you're watching nbc 4, washington's news leader. now, live in hd, this is news4 at 6:00. christmas eve is here. and for last-minute shoppers, this is the final chance to score those holiday gifts for friends and family. good evening, everyone. welcome to the news4 at 6:00 on this christmas eve. cross the last-minute things off the christmas lift. chris gordon is in fairfax county, where chris, i would imagine the stores were packed with those last-minute shoppers. but around this time, not a whole lot to pick from, i would think. >> reporter: aaron, that's right. most stores in our area are closing right now, at 6:00 p.m. however, target and toys "r" us

will remain for a few hours. after that, giant and some cvs stores are open 24 hours through christmas day. you can see tonight, parking spaces, like bargains, are hard to find. as the sun set, christmas eve shoppers raced against the clock here at target, which closes at 9:00 p.m. >> they keep on adding things to the list. so you have to pick up more items. >> reporter: isn't that santa's headache? >> yes, it is. >> reporter: which means? >> there's more headache for parents, yes. >> reporter: as some search for parking spaces, others were still finding bargains. >> i got a good deal. because discontinued so they gave me half the price. >> reporter: what did you get? >> a blanket. >> reporter: that's a lot of fun. >> that's somebody's gift. >> reporter: stores are expected to ring up $469 billion in sales this holiday season nationwide. that's a 3% to 4% increase over last year. >> i got my little brother a skateboard, and my middle

brother a basketball court. i actually -- i'm in college, so i just came home on friday. i had a game. so i came home late. and i just did last-minute christmas shopping. >> reporter: toys "r" us stores will stay open until 10:00 tonight. what did you get? >> for my grandchildren. >> reporter: is there still plenty of selection? >> no. you have to hurry up if you want to get something. >> reporter: some shoppers were shut out because some items are sold out. >> i went in looking for a nerf football for my grandson. but they didn't have it. >> reporter: what are you going to do? it's christmas eve. >> he may have to wait until after christmas. >> reporter: all of these shoppers had different reasons for waiting until the last minute. but the best reason we found was this one. >> i don't have a job. >> reporter: and so you -- >> i just got off work, so i had to do it last minute. >> reporter: isn't that a great gift? that woman got a job, and her first paycheck in the nick of time to provide a happy holiday for her family.

and in that spirit, we send it back to you, aaron. >> chris gordon, thank you. it was a beautiful christmas eve day outside today. some folks were out and about on wisconsin avenue this afternoon, looking just like they should, with the coats on, some scarves, too, in some cases. but what can we expect for the rest of the night and into christmas day? hey, jeff. >> good evening to you. good evening, of course. christmas eve has come and gone for the most part already. and you've said it, for sure, a pleasant enough day to be outside. current temperatures are falling back into the upper 30s to low 40s. a lot of people have plans to go out for christmas eve services. temperatures back in the upper 30s at 8:00. about 38 degrees for 10:00 services. midnight, when the big guy flies overhead, 36 degrees and a clear sky. we're tracking him. we've got santa track coming up,

plus your seven-day forecast. >> chuck, thank you. police are asking for the public's help in identifying a person they believe could be connected to the brutal assault of an elderly prince george's county woman. this happened early friday morning at the woman's home on drum avenue in capitol heights. take a look at the surveillance photos. they show a person walking near the scene about 6:12 a.m. police say the suspect broke into the 70-year-old woman's home and viciously beat her, leaving her in critical condition. she sustained bleeding to her brain, a broken eye socket and a broken nose. house speaker newt gingrich and texas governor rick perry will not be included in virginia's primary. they failed to collect the required 10,000 signatures before the deadline last thursday. a spokesman for the gingrich campaign said earlier today that they would be launching an investigation. virginia does not allow write-in

candidates on primary ballots. former massachusetts governor mitt romney and texas congressman ron paul will both be on the march 6th primary ballot. well, it wasn't a christmas miracle for the redskins. but for a while it looked like they could pull out a win today. dan, what you got? >> reporter: happy christmas eve, aaron. so much for that season-ending momentum for the redskins. one week after beating the giants, a team that's fighting for a play-off spot, they can't get it done against the two-win vikings. they drop to 5-10 on the year. it's their sixth loss of the season at home. where home field advantage has simply been nonexistent. the redskins were actually hoping and expecting to get their sixth win of the season against the vikings. 17-13 in the red zone, how about this catch from jabar gaffney. a great pass, too.

don't underestimate rex's ability to get it there. it gives the redskins 20-13 lead. but vikings backup quarterback joe webb proved to be too much to handle. christian ponder, out with a concussion. he took a hard hit from london fletcher. we're tied at 23 in the fourth. webb finds percy for the eight-yard touchdown. the vikings retake the lead 30-23. on the ensuing redskins possession after a brandon banks touchdown was called back for holding, grossman overthrows santana moss. this was terrible. he's picked off. grossman's 19th interception of the year. redskins lose 33-26. and fall to 5-10 on the season. mike shanahan said the vikings backups played a big role in this one. >> i thought the key was, when the question was asked, you know, the running back, peterson goes out, and all of a sudden ponder goes out.

and they seem to kind of pick up speed. i think that's what happened. i think webb gave them a little boost. and kind of kept us a little more off-balance than we had been in the first half. really a credit to them. it's not always going to be a 17-14 game. sometimes you've got to win 45, 42. that's going to happen. we vice president been able to do that. >> first series of the second half starting quarterback from minnesota christian ponder and adrian peterson, both go down. and the replacements play even better. we're going to have more on that coming up in sports. aaron? >> all right. dan hellie, thanks. still to come tonight, how the occupy movement has spurred a collecting frenzy here in washington and across the country. plus, he has no tree, no presents, we'll tell you why it's the perfect christmas for one prince george's county man. before santa gets into his sleigh, he's taking to the water for an annual christ

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like it or not, the occupy movement may have earned a place in history. more than a half dozen major mimes and historical organization also including the smithsonian have started archiving protest materials. staffers are being sent to parks and other sites to collect discarded posters, signs, buttons and documents. a prince george's county man won't be able to spend christmas with his family in new york this year. he's been busy. all day long, moving into his first home. derrick ward shows us why

despite not having a tree or stockings to fill, it's starting to feel a little like christmas anyway in upper marlboro. >> reporter: last christmas eve, kevin couldn't imagine he would spend this christmas this way. >> i didn't expect to be in here. but i'm definitely happy. i got everything done. >> reporter: you could say kevin's christmas gift is a place to observe the holiday. at 27, he's a new homeowner. the process started in march. he's one of 75 new homeowners in prince george's county who's gotten help through the "my home" program. >> as you know, the county has been -- gets impacted by foreclosures. this is one of our strategies for getting people in homes. the down payment assistance. >> reporter: and counseling on the ins and outs of home ownership for the qualified first time home buyer. anyone who's ever bought a house knows the process is rarely without hitches. and there were some right down to the last minute for kevin. >> no elevator. it was out. issues with the truck. but we're here.

and i'm fully moved in. >> reporter: a little help from his best friend went a long way, too. and what better gift than a little elbow grease. >> i'm just happy to see him finally get into his house. he's been sleeping on my couch the past two weeks waiting for the bank. >> reporter: christmas eve move-in definitely meets the goal. so does that make the county housing director a kind of santa? >> at least one of his helpers. >> reporter: there's still time to fill the rooms with holiday cheer. >> this is my christmas right here. this is my christmas tree. >> reporter: while it may be a busy christmas eve, of course, no tree or presents underneath, this is one christmas that he'll always remember. in upper marlboro, derrick ward, news4. coming up next here tonight, santa trades in his sleigh for a fire truck, to make a special christmas eve delivery. chuck's back with a

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there's an employee at reagan national airport making one of the busiest travel days of the year a bit brighter. andy works for the airport authority, and also plays the french horn. he spent time there yesterday as a volunteer playing for travelers. a group of local firefighters playing santa delivering toys to needy

children. that might be a little scary, santa. they spent the morning surprising girls and boys with gifts. the kids' faces say it all. they couldn't be more excited to unwrap the presents. it's made possible by a two-week collection drive. before taking to the skies, santa took to the water to entertain crowds of cheering fans this afternoon. hundreds of people crowded into the national harbor to watch jolly old st. nick water ski. this was his 26th year warming up for the big sleigh ride with water sports. elves in there, too. got some knee boarding in, with the reindeer. a jet skiing grinch. and the flying fronty the snowman. even came up in a dinghy there. >> he been are careful. >> what's that? >> a trick board. it keeps him up out of the

water. isn't that fun? it's got a little wing on the bottom of it. it runs like a little submarine under the sglaurt do you have one? >> no, but it looks like a ton of fun. i used to be pretty good on a boogie board or knee board. i could do the pipe and flip and crash into the water and all. >> good stuff. today was -- we had the warm week. today it was cold. it was sunny. christmas eve. >> it felt very christmassy out there. nowhere near as cold as the past christmases. christmas of 1983, that's the coldest one i remember. it dropped to 0 on christmas eve 1983 in atlanta. we didn't have to worry about cold stuff around here for today. temperatures climbed up into the mid-40s. and it looks absolutely beautiful out there. mostly clear skies as you look live at the kennedy center. one of the great places to spend the time during the holiday season. beautiful weather out there. temperaturesing inin ining are

the chilly side. a little checking back into the record books. right now, this is the second warmest december on record behind only december of 1889. we're probably going to surpass that this week as the mild weather hangs around. 42 right now at national airport. 36 in mo nas es. winchester, virginia, you're coming in at 36 degrees right now. 36 in beautiful st. mary city this afternoon. 41 degrees in fredericksburg and stafford. not much going on around here. but santa track is on. let's take a look at santa track and see where he is. last i checked, santa was closing in on brussels, belgium. and now here we are, he's over luxembourg right now. the principality of luxembourg. he'll be in luxembourg in about 23 seconds from now. he'll be crossing over the atlantic ocean in the next

couple of hours, and hopefully we'll have an on-time delivery right here in washington. the nearest unsettled weather is across oklahoma, texas and louisiana. snowing in west texas. lubbock is getting a white christmas this year, where we are not. also, new snow on the ground across parts of northern idaho. but for us, all is clear out there right now. we'll be clear skies overnight tonight. and not much of a breeze blowing either. as we get into the day tomorrow, our clear skies will turn into bright sunshine during your christmas day. a beautiful christmas coming up. clear skies for late tomorrow night into monday. a pretty nice day to get to work, and certain work week started. plenty of sunshine around. here's your forecast. overnight, clear and quiet. good flying for santa claus. tomorrow, sunny and nice outside. with temperatures climbing into the upper 40s, and low 50s. here's the all-important seven-day forecast. 52 for christmas. 48 degrees on monday. rain likely tuesday night into

early wednesday before it pulls on out of here. if you want to track santa, go to noradsanta.org. track him yourself. next, in sports, the vikings get knocked out. but did they provide the knockout punch to the redskins. i'd like to wish my family and friends a wonderful happy holiday. i'll see you soon. thank you. in the washington, d christmas,

would wrap something up for us. >> you know what, this marks the third straight year the redskins have failed to reach seven wins. seven wins. that's bad. >> don't they play 16 games? >> yes. >> that's bad. >> asking rex grossman for a game-tying touchdown is like asking santa claus for one of his eight tiny rhieindeers. rex did what he normally does, throw an interception. grossman has thrown an int in the 11th straight game. former redskins defensive coordinator and safety richie petitbon helped washington win all three of its super bowl titles. first play in the third quarter, tied at 10.

handoff goes to adrian peterson. he goes down hard, big-time pain. gomes trying to tackle peter son. your leg is not supposed to bend that way. peterson out with a knee injury. next play, london fletcher with a crushing hit on rookie qb christian ponder. ponder left the game with a concussion. he also did not return. their backups step up on the next possession. the big guy can move. the ball's knocked out of bounds. but it's still good for a 67-yard duaner. gainer. webb keeps himself, scrambles in for a nine-yard touchdown. redskins answer right back. in the red zone, rex to jabar gaffney. makes a one-handed grab. that's impressive. see it again. the former florida teammates connecting for a touchdown. redskins are up. end of the third quarter,

washington down three. roy helu was inactive because of toe and knee injuries, so evan royster fills in. solid 28-yard pickup. that would lead to a field goal. royster, 19 carries, 132 yards rushing. webb, to percy harvin, and minnesota regains the lead 30-23. just like that, made that look easy. later in the fourth, after a holding penalty wipes out a touchdown, redskins try again. grossman looking for santana moss. but that's too high. picked off my raymond. the vikings went nine straight games without an interception. just play against rex, that will change your luck. a costly int runls a comeback. also, penalties hurting the burgundy and gold. the redskins lose to the vikings 33-26. the redskins drop to 5-10 overall. and 2-6 at home. ouch. for more on today's game, we

go live to fedex field to join dan hellie. >> reporter: that's 24 turnovers in 12 starts for rex grossman this year. in the final home game of the season, it may have been the most disappointing game for the redskins, because the vikings only came in with two wins. and then they lost their starting quarterback. and their starting running back. and what did they do? they racked a season worst for the redskins, 241 yards. that's what the redskins defense gave up. too many mistakes, and too many missed tackles. that forced the guys, especially on defense afterwards, to have to look ahead to next season. i hope santa's going to stuff their stocking with something other than coal. >> just, you know, kind of let these close games slip away. and to not finish is pretty disheartening. but, you know, i am encouraged about the future, because of how we played in some games. we've just got to be more consistent. >> i don't really think about the season as a whole. i'm more frustrated with today.

running the ball like they did. it's just very disappointing. especially coming off of last week, where we played well. we played well as a team. frustrating. we've got a lot to think about in the off-season, and hopefully guys use it as a driving force to get better. >> a bad taste. i apologize to our fans for, you know, for the season that we had. but one thing, the guys are playing hard. it's tough. it's very tough to get ws. we're going to continue to try to get these things right, put the right pieces together. and strive for next year. we've got one more game left on the season. hopefully we can go out with a win. >> the skins finish just 2-6 at home. tying their worst home record since dan snider bought the team. this will be their third straight double-digit loss

season. that's only the second time that's happened in franchise history. from the redskins locker room, where it's all empty, everybody's cleared out. lets gee ba's go back to you. >> looking for your post-game wrap-up at 11:00. enjoy a merry christmas as well. we look forward to next week against the eagles. at least you've got to end the season on a win. real quickly, the giants beat the jets today 29-14. giants and cowboys next week for the title. that is it for us tonight. "nightly news" is coming up next.