good morning. war of words. more fallout over donald trump's use of a derogatory term to describe hillary clinton's loss to barack obama in 2008. he's doubling down, blaming the media for misunderstanding. her response measured. >> you are looking at somebody who has had a lot of terrible things said aut me. we shouldn't let anybody bully his way into the presidency. >> the while trump's fellow republicans try to stay out of the fray. near miss, a drone carrying a television camera comes crashing down in the tracks of a champion skier. what he's saying about the

what was it a mysterious light streaks across the sky in california? how this ignited a firestorm on social media. and the holiday crunch christmas just hours away. are you weather from the weather to travel to shopping for the last-minute gifts? we've got you covered today, wednesday, december 23rd, 2015. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer alongside hoda kotb who is filling in while savannah is on vacation. >> hey. >> look at this. we've got a countdown clock we're putting up to show how far we are from christmas, one hour, 17 hours and 59 minute. a couple days you lied to us all about being done with your christmas shopping. how did you plead this morning. >> i panicked more, are we done, is the show done, are we finished?

nieces and what not. may get there a little late but it's all right. >> help you out with helpful information a little later on. let's get to our top story though. without naming names hillary clinton subtly fires back at donald trump for his most recent controversial comments about her, that bathroom break joke and his use of a crude term to describe her loss to barack obama back in 2008. well, last night trump defended himself on twitter. nbc's hallie jackson is in washington with the latest on the war of words. hallie are good morning. >> reporter: hi there, matt. good morning. this morning donald trump is blaming on what he calls the biased media for the latest controversy, arguing that the yiddish slang word is a commonly used one in politics, a claim many are questioning, hillary clinton's staff calling it a sexist slur. after donald trump's controversial word choice hillary clinton is choosing hers >> you are looking at somebody

things said about me. we shouldn't let anybody bully his way into the presidency because that is not who we are as americans. >> reporter: not a direct response but directed clearly at trump after he used a word many find offensive to describe her 2008 loss to president obama. >> she was going to beat, she was favored to way and she got [ bleep ]. she lost. >> reporter: trump overnight insisting that word is not vulgar, tweeting the mainstream media is giving it false meaning. tell them it means beaten badly. trump's rival jeb bush raising eyebrows with his comments on clinton. >> she's great at being the victim, you know, the school enhancer verdictology status. this is what she loves doing. >> saying someone was [ bleep ] is not bad language.

question. >> reporter: other 2016 candidates choose to keep kwai. >> i didn't say i have no thoughts. no interest. plenty of thoughts and no interest in discussing it. >> i don't need to be another political pundit. donald trump will speak for himself and i'll speak for myself. >> reporter: ted cruz in his own feud not over words but a picture, this one, a "washington post" editorial cartoon showingled senator as an organ grinder, his young daughters dancing monkeys. the cartoonist callingled kids fair game claiming cruz used them as political props in this campaign ad. >> i know what she will do she said with a snicker. >> cruz tweeting sarcastically @washington post. stick with attacking me. of your league. >> reporter: this morning that cartoon has been removed by the post replaced by a editor's note generally leaving candidates' kids out of cartoons and cruz

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

of hotels and rental cars is up slightly. and this year a first for amtrak now allowing pet on that trip to grandma's house. and atlanta's airport is expecting its 1 millionth passenger so far this year on sunday. what are many drivers using to beat the rushes here? well, waze has quickly become a go-to traffic app since being bought out by google and it's an app that helps track traffic jams using information provided by other drivers. according to waze the absolute worst time to travel this holiday weekend will be today from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. sunday is also a bad idea. according to the company, it estimates that it will send out 87% more traffic jam alerts on sunday, so if you can swing, it might be a good idea to take monday off and travel back then or, guys, just thinking, maybe i'll just take the whole rest of the week off. back to you. >> you've earned it. >> two comment after that. first of all, dogs on amtrak.

go home to see my mom because i can't take the dog. >> no more. >> no more and the second thing is waze. i have a boy band, do any voice you want for waze, it's such a great app and i have a boy band app so you can listen to it. >> i have c3po. >> a lot of people will be using it over the holidays, yes, dogs on amtrak. if you haven't sent your packages yet, you're probably not alone but the clock is really now ticking. nbc's tom costello is at a

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

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

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

philippines for their new miss universe. life continues and in the future we will find out why things happen the way they happen. >> if he does returns and i think he should. >> i do too. >> imagine the moment of silence next year right before he announces the winner. everybody will be watching. >> a mistake that will never happen again, right? >> probably not. >> let's get at check of the weather from miss dylan dreyer. >> rainy across the eastern half. country. thank you. thank you, again. pat yourself upon your back. your shopping is done. you ain't no slack. rest at ease it's all ok. you ordered online and got them in the same day. navigate the app at will with incredible digital ninja skills. the holidays could not be better. maybe you have time to knit him a sweater. i don't know maybe a snowman. i could do that. let's get out of here. i'm just thinking. order gifts online and pick them up the same day. walmart. >> jeremy: good morning, everybody.

of dense fog. that's why a dense fog advisory in effect south of boston through cape cod and the islands through 10:00 a.m. you could see some areas that keep that patchy fog even into this afternoon. we're in for another round of rain, but it waits until late in the day. highs this afternoon between 49 and 56. looks like past 4:00, best chance for that wet weather turned back on, but half an inch to an inch of rain on the way late today and forecast. >> dylan, thank you very much. want to talk about a mystery in the ski out west this. thing lit up social media. willie's gotmore on it. >> good morning, guys, a wild one. astronomy nance know this is special, a full moon for christmas for the first time since 1977, but last night, a couple of days before rudolph is due, people from las vegas to california caught a glimpse of something sparkling up in the sky. >> what is that? >> in a city known for its strip

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

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

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get out there, in the 2016 ford escape. be unstoppable. this is my fight song take back my life song (music) the snow is starting to fall and our loved ones are gathered all around, so share that extra joy in your heart and make this christmas even more special than the last. walmart. hey amanda, sorry to bother you but i gotta take a sick day. moms don't take sick days, moms take dayquil severe the non-drowsy, coughing, aching, fever, sore throat, stuffy head, no sick days,

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no rain right now. >> no, but we have to wait until the afternoon. then that wet weather tap turning back on. to deal with this morning, some areas of dense fog. a dense fog advisory in effect through southeast mass until 10:00 a.m. today. and waiting until this afternoon, past the h4:00, that's when the wet weather tap turns back on. we're in for highs once again in the 50s but nearing 70 tomorrow. >> christa: let's get a check of your top stories now. police in at least two cities are looking for thieves targeting a new kind of holiday decoration. surveillance video in dorchester caught someone stealing two laser light displays and a similar crime was caught on camera in lynn. each of the projectors cost around $100. a woman facing drunk driving and other charges after allegedly leading police on a chase through several south shore communities that started last night in cohas send. the 43-year-old then took off through hingham and weymouth before eventually crashing into a police cruiser in quincy. police are saying luckily no one was hurt. we're back with another update. now back to the "today show"

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

today a court appearance for the woman who police say delivery drove her car into a crowd of pedestrians on the las vegas strip killing one and injuring dozens. lakeisha's 3 lakeisha's holloway's 3-year-old daughter was in the car at the time of the incident and she's charged with murder and child abuse. >> a fireball streaking across the sky in california, lighting up social media with speculation but it was identified as the remains of a russian rocket the atmosphere. >> the debate over the use of drones, now a slippery slope more than ever after one of them came crashing down and narrowly missed the world's greatest alpine skier as he sliced his way down a mountain in italy. tamron is here with more on this. crazy video. >> so crazy. the skier is breathing a sigh of

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

risk doesn't end there. tuesday's near miss comes one day after u.s. officials began a national drone registry. recreational vehicles weighing up to 55 pounds are now required to register with the faa, and officials are threatening hefty fines for anyone who fails to do so. this, a result of several hoe-profile incidents including two separate events at the white house where drones became a security threat. with one crashing into a tree on the white house lawn, commercial pilots are also concerned about unmanned vehicles flying into their airspace. reporting nearly 700 close calls this year but despite the danger the popularity is undeniable with some officials predicting massive cell sales this holiday season, a gadget and tool it a comes with risk. the company apologizes to marcel hirsher and to fis with the

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

your airlines if you're traveling today to see if any o >> jeremy: good morning, everybody. headed out the door, some areas of dense fog. that's why a dense fog advisory in effect south of boston through cape cod and the islands through 10:00 a.m. you could see some areas that keep that patchy fog even into this afternoon. we're in for another round of rain, but it waits until late in the day. highs this afternoon between 49 and 56. looks like past 4:00, best chance for that wet weather to an inch of rain on the way and that's your latest forecast. >> all right. coming up, we've all gotten gifts from people that you don't live. what to say or do to hide your

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stephanie eragann left reeling after the loss of her beloved father and nephew would have easily answered no. when your dad was sick you had a forgot. >> i asked him if he thought when you die you just die or, you know, if we go to heaven. he said our energy moves on. our energy can't die. and so i -- i was kind of skeptical to that. he said if i can prove it to you i'll prove it to you. >> reporter: after his death missing him one evening steph wrote a simple message to her dad on a sky lantern. >> i love you, dad, i miss you so much. love steph. >> centuries ago paper sky lanterns were used to send messages far distances but they have since come to symbolize hope. >> i get comfort from thinking about my dad, just because he understood me and he knew when i was scared. he knew when i was feeling weak. >> reporter: and during that time you were feeling

>> reporter: days later and 3737 miles away in vancouver, washington, matt saw what he thought was a plastic bag in his driveway, a chance encounter that would change his life. >> it was a sky lantern and written on it in magic marker were the words love you, dad, miss you so much and then a woman's name steph. it wasn't a piece of garbage anymore. >> for the father of three young girls that message delivered to his doorstep struck a chord. >> the idea that someone had lost their father and had written a note, a love note essentially to their dad and me. >> matt, a writer did, what he does best, penning an open letter to steph and posting it on his blog knowing she would probably never see it. >> i've always loved you. i'm proud of you. >> the letter went viral reaching the far corners of the world and eventually making its city.

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

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

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

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a panda is driving the internet crazy. >> this is wild. >> can't go anywhere without seeing this online. this was the year of the blue dress, black dress. and today it's finding the panda among the snowmen and here it is, let's take a look at it. this is the puzzle. we'll pull it up for you full at home. check it out. there is one panda in all those snowmen. >> i found it. >> i found it. >> dylan has it. we ran it by our readers as you look at this. >> 59%. >> it's right thereto. >> 59% of our people found it online under 50 seconds. took 30% others up to a minute. >> i'm taking it away for a minute. taking it a way. darren on facebook, been looking for 15 minutes.

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

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cracked the gridlock to strengthen veterans' healthcare. bernie sanders. a consistent, principled, and effective leader. building a future to believe in. sanders: i'm bernie sanders and i approve this message. >> this is 7news now. >> christa: good morning, everybody. three minutes before the hour of 8:00 a.m. on your wednesday morning with a check of your forecast. bri eggers is here. and she is standing by with what you need to know heading out the door. >> bri: good morning, christa. that picture of the city of boston, we're not seeing the fog there as much as we are in other locations. with this fog advisory in effect for southeast mass, cape cod and the islands through 10:00 a.m., but some areas of fog throughout the day. some spots, here's a look at the rain chance for the day. the rain tap turning back on for us. highs this afternoon 49 to 56. and close to 70 tomorrow. >> christa: all right, bri.

a new report released by the mbta reveals the "t" is counting on a 5% fare hike that could take effect in july. hasn't been approved and it may actually jump to as much as 10%. other steps to close the "t's" $242 million budget gap include eliminating early morning weekend service and increasing parking prices, as well. convicted murderer philip chism will learn his punishment coming up january 29th. last week he was convicted of murdering his high school math teacher, colleen ritzer, at danvers high school. he's 16 and faces life announcer: one candidate tough enough to take on the bully... jeb bush: donald, you're not going to be able to insult your way to the presidency. that's not going to happen. (applause) announcer: one candidate tough enough to take on isis. jeb will destroy isis... and keep america safe.

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

why they said it wasn't evil enough today, wenz, december 23rd, 2015. >> here in sunny new york. >> here for a selfie with hoda! >> merry christmas from texas. hi, mom. >> celebrating christmas with my sister in new york. >> all i want for christmas is see a "today" show tag. >> we are back now. 8:00 on a wednesday morning. it is the 23rd day of december, 2015. who have you found? gavin. >> hi, gavin, hi. >> where did you find gavin.

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

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

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

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

ball drops ringing in 2016. nbc's business and tech correspondent olivia stern is here with three things you need to know. love it when you break down the three things. welcome. we've got -- a lot of people get gift cards, okay, and sometimes i've looked through my drawers and seen old gift cards. is there a time when they just expire, use them quickly? >> reporter: this is the one card americans are maxing out. the average american house hold has $370 worth of unused gift cards. that's ridiculous. money out of window so find those gift cards and check the balances and check the expiration dates. under federal law gift cards can not expire less than five years after purchase, but it is use it or lose it because you can be charged a fee for inactivity so it might be even worth buying something little, don't have to max out the card so that you don't get hit with that inactivity fee. >> a few get hit for restaurant you don't love, a store you never shop in, what should you

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

not traditional diapers. lumbar supports for the office and look at this, massage or acupuncture, get a doctor's note but basically you can sort of float a trip to the spa with your flex payment. >> reward credit cards, if you spend money you get money. what are the rules when it comes to the end. year? >> actually check what the rules are on your specific car, check the fine print so for a lot of credit cards it's spend more and earn more. for example, a lot of credit cards have a certain threshold and say you hit $5,000 worth of spending and then you're suddenly going to get 10,000 points or perhaps you have a hotel rewards card and you have to spend a certain amount of money and then you'll suddenly get a free night. you want to consider spending more before you hit 2016 to earn some of the benefits back and if you have to spend more money consider spending it and buying miles and then spend the whole thing on vacation and it's kind of a win-win. >> all good pieces of advice. thanks so much. we appreciate it. coming up next, after making

find out what happens when santa uses a lie detector to find out who is naughty or nice. >> uh-oh. >> plus, change your tune as a certain british invasion coming to the streaming music services and pardon me. how to politely deal with pesky there are 16 fresh-picked oranges squeezed into each bottle of tropicana pure premium. and absolutely no space for added sugar, water,

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here's a video that's going viral. take a look. >> little mistaky-poo. this isn't mine. this is someone else's. >> it says mine. >> it's not mine though. >> it's jacob and that's your gift. >> who is next? >> eddie murphy. >> i love it. >> oh, my gosh. the eddie murphy is the best. >> eddie murphy the, i'm a combination between the eddie murphy and high pitch. >> is that good? >> i fake it until i make it. oh, my gosh -- i'm grateful that you thought of me, yes. >> what about you? >> the high pitch, oh, my gosh.

i can use it, can really use this. >> i'm one where the guy gets a piece of clothing and can't show it and he takes his clothes on right there just to prove that he really likes it. >> i do the overreact. i go way over the top, and it's great thing i've ever gotten and everybody knows i'm being a phony. >> yeah, exactly. >> interesting takes on popular christmas songs. first of all, we all know "the nutcracker" but we're betting you probably haven't quite seen it like this. >> these are hip-hop dancers performing a pop rocking version of the holiday classic and it happened recent any chicago and the guys are backed up by the california philharmonic. the maestro wanted to combine the magic of the 19th century with the music of the 21st century, the moves of the 21st century. kind of nice. >> watched a lot of this type

>> all right. nothing says holiday cheer like a good hockey brawl so take a look at how this announcer got into the christmas spirit during an unchristmas like incident. we wish you a merry christmas we wish you a merry christmas we wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year >> you make the best of the situation that presents itself. >> yeah. >> the the merry stylings of announcer jack edwards trying to lighten the mood during a fight between players from the boston bruins and the st. louis blues. jack ended by saying i love the holidays. >> somebody didn't like their gift. that's one of the reactions. >> exactly. >> what does -- what does santa always want to know? he wants to know whether the kids have been naughty or nice and now he's getting a little help from an elf and a like theior.

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

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

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

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

fall just shy of that in philadelphia, but tomorrow is the day we'll be talking about on christmas eve. boston's record is 61. we should hit 69 degrees in boston on christmas eve. 75 in bse and crushing that old record, charleston getting up to 78 degrees and on friday for christmas day we're going to see most our records down south with highs getting up to 77 in atlanta and 65 though is our forecast for christmas day in new york city. exceptional heat. want to focus on this area through here and later on this afternoon could see very large >> jeremy: good morning, everybody. headed out the door, some areas of dense fog. that's why a dense fog advisory in effect south of boston through cape cod and the islands through 10:00 a.m. you could see some areas that keep that patchy fog even into this afternoon. we're in for another round of rain, but it waits until late in the day. highs this afternoon between 49 and 56. looks like past 4:00, best

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

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

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

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

good drunk and bad drunk and if they are adding joy devive to the party, threat be. >> or won't stop or won't leave wanda, could you drop this guy home, get him out of here. thomas, always good advice. thanks so much. happy holidays again. >> coming up. >> the a beefed up recipe for the holidays, and first your

>> this is 7news now. ism good wednesday morn, everybody. it's 8:27. take a live look over boston. send it over the bri eggers with more now on your forecast. >> bri: sarah, looking out for some fog. visibility is improving. dense fog bedford stretching down the new bedford. be prepared for that. you head out, you might hit a wall of fog. it could take you by surprise. rain chances later on this afternoon. look like the rain tap turning back on for us. about a half an inch to up to an inch and maybe even some rumbles of thunder. look at those temperatures close to 70 tomorrow. >> bri: police in two cities are looking for thieves targeting a new kind of decoration. two laser light displays were

a similar crime was caught on camera in lynn. each projector costs about $100. the chipotle at cleveland circle in boston may be reopened by the end of the week. this coming after all employees were tested for norovirus and one manager was fired according to the boston business journal. the city still has to do a follow-up inspection of the building. the restaurant was closed after dozens of people who ate there were infected with norovirus. police in weymouth are searching for a repeat burglar on the run. officials say this man broke into the family service center gas station last week. he then broke into a bar nearby less than an hour later. today in new england returns 9:00.

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they help soothe irritation by locking in moisture better so you can face winter happily. a nose in need deserves puffs indeed. and try puffs softpack today. 8:30 now on a wednesday morning, 23rd of december, 2015. just take a look at some of the nice people who gathered here pre-holidays in rockefeller plaza. we thank them for coming down. you. some last-minute ideas for

so you'll have a hassle-free holiday. >> yeah. also ahead, cooking up a storm, a sunday sauce recipe, perfect for a lot of friends. >> breakfast of champions. >> looks delic. >> quick reminder, a contest that we have, gold-in ticket. you can win an official trip to the golden globes party, walk the red carpet, stay, dine, shop. party with the stars. this is all thanks to discover los angeles and the partners at the partners at the beverly hills hotels and beverly hills center. >> the to go today.com and post a picture showing you're a big golden globes fan and tell us all the reasons you should win. >> before we go further i want to pay tribute to two longtime friends and colleagues of nbc news, premiere, premiere camera man anthony derosa started his career at nbc in 1979, over his

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

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

snow, for anyone wanting a w >> jeremy: good morning, everybody. headed out the door, some areas of dense fog. that's why a dense fog advisory in effect south of boston through cape cod and the islands through 10:00 a.m. you could see some areas that keep that patchy fog even into this afternoon. we're in for another round of rain, but it waits until late in the day. highs this afternoon between 49 and 56. looks like past 4:00, best chance for that wet weather turned back on, but half an inch to an inch of rain on the way >> and we've got special guests out on the plaza, min is one of our coordinating producers and her family. >> i'm from gentleman and they are from maryland. >> did they tell you we were going to get you on tv. surprise, you're on tv. merry christmas. nice to have you guys here. >> dylan, thanks so much.

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

>> beautiful. >> we'll drugs our mantle. >> i'm ready. >> i got these cones at a craft supply store, papier-mache and cover them in at he'sive and roll them in sequins. the best part is the cupcake stands because they add a special touch of luxury. head one, head over to the mantle here. i love these, add height to our mantle and pick any spot. >> the there you go. >> there you go. >> up next. >> simple and inexpensive, too. >> so elegant. >> this is our mitten garland. >> i'm going to grab a mitten. all you need is a set of either matching or not matching, whatever you have on hand and use the mismatched once in storage and slip it right on to your rope there. >> hang some stock, in between, greenery and get at bargain or real. >> i love that everything is very inexpensive and you have important. white. >> we're talking gifting here.

the first are agate coasters, a slice of quarts, get these on etsy on amazon, turn it into something you can use every day, use theed a he's f-pen and put a little gold leaf around the edges. >> tough to get anything there. have that problem, hit up your local hardware store, vergic gold pen. if the stencil is your wheelhouse, have tat. handwriting. >> i go with the stencil i? like the food department. >> my favorite table. >> s'mores kits. grocery store items, perfect for a family gift, gram crackers, marshmallows and chocolate, wrap it with a ribbon, a few jingle bells. >> and great for a hostess gift and show up for a hostess gift and want a little something. these are chocolate melted into

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

hundred americans to make as much money as one top ceo. it's called the wage gap. and the republicans will make it those at the top and letting corporations write their own rules. hillary clinton will work to close the wage gap. equal pay for women to raise incomes for families, a higher minimum wage, lower taxes for the middle class. she gets the job done for us. i'm hillary clinton and i

38:40. back now with a holiday trifecta. family, friends and food and all covered in our kitchen now. anthony and elana scotta of new york city's fresco by scotto is showing one their pham favorite family recipes. good morning, happy holidays. >> when you gather you have a big group. does one person do the cooking and you do a pot luck? >> the great thing about the sunday sauce is everyone is getting involved in that. we like involvement of all family members. >> especially good this time of yesterday, sunday sauce, take me through the ingredients. we have a little red wine and pepper and tomatoes, basil, pan cheta, two different sausages, beef and some onion. >> here's what we got here and before you do everything you've already got the meat braising. >> i started the sausage and pork earlier, just to brown it,

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

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

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

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

from secret santas to off kitsch christmas carols and seng-alongs on all six continents always had fun celebrating the holiday season. >> some of the fun we've had over the last six decades. >> good morning, this is "today." >> christmas morning, 1964.

>> and i just stuck myself. ow. >> you know the best thing besides the presents is the music s.y. they never let poor rudolph silver bells silver bells this christmas laughing all the way, ha, ha, ha ring-a-ling holy night this year >> talking about the traditions of christmas, two words, eggnog. >> is this stuff fattening. nothing. we. >> back with gametime and this is called picture this. >> this was a problem. >> that's ice skating, that's the rockefeller tree. >> oh, my gosh! >> don't even get me going. don't even get me going. >> thanks for playing. you go back over there. >> have you see what they do

>> have you ever seen ice skating? >> and then you just turn etch-a-sketch upside down and you shake it upside down and the picture disappears. >> you have brought with it, karaoke machine? >> what? >> karaoke. >> god bless you. >> a chocolate leg. >> open it quick. >> oh, that's the wrong one. >> oh, sorry. this one. >> okay. i'm trying. i'm so they are vows. oh, that's so pretty. >> who likes you more than you? get out of here. >> that's the spirit that keeps on giving. >> ho, ho, ho. >> congratulations. >> a hulk hogan action figure. >> it's a blanket with our faces on it. >> and apparently mine, too. >> and yours too. >> santa-tizer.

jack frost nipping at your nose yuletide carols being sung by a choir and folks dressed up like eskimos merry christmas to you frosty the snowman was a fairy tale they say he was made of snow but the children know how he came to life one day call on your angels, let's go the down to the city let's all crowd around the big tree all you strangers, you know me >> christmas, streaming lights of joy and ringing bells of hope

forgive ness high up in the bright air. we look heavenward and speak the word aloud, peace, and we look at world and speak the word aloud, peace. wishing you a very new york christmas and the prayer for peace on earth if not too late >> ho, h ho, ho. we hear them say merry christmas sing hallelujah and merry christmas >> beautiful. >> that's awfully nice. if you weren't in the christmas spirit before, that put me right there, it wasn't? that was beautiful. >> reminded of all the nice people who have come and visited us during the holidays and brought a little music into our

>> how about barbara walters with the etch-a-sketch. that's a great tv moment. >> and the karaoke machine being revealed. >> brian saying what is this? >> don't get brian started on this. >> we'll be back in a moment,

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

mild temperatures and into this afternoon.

lights out a family's holiday display going dark when a thief steals the lights right off their front lawn. >> the man who gave the gun to boston marathon bomber walking free and saying sorry. charlie baker in the hot seat going on, on one with andy hiller. then we're heading into the kitchen with kim khazei. she's cooking up a hardy stew