making news in america this morning -- holiday headache. downed power lines covered in ice. it's going on five days with no power for some of the people in the bitter cold. utility crews working overtime to get the power restored. package problem.

santa's sleigh was a little light this morning. u.p.s. and fedex explaining why some gifts did not arrive. a cruise ship and passengers spend christmas stranded. when will help arrive? dancing queen. a little girl's dream come true. getting on stage with beyonce. good morning. i'm reena ninan, sitting if for diana perez. >> as thousands wait for power to come back, there's new worries this morning. this family in maine, using a sleigh to deliver the christmas presents. you can see a tree and power lines blocking the street. >> it could be a week before everyone gets back online. with more, here's abc's rob nelson. >> reporter: from michigan to northern new england, thousands of storm survivors are waiting for power to be restored and the

christmas lights to come on. tom duquette has not had electricity since monday. he had to pack up and leave home in maine. >> this is challenging. >> this is the worst time of year to have something like this happen. but it happened. and there's not a lot you can do to keep mother nature from doing this sort of thing. >> reporter: this week's deadly ice storm hit the great lakes region, putting hundreds of thousands of people in the dark in toronto, in the height of holiday season before hitting new england. shelters in michigan have been busy, providing food, warmth and comfort for those lacking hit. and utility crews sent to the hardest-hit areas. many repair workers are a long way from home and spent christmas away from their families. >> rough. lack of sleep. the elements are tough. >> reporter: the repair work is now going into its fifth day, after one of the worst storms of its kind since the 1990s. >> much rather be at home with my family and my kids. but there's also kids out here

that have no power. my kids are at home in a warm, playing playstation and x-box. these kids are just trying to stay warm. >> reporter: and the utility crews say they will stay on the job perhaps until the weekend, until the power comes back on. rob nelson, abc news, new york. and more snow could soon add to the misery of those without the power. >> meteorologist jim dickey joining us this morning from the weather channel with more. jim? >> good morning, john and reena, tracking some snowfall this morning. most of it fairly light. it's moving across lake michigan, tracking eastward, as we head on through the early morning hours. for most of us, just a nuisance event across much of pennsylvania, new york, up into new england. a light snow through the day. a coating of an inch or two at most. this low will strengthen, move up the coast and bring a band of heavier snow to portions of maine.

especially along the coast. three to six inches through the night. behind this system, fresh arctic air. that's diving into the northern tier of the country. that will move towards the east as we head towards new year's eve. john and reena, back to you. hot and dry conditions on the west coast are being blamed for sparking a wildfire burning north of los angeles. new video shows crews trying to contain what's being called the lilac fire. there's plenty of fuel forhehe firewhich is likely being made worse by the santa ana winds. temperatures are at or near record highs for the past few days. >> this morning, online shoppers slamming u.p.s. and fedex on special media, of they failed to deliver packages on christmas day. it's being blamed on bad weather, overloaded systems and a shorter shopping season. neither company is saying how many packages didn't make it under the tree in time. after a one-day break for the holidays, stores are trying to entice reluctant shoppers.

some opening as early as 5:00 a.m. most are hoping when you return that unwanted gift, you'll buy something else. linzie janis previews the retail rush. >> reporter: today, america goes returning. taking back all those gifts that don't fit or you just don't want. >> i've seen a move towards return policies over the holidays. that's something that will help sell a lot this week. >> reporter: before you go to the stores, experts say do your homework. a recent study ranked return policies. among the most lenient, costco, nordstrom and walmart. the most restrictive, sears and best buy. and another thing to look out for, more megadeals. all you know is you're getting a very good deal. that week after christmas, retailers want to go through merchandise to transition to the next season's goods. >> macy's after-christmas one-day sale thursday. >> reporter: amazon.com, offering so-called year-end deals up to 70%, 60%, 50% off.

old navy's after holiday sale, up to 75% off in store. and 60% online. the sales are so good because the pre-christmas shopping season has been disappointing. >> i think we as consumers are getting the better end of the deal. i think the retailers are struggling. there's a little too much inventory out there. >> reporter: last week, in-store retail sales were down 3.1%. and foot traffic down 21% since last year. as the numbers come in from online shopping, u.p.s. is expecting 15% more returns. and speaking of returns, look for extended hours at many stores during this postholiday rush. linzie janis, abc news, new york. breaking news this morning. more about the fate of kidnapped american warren weinstein. al qaeda just released a video of weinstein. the first proof since 2012 he is still alive. in the video, he wears a gray jump suit with a thick beard, saying he feels abandoned and forgotten. he appeals to president obama,

saying his captives have agreed to let his family visit him if the u.s. releases al qaeda members being held. new numbers on obamacare. 2 million people visited the health care website on monday. it's a record. experts are warning, those who signed up to call the new insurance company to make sure they're covered for january 1st. it's become a holiday tradition for president obama. he and the first lady visited a marine corps base in hawaii. he spoke for a few minutes. and he met with and posed for photographs with some of the troops. it was one of the few public moments during his vacation. but he's been at the base every day to play golf. pope francis delivered his first christmas message as leader of the world's catholics. while it is traditional for the pope to speak in several languages, francis stuck to italian. he prayed for protection of christians under attack, battered trim and trafficked children. and u.s. troops in afghanistan had a traditional meal and exchanged gifts. today marks the first day of

kwanzaa. and celebrations are being held across the country. the week-long holiday honors african-american heritage, as well as family, community and culture. it's derived from a swahili phrase meaning fresh fruits of the harvest. to a blast from the past. >> a crowd gathered for a firsthand look at george washington's trip across the delaware river. it was the 61st re-enactment of the crossing that turned the tide of the revolutionary war. >> men crammed into boats to make the trip from pennsylvania to delaware. a popular surgery could be unnecessary. nearly 1 million americans get this procedure every year. plus, stuck at sea. a cruise ship stranded in the middle of nowhere. when will help arrive? and lucky find. a shopper discovers something she never expected in her bag. and returned it to the rightful owner.

welcome back. the u.s. financial markets reopen today after the christmas break. they've been rising steadily since the federal reserve announced last week that it could cut back on its measures to prop up the economy. the dow is on track for its best year in a decade. nearly 1 million hyundai and kia owners in the u.s. could soon be getting checks. the two south korean automakers admit they exaggerated gas mileage claims for the last three years. when the settlement is finalized, hyundai owners will get about $350 each.

kia owners twice that. they the take a lump sum or get a credit. worries that data thieves got the p.i.n.s of customers. that information was not part of the haul of data breach involving 40 million debt and credit cart accounts. if the thieves got the personal identification numbers, they will be able to pull money out of bank accounts. dish and directv are notifying subscribers of price increases. most plans are going up $2 to $5. that's coming at a time when tech savvy viewers are opting for online streaming surfaces. is this proof that prints is not dead. the caption said, bookstores are not dead. the 86-year-old store enjoyed record sales this holiday season. >> good to see. >> yeah. >> i have a kindle now. >> i do, too. when we come back, special

delivery. one little girl will have wild christmas stories to tell about her birth when she gets older. and hero of the day. how a four-legged friend helped save this skier from a certain death. ♪ [ chicken caws ] [ male announcer ] when your favorite food starts a fight, fight back fast with tums. heartburn relief that neutralizes acid on contact and goes to work in seconds. ♪ tum, tum tum tum tums!

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no, i'm good. ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicorette mini delivers fast craving relief in just 3 minutes. double your chances of quitting with nicorette mini. all right. a soggy christmas in central new york, near buffalo. last weekend's storm left behind a legacy of misery. not just the snow and ice. now, residents have to contend with flooding of the snow melt and rain. overnight, many of the flooded areas refroze into ice. >> and driving today will be a problem. most highways near the great lakes. roads may be wet in parts of new england, florida and south texas. highways should be dry nearly everywhere else today. >> and across most of the country, it's dry today. we're not expecting any significant delays at any of the major airport hubs today. hasn't been smooth sailing

for dozens of would-be antarctica explorers. their cruise ship stuck in the ice. it will be days before a rescue ship from australia can reach them. 70 people are onboard. >> they have plenty of food, water and supplies. but not enough diversions onboard to keep them busy. authorities in the turks and caicos islands do not expect to find anymore victims from a capsized boats today. it was being towed to shore. the boat apparently capsized and some passengers jumped off to avoid being detained. more than 30 of the immigrants survived. in california, the men accused in the los angeles international airport shooting spree that left the tsa agent dead will be arraigned today. paul ciancia. he was carrying a note about killing tsa agents. he may face the death penalty.

major medical news. for millions of americans who are arthroscopic knee surgery. a new study finds that fake surgery is just as good as the real thing when it comes to relieving pain and other symptoms. researchers in finland found no difference in parents a year after those who had had the surgery. and those who only thought they had it. earlier studies have found that physical therapy works just as well as surgery for knee pain. now, to a special christmas eve delivery that took a new york family by surprise. >> karen was out shopping for car seats for an unborn child when she went into labor in the parking lot of a bank. the ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital. but the baby was apparently in quite a rush. the e.m.t. had to pull over and deliver baby alexander right there on the side of the road. dad didn't know his daughter was born until he got to the hospital. >> people were saying congratulations. and i didn't know what for. and i ran into the emergency

room and saw karen holding baby alexandra. and about 50 people around her. and i almost fainted myself. >> you see her yourself. there's little alexandra doing just fine. her four big brothers couldn't wait to welcome her, either. a dog in colorado is proving that she is man's best friend by saving the life of her owner after akiing accident. >> leonard summer says his husky came to the rescue when he tumbled into a ravine and couldn't move anything except his arms. juneau dug away snow from his face. stayed by his side and ran for help when she heard other skiers passing by. >> i said go get them. she ran off. and they had a dog with them. and she somehow or another, brought the dog back. >> both dogs stayed with summers until the skiers turned back to see what was wrong. juneau's actions have earned her a heroic dog award.

>> hope she got treats for christmas. a look at sports now. several christmas day nba games. we start with the oklahoma city thunder, delivering the most dominating performance ever by a road team on christmas. they humiliate the new york knicks, 123-94. >> the knicks were playing without carmelo anthony. and they've lost all seven games in orange uniforms this year. new york's other team isn't having a good season in any uniforms this year. the brooklyn nets were routed by the chicago bulls. 95-78. brooklyn native taj gibson was one of the six chicago players in double-digits. >> the nets lost four-straight. the fans booed them on the court. and after year in the locker room, jason kidd let them have it, too. los angeles clippers star, blake griffin had harsh words for golden state warriors after his rejection. ejection, that is. several scuffles during that game. it was an emotional game when klay thompson blocked a layup with a second left. and stopped a three-pointer by

jamal crawford. a little mixing and matching have led to a rare delivery in oklahoma. >> meet the country's first-ever liger. the mom is a liger, a cross between a lion and a tiger. >> they could become the largest cats ever seen. getting up to 800 pounds. >> it's amazing. the mix of the lion and the tiger is larger than the lion or the tiger. 800-pound cat. that's scary. up next, "the pulse." social media is a-buzz with who might be playing lex luther. and beyonce makes a little girl's wish come true.

time to check "the pulse." and the new buzz about who might play supervillain lex luther in batman versus superman movie. >> hollywood rumors says denzel washington is a favorite for the role. he has played larger than life roles. he was a bad guy in "training day." winning a best actor oscar. >> he was a bad guy. >> is that right? it was walmart customers. now, it's a cancer patient. beyonce made a girl's dream come true when she sang and danced with her at a recent concert. 12-year-old kelon davis has an inoperable tumor in her brain. >> she song "survivor."

and she couldn't believe it. she was shaking. but she managed to sing and dance with beyonce. a christmas miracle for a walmart checkout clerk in omaha, nebraska. >> ethel perkins didn't notice when her diamond ring slipped off when packing a customer's bag. luckily for perkins his wife found the ring ten days later on christmas eve. and took it back to the store. >> hi. >> oh, you're going to make me cry. >> my wife cleaned it up for you last night, too. >> i cleaned it for you. >> thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> surveillance video showing the moment that the clerk put her hand in the bag with the ring on her finger. and pulled it out with no ring. >> i lose a pen and i get upset. >> do you have your ring glued

to your finger? >> if you were a man, you'd have to buy another one. that's a great thing. >> that's a good story. i get nervous with rings, yeah. do you, with jewelry? or anything personal? your iphone? >> i worry about my wallet. that's about it. >> that's it? guys have it easy. for some of you, the local news is next. >> for everyone else, we'll be back with a christmas fit for those glorious royals. look at that little baby. [ mal . and let's say you bought cut-rate insurance and you weren't covered. oh, and your car is a time machine. [ beeping ] ♪ would you go back to when you got that less-than-amazing policy and go with esurance instead? well, they do have tools like coverage counselor® to help you choose the coverage that fits you. it's like insurance from the future. actually, more like insurance for the modern world. thank you! esurance. now backed by allstate. click or call.

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al qaeda has released a video showing warren weinstein in it. he feels abandoned and forgotten. looking at today's weather. there's will be lake-effect snow. light snow in new york and new england. most of the rest of the country, kind of nice and dry. and finally this morning, the british royal family celebrating christmas while her majesty, the queen, reflected on a very important year for her and her loved ones. >> the bbc nicholas winchell has more of the queen's annual holiday message. >> reporter: morning service at sandringham church. everyone was there, with one exception. prince george was left in the nursery. more interesting, his parents told the crowd in the wrapping paper of the presents. and at 5 months old, who can blame him? in her christmas day broadcast,

recorded at buckingham palace a few days ago, the queen spoke about pausing occasionally to take stock. >> we all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. >> reporter: and she looked back across 60 years. >> i myself had cause to reflect this year. at westminster abbey. on my own pledge of service, made in that great church on coronation day 60 years earlier. >> reporter: after reflecting on the past and the many changes that have occurred since she came to the throne, a nudge towards the future. prince charles was shown deputizing for the queen at a commonwealth summit. and then, the birth of the new third in line to the throne. >> here at home, my own family is a little larger this christmas. the arrival of a baby gives everyone the chance to contemplate the future with renewed happiness and hope. after the