crunch time. it is down to the wire for millions of last minute shoppers scrambling to beat the clock. march on moscow. russians rally in the bitter cold demanding an end to putin's reign of power. royal health scare. the queen's husband rushed into emergency surgery. tonight, how he's doing and how it is affecting the royal holiday plans. will to live. nearly taken off life support, a young man shocks everyone. tonight an amazing story of survival. and taken by surprise. a sea of soldiers returning from war, pulling off one more secret mission for their families.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. just hours fromnow this season of giving will reach its most important day, and it is still fragile economy. we have found ourselves again this year focusing on what americans are spending and what retailers are earning as important bellwethers in the nation's recovery. with christmas eve falling on a saturday and mostly good weather around the country, today millions found the opportunity for one last full day of shopping. a perfect storm of procrastinators, bargain hunters and stores eager for their business. and out among the last minute shoppers is nbc's ron mott in new york city's busy herald square, shopping district. ron, set the scene for us tonight. >> reporter: hey, lester. good evening. the countdown is well under way tonight. aisles are absolutely packed here at this macy's. cash registers are ringing.

and in a few short hours, so too will the closing bells at the nation's stores. the nationwide shopping marathon americans started running thanksgiving night is finally in the homestretch. d-day for online deliveries, crunch time for those ready to brave crushing crowds. >> just way, way too crowded and parking is a mess, but, you know, you got to do what you got to do. >> reporter: the finish line is in sight after a month long shopping blitz with some people in a bit of denial about the calendar. >> i don't consider this waiting until the last minute. i think i've always have waited until the 23rd or 3424th to getn the spirit. >> reporter: more than a few consumers are taking advantage. 41% say they plan to shop in the final days before christmas from wednesday through today. that push may account for as much as 20% of the $469.1 billion retailers are expected to haul in during the season.

the real winners of this mad dash -- >> consumers are the big winners this holiday season. they only spent if the deal were significant, 50%, 60% off. retailers unfortunately are finding they have to sacrifice profits for revenue. >> reporter: not all shoppers, though, are sensitive. many of the procrastinators it turns out are men, on the hunt in the 11th hour not so much for bargains, but simply to avoid going home empty handed. >> my son, my mother, my aunt, the family. >> reporter: in atlanta, men and women were filling up the trunk with toys at 3:00 in the morning. >> i work in retail. and i have to come back to shop. >> reporter: some chains extended hours or staid open around the clock to meet demand. >> i got something from apple for my wife that she didn't know she wanted, but she'll know once i give it to her. >> have you been good? >> reporter: now comes a day of rest, before shoppers and shopping carts start rolling again -- >> a puppy and a purse, right.

>> reporter: -- time for after christmas sales. it has been a busy shopping season. retailers are bracing for a busier return season. americans expecting to return a record $46 billion worth of merchandise and experts caution, if you go, go prepared. retailers may tighten their return policies just a bit. lester? >> ron mott with a lot of company out there. thanks. clear skies and few reports of snow are making things a bit easier for those last minute holiday shoppers. in fact, it is looking more like a dry christmas than a white one across much of the country. kim cunningham is tracking it all for us at the weather channel headquarters. kim, where is the snow? >> reporter: well, lester, i'll tell you what, it is hard to find at this point, but i'll tell you you what, the rockies doing good, but the rest of the country, i mean, if you go back five years ago, you looked about the same five years ago, but last year at this time, check this out, we had a lot of snow in the northeast. minneapolis was digging out from, what, 17 inches of snow at the metrodome collapsing. folks are golfing on christmas

eve in minneapolis. to give you an idea of how snow-starved we are in many areas. a lot of folks calling this the brown christmas. but look at the rockies. plenty of snow. get to the rockies and get some skiing in, looks fantastic. now the northeast, a little different for skiers. we're looking at a deficit. i want you to know, it is cold enough to make snow. so don't not go because of that. why have we been so snow-starved? because the temperatures have been so warm, the cold air, lester it in siberia, nowhere close to the u.s. back to you. >> not a bad place for it some would say. kim, thanks very much. overseas now, to russia and mass protests in the streets of moscow today and a big backer in the last leader of the soviet union, mikhail gorbachev, urging vladimir putin to resign. jim maceda has more on the ordinary citizens rising up against corruption and what they see as a power grad by their prime minister. >> reporter: they braved the

bitter cold. a street protest unseen since the fall of the soviet union. even bigger than the one two weeks ago. with many flags and political creeds, but one unified message they want vladimir putin out of power. the government is openly lying to us, said this protester. this was once putin's power base, but the mood changed overnight when reports of massive vote fraud gave putin's united russia party a slim majority in parliament earlier this month. >> he doesn't understand that if you so openly demonstrate that nobody's opinion matters, that might disturb the most loyal. >> reporter: like this man, the first post soviet generation that wasn't brainwashed in school. >> for me, country was always

free. >> reporter: he prospered under putin until the recession hit. it is the electoral cheating that made him angry. the protest is already being called a new chapter in post soviet history, which began when the hammer and sickle was lowered for the last time over the kremlin 20 years ago tomorrow. then there were great hopes. but instead, boris yeltsin led the nation through a decade of chaos. his father, now 50, admits he has so many welcomed putin with open arms. he came to rule over his people like a czar. protesters say they'll keep the pressure on putin, that he can be beaten in march presidential elections if they are free and fair. but there are also rumblings about a russian spring if putin wins those as well. a nation with a turbulent history, facing more trouble ahead. jim maceda, nbc news, moscow.

now to the uk where tonight the royal family is celebrating christmas eve without its patriarch, prince philip. he remains hospitalized after a late night health scare and emergency heart surgery. nbc's duncan golistani has our report from london. >> reporter: the royal family united in concern. this morning, the queen and her children paid a visit to prince philip in the hospital where he stayed overnight. prince charles and his wife camilla arrived later, and the royal patient was said to be in good spirits. the prince has always been fit and healthy, but late yesterday he suffered chest pains and was airlifted to hospital. the palace confirmed the prince underwent minor cardiac surgery called artery stenting where a balloon is inserted to remove any blockages. this family ran into the royals at the hospital. >> they did look concerned, yes. they were concerned. obviously it is a big thing, isn't it? and, but it was nice to sort of,

you know, see them all together as a family. ♪ >> reporter: the queen and prince philip have been married for 64 years. he is britain's longest serving consort, a role to which he's devoted, always a few steps behind, always the supporter. she paid tribute to her husband on their 50th wedding anniversary. >> he is someone who doesn't take easily to compliments. but he has quite simply been my strength and stead all these years. >> reporter: at the age of 90, he is hardly slowed down. this year alone accompanying the queen on an 11-day tour of australia. >> he carries out something like 400 engagements a year. but the reality is he realizes that he can't carry on at the same pace. >> reporter: this was to be a special family christmas, as the royals welcomed their new youest member, princess kate. it is unknown if prince philip

will be able to join them, but they'll continue to celebrate the holidays as planned. to presidential politics now, just ten days from the iowa caucuses, it is virginia that is getting much of the attention on the campaign trail today. gop officials say newt gingrich has failed to gather the required 10,000 signatures to get on the ballot in virginia. his adopted home state. it is a blow to the gingrich campaign as it prepares for a primary battle with mitt romney in which every delegate could be pivotal in a close race. after delaying his vacation a few days, president obama wasted no time getting out of washington last night, reuniting with his family in hawaii. that's where we find our white house correspondent kristen welker. tough duty, kristen. >> reporter: sure is, lester. as you know, presidential vacations can get pretty busy. president obama is undoubtedly hoping that this one stays calm because he faces a tough re-election battle when he heads home. president obama arrived in

honolulu friday evening, looking relaxed and greeted by a pretty sizable crowd. his vacation was delayed by a week because of that fight over the payroll tax cut extension. ultimately the battle proved to be a legislative victory for mr. obama, that's because ultimately republicans wound up backing down. they ultimately agreed to pass a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut. the bill means the average american family will save about a thousand dollars in taxes this year. in the meantime, the president and first lady delivered their annual holiday message and it wasn't focused on the gridlock in washington, but rather those who serve our country. >> so let's take a moment to give thanks for their service, for their family's service, for our veterans' service, and let's say a prayer for all our troops standing post all over the world. >> reporter: now the president took in a game of golf today. we will likely see some more of that as well as some family beach time. maybe some trips to get some

hawaiian ice. the first family is staying in a secluded residence here on the island of oahu. lester? >> kristen welker, kristen, thanks nks tonight in the face of growing international criticism over the nuclear program, iran has begun a ten-day show of strength in international waters off its coast, war games designed to show off their defense capabilities. it could bring iranian ships close to u.s. navy ships in the area. it is, of course, christmas eve and that means midnight mass at the vatican. the start time was moved up to allow the 84-year-old pope a good night's rest before his big christmas day address tomorrow in st. peters square. and in the birth place of jesus, tens of thousands of worshipers have descended on bethlehem tonight, the highest turnout in more than a decade. nbc's martin fletcher is there. >> reporter: midnight mass in the birth place of christ,

bethlehem traditional christmas message of peace for all mankind heard live around the world. 50,000 pilgrims expected in manger square. >> a great place to spend christmas, this is where christmas began and we feel blessed to be here. >> reporter: the christians aren't alone. the muslim call to prayer can't be ignored. there are far more mosques in bethlehem than churches. three out of four people who live here are muslims. these girls show off their traditional dress. >> merry christmas! >> reporter: this is a day of great celebration here, of course, but there is one thing that people of bethlehem can never forget, they're surrounded by a wall. the wall which israel says it built to stop terrorists looms over much of the town. even the catholic leader in the holy land come to preside over christmas in bethlehem must pass

through it. while the 50 foot christmas tree in manger square symbolizes peace, this man builds a different kind of tree. >> it is christmas time and a good time to raise our voice. >> reporter: her tree is like an israeli watch tower. her ornaments are barbed wire, stun grenades, tear gas canisters, a key, she says, the key to the home land, and the presents, pillows to symbolize a home for the refugees. >> good to speak about it and see it visually. >> reporter: christmas in bethlehem, for some a platform for propaganda, for most a day of joy and hope. martin fletcher, nbc news, bethlehem. up next, as "nightly news" continues on this christmas eve, an amazing story that some call a christmas miracle. it is about a young man just hours away from being taken off life support, but instead is spending the holidays with his

family. and later, many happy returns, a lot of kids getting exactly what they have been wishing for.

we're back now with an amazing story of survival. a 21-year-old college student in arizona fell into a coma after an accident that killed two of his friends. when all hope appeared to be lost, his family prepared themselves to let him go. until one night something extraordinary happened. we get his story tonight from nbc's kerry sanders. >> reporter: a scene some are calling a christmas miracle, sam scmid walking on his own two feet and talking. >> i feel better. i've been called a miracle a few times. >> reporter: sam, a college student, had suffered a traumatic brain aneurysm after a car crash in october, which left him in a deep coma. his mom rushed him to the emergency room. >> i said, sam, stay strong and fight hard.

>> reporter: with other life threatening injuries, sam was flown to phoenix for surgery. >> the odds of him making it were very slim. >> reporter: although the surgery saved his life, sam remained comatose and with no response. doctors discussed the dreaded option of taking him off life support, but dr. spetzler asked the family to wait one more week before deciding. that night, sam stunned everyone by following a command, holding up his two fingers. >> that may not seem like a lot to you, but in fact to be able to hold up two fingers means they're receiving the signal. >> reporter: a crucial sign that sam's brain was still functioning. >> it is an incredible loop that shows you the ability of that brain to function. and that was like the fireworks going off. >> he came in and looked at me with nobody else and he said, we made the right decision. and i never looked back. >> reporter: sam is now doing intensive physical therapy.

>> most important, getting back to his normal life. >> reporter: and that's exactly what sam is looking forward to. and although sam has a long road ahead, he'll spend this christmas with his family, the best gift ever for him and his loved ones. kerry sanders, nbc news. when we come back, reindeer games. the family that takes the annual christmas card to a whole new level. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of a pain free holiday. ♪ this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills.

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common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. my inspiration for quitting were my sons. they were my little cheering squad. [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. it is a burning question on the minds of millions of kids tonight, where's santa? you can see the big guy right here making his way around the world, and the norad santa tracking operation, the military folks who keep a look out for hostile aircraft, say they answered thousands of calls today. you you can track santa's every move on our website, nbcnightlynews.com. if there were an olympic game for coming up with unique christmas cards, this next family would be the odds on favorite for gold. each year they keep their eager recipients in suspense, going the extra mile to make -- take seasons greetings into the stratosphere. here is nbc's kevin tibbles. ♪ >> reporter: perched as always this time of year by her sewing

machine, sue johnson prepares the next big secret. how do you come up with the ideas each year? >> sometimes they come to me in dreams. or my husband refers to them as nightmares. >> reporter: as nightmares. for nearly two decades, sue's handmade the costumes and cajoled her family into posing for christmas cards that take elaborate to the extreme. there was the choir year, the elf year, the toy soldier year. friends now clamor for them, even friends of friends want to see what she's come up with. and no one knows before the white envelope drops into the mailbox. >> we complain, but the reality of it is is when we get together to do it, we all really have a good time doing it together as a family. ♪ >> reporter: but wait, there's more. the christmas bulb year, the poinsettia year, the gingerbread

year. >> it is what it is. there is not really any getting out of it. you're in this family, you're in the christmas card. >> our family is -- it maintains a closeness, you know? it is a wonderful tradition. ♪ you better watch out >> reporter: now sue boasts two of son-in-laws, andy, who can be bribed. >> as long as i get the cookies with the hershey kiss on them and a couple of cold beers, i'll dress up to whatever you want. >> reporter: and newcomer mike, who sue, as you'll soon find out, has plans for. >> i do feel very, very special. >> reporter: and viola, a sneak preview of this year's masterpiece. sue and rob johnson as mrs. claus and santa, and all the kids as reindeer. mike, the newby, of course, is rudolph. >> okay. you ready? >> i was never ready for this. >> at least you didn't have to wear makeup. >> well, this is a close second. >> reporter: are you already

thinking about next year? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: what is it going to be? >> no, can't tell you. >> reporter: whisper it. >> can't tell you. >> reporter: such a welcoming family, even allowing a complete stranger to put on the hooves, an interloper and antler loper. >> merry christmas. >> reporter: merry christmas to you, kevin tibbles, nbc news, eagan, minnesota. up next, the hottest gift of the year, the holiday surprise. okay, team! after age 40, we can start losing muscle -- 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft.

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reuniting with their families on this christmas eve. and it has been a season of joyous reunions like that one, a sea of soldiers across the country returning from war, some of them pulling off one more secret mission for their families. here's nbc's kristen dahlgren. >> reporter: in a season full of holiday wishes -- >> oh, my gosh! daddy! >> reporter: -- this year is bringing some extra special delivery, with tens of thousands of troops returning home, 10-year-old amber mackey in iowa is one of many kids -- >> you miss me? just a little? >> reporter: -- getting the gift they have been dreaming of. >> dad. >> your dad? >> reporter: for the kids, the hugs are like holiday miracles. but for the troops, they have become covert operations. >> my heart is -- >> reporter: in california, 4-year-old stephanie randall was

at her dance recital when her dad brett stole the show. >> daddy! >> reporter: it wasn't just stephanie who was shocked. mom jennifer had no idea either. >> hi, baby. >> reporter: the homecoming surprise has become one of the most popular presents this year. it can take weeks to plan and pull off. but even santa couldn't do it better. >> i was so shocked. it is the best christmas ever right now. >> reporter: of course, after months away from home, the moments are just as special for the men and women in uniform. >> it is just a proud honor right now. >> reporter: more and more ending their overseas service with a surprise. >> daddy! >> wow. no other way to describe how amazing this is. >> reporter: and in the process -- >> hi, ma.

>> reporter: -- bringing a little holiday magic into all of our lives. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los angeles. >> can't top that. we'll say that's it for "nbc nightly news" for this christmas eve. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today." and then right back here tomorrow evening. merry christmas, everyone. and good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com