craved so much when i was pregnant. >> she loves food. she has a cookbook coming out in february. >> i'm eating and she'll make pasta. >> "star wars" knocked it out of the park. >> could you imagine? did anyone see anything else? $538 million. that's worldwide. $238 million domestically, and $538 million worldwide. that's including china and everything. it broke records. >> but thank you for asking. >> 68% of the audience of "star

single lady out there, go to the "star wars" movie. there are a lot of men. the ratio is pretty good. >> call chewbacca, and you'll get a date. >> beauty's in the eye of the beholder. >> did you see it? >> i'm not an opening weekend crowd kind of person. i'm going to wait a couple weeks. that number's going to keep growing. and "sisters" took in 13.4, and i think they are going to benefit from all the publicity, the fold posters in the theater. >> and alvin. >> it was the least successful movie in the alvin series. >> is your phone ringing? >> no. >> pick it up. it's us! >> you could be our fan of the week. >> or not. >> but don't worry, we didn't leave liliana out in the cold. >> she's going to show us the magical trip she took to the north pole coming up after this. >> cute. cute. t,

challenges, whatever they might be. so, the u.s. army masters not only tactics and strategy, but also physics and chemistry. we make battle plans and create breakthroughs - in medicine, science and engineering. our next mission could be anything.

now it's time to surprise our fan of the week. >> drum roll, please, while we spin the globe, and today it's landed, hoda in boston, massachusetts. that's where our friend lauren watches us. >> she's with us via skype. is that your mom with you? >> yes! >> we're going to tell everybody why you were chosen. throughout college, lauren watched our show and never missed an episode. >> and she never went to school! >> excellent. >> now that she's a tax accountant, she must have graduated. she watches from her desk, so sneaky.

my accountant, but i have to be on time and i can't file an extension. sorry. >> last year, her home was broken into and a lot of belongings why stolen, including her computer. >> she loves the today ambush makeover and wine has helped her through rough patches. >> it's nice to have a nice big mug of it. it's time to put you to test with a trivia question. are you ready? >> our elf on the shelf surfaces af day in a new spot. what's our elf's name? >> regis! >> yes! woo! >> you've won a fabulous resort vacation, you and a guest are going to be headed to the bahamas, where you will stay four day, three nights at the one and only ocean club. >> which is beautiful. >> oh, i love that place. you'll also receive dipper for

>> are you going to take your mom or some special person? >> yes! >> oh, have a great time. and thank you for watching. hon. >> merry christmas. we'll tell you how to keep little ones busy. and we sent our own liliana to the north pole, really, to helpers.

it is funday monday, with more of "today", and while you're stringing lights to get in the christmas spirit, there's one place where it's christmas all yearlong. >> it is, it's the north pole, alaska, we september our girl liliana vasquez straight to the source. how was it? >> the temperature was just above 20 below. and i only had four hours of daylight, but i suited up to

met some pretty amazing people. >> cool. >> i made it! i'm here in the north pole. but i only have about four hours of daylight to track down santa. so we gotta move. time was limited, but i had a perfect idea of where to start. wait, wait, wait, stop, stop, stop. how are you doing? >> fine. >> are you taking letters to santa. >> i just did it. >> do you know where i can find him? >> down that way. >> hi! i'm liliana. >> nice to meet you. >> oh, you jingle. now these outfits lead me to believe that you have some inside info on where santa is. >> we are the king and queen of north pole.

santa's at his workshop getting ready for the holidays. >> you might ask the mayor. >> where might i find the mayor? >> over there. city hall. >> city hall. should i courtesy? >> yes. >> i found the mayor trimming the city hall tree. does santa live in the north pole year round? >> santa does live here year round. >> even in the summer he doesn't take a vacation in hawaii? >> you might see him vacationing every now and then. >> husky, which way to the kids? >> thank you. knock, knock. is this casey's class? >> yes. >> it's christmas time, and i'm having the hardest time finding santa claus. okay. who here has seen him? where did you see santa? >> at the hockey party.

>> where did you see him? can you guys draw me a map to santa? >> yeah. >> go down the road, turn this way, turn again and that's santa? >> yeah! >> thank you guys so much. happy holidays. >> you're welcome, liliana. >> with help from the kids, i could feel myself getting closer. next up, an ice sculpt tour park. it takes about one week to build this slide. it's about 135 feet long. i hear it's super fast, and something tells me that maybe santa is at the end of the slide. ah! woo! you know what? i didn't find santa, but i had a lot of fun. hi, buddy. i was wondering, could you me know where santa is? and finally, i got a nod in the right direction.

i found santa's house. where better to find santa than at home. >> whoa! hello, liliana, what are you doing here? >> santa, i have been looking for you all day long. >> so what do you want, liliana? >> really simple, and it's really just one thing. >> okay. wow. >> what was it? >> you can't tell. >> i can't tell, but i did tell santa that i wanted to bring some special gifts for you guys, so i brought these back from the north pole for you to wish you a very, very happy holiday. >> oh, thank you. >> they're direct from the north pole! >> elf in trainle, north pole alaska. oh, you got me a big one. it fits, hoda. >> thank you, thank you. >> by the way, the north pole is crazy. >> honestly, i felt like i was

actually did fly all the way to >>. there. >> it takes a long time and the people are sweet. >> the children that you met, do their parents all work there? >> it's a big military base, and they love living in fairbanks in the north pole. if you have the opportunity to go, go, it's the most beautiful. >> i thought you were if a n a mall or something. >> you can catch more of liliana on klg and hoda.com. >> and to see what he does in his off time, you can see building off the grid on the diy network. and the latest hits. >> and creative ways to keep your kids busy on the holidays coming up after this. >> can't believe the hat fits. thank you. you. t the rent is outrageous. good thing geico offers affordable renters insurance. with great coverage it protects my personal belongings should they get damaged, stolen or destroyed. x [doorbell]

delivery. hey. lo mein, szechwan chicken, chopsticks, soy sauce and you got some fortune cookies. have a good one. ah, these small new york apartments... protect your belongings. let geico help you with renters insurance. [coughing] [coughing] [coughing] [coughing] [coughing] everyone's life. that's why so many people are turning to delsym for longer lasting cough relief. delsym has an advanced time release formula that helps silence coughs for a full 12 hours. that's three times longer than the leading cough liquid. all night...

this week marks the slow rollout to the start of winter country. but keeping them busy can sometimes be a challenge. >> angie goff is here. and she's a nbc washington reporter. check out her family, she's the mother of two. >> great to see you, happy holidays. after christmas comes and goes, what stays with us? the kids who are home from school break, and to try to beat that cabin fever can be a challenge. coloring. kids love to color, but they get bored with it. so you probably i have a ton of wrapping paper. stuff that's cheap. >> you color on the back. >> use the whiteside of that.

the tables on it literally. >> who's under there? >> that's what we have little sophia doing. this is the michelangelo style. >> like mike chelangelo on the sistine chapel. >> are we playing hopscotch? >> we are. we are taking an oldie but a goody and bringing it back in style. everybody has the blue painter's tape laying around. so you can create this on your own floor. if you want something you can whip out whenever you want it. i took this yoga map and used masking tape. >> great idea. >> their is beautiful kathryn. >> way to go, kathryn. >> and this is actually an idea that was suggested by holly

parenting team. >> we used to play hopscotch in school. >> i used to love it. >> i had a refresher course. >> thanks, hon, that was, length. >> t.j., what are you up to? >> p.j. got the funnest game of all. get the kids out in the snow, that's what parenting team members say, we took food coloring, mixed it with water, put it in cheap squirt bottles. and they can spend hours outside doing that. but if not, this is really easy. take everything from bowls, cupcake pans, any kind of pan really, freeze blocks of ice with mixed food coloring and water, and you have your ice blocks. you don't want to touch them right now. but you can make your own ice skults tours. and eventually they'll melt.

>> and finally, this is one of my favorite things. what i created was a time capsule. you want to get these printables. and they give you these chances to write out a survey and what you've accomplished this year and also what you predict is going to happen in five years. this is the copelin family. they have included everything from mementos. ribbon, that's how tall their child was that year. throw the pictures in. i don't we don't have all the time to do it. you close it up. >> lock it up. >> lock it up and put on a little sign that says do not open until 2020. >> that's a cute idea. >> something to do as a family. >> make sure you store it in a dry place. >> angie, thank you for coming. >> to share your own ideas go to today.com/parenting team. old dominion performs one of

the citi concert series on "today", is proudly presented to you by citi. old dominion is the nickname for the u.s. commonwealth of virginia. but it's also a chart-topping music band. >> today they are making their national tv debut. >> here with "snap back" off "meetin' candy" is old dominion. what would happen if you not with me come on and rock with me

any rhone eason that we need to be apart tonight i got somewhere to start tonight your skin needs to be kissed on ray-bans and you snap back whoa, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, and you snap back come on, baby, were you smilin' at me you're burnin' a hole in high pocket we got to be, let's drop it your skin needs to be kissed on my abe eyes, baby, they're fixed

every move you make, baby in a word in a snap back whoa, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, and you snap back on my eyes, baby, they're fixed on you turn to your favorite rock band checkin' your makeup and my ray-bans and you snap back whoa, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, and you snap back

and you snap back whoa, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, and you snap back whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh,

>> all right! whoo! >> more noise for lucky girls and boys and you snap back

all right, there's still time to donate for our 22nd annual toy drive. it brings a lot of joy to kids and families all over the u.s. >> it sure does, and here again

partners, from jax pacific. >> what do you have for us? >> we're donating over $178,000 retail value worth of toys today. >> this has got to be one of the hottest. >> elsa, and she is nominated as girlfriend of the year. >> whether you donate your time or money, giving back is just as good for the giver as it is for the receiver. we value kids, because they're the future for tomorrow. it's more than a play thing. it's an esteem builder, they can create their own lasting memories. >> this is for the kids who don't have anything. this is so important. >> thank you so much. >> remember, you have until tomorrow to donate. go to klg and hoda.com to donate. >> guess who's goi here tomorrow? >> susan lucci.

my favorite days.