plus, the heat is on. hol graphic santas, light fountains, snowflake walls. hue these how these neighborhoods are going over the top in an all-out light fight. how far will they go to be the best? he's the newest featherweight star in the cage. conor mcgregor fighting for the undisputed ufc title belt. will his skill or luck of the irish make him the first irish champion in the ring? first the "nightline 5." >> think your heartburn pill works fast? take the zantac it challenge. ntac works in as little as 30 minutes. next yuck can take 24 hours. when heaburn strikes take zantac for faster relief than nexium or your money back. take the zantac it challenge. the best of everything is even better during red lobster's celebration. the grand seafood feast and the ultimate wood grilled feast. why wait to celebrate? hurry in.

se good evening and thanks for joining us. i'm rebecca rvis. we begin with the children of prisoners. the silent victims of incarceration getting a rare opportunity, a chance to spend single day with their fathers in prison. some say it can make a world of difference. but how do you fit a lifetime's worth of parenting into just 24 hours? "nightline" coanchor juju chang goes behind prison walls for our series "face to face." >> this is a collect phone call

department of corrections -- >> hello. >> hey. y'alalletting ready to come? can't wait till you get here. >> reporter: 8-year-old arkinia graham has never met her father. they've grown close over the phone. but johnny tre williams is serving 23 years in prison for second degree murder. >> i excited to see you and i'm nervous. >> reporter: today she and nearly 30 other kids are getting a special visit with their dadss designed to prevent the kind of damage kids suffer when a parent is in prison. >> they're going to have fun -- >> yes. >> reporter: they are some of the nearly 3 million children i in this country with a mom or dad behind bars. ethan buckner is 7. >> you're going to see your dad today? reporter: maya matthew is 9. she and her little brother live three hours away. >> so how excited are you to see your dad? >> very. like, i can jump super high. because i'm so exted.

>> my dad -- >> she's here, do you want to meet her? >> reporter: maya has visited before but today is different. >> arkinia, i want you to meet maya. she heard about you. >> meeting your dad behind bars is a really big deal. >> why is it a big deal? >> like this is the one time you can sit in their lap, let him hug you. he can't get up at all. >> reporter: the day before the kids arrive, the dads get a seminar on fatherhood. that's where we meet maya's father. >> what's itike waing six months to see your kids? >> reporter: jeremia matthews has been in and out of jail for 12 years f burglary. >> i just get scared that they're going to forget. i know my daughter forgets me. she told me that this is the last time, dad. she's like, i love you but you keep breaking promises, getting in trouble. she was 7 when she told me this.

>> i've said some very mean things to him. >> you've said mean things to him? what kind of things have you said? >> like i'm not going to trust you no more because you promised u'd be there for me the rest of your life action then you go back to jail. >> what did he say when you said that? >> he just was like, okay, then, please gain that trust back, as soon as i get out i'll try to make everything different. >> do you believe him? >> eh -- >> you want to? >> yeah, i want to. >> but it's hard to? >> he's lied to me. >> what you want to do when you look your child in the eyes -- >> reporter:r: arkinia's dad is learning about fatherhood as well. >> there for you, always will be. >> reporter: he wound up killing a man in a bar fight. though they talk a lot on the one he's still anxious about meeting her face-to-face. >> what are you feeling? anticipation. i'm shaking. >> reporter: as nervous as any

daughter for the very first time. >> she brought something for you too. >> hello, daddy, i really wish when i come toee you that you could come home with me. i love you so much. >> i love you too. >> reporter: but this quiet moment is just a preview of what will be very special day. the next rning, as exexcitement builds in this humble prison gym -- >> boys and girls, they're coming in just a minute. >> reporter: the dads are announced one by one. ethan hasn't seen his dad in seven months. his pent-up emotions bubbling over. for maya -- a all her anguish and her doubt vanishes.

>> missed you too. >> i love you. >> i lovove you to >> reporter: arkinia doesn't hesitate. her father no longer just a voice on the phone. >> finally. >> finally? you happy? i'm happy for you. >> reporter: jeremiah says he's working hard to stay out of trouble behind bars, to ear this day with his kids. there are 1,300 men in this prison. only 20 of them are here today. >> i know this is a special event -- >> reporter: the program, called one day with god, was founded by scotty barnes. >> -- the importance of these boys and girls having relationships with their mothers and fathers -- >> reporter: she tells us her dad was a convicted drug dealer, spending most of her childhd locked up. >> i never had a hug, never been told i love you by my dad. >> a lot of people would say, these guys are cononvicted murderers. felons.

>> i think theyy forget that the children are the silent victims. the children from the time they're 8, 9 years old, go out gangs are. come on over and join my family. >> reporter: jeremiah says it's giving him incentives so that just 11 months, it will be the last. throughout the day it's clear the dads are trying to cram years of parenting into a couple of hours. >> the trick to cursive is staying on the same lines- >> reporter: one day with god is in seven states, fueled by private donations. at a time whenen prison re-entry programs are being cut, they're expanding to five other prisons in michigan alone. they may be walking in circles in a crowdeded gym, but for these fathers and sons, it's an

between them. children of offender are six timesore likely than their peers to end up in jail themselves. 15-year-old doricus green jr. is already in danger of fulfilling that prophecy. today he's wearing annkle bracelet under strt supervision, for his run-ins with the law. his dad is serving a life sentence for murder. >> we all we got. >> i told him i know i'm not out there with him, but i am here for him. always. can't nobody ever take that away from us. >> reporter: for the girls there's a father/daughter dance. >> it hurts me knowing that i hurt her. i mean, she's like -- she's the most important female in my life. other than my wife.

and i've lost so much time with her tt i can never get back. to know that they got to go back ho. i can't put it all in one day. there's no way. >> reporter: arkinia's dad is trying too be a father figure bebeyondhis one day. whenhe started acting out in school recently it was her dad who helped straighten her out. >> he called me right away. he was like, can i spepeak with her? i'm like, okay, your dad is on the phone. i'm like, oh, he's calling h her for business. >> he's parenting fromehind bars? >> yes. >> reporter: she has a powerful reason for bringing her daughr from florida toichigan for this chance to bond with her dad. >> you work 12 hours a day. >> yes. >> you're a sgle mom. >> y yes, ma'am. why spend so much of your hard-earned money to bring your daughter here? >> well, i was one of those

people that my father was in prison. so i i put myself in my daughter's shoes. >> reporter: they have these shoe fleeting hours to say the ings that need saying. >> i love you very, very much. okay? you did nothing wrong, it's all my fault. okay? it's all my fault. i'll be home soon. okay? >> soon? >> i'll be home soon. >> it means a lot to spend the

it means everything. i love you so much. sings my soul >> reporter: so much loaded in one day. for the dads a pledge to strive to be better. for the kids a precious dose of what they need most. and for the rest of us, a reminder of whatt means to be a good dad. and that the feeling of beieing embraced by your father can last forever. for "nightline," i'm juju chang in muskegon, michigan. >> what a feeling. one day with god in t the e surprised arkinia's mom and us by reimbursing their airfare. coming up next, 'tis the season for festive fun when neighborhoods light up in unison. who will shine the brightest? and you're talking to a rheumatologist about a biologic, this is humira.

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some people take their holiday decorations very seriously. but the houses that you're about to see take seasons greetings to a whole new level. with $50,000 at stake, months of planning, neighbors are pulling out all the stop in the gat christmas light fight. here's abc's david wright. >> reporter: silent night. maybe, if there's a power outage. and that seems to be a distinct possibility. in the great christmas light fight, it's no longer about indivividual macansions. like t this one in elsass paso, texas, doing a yuletide whip and nene. now watch me whip watch me nene

decking the halls of entire neighborhoods like this one in celebration, florida. 11 houses synced up here to michael buble. christmas has started now oh yeah >> reporter: holographic santas, mrs. claus in high definition, trampolines turned into projection screens. >> we have to get our cars in at christmas time. welevated it seven feet in the air. so the display becomes a 25-foot screen. >> reporter: nothing says christmas like a tongue of fire. keep in mind this is a florida winter. 70-degree heheat. 45% humidity. but even here, a 100% chance of a white christmas. >> it's a swarm. whener that machine goes off, there's a swarm from all around. >> adults too. they'll come from across the street, wanting to get in t the snow. >> reporter: celebration is one of three different neighborhoods

third annual christmas lights reality show. >> of course we think we have the best one. >> i think everybody thinks they have the best one. >> that's true. >> reporter: three neighborhoods competing for $50,000 in prize money. in addition to celebration, there's also weipahu, hawaii. >> we know we have t the best in the nation. arizona. >> that is crazy! >> reporter: sudden hi it's not so surprising to learn that americans really will spend $7 billion this year on christmas decorations. putting tether just one high-tech house can be a year-long ordeal. >> those soldiers, those were brought in here by a crane. >> what? yeah. >> reporter: lucy in brooklyn looks forward to this all year long. >> to me i like my whole house filled up. i don't like to see a space. >> reporter: she's not alone. just ask keith shaw of cranberry, new jersey. >> lots of extension cords. >> reporter: heas the biggest

garden state. weot to go inside it. >> your christmas tree is essentially a flagpole. >> it's essentially a flagpole. >> a lot of extension cords. >> and a lot of extension cords. >> i've got to appreciate this for a second. talk about feeling the christmas spirit. >> oh, man. >> how many light bulbs? >> there's over 47,000 on this tree. >> 47,000 light bulbs? more than rockefeller center. >> that's right. rockefeller center that is 45,000. >> you got them beat. >> yes. >> reporter: it's a lot of hard work. >> it took me 54 man hours. >> a full work week. more than. >> reporter: that's just one feature. the whole lawn is a light grid. there's also his wall of snowflakes -- >> 64 snowflakes. 6,400 lights just on the snowflake wall. >> reporter: and the fountain of lights. the design all his own. >> just like the bellagio fountain. except with lights. >> your own little piece of vegas.

>> reporr: all of it timed to flash in time with the music. half of new jersey turns out for the christmas show three nights a week, which doesn't exactly make shaw the envy of his neighbors. their christmas display points back to his. not exactly in a flattering way. but there's one thing missing -- >> new jersey's largest christmas tree. >> new jersey's most fantastic display of christmas lights. no sinatra? no springsteen? >> we really should, right? >> you should, yes. >> reporter: darkness on the edge of town wouldn't work. blinded by the light. i'm vid wright for "nightline" in cranberry, new jersey. the children grinning from ear to ear singing christmas time is here next, the irish featherweight hoping to make a name for himself here in the

i sure had a lot on my mind when i got out of the hospital after a dvt blood clot. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pelood clots, but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the sndard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you haveve an aificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines.

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if you think ronda rousey is the only star of ufc, this tough-talking irishlumber turned ufc fighter might just change your mind. tomorrow night in vegas he'll face what may turn out to be the fight of the year. here's abc's darren rovell. >> reporter: he's the fighting

>> conor mcgregor! >> reporter: 27-year-old conor mcgregor iss theext star in professional mixed martial arts. the sport looking for the next big thing after ronda rousey shocking defeat. mcgregor is looking to make history this weekend by becoming the first irish champion in the ufc. >> before me, nobody knew nothing about this sport. i'm proud to be putting my nation at the forefront of the fight game where we belong. >> reporter: the mighty irishman, reminiscent to some of the brash boxer mickey from the movie "snatch." the tattooed mcgregor commands attention with bold moves in the octagon. his cocky assuredness and his mouth. >> i'm standing up here with my feet on the desk, not one of yous is going to do anything about it. >> reporter: drawing comparisons to a young mohammadali.

mega mansions, custom suits, big cars. >> my name is conor mcggor. >> reporter: when his first job as an apprentice plumber in ireland didn't work out he turned his focus to boxing with a dream of making it big. >> my dream is to be world champion in the ufc. >> reporter: as featured in the irish network rte documentary series "the notorious." now with the weight of a nation on his shoulders. >> we support our own. if somebody is out there fighting and competing we get behind them. they have my back like i have their back. >> how long is it going to take you to rip his head off? >> it will be done in one. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm darren rovell in new york. >> and just how confident is mcgregor that he's got this? anyone who bets he wins with a knockout in round one is invited to his after party forfree. everybody wins. thank you for watching abc news. tune into "good morning america" tomorrow.

onli 24/7 on our "nightline" facebook page the "insider" from hollywood, your 24/7 celebrity conversation. >> no one will listen to you unless you trump it up a little bit. >> if i'm elected, and i will be eleed. >> stephen colbert reunited states as hollywood puts trump on blast. are the jokes not funny anymore? >> then -- michael jordan sounds off in the viral craze knockout. and the bachelor reunion. why is bachelor success story shawn and katherine heading for marriage boot camp? >> i'm the one that's hurt right now. >> it was just a shock. >> it's like old times for hans

>> there is no comfort level