>> reporter: bus travel is up 32% in 2011. there's the price factor. >> $41 to go to new york. >> reporter: like wise, that attention to cost is sending travelers to another form of travel fromiester year, the train. >> we finished with our best thanksgiving ever with just over 30.2 million passengers in the last fiscal year. >> reporter: just under 5.5 million people are expected to get airborne for the holiday this year. sounds like a good figure, but it's a 10% drop from last year. >> on top of the air fare, $75 for bag fees. i think it's, unfortunately, outpricing the average person. >> reporter: 84 million people are expected to drive to their holiday destinations. gas prices are up 30 cents on average. rental fees are down. depending on what you drive and

where, there might be savings. those who travel this time of year are usually going someplace special. >> i'm going to see my nanna and her dad. >> reporter: with family and friends waiting on the other end -- >> that makes it worthwhile and it is christmas. >> reporter: aaa reminds travelers or those driving, make sure you are sober and undistracted. they talk about people driving 50 miles or more. any trip in the car this holiday weekend, you need to take those things to heart. we are live at reagan national, back to you. >> thanks, derrick. from the airports to the roads to the shopping malls. retailers expect today to be the busiest shopping day of the year. shoppers trying to cross the last items off their list. jane watrel joins us with the unconventional roots that some are taking this year to try to

find the perfect present. >> reporter: shopping from bethesda to alexandria, it's where shoppers enjoy the thrill of the hunt. it's a fashionista's dream. this year, shoppers are flocking to consignment shops for christmas bargains. >> boots are hot. handbags are really hot. >> reporter: she says this store is the first place she looks for gift giving, especially ones for herself. many items have never been worn. >> something maybe didn't work for somebody and they like to pass it along. then they find something that works for them. it's recycling. >> reporter: there's recycling of another kind at this liquidation sale in springfield. from collectible barbies to christmas decor, this is where the owners say shoppers like the thrill of the hunt. >> so, i think that's what they are looking for a lot of times,

a bargain. i think we provide the bargain part of it. >> reporter: back in oldtown, parking is free through monday to encourage shoppers to visit the boutique district, which specializes in unique stores including several high-end consignment shops. >> people have a different viewpoint. i think people realize, when they shop here, they realize, i could never get this for even twice what, you know, i would pay the store. i mean, it's true. i think the word is spreading about consignment. >> reporter: with one more shopping day until christmas, retailers, as a whole, are keeping their fingers crossed about spending. so far, according to experts, americans have spent $32 billion online alone. we'll talk to shoppers here at the mall at tyson's corner to

see if they are spending money in brick and mortar stores as well. jane watrel, back to you. >> thank you, jane. now to a breaking story out of loudoun county, virginia. the sheriff's office is investigating a possible pipe bomb in sterling. houses in that area have been evacuated. police tell us a device has been taken out of the neighborhood and destroyed. it's not clear when roads in that area will reopen. we'll continue to follow the story. now to the weather. no complaints with the forecast this christmas, unless you were hoping for snow, i guess. >> doug kammerer is in storm center 4 with an update. >> so many people have been asking that. really, it's the biggest question, is it going to snow this christmas or see snow anytime soon? >> the answer is no. i don't see any snow, not only in the next couple days, but the next couple of weeks. it could be very, very warm and dry as far as the snow is concerned.

i don't want to, you know, dampen the christmas spirit. it's on the warm side, 48 degrees right now. winds out of the northwest at 9 miles per hour. we are looking at a nice evening after a fantastic morning and great afternoon. 43 in gaithersburg. it's starting to cool off. tonight will be a cooler night. right now, 50 degrees in annapolis and toward fredericksburg. storm 4 doppler radar, no rain to talk about. we are dry. we are going to stay that way through the night tonight. 45 degrees around 9:00. waking up tomorrow to cooler temperatures. still above average. temperatures around 36 to 37 degrees as you are waking up tomorrow morning on your christmas eve. some areas, most areas start out with temperatures in the upper 20s to low 30s. know that when you step out the door early tomorrow morning, if you are like me and you haven't gotten your christmas shopping. >> there are a few of us in that

boat. doug, thank you. a woman in prince george's county is in serious condition after a brutal crime. someone broke into her house and severely beat her up. it happened last night on drum avenue in capital heights. she summoned the energy to call for help. jackie bensen is live on the scene with more for us. >> reporter: this happened in a neat as a pin grandma house with a christmas wreath on the door. last night, someone broke in through the window and beat the victim so savagely, so severely with his fist, he broke her nose and eye socket. she lost consciousness and woke up this morning, was able to crawl to the phone and dial 911. a neighbor saw her as paramedics broughter out of the house. >> this morning, i saw the lady with the blood. i was scared.

i was scared. i don't know. [ inaudible ] >> reporter: we have learned that this is not the first time this woman has been targeted. we are told four years ago, someone broke into the house, stole her purse and car keys, then her car. prince george's county police are asking anyone with information about this attack on a 70-year-old woman just three days before christmas to call 911 and give them the information that they have. back to you, barbara. >> thanks, jackie. scary moments for firefighters battling a blaze in washington this morning. three firefighters became trapped in a basement of a burning apartment building. the fire reached the walls and the firefighters sounded a may day call. they were all able to escape the apartment unharmed. no word on what started the fire. >> congress appears to have put the final disagreement of the year to rest tonight. the payroll tax cut has been

extended for two months. the deal extends unemployment benefits and will save 160 million working americans from a 2% pay cut. it was approved this morning after house republicans dropped their opposition. president obama signed it immediately and promised to work with congress on a 12-month extension. he reminded lawmakers there's a lot of work ahead. >> we have to roll up our sleeves together, democrats and republicans to make sure the economy is growing and to make sure that more jobs are created. >> after making the comments, the president left washington to join his family in hawaii for the holidays. most senators went home for the holidays last week and members of the house left by wednesday. the early departures are one reason they sent 535 lumps of coal to congress today. each piece is addressed to an individual member of the house or senate. they call it inexcusable that

congress went home for the holidays given the current economic outlook. a full year of congressional gridlock is stunting growth in the local business community. a divorce bill for same-sex couples could be voted on in the next couple of months. it is directed toward gay and lesbian couples who married in d.c. but live in places that don't recognize gay marriages. the disillusion equality would allow them to return to d.c. for a divorce. at least one person must live in washington to get a divorce through d.c. courts. now, to decision 2012. republican party leaders in virginia are validating the the petitions submitted to appear on the ballot in the march 6 primary. gingrich, romney, perry and paul are expected to make it. bachmann, huntsman and santorum did not qualify in virginia. still ahead on news 4, a

long awaited shoe hits store shelves, it's not there for long. coming up, the chaos at area malls as they go for the newest air jordans. >> reporter: someone stole his truck. if that wasn't bad enough, they took his dog, too. tonight, the search for cody. i'm pat collins, the story coming up. news 4. an urgent appeal for blood donations are not uncommon. the national institutes of health say this time it's people's generosity that created the need. news 4

cold and flu season is here. doctors say women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should think twice before taking cold medicine. the ingredients haven't been well studied for use during pregnancy. oral decon jes could pose problems for pregnant women. blood banks at the holidays

are a problem. sometimes the weather is a factor. >> the reason behind the need might make you smile. melissa is live here to explain that to us. >> that ee's right. as you said, the need is urgent. they have had a record number of bone marrow transplants. they need blood and plaitlets to heal. here at the national institutes of health, the thatrium is fill with christmas trees and menorahs. >> we are in an urgent need. not a critical need, but urgent need, particularly during the week between christmas and new years. >> huge success in the bone marrow matching program means more patients are getting transplants. in the past few weeks they have had ten. with those procedures comes the

need for blood and platelets. >> these red cell and platelet transfusions are life saving. >> those made here stay here. they collect 30 pints of blood every day. for those undergoing treatments. because of the additional transplants, right now, they need 40. terry has been donating blood and platelets. his son was diagnosed with aplastic anemia. >> i made the commitment, i'm going to donate for the rest of my life. it's the least i could do. >> donating is easy. come into the clinical center and check in. they take you to a cubicle. they take a quick health history. down the hall for a blood or platelet donation. they even have a plethora of parking spots, badges for donors, movies and snacks to

make it as easy and enjoyable as possible. >> it's an emotional journey. this is where my son was healed. this is like the church where he was, you know, received his second life. >> now, the need is not just now. the campus uses 7,000 pints of blood. it takes 90. for more information on how to donate blood, platelets or get your name on the bone marrow registry, log on to www.nbcwashington.com. a great thing to do this time of year, guys. >> and free. >> a free way to do something nice for people. doug is here with a look at the weather. >> it is just freakishly warm for christmas, isn't it? >> it is. think about how warm it is. we are going for a high of 50 on christmas day. i was looking back since the year 2000 and we have had three others warmer than we are forecasting. others around 20 degrees. we don't want that either.

we are on the warm side. think about where we could be. i'll take 50. out there now, sitting under the 50 degree mark, 48 degrees at the airport. we are looking at partly cloudy skies now. we are going to continue to see those partly cloudy skies tonight and into the day tomorrow. a beautiful afternoon this afternoon. we saw winds gusting 10 to 20 to 30 miles per hour. now, the winds started to die down. they will continue to die down. with clearing skies, we are going to see the temperatures go down, too. winds out of the northwest at nine miles per hour. humidity at 54%. 44 in martinsburg. 43 in winchester. culpeper, 54. down toward st. marys, 50 degrees. annapolis and crofton. we are going to see rain in the forecast. not anytime soon. storm 4 doppler radar is dry across the region. if you are doing traveling

between now and christmas day, at least on the roadways, you are going to have to go over 250 miles before you run into any chances of rain. that's good news out there on the roads. here are the temperatures. out there to the west, much colder. 34 in pittsburgh. 34 in clolumbuscolumbus. east of the mountains, the cold air is not able to move up and over. 48 in washington, 53 in rich monld. close to 50 toward the philadelphia area. warm east of the mountains. we are going to stay on the cool side to the west. west of the mountains this weekend, it's going to be colder back there. friends in pittsburgh or columbus, ohio, chilly. the satellite radar shows the clouds moving in. that will bring in cooler air overnight. we are going to see a cooler day tomorrow. sun and clouds during the day tomorrow. snow showers out there during the weekend for some of the ski resorts. could be a good weekend for

skiing. sunshine on your saturday, it going to be cooler than today. with sunshine, it's not that bad. >> claus makes his way across the a westerly wind on sunday. could be breezy on christmas day. i think temperatures should get to the 50 degree mark with that direction -- shift in direction with the wind. breezy, cool, but not too bad. 45 to 49 degrees with winds out of the northwest. the winds will be dying down to five to ten miles per hour when you wake up tomorrow. windchills could be a factor if you get up early. 26 to 36 degrees the actual temperature. windchill between 20 and 28 degrees. it is going to be cool to start your day tomorrow. you may need your coats. sun and clouds cooler. not too cold tomorrow afternoon. 42 to 47 degrees with winds out of the northwest at ten to 15 miles per hour. here are the next four days

saying we are above the average high. the average low, can you see that now? >> what does that say again? >> christmas. >> i can't see it, either. >> we need a jumbo screen out here. >> can we put it on this monitor here? this is the big one. 46 on monday, 51 on tuesday with a 60% chance of rain. >> i had it as big as i could. >> there we go. can you see it now? i had to make sure. >> distract from the fact there's no snow. >> you want to see santa, too? go across the big screen. see? santa is in the room with you. >> who knew? >> you are full of tricks up your sleeve. thanks, doug. still to come, making ends meet with the help of an angel. stores have been inundated with volunteers wanting to pay off

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christmas is the season for giving. for some, it's the season for stealing. shoplifting is on the rise this holiday. in the four weeks leading up to

christmas, $1.4 million will be shoplifted. it's up 6% from last year. the report found the increase is a result of higher joblessness and falling wages. santa trackers are bracing for a busy weekend. the aerospace command or norad is preparing for tens of thousands of calls and e-mails when they go live tomorrow. they have been tracking santa's route every christmas since 1955. last year alone, they answered 80,000 phone calls and 7,000 e-mails from around the world. christmas came early for more than 300 disadvantaged children in the area. they gave out toys and food baskets to needy families. santa claus made a donation. they are accepting donations of unwrapped toys. >> if you are wondering where

the holiday card from a close friend or family member is, it could be lost in the mail because of poor penmanship. salt lake where mail mystery goes, thousands of workers spend their day figuring out where they are supposed to go. >> computer software helps. some employees solve more than 8,000 mail mysteries every day. >> without us, all these letters and other types of mail would have to be hand sorted, which is more time consuming and more costly. >> the facility is open 24 hours a day and employs more than 1100 people. >> wow. i guess i'll write my addresses more carefully from now on. hugs and tears as nearly 200 service members return home in time for christmas. a stolen car recovered. it's what was on the backseat that the owners want returned.

aw, look at that. crowds, clashes and pepper spray. customers prove they will stop at nothing for the must have shoe of the year. >> hi, my name is dave anderson. i'm serving at headquarters in kabul, afghanistan. i would like to say happy holidays to my wife, mother and dad, my brothers and their family in alexandria and centerville. i would like to wish my brother a happy 50th birthday and my

a fast 4ward through the headlines. tonight, police in maryland are on the lookout for the person who brutally beat an elderly woman overnight. it happened inside her own house. it took her several hours to work up the energy to call for help. the woman is in critical condition now. cops are trying to figure out if anything was taken from the home. the woman was beaten so severely. the rush is on to get to loved ones this weekend. 92 million are traveling. fewer people are flying due in part to the higher price of air fares and extra baggage fees. the last minute rush is on. professional procrastinators are at the mall looking for last minute deals. they are trying to cash in by

providing deep discounts. they are opening late tonight or early tomorrow morning. some are staying open all the time between now and christmas day. now, the weather. >> the weather out there for this christmas and the next couple days looking good. if you are traveling tonight or into the day tomorrow, across the country, there's not going to be any storm that is are going to affect much of the area. look at the northeast. looking at snow toward up state new york and the great lakes. that is light snow. not a real big system there. the biggest system is to the southwest and new mexico. winter storm warnings there. it's south of albuquerque. tomorrow morning, it's around dallas. if you are going to dallas or houston tomorrow, that could be a problem. that's the only place in the country that could see delays tomorrow, at least weather wise as far as delays go. if you are driving, you have to go 250 miles to encounter any kind of significant weather. enjoy the drive and take it safe.

>> thank you, doug. police in prince george's county are trying to reunite with their dog. a dog was in the backseat of a stolen car. the same person could be behind other crimes as well. pat collins is live with more. >> reporter: it's one thing to steal a man's truck, but to steal his dog and to do it on the eve of the eve of christmas eve, that's lou. this is ed riley. he works at an electrical supply in landover. this, this is cody, a 3-year-old miniature schnauzer. he's not just a dog, he's a part of the riley family. >> he's like a kid. it's like having your kid taken from a department store, you know?

we don't know where he is. if he's safe or got run over or whatever. we just don't know. >> reporter: yesterday, ed's wife was out of town. he brought cody to work with him. he left cody inside, left the window down a little bit. from time-to-time, he would come out, feed him and walk him and check up on him. around noon, he came out to take cody to lunch. no truck. no cody. >> if you don't know what's going on, you worry yourself to death. we were back over here at 3:00 this morning thinking he might show up. >> reporter: police believe someone smashed the lock of his yukon and took his truck and his dog. then used that yukon as a get

away car and a number of purse snatchi snatchings in the county. landover hills, that's where they found the stolen yukon truck. the motor running, transmission busted, the back door open, no sign of a dog inside. >> we need the dog. absolutely. >> reporter: it's going to be a tough christmas if you don't? >> absolutely. absolutely. we are not thinking about it. another one right now at this point. i don't know, we'll see. this is our third one. it's like a kid. >> reporter: now, ed is offering a $1,000 no questions asked reward for the safe return of cody. the the number is 301-370-7403. >> that's 301-370-7403. doreen, help find ed's dog. >> indeed. let's hope somebody knows where

he is and can reunite that family with that dog. thank you, pat. police and school administrators are looking into a huge brawl that broke out at a high school basketball game earlier this week. this is home video of the brawl. it happened during a game between cardoza high school and a charter school in baltimore. players and fans exchanged blows. she has seen the video and calls it reprehensible. >> it is disappointing to watch children engaging in that level of violence. children are going to fight. sometimes things jump off. that's the reality of it. our inability to stop that quickly was disturbing. >> investigators say investigations are under way. it was baltimore city public schools and d.c. public schools. punishments will be handed out

once more information is gathered. more big stores are pulling a batch of baby formula off the shelves after an infant died from a rare bacterial infection. it's labeled for newborns in a light blue container with lot number zp1k7g. a ten day old bay in missouri died on sunday. doctors say he had a rare bacterial infection known to be found in dried milk and formula. the exact cause has yet to be determined. health officials are conducting tests on the formula and have not received the results yet. a hero's homecoming for the d.c. air guard. members of the 113th wing were reunited at andrews air force base in time for christmas.

they say this is the greatest gift they could have wished for. all they wanted was to make it home from afghanistan in time for the holidays. >> it is one of the best gifts. i'm very grateful. my children wanted their dad home for christmas. itis what they asked for. >> some families plan on laying low for the holiday season and soaking in the holiday time together. >> others plan on having lots of folks over to celebrate their return. lay away accounts paid off by strangers. >> it's the best gift i received. it's the gift of believing in people. coming up, the amount of money paid by lay away angels. money paid by lay away angels. hi. welcome to carmax.

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you know, there are cupcake places popping up all over the place. a new restaurant is taking things up a notch. tom gives us a look at fine italian dining. >> you know, it's been so long since a new restaurant opened with linens on the table. the sight of clothe is alone something to applaud. i like that a lot. what the restaurant does, is

they are a bistro by lunch. they take the jackets off the waiters. they take the linens off the tables and the entree price at lunch averages $19, a real bargain. an italian bistro with spaghetti, poached duck egg and a skirt steak. at night, they dress it up, again. the wait staff puts on jackets. they have a really elaborate tasting menu. you can choose between seven or ten courses for $75 or $95 respectively. this is something that's kind of fun, too. the chef really likes smoke. he's really into smoke. you can see it in a couple courses on his menu. fans recognize a hold over from the restaurant he used to work at. a mediterranean fish shows up in

a cigar box. it releases a brief but powerful smoke. it's dramatic and fun. then, on another dinner dish, they have baby spinach salad. it's been lightly smoked. it's a nice effect. it balances the richness of the seafood, i think. burger, pizza and cupcake places opened. it's nice to have a special restaurant downtown. there's plenty of room for this, i see. if it's a good restaurant, it's going to be a busy restaurant. i see it over and over again. this chef has neat tricks up his sleeve. >> looks like it. you can find the review on "the washington post" this weekend. for more on tv, check out www.nbcwashington.com. now, we are hungry. >> i'm really hungry. >> smoke going up there. >> indeed. still to come, the must have shoes of the season hit the shelves. several people injured, rushing to try to get them in stores

across the country. here, several malls called for help. coming up in sports, we rewind to

call it air jordan chaos. police had to fight off rowdy shoppers when the sneakers went on sale. hundreds of people pushed through the doors at the mall in minneapolis nearly trapping

small children. in seattle, pepper spray was used to break up a fight there. a california mall had to suspend sales after shots were fired. here in the d.c. metro area, hundreds of shoppers battled long lines to get their hands on the hottest shoes. tracee wilkins has more on the footwear frenzy. >> everybody congregated here, it will not open. >> reporter: it was a stand off at the fashion center in pentagon city. arlington county police versus tennis shoe lovers. >> they are the rare shoes. >> reporter: one teen showed us a cell phone video of how crowded and how bad it got. >> it was like a riot, basically. everyone started running, pushing, shoving. >> reporter: stores were promising sneaker lovers a pair of air jordan concourse. the first released in ten years. >> the fact they told us

tickets, i never heard no tickets involved. i had gone to purchase jordans before. >> reporter: the crowds did not react well to the restrictions. there were scenes across the nation similar to this one. this video taken inside landmark mall shows compromise after crowds got out of control here. police allowed one person into foot locker at a time. some left disappointed. >> people were rushing and stuff. that's when they closed the door. they only let ten people in to get the shoes. >> reporter: for a few patient and lucky folks, they say the wait and the $200 price tag were worth it. >> i think they're worth it. they are exclusives. >> reporter: you have chucks on. >> yeah. >> reporter: this is not your style? >> no. chucks are cheaper. >> reporter: steve here isn't a real jordan sneaker fan. he's more of what you would call an opportunist.

>> i'm probably going to sell them on ebay for double the price. >> reporter: you're not going to wear them? >> never. >> reporter: tracee wilkins, news 4. >> the first air jordans hit store shelves in 1985 sparking a shoe frenzy then. i don't get it. >> looks like a lot of people are planning to make money on them. >> yeah. here is doug. what do you think, doug? want some of those? >> i have some. i have 17 pairs. if you come to the station now, i will -- >> yeah. >> no. >> we'll look for you on ebay, doug. >> exactly. my ebay handle is -- i don't know how to speak ebay talk. i want to show you something fascinating. take a look at this. this is a comet over australia. this is love joy. it's a comet that is passing through the solar system all the time. this passed closely to the sun.

farmers thought this would disintegrate and be gone as it passed close to the sun a couple days ago, a week and a half ago. it has made its way through the sun and is now still in one piece making its way through space. a very good shot this morning. there's fantastic video from the international space station you can find online, too. i'll have it on my facebook page. current temperatures, 48 in washington. 50 in annapolis. 41 in gaithersburg. we are cooling off and going to see a cool night tonight. many areas going to see rain. tomorrow, mixture of sun and clouds. cooler temperatures than we saw today. still not bad. 46 in washington. 45 in gaithersburg. 45 in manassas. how about christmas? what are we expecting? you can see the one thing there, 50 degrees with sunshine. we are looking at nice weather on your christmas afternoon.

i think it's going to be a nice day to get out and about and take the ride to grandma's house. >> sounds good. >> we like that graphic. we can see that clearly. >> i made it really big. >> thank you. well, it is redskins rewind today. we are going to take you back to a classic redskins game. >> is that so, hakeem? >> it is. hello, the redskins play their final home game of the season tomorrow against the vikings. last weekend, minnesota beat them, 17-13. it was a memorable moment. leslie frazier earned his first win as head coach. dan hellie takes us back 23 years in this week's redskins rewind. >> reporter: january 17, 1988, playoff prayers answered. the championship of the nfc

played at rfk and the redskins exploded out of the box. first possession. doug williams hits bryant from 42 yards out. it's 7-0, skins in a hurry. minnesota cracks a swarming redskins defense. wilson with a pump fake. then 23 yards down field to a wide open lewis. tied at 7. late second quarter, dexter is the man bringing down wilson in skins territory knocking the vikings out of field goal range. one of eight sacks of the day. >> they felt i was a weak link. that's great because i think that motivates me. i felt there was no question i had to rise to the occasion. the whole football team played great. we played great. >> a lot of times, i was getting off the ball quicker than my man because he couldn't hear the cadence. all i was doing was looking down the line and could see the ball

being snapped. the 12 manmade a difference today. the fans were great. >> reporter: the "d" sets off the offense. kaufman brings it in. skins turned into a field goal in a 10-7 lead. >> anytime you make a play in the championship game, it stands out, you know. i thank the lord i was at the right place at the right time. >> reporter: fourth quarter, clark comes through. game tied at 10. takes it long shot for clark and connects. 43 yards to keep the game winning drive alive. three plays later, williams looks to clark, again. it's a touchdown. redskins lead, 17-10. >> we are not going to give up until it's over. somehow someway he was going to make a play for us. it's going to get us wac in the game. luckily for me, doug came to me

in the end zone. it makes me feel good and the team feel good. we came away with a great win. the defense played an excellent game. >> reporter: then the play that brought gibbs to his knees. the last shot by the vikings trailing by 7. wade wilson thinks he has an easy touchdown to nelson. darrel green is there to save the day. the ball pops loose and gibbs prayers are answered. the skins super bowl bound with a 17-10 win. >> people said we couldn't go this far. we all stuck together. when somebody says you can't do it, believe in yourself. we, the redskins, believe in each other. look at us now. how you like us now? >> yeah, he said that to the entire world, how do you like us now? they defeated the denver broncos, 42-10. i remember the shot of joe gibbs on the sideline in desperation.

then the joy and celebration after they won. you never forget those iconic moments. >> good times. >> the good old days. >> thanks. thank you. after the break, angels in the lay away department t. outpouring support from strangers across the country making christmas happen for those in need. >> follow news 4 an line. search nbc

they have become known as lay away angels, volunteers who pay off lay away accounts for strangers. good samaritans donated $500,000 this season. the gesture has an impact that goes far beyond the financial. george lewis reports. >> reporter: in costa mesa, she was overcome with emotion. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: when she found out a total stranger paid off her $85 lay awaybill. a simple act of kindness that made a world of difference. >> it does feel like an angel. >> reporter: now, she will be

able to afford a ham for the family's christmas dinner. employees here say there's no shortage of lay away angels paying off customers accounts. >> i want to say at least a good 30 to 40 people, at least. >> reporter: one man, david wilson who owns 16 dealerships wanted to pay off every lay away account of $100 or less. >> i had to do figuring. it was $15,919.61. >> reporter: then the store employees called the 260 customers that benefitted from this. >> the raw emotion. the tears flow. they are excited. they are happy. it's happy tears. >> reporter: the trend started in michigan when an anonymous woman paid off lay away accounts at a kmart there. >> i thank her. it's the best gift i have ever received. it's the gift of believing in people, believing there's good

out there. you don't always see that. >> reporter: a stay at home mom says she couldn't believe her $151 lay away balance was paid down to just one penny. >> i'm happy. it's been a hard six months. it just so nice to know that people out there care. >> reporter: those lay away angels. >> thank you. >> reporter: generosity embodies the real meaning of christmas. george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. that's news 4 at 5:00. news 4 at 6:00 starts right now. you are watching nbc 4, washington's news leader. now, live in hd, this is news 4 at 6:00. good evening. welcome to news 4 at 6:00. i'm wendy rieger in for jim vance. >> i'm doreen gentzler. tonight it's official. president obama signed legislation to extend the payroll tax cut for two months.

that ends an end-of-the-year split for a tax hike for 160 million americans. jennifer johnson joins us from capitol hill with more. >> reporter: good evening. it's quiet in washington tonight after several days of fighting. it's been a battle getting this bill passed before christmas. it was a washington stand off affecting 160 million american workers. >> read for the third time and passed. >> reporter: house republicans caved in. after a quick vote, the payroll tax cut was extended. the president later signed off on the deal. >> this continues to be a make or break moment for the middle class in this country. we have to roll up our sleeves together, democrats and republicans to make sure the economy is growing and to make sure that more jobs are created. >> reporter: the fix is temporary. the president told congress he'll work with them on a 12-month extension.