good morning, the day after. shoppers making returns and hunting for brand new bargains and it could add up to a banner day for retailers nice wide. fire tears through a connecticut home, killing three young girls and their grandparents, the oldest victim, a 71-year-old man who just fibbished up his dream job as santa claus. and on the mend, prince philip spends his third night in the hospital recovering from emergency heart surgery, as the duchess of cambridge gets high marks for her christmas as a royal. "today," monday, december 26th, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on this monday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> and i'm carl quintanilla. matt and ann have the morning off. i hope you had a merry christmas and i hope santa was good to you. >> he was. i was out in arizona with friends and family. you said you need to return your christmas presents. it's terrible. >> when you have 2-year-old twins the end of christmas is like a marathon. >> a lot of folks will be heading out to the malls. the macy's and herald square's doors just opened and 57% of americans plan to hit the local mall today, up considerably from last year when december 26th fell on a sunday and if you know where to look you can find some of the hottest items of the season at steep discounts.

we'll have all of the details straight ahead. all this week a closer look at our investigations from 2011 that shocked, startled and surprised you. this morning, the hidden danger that could be lurking at skating rinks that's making children sick. and could you imagine climbing just one of the world's highest mountains? how about scaling the seven highest on all seven continents at the tender age of 15? over the weekend, a california teenager became the youngest ever to accomplish that feat and coming up he'll join us live from antarctica. we begin with the afterchristmas push at malls. ron mott is in herald square in new york city, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, welcome to mega monday. americans have been on a shopping spree since thanksgiving night and after down time yesterday they're ready to go charge the stores and search for more good deals. they shopped and shopped and shopped some more but never quite dropped, though prices

did, 40%, 50%, 60% off and more. >> there's a lot of deals, i'm quite surprised. >> today, their credit cards cooled by a day of rest, shoppers are gearing up to go back into overdrive, steered backed into stores after steals and deals, a projected $469.1 billion in holiday sales, up nearly 4% from a year ago. >> it's gotten really, really crazy over the years. the holiday promotions started very early on in the season and they're continuing through the new year. the name of the game is the promotions, deals, discounts. >> reporter: on friday, hoards of shoppers went to malls for a $180 nike air jordan conkoerd 11 and they weren't used for gift

giving. >> anybody wants a pair? >> stampede, busted stores, reported gunfire near san francisco, the christmas weekend was a-buzz with last-minute bargain hunting and tracking san ta's every move. more than 100,000 calls were fielded by norad, with kids checking in on progress. and wide-eyed smiles of all ages spoke the universal language. >> i also got a wii game which i completely love, which is the 2012 olympic games. >> reporter: fewer smiles in colorado where 50,000 u.s. packages got snowed in, delivery uncertain. >> where is the truck, in timbuktu? >> reporter: anxious customers standing in line wondering if they'd get theirs in time. >> woohoo! package is in the truck. >> reporter: shoppers are already out here. some stores opened as early as

5:00 this morning, a big week for consumers, a possibly bigger week for retailers. experts say this week could account for 10% of all holiday sales. >> it begins all over again, ron mott in new york this morning. thank you, here's carl. to presidential politics after a brief pause for the holiday weekend the gop candidates get back to work with eight days to go until the iowa caucuses, this while the president enjoys a little family time in hawaii. nbc's kristen welker is in honolulu. kristen, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, carl. president obama had a busy christmas day, but otherwise has nothing on his public schedule, and it is rest he will need, with a tough re-election battle in the new year. with 2012 just around the corner, the first family celebrated christmas with the troops and their families at a local marine corps base, after starting the day with a trip to church.

president obama ends the year with the economy showing signs of improvement and with the legislative victory over republicans in the payroll tax cut debate. former democratic congressman mar martin frost. >> it revived the democratic party, showed they could take on the republicans successfully. >> reporter: they tried to shore up support with the caucuses eight days away. on tuesday, mitt romney and rick perry are launching bus tours through iowa but a setback for the national front-runner, newt gingrich. over the weekend, he and rick perry failed to qualify for the virginia primary because neither candidate had the required 10,000 signatures. it's particularly problematic for gingrich. he lives in virginia. >> one level his failure to get on the ballot in virginia is merely an embarrassment and it reflects a fundamental lack of organization in states across the country. >> reporter: defiant, the gingrich campaign accused

virginia of having a failed system and compared the setback to the attack at pearl harbor. its campaign manager released this statement on gingrich's facebook page. "newt and i agreed that the annal see is december 1941. we have experience an unexpected set-back, but we will re-group and re-focus with increased determination." polls show the former house speaker's popularit iity may be waning. according to a "boston globe" poll of new hampshire voters, 39% support romney, gingrich and paul are tied for second place with 17% each. paul has gained the most ground in new hampshire, up five points since last month. gingrich's support has slowed. he's only up two points. >> now that ron paul has emerged as a factor in the race, not for the nomination, but in iowa and possibly in new hampshire, it really makes it hard for other candidates, conservatives to break through, and that's good

news for mitt romney. >> reporter: now polls show that paul has a slight lead in iowa over romney and gingrich, but of course nationally he is running far behind. a dismal finish in iowa could mean the end of one or two campaigns. carl? >> kris welker, in honolulu, thanks. we turn to veteran reporter howard feinman, senior editor at huffington.com. >> good morning. >> there are three tickets out of iowa. give us the state of the race right now. where are the trend lines? >> the state of the race in iowa is pretty clear. you've got ron paul, who has got his ticket out. you've got mitt romney who has probably got his ticket out and a four-way race for the non-mitt, non-ron paul candidate the conservative, either rick perry or newt gingrich or michele bachmann or santorum. we're looking at a substantially

weakened newt gingrich getting out of iowa. >> let's talk about newt gingrich. some of the polls show him losing some of the momentum he had weeks ago and the issue of him failing to get on the virginia ballot, does that sig somethi say siomething in larger about the campaign, and comparing it to a sneak attack on pearl harbor? >> i guess accusing his fellow republicans of being like imperial japan during the war is probably not a great way to endear himself to his fellow virginians, and that's part of the problem with newt gingrich. he has not only an air of self-confidence but practically a megalomania the way he operates in politics and he's not focused on the ground game. he didn't do it in iowa, as he fades in popularity, he hasn't done it in other states. he has a wave theory of politics that somehow he's the man for a

time. he was the man a few weeks ago but that's not a big enough wave to carry him forward. >> what do you think will happen with ron paul. you named him as a front-runner in iowa. there's no doubt about that. could he be a spoiler in the republican primary and how do you think it helps or hurts the other candidates? >> ron paul is uspeshly organized not only in iowa but elsewhe elsewhere. he has money he gets from the internet, organizing for years. he's run for president many times. he knows what he's doing out there and in the current state of the republican party and the conservative movement, which is divided and fractured and could be fused, somebody like ron paul, who has a consistent libertarian message, he fits better with the tea party mentality probably than any other candidate. now, i think he's going to be able to carry through all the way deep into the primaries, as he showed by organizing in virginia, and i agree with stu rothenberg, that's probably good news for mitt romney. if mitt romney can finish strongly in iowa, and if he can win new hampshire, then he and

ron paul are the two certain candidates to go through the spring with a question of who the third person would then be. >> let's talk about mitt romney. how well does very to do in iowa? he managed to lower expectations there, he barely campaigned there. is there any evidence caucus-goers are finally coming around to romney and accepting him as their choice? >> there isn't that much evidence of it, but as the opponents remain divided, mitt romney winning the 20%, the 25% in iowa, after only a quarter or less than a quarter of the total may be enough to give him a strong finish so that he'll not view iowa in the rear view mirror as a disaster and be able to move on to new hampshire, where he's still quite strong. >> quickly, president obama perceived as the winner in last week's dust-up with congress over the payroll tax cut extension. has his political fortune risen in these last days? >> no question about it, and he can't wait for another fight over the payroll tax with the republicans in the spring.

>> howard fineman in washington, good to talk to you, thank you. >> good to talk to you, savannah, thanks. now let's get a check of the top stories, jeff rossen in for natalie. >> good morning, happy holidays everyone. a christmas day tragedy in texas left seven people dead, four men and three men were found shot to death inside their home apparently after opening their christmas presents. police believe the victims were all from the same family, cleaning up wrapping paper when the shooting began. investigators say the gunman is among the dead. they're looking for a moefive. baviolence in baghdad. a shooting at a checkpoint and dozens were wounded. a radical muslim sect claimed responsibility for killing 39 worshippers at a church. the group previously targeted police and the military but in recent months has expanded. today parishioners are cleaning

up the church where the bombing took place, ahead of mass, and say they fear another attack. north korea is giving shape to the future of kim jong-un, making him the head of the ruling party, a major post that adds political heft to the military control he already has. the former first lady of south korea and chairman of hyundai crossed the border to pay respects to kim jong-il. some call it lovejoy or star of wonder, look at that beautiful shot. this picture was snapped by the crew aboard the international space station from their perch some 250 miles above the earth. the comet has been shining especially bright in the southern hemisphere, where an observatory in chile captured this video of lovejoy, you can see it going across with the milky way in the background. this next video may maybe

you flip out. so vanna does it all the time, just flips and flips. jamist in or nfl player jerome simpson flying through the air. i hope we get that? slow mo, striking a perfect landing in the end zone, flipping and flopping his qua to one of the most unbelievable touchdowns in nfl history. no surprise they won the game, beating the arizona cardinals 23-16. very nice. i thought it was really good but the french judge only gave him a seven. >> i was going to make that, darn. that is great. really stuck the landing there. mr. roker has the morning off so ms. abrams is here. >> good morning, good to see you of the weather. good morning. good to see you guys. let's look at what's happening in the weather maps. the low pressure is starting to develop into the south, even bringing frozen precipitation into kansas. it will crank as we head through the day today. over the next 24 hours, we could

see up to two inches of rain locally. otherwise the country is looking quiet along the east coast and west coast with the exception of the northwest. here is a look at what's happening outside your door. >> just a couple minutes from sunrise. at 45 degrees. most neighborhoods are about ten degrees above freezing right now. from the north at 39 degrees up around ulney to 45 degrees, around quantico a mild start to what is going to be a very mild and nice day. temperatures will be topping out between around 50 and in the low 50s. today 50 to 53. jacket weather, yes. that will be required >> carl, over to you. >> stephanie, thanks. it hasn't been a typical holiday for the british royal family. kate was attending her first gathering as duchess while prince philip remains hospitalized after undergoing emergency surgery. stephanie gosk is at buckingham palace with details. >> reporter: good morning, carl.

it's been an incredible year for the royals. they're more popular now than they have in a generation, thanks mostly to william and kate. this should have been a time for celebrations but instead there was a medical emergency. prince philip, who has been married to the queen for 64 years, is still in the hospital. every christmas they come to catch a glimpse of the royal family, but this year the crowd outside mary magdalene church broke a record, 3,000 people. the star attraction, as she has been all year, the duchess of cambridge, simply but elegantly dressed for the day, this was her first christmas as a royal. after the service, kate lingered with the eager crowd taking special time to talk to the children. >> she said she liked your coat, and she wishes us a merry christmas. >> reporter: prince william delighted everyone with a kiss for one of his well wishers. >> oh! >> reporter: but the day was not

all festive. the royal entourage was notably minus one. the queen's husband, prince phil philip, is still in the hospital after emergency treatment for a clogged artery. the duke of eddinborough was air lifted for surgery following chest pains. following christmas lunch, all paid him a visit. pins charles says his father is resilient and determined to make a full recovery. >> prince philip is 90 years old, he has had a heart condition for many, many years and takes medication for it. >> reporter: in her christmas address, recorded days before the duke was rushed to the hospital, the queen emphasized the importance of family, especially during challenging times. >> the importance of family has of course come home to prince philip and me personally this

year, with the marriages of two of our grandchildren. each in their own way, a celebration of the god-given love that binds the family together. >> reporter: traditionally christmas has always been the one time each year that the royal family can gather in its entirety. >> actually it's at christmas where the royals can switch off, just be themselves like any other family on christmas day. >> reporter: any other family who regularly draws a crowd of thousands, that is. today is the day of the annual pheasant hunt, normally prince philip leads that hunt. sadly he can't take part. the palace says he had a good night in the hospital and should be released soon but there's no date for that release >> a lot of well wishers rooting for him nonetheless. stephanie gosk thank you very much. here's savannah. it's being called a holiday miracle. a college student in arizona wakes up from a coma as doctors and his family were trying to

decide if there was anything more they could do to save him. kristen dahlgren has the details. >> good morning. this could have been a very different holiday for sam schmidt's family but for his doctor, holding on to hope, and sam's incredible will to live. with a few tiny steps, sam schmidt might just make you believe in holiday miracles. a few weeks ago that smile was something his family thought they would never see again. the fun-loving 21-year-old arizona state business major was in a devastating five-car pile-up in october. he survived but barely. >> he didn't have any response in a very deep coma. >> reporter: sam had a traumatic brain aneurysm. his odds of survival were slim. his family thought what they would do if they had to take him off life support. >> they didn't talk to us about donating his organs directly, but john and i, knowing sam, he would want to help other people if he was actually not going to be with us.

>> reporter: but his doctor wasn't quite ready to declare sam brain dead. >> i said let's get one more mri scan. >> reporter: based on what he saw, he told the family to give it one more week, that's when sam took matters into his own hands. that very day he responded to a command, holding up two fingers. >> and that's a huge thing, when you think about, it means that you can hear. it means that you can interpret what you're hearing. >> reporter: sam remembers what he saw when he opened his eyes in the hospital. >> it was my mom, john, and my aunt. >> reporter: and he hasn't looked back since. he's in intense therapy, but for one day this weekend, he left the hospital to spend christmas with his family. >> there is no better gift than to have sam back. >> reporter: and this holiday, sam learned not just to believe in miracles, but himself. >> it's been nothing but hard work and pushing through. >> reporter: he's got big goals.

>> being able to coach basketball and play. >> reporter: for now, he's taking small steps with his family at his side. >> got it? >> reporter: a family this year celebrating the incredible gift of life. sam was only allowed out of the hospital for that one day or now but he says he hopes to return to school, savannah, by next year. >> amazing story, kristen dahlgren, thank you. just ahead the 15-year-old who became the youngest person to climb the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. he's going to join us from antarctica, but first this is "today" on nbc.

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just ahead, five members of a connecticut family, including three young sisters, killed in a tragic holiday fire. >> we're going to have new details on the investigation, including why it may have happened. that's coming up after your local news and weather. really need to do something with it... i'm just not sure what...

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good morning everybody. it's 7:26 on this monday, december 26. i'm angie goff. if you're just waking up and plan on heading outside this morning, a little chill in the air and wind added to that. for more on that, let's go to meteorologist veronica johnson. >> right on the horizon you can see the sun coming up. that's right. the sun is coming up. hard to believe here we are in late december and our 7:30 temperature 45 degrees. we've been for the last couple hours in the mid 40s. through the area, 39. cooler in gaithersburg. we'll see a high today of 53

degrees and rain comes in tomorrow.

metro now open, on time.

vre closed to day. marc on time. 495 at colesville road, smooth sailing. >> thank you, carol. another news update in 25 minutes.

♪ 7:30 now on this monday morning, december 26th, 2011. it is the day after christmas, and there's lots of holiday cheer still ringing in the plaza. inside studio 1a, i'm carl quintanilla alongside savannah guthrie. ann and matt are off today. just ahead a remarkable man. >> we'll go live to antarctica and talk to the 15-year-old from california who became the young toast conquer the tallest peaks on seven continents. he actually did eight peaks, one for good measure. a hidden danger at indoor ice rinks, are toxic fumes that you cannot see or small, are they making children sick? >> we'll have that story.

we begin with a holiday tragedy in connecticut. investigators say it could be several days before they determine the cause of a deadly fire that killed five members of a family including three young cyster its. craig melvin is in connecticut with the latest. good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. you can see what's left of the house behind me at the end of the street, it hugs the long island sound. we're told at one point the flames were so intense they shot as high as the trees. a 47-year-old mother, her friend, they managed to get out alive but her three children and her two parents do not and it all happened on christmas morning. it's a still smoldering christmas nightmare. just before 5:00 sunday morning flames shot from the five-bedroom house. in minutes it was engulfed, screams woke up neighbors. >> i heard somebody yelling "help, help, help me!" i started sprinting up my driveway. >> reporter: those who rushed to the house were helpless.

>> came up to see if there was anything i could do. there was nothing i could do. >> reporter: five people were dead, three of them are children. >> my heart is broken for the children and the family is tragic. >> reporter: madonna badger and a male friend were able to get out. her daughters killed and also her parents, lomer and paula johnson. lomer spent christmas working at his dream job as santa claus at saks fifth avenue. >> it's never easy. i've been on this job 38 years, and not an easy day. >> badger is a prominent new york city fashion and design executive. she was behind the famous calvin klein ads starry markey mark in the 1990s. in mid 1996 "forbes" named badger one of their 40 under 40. according to property records she bought the house for about $1.7 million in december last

year. she was renovating it. >> it probably has not been a worse christmas day in the city of stamford. >> reporter: so vanna, i talked to the mayor of stanford yesterday. he told me it's probably going to be several days before we know precisely what the cause of the fire is. at this point it looks like it was an awful accident. >> craig melvin in stanford this morning, thank you. incredibly heartbreaking. i don't think anyone can fathom what the family is going through. >> no, no way to fathom. stephanie abrams is in for al today. >> good morning, ava in a, another warm one across much of the country. let's look at what's going to happen throughout the northern plains, the midwest, chicago, detroit, temperatures 15 to almost 25 degrees above average. it will be dry in that area, a little bit of snow throughout a little snow throughout northern minnesota. otherwise the bulk of the activity will be in the lower mississippi river valley. here is a look at what's

happening outside your door. >> what's happening outside our door, temperatures in the mid 40s. it's been very, very mild today already. temperatures are going to rise a few more degrees. going up to a high today in the low 50s, maxing out at 53. breezy, though. we've got a little breeze out of the northwest. tomorrow, we're calling for rain moving in, probably starting around noontime. but some moderate and heavy rain for the afternoon and through >> we've got some friends from louisiana. is this cold for you all? >> yes, it's freedzing out here >> meanwhile it's been so warm, if you need to know how to dress, go to weather.com 24 hours a day. carl over to you. to miami, florida, and a couple lucky to be alive today after being run over by a truck as they sun bathed. lilia luciano is there with details. >> reporter: good morning to you, carl.

every year miami beach welcomes an average of 14 million tourists, not to mention the locals who like to enjoy fun in the sun almost year round but what happened to this couple last month would cast a horrible shadow over anyone's idea of a day at the beach. for denise and orlando jiminez it was a perfect sunday for sun bathing, the kind of day that unspired the newlywed couple to pick worry free south beach as their new neighborhood. >> get out of the norm, experience something different. >> reporter: they did experience something different, unexpected and horrifyin while laying under the sun. >> i just remember waking up and realizing the gen inwas already over our bodies, over my head, so i just started to panic, that's when i realized oh my god we just got run over. >> reporter: what were you thinking right then and there? >> i was honestly petrified. i was worried he was going to move forward, move backward. i didn't know -- i was just in shock. >> reporter: denise and her

husband were stuck under a fort f-150, its wheels miraculously just missing their bodies. >> first thing i thought she was actually dead. i kept on screaming at her, and she, for a couple of seconds, i mean, what seemed like minutes, at that point in time, she wasn't responding. >> reporter: police say in early november the driver, working for a beach vendor that rents chairs and umbrellas was collecting equipment to close shop when he failed to see the couple. by the time witnesses alerted him reports say the truck was recovering half their bodies. >> we heard some woman screaming that some guy got hit. >> reporter: they were rescued, rushed to the hospital, orlando five stitches in his head, a fracture in his eye socket and required emergency root canal. denise has a gash on her forehead. >> we were where we needed to be. i just think he was being careless. >> reporter: for that the man behind the wheel was charged with careless driving. you don't think that was enough?

>> definitely wasn't enough. you're talking about two lives almost lost. >> reporter: denise and orlando hope their close call will move the city to enforce more stricter regulations. >> putting trash cans as the demarkation line of where motor vehicles are not supposed to cross is not enough. >> reporter: back at the beach for the if he first time since the accident -- >> sort of serene right now, when you think what happened. you start to think of the accident it's not serene any. it's tragic. >> reporter: the couple hayes since filed a $15,000 lawsuit for damages against the driver. we've put in multiple calls to the party and received no response. the city of miami says the city has strict policies to these unfortunate incidents do not occur.

>> lilia luciano, thanks. still ahead can't wait to return the tacky shirt from your aunt or have new gift cards to spend? what you into ed to know before heading to the mall today. up next one of our eye opening investigations of the year, why your local skating rink could be making your child sick. right after this. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] take the special k challenge. lose up to six pounds in two weeks. get your free, delicious personalized plan at specialk.com. what will you gain when you lose?

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back now at 7:41 as we kick off a week-long look at our most memorable investigations of the year. jeff rossen is here with a story he first brought us in february, exposing a hidden danger at indoor ice rinks. >> huge reaction when we first aired the story earlier this year and it affects hundreds of thousands of kids who play ice hockey and all of us who skate for fun. the danger is in the air at the rinks. toxic fumes you can't see, smell or taste and literally making children sick. >> get back, got to get back, get back! >> at first it was a mystery, who w what was powerful enough to send this 14-year-old boy to the hospital and this former ice capades star into retirement, on a respirator. >> i thought i was going to die.

>> i was just really scared and i didn't know what would happen. >> reporter: for kyler fisher it happened at a game in minnesota, with every breath he was being poisoned by carbon monoxide in the rink. >> it got pretty bad, up to where i felt like i was going to pass out in the locker room. i was laying down and couldn't get up. >> reporter: tyler's parents rushed him to the emergency room. you're sitting in the hospital, your son is getting oxygen. what are you thinking to yourself? >> it was very scary. i didn't know the long-term effects of it and what was going on and you think your kids are safe in a rink and he wasn't. >> reporter: turns out, kyler's entire team was sick and this was no isolated case. earlier outside denver a carbon monoxide leak at a kids' hockey game sent 61 kids to the hospital. in the past three years news reports show more than 250 people have been poisoned at indoor ice rinks. the culprit? those smoke belching resurfacing

machines, run over and over again to clean the ice. their exhaust fumes contain poisons like carbon monday oxide and ultrafine particles, fumes that can become trapped inside the rink. >> they're tight structures, there's no heating system and very little ventilation so whatever toxic materials are in the ice rink stay there. >> reporter: you'd never stand in the garage at home with the car turned on and doors closed. at the local ice rink the air could be just as dangerous. nbc news set up a scientific experiment to find out how dangerous ice rinks can be. we hired certified industrial high inests to test the air at the revolution ice center in pittston, pennsylvania, your typical neighborhood rink. for our test we used their now retired fuel-powered resurfacer, the kind still used at most rinks nationwide, it's the standard. we had them run it for a single sweep around the ice.

along with this machine, the ice edger, also commonly used at skating rinks. >> let it's put the meters at a child's breathing zone. >> reporter: our experts set up meters all over the ice and walked around with hand held monitors, testing for those toxic pollutants. studies show over time they can cause permanent heart, lung, even brain damage. just five minutes into our test, our air quality alarms went off, the carbon monoxide already over the safe limit, according to state guidelines. >> the levels of 20 parts per million and you can see we're up to about 60 right now. >> reporter: when we measured for ultrafine particles even our expert was surprised. >> studies show we see adverse effects at 100,000 particles and in the arena we're at 209,000 particles. >> reporter: we turned the machines off, incredibly even an hour later, it was still so dangerous, our expert had to pull the plug.

>> jeff, we have to call off the test now and go outside and ventilate. >> reporter: the levels are too high? >> levels are too high now. we've hit the evacuation level. >> reporter: believe it or not there are no laws requiring carbon monoxide detectors in rinks so kids can be inhaling the fumes and not know it. >> think about the amount of times practicing, we're here three, four nights a week, that's a lot of exposure. >> reporter: it's the long-term exposure, the damage you can't see that can ruin your child's life later. >> it started small and then it progressed into completely can he debilitating me. >> reporter: linda davis skating since she was 6, former ice capades star. recently she's diagnosed with long-term carbon monoxide poisoning. today this beautiful athlete needs a respirator. >> i have problems with my lungs, i have problems with my memory still, i have problems with neurological issues. >> reporter: a lot of parents are saying my child's played hockey for ten years, never had

a problem. why should i be worried? >> you don't know what your child has been exposed to. >> reporter: three states regulate air in ice rinks, minnesota, massachusetts and rhode island. still the federal government has not required a law with regard to air in ice rinks. >> it makes no sense at all. >> reporter: when we first aired this story in february we wanted to question the epa but the agency declined to go on camera so we called these members of congress, all at the helm of clean air committees. once again, we were turned down, both then and now, all said they're unavailable for interviews. >> are they waiting for something very tragic to happen? because as far as i'm concerned my kid going to the hospital is already tragic enough. >> there is an easy solution

here, electric ice resurfacers that emit no exhaust at all. some rinks like the one we went to in pennsylvania use them exclusively. the epa and the ice rink association told us they're educating rinks and hope new rules for ice machines will cut emissions in half but many say it's just not enough, because in most states, no one is testing the air and that's the number one problem here, parents don't know whether these rinks are safe. >> i was going to say, it's great for the rinks that are having the new resurfacers, but what about all of those who don't? >> go see the rink manager immediately. first of all you can tell because the smoke is going into the air but if they don't use the electric resurfacers you should say why aren't you testing and maybe you should make a judgment call whether your child should stay there. >> jeff rossen, thank you. the teenager who just completed a record-breaking feat he began at the tender age of 11 years old, to scale the highest mountains on all seven the connentscon connents. he's going to join us from

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good morning. i'm angie goff. the time now is 7:56 on this monday, december 26th. once again, we're waking up in the 40s. let's check in with meteorologist veronica johnson. >> that's right, angie. we continue to make our way through not only a mild december, baugh mild winter so far. we're at 44 degrees. we've dipped down a beat. a weak weather front coming through the north of the area. the clouds that we had, those high clouds are even breaking up. mostly sunny conditions currently. we're at 44 degrees, 39 in gaithersburg, we'll get up to a high today of 53 degrees. it's going to be breezy today. expect some rain tomorrow developing about lunchtime. angie? ♪

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♪ on this day after christmas, if you're heading out to the malls, the good news is they just opened a little while ago. you should be in pretty good shape getting there. 66 at 50, moving right along, 66 at glebe, no issues at all. enjoy your shopping day. back to you, angie. >> thank you, carol. we'll have another news update in 25 minutes. form now we'll send it back to

8:00 now on this monday morning, the 26th of december, 2011, we have a great post holiday crowd enjoying the start of their day right here in rockefeller plaza. nice to have you joining us. good morning, everyone, i'm savannah guthrie along with carl quintanilla. matt and ann are off this morning. just ahead, are you going to join the masses, and there will be masses at the mall today? this is a huge day for returns and of course post-christmas sales, coming up, what you need to know before you head out, including a washing about something called slicing and dicing. that does not sound good. >> i'm not even going to ask. plus a story we followed closely, david goldman fought for years to bring his sean home from brazil. he's been home for two years. how is sean doing?

we'll hear from him exclusively. later on we'll get ideas for turning your christmas leftovers into a tasty new meal. can't all be turkey sandwiches. >> i heard bread pud something o pudding is on the menu. nice. jordan romero reached the peak of mt. vinson in antarctica over the weekend, becoming the youngest person to climb the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. jordan joins us now. congratulations. >> good morning, thanks. i'm calling you live from antarctica, we're apparently waiting on a plane to get us here from base camp hopefully today and back to camp and it will be a couple days until we return back to chile. >> this has been such a massive undertaking. you got the idea when you were a kid in fourth grade. now this you've done it, taken five, six years, walk me through how you're feeling today. >> you know, i'm feeling great.

i'm excited to have completed my goal and this is something i want to pass on to kids, you know, to inspire them they can set any goal and be able to achieve it. >> it's really amazing. i know you began this latest track on wednesday. mt. vinson massif is at 16,000 feet. what was the weather like up there? did you face any challenges other than climbing a really tall mountain? >> yeah, this mountain is in antarctica and definitely freezing cold especially at the top but we had some beautiful days as well, where it's just been about 30 degrees and i don't know how it is over there but like here 30 degrees is actually pretty warm. so yeah, we've been in some pretty good weather so far. >> jordan, as you know, people have said in the past he's a teenager, he should not be doing this, even with his parents' help and even you have said this is not for everybody. is that because the training is so tough and you do have your parents to work with? >> well, you know, yes first

thing is first. it's not my dad or karen's. it's not their idea. it's my dream and something i wanted to do, and yes, it is a lot of hard work and training and it's not like anyone can just wake up this morning and say i'm going to climb a summit. no, it takes lots of hard work and you know, it takes a team to do it, and you know, it's not all -- it's about me and my dad and karen and that's the team. >> safe travels home, congratulations once again. just an amazing, amazing accomplishment. jordan romero thank you for being with us. >> he was stoked when he reached. >> hey, guys -- >> "freakin' cold was how he described the weather. >> freaking cold is the official term. >> meteorological. good morning again. fire officials say it could be a

few days before they figure out the cause of a deadly christmas day fire in stamford, connecticut. the flames ripped through a home killing three children and their two grandparents. the grandfather just returned home from his job as a department store santa claus. >> there probably has not been a worse christmas day in the city of stamford. >> reporter: the homeowner, madonna badger, was able to escape the fire but couldn't save her children. today is one of the busiest days of the year for retailers across the country. in fact they're calling this mega monday. many stores opened this morning at 5:00 a.m., hoping for a flood of people with christmas cash and those gift cards, looking for more good deals. retailers are also bracing for lots of unhappy returns. the national retail federation says 35% of shoppers returned at least one gift last year and online shoppers are getting in a mega monday spirit, too, after christmas sales was the number one search term on yahoo! this morning. holiday sales aren't for

everyone. pope benedict slammed the commercialization of christmas this weekend at the vatican during christmas eve mass. the pope urged the faithful to ignore the glitter of the holiday and today in his post-christmas blessing, the pope denounced sunday's bombing of a nigerian catholic church as absurd. 39 people were killed and there is fear a radical muslim sect may attack even more churches. to politics now and republicans in search of their party's presidential nomination are back on the campaign trail today in iowa. just a week left until iowa's lead-off caucuses and many voters are still undecided. this is the final push ahead of the january 3rd contest. meantime in hawaii, president obama got a christmas day surprise when a baby put his hands in the commander in chief's mouth. i guess we're not going to see it. trust me, it was a good photo. president and first lady were visiting military families at a marine corps in hawaii. now for a look at "what's

trending today" what has you talking online, the mystery about the jetsetting first dog has been solved, thank goodness. despite conspiracy theories that have been bubbling on facebook and political blogs the white house says bo, no, he did not fly back and forth from hawaii, so he could take part in this presidential photo shoot back home in washington. a family in hawaii has apologized to the dog and the first family for saying it saw bo at the obama's vacation retreat. tech blogs are buzzing over apple's reported plans to create new sources of energy for its products. the company has filed patents for a hydrogen fuel cell technology to produce lighter batteries that will last for days or even weeks. love that. and users are flocking to youtube to check out the latest video and what's become a viral year-end tradition, dj earworm matches up the top 25 songs, take a listen to this. ♪

makes one awesome mega song. pretty cool. six minutes past the hour, want to go outside now to carl and savannah. >> that's what the kids are listening to. okay. dj earworm. did i hear that right? >> i think so. >> let's get a check of the weather from stephanie abrams in for al. >> bob with the coast guard, stationed in new orleans, thanks for serving. what is the coldest place you were ever stationed? >> a trip to antarctica. >> how long did you last? >> ten minutes and then i was about ready to come home. >> kansas city, 46, our average high is 38. we'll be in the 40s and 50s all week long, otherwise rain through the lower mississippi river valley and sunshine on an long. otherwise rain through the lower mississippi river valley and sunshine on the east coast and majority of the west coast. here is a look at what's happening outside your door. it's chilly here, but not cold. we've been in the 40s this morning. 44 degrees right now. you q see the temperature there with sunshine across the area. weave had some high clouds.

those are breaking up with a weak weather front that came through here. we'll hang on to a little bit of that breeze through at least the first half of the day. it's 39 now in gaithersburg, maryland, on the other side of the front. northwest wind today, the high >> and now back over to carl right over there. >> loudest place on the plaza right here. coming up, what you into ed to know about returns and finding the best post holiday bargain, right after this. line is absolutely that tool. it was never further away than my pocket. my sidekick! the weight tracker really let me see that my real problem area was when i was traveling. it allowed me to kind of tailor my plan to my lifestyle. i lost 29 pounds with weight watchers online. i am like me times five. i'm like cara intensified. [ female announcer ] join for free today. weight watchers online. finally, losing weight clicks.

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back now at 8:11, and this morning on "tooled's consumer" post christmas returns and sales, this is one of the busiest days of the year for the retail industry and we've got you covered on both fronts. first, janice lieberman is here, consumer correspondent for nbc. good morning. >> good morning. >> we're talking about returns. i read a statistic for every $1 of income retailers get about almost ten cents is returned. >> right, so that's a lot of people who aren't that happy but there's plenty who are which you are one of them, but 35% will return or exchange, so they have to get in line and wait and be patient. >> be patient, number one tip. we'll get to that. >> right. >> in a perfect world we keep the tags on, unopened but it doesn't always happen that way. >> no. so what you need to do is hopefully get a gift receipt, which a lot of people did this year, that makes it really smooth sailing, and keep everything in the box that it

came in, keep the tags on, don't start pulling everything apart. if you can, with electronics and toys, don't open and try things out because there is a restocking fee many times. >> particularly you see this with electronic items, the restocking fee. >> the camcorder, computers, 15%, that's a lot of the purchase price. of course if there's a problem and it needs repairs or defective it's fair game but just because you had it or not sure, you didn't like that model, try to read it on the outside and keep the box intact. >> don't play with it and test it out. >> exactly. >> you don't have to hit the malls today. >> most will give you 90 days, that's three months of shopping time. of course if you want to exchange for a different size and you want the selection, it might not be there, so this week is going to be a very busy week and once you're in the store and you're returning, retailers expect you to buy, buy, buy. i'll talk about later but the sales are enormous.

>> beware of slicing and dicing. this was a number one on me that term. >> we're not talking about what you do with leftovers. we're talking about different stores can have up to 30 different return policies. they might be very slight differences but you really have to read online versus the brick and mortar stores. see what the actual return thing is and where it has to go and how many days you have. 30 days to 90 day, depending on the item. >> different return policies for different kinds of items in the same store. slicing and dicing, beware. also know the laws in your state. >> they can vary. you have to have written either on the receipt or posted prominently what the return policy is and if they say no returns, no cash, just store credit, that's okay as long as you know, but if you have a problem, call your state attorney general's office and find out. >> usually when you return something you bring the credit card you paid for it with if you have it. you also say bring your i.d.

>> right now they're swiping i.d.s, driver's licenses because there are chronic returners. if you're on their bad list they can tell you sorry, you're doing this too often. also another thing if you buy a dress, you can't just wear it that night. >> don't try the leave the tags on routine. >> leave the tags on but don't take it off and come with it attached in some way with a lipstick stain, they're not going to take it back. >> a big new year's no-no. know where to make the return. a lot of times people buy things online and think they have to mail them back. >> sometimes you can take it back to the retailer in a mall. sometimes it must be sent back to an online site which may be different. check the address and know where it goes. >> last tip, be patient. ahhh. do breathing exercises. jani janice, thank you. here's carl. after the returns you'll have more money to take advantage of holiday sales.

matt beam, senior contributing editor of "men's health." >> good morning. >> you think today is the new black friday. >> and cyber monday rolled into one. i saw people lined outside of the h&m and macy's because retailers look for another round of deals. they've got to keep that momentum going into the new year, and so the standard stuff you'd expect to be on sale is on sale like the electronics and outerwear and also things you wouldn't expect like beverages, fine french wines are on sale for example, champagne, baking ingredients because the cookie run from christmas is over, good time to stock up on sugar and flour and electronics, seasonal items, anything red, gold, silver will be flying off the shelves. >> cars as well even. >> that's right, especially at the end of the month, all of the dealers have to make their quota. >> you have a few categories, starting with electronics. >> they're always the big ticket items after thanksgiving but they're still flying off the shelves. we have a couple items here, this one from bestbuy.com, a

gateway computer for just $289, normally $330, and moving along from staples a great deal, a 14 inch laptop from hp, $450, regularly $700 and also at staples we've got a bag here, anything you can fit in the bag except for the computer is 15% off so it's a great time to stock up on software, thousands and thousands of post-its. >> cashmere sweaters swle? a lot of the warm weather inventory got stuck. >> that's right. also this is a gift item, after the holidays so they're trying to move this stuff off the shelves. in the march period they will not move. uniqlo, nordstrom, gilt group have items off. >> outerwear? >> the buying season is before thanksgiving as people get ready for the cold weather so jcpenneys, macy's,

bloomingdale's, banana republic, 30% to 70%, and backcountry.com has deals up to 40% as well. >> and you say the consumer has more power because of the apps. >> absolutely. for example we have the nordic track treadmill. if you want to check prices there are a million different apps to do that. this one is at sears, we want to talk about it, "men's health" magazine, $889, a great $1,000 treadmill. lots of apps out there you can use to make sure that you are getting the best price for the money. >> a discount on the person who can run on this for you? see how fast you can take this thing. >> matt, thank you very much, before you hurt yourself and hurt me as well. up next the boy caught in the middle of an international custody dispute, sean goldman speaks out for the first time since being reunited with his father, two years ago, right after this. oh it's clearance time!

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that my real problem area was when i was traveling. it allowed me to kind of tailor my plan to my lifestyle. i lost 29 pounds with weight watchers online. i am like me times five. i'm like cara intensified. [ female announcer ] join for free today. weight watchers online. finally, losing weight clicks. back now at 8:20, with "today's update." this morning catching up with david and sean goldman, the new jersey father and son involved in an international custody case that dragged on for years. sean is now 11 years old and has been back in the u.s. for two years, and natalie morales recently visited with him exclusively. >> wow, whoa! there you go! >> reporter: to look at him now, sean goldman seems like any other 11 years old boy, shooting hoops and hanging out with his dad. >> so any tests today?

>> reporter: but the story behind this all-american moment is one of heart ache, courage and incredible perseverance. in 2004, david goldman's wife, bruna, took their son, sean, then 4 years old, to brazil to visit her family. they never came back. bruna divorced goldman in brazil, remarried, got pregnant, then died during childbirth. david goldman fought for years to get sean back but his ex-wife's family fought, too, and the court battle went on for nearly five years. finally on christmas eve, 2009, david and sean goldman were reunited in brazil. we were there as they flew to new jersey on a jet chartered by nbc news. >> my little boy is five feet away, sound asleep, peaceful. >> reporter: it's great just being around him every day? >> yeah. it is. it fascinates me. >> reporter: two years later i got a chance to catch up with david and sean at home.

what do you remember about two years ago? >> i remember coming home seeing all the snow. >> here's something else. >> to sean. >> reporter: this is sean back in 2009, a lot has changed since then. what's life like for you now? >> i get to wake up and spend time with my dad. i just love hanging out and stuff and playing basketball and baseball. >> reporter: sean took me upstairs to show me his room. this is cool, your room has changed as much as you have. >> yep. >> reporter: tell me, you've grown how much since you got home? >> i'm not sure, i think i was 4'11" when i came here. >> i think so, yeah. >> reporter: you're now about? >> 5'4". >> and a half. stretching. >> reporter: i know you guys just went fishing. i hear you caught something pretty crazy. >> a barracuda or two barracudas. >> reporter: you caught two? were you scared? i would have been freaking out. >> no, but they were really big

and strong. >> reporter: sean's big moment will be featured on an upcoming episode of the show "bass 2 billfish" on the nbc sports network. >> right on, coming up! whoa! woo! >> i'm still processing everything. >> he loves being on the water. he loves anything to do with the ocean, swimming, getting shells, surfing, fishing, so that was a very, very fun memory. >> reporter: a memory david goldman willer chish, after missing so much of sean's childhood. now david continues the work he started on the bring sean home foundation to help other families in similar situations. but he doesn't dwell on the past with sean. does he talk about life in brazil or has he sort of shut out the past? >> he doesn't ask questions about it. once in a while we'll be driving and he'll say, "you know, my mom liked that song."

but that's really it. >> reporter: sean's grandmother in brazil is still fighting to get him back. she's appealing several rulings and hasn't been able to see sean since he left brazil. and you're open to having her come here to visit him. >> oh, yes, yes, i've said that. i didn't want her to walk in my shoes, but she's got to stop the litigation. >> reporter: david says sean is adjusting well to his new life and his new family. david is engaged to his long time girlfriend wendy. they live together along with her two sons, dylan and jesse. just a boy, living a life his father fought so hard to restore. sean even told his dad, "i'm glad you never gave up on me." does he know how lucky he is? >> i hope he feels -- if he doesn't feel lucky, i mean just normal and just a regular, a regular boy. i mean, there's no walls between us. he'll just come up to me and give me a, you know, say "dad,

can i have a hug?" just to hear him say that and to be able to go over and give him that hug. it's just, it's very special. >> we contacted the attorney for sean's grandmother in brazil. in a statement they said "ms. ribeiro is saddened and disappointed that sean has not been permitted to have contact with his brazilian relatives since his return from brazil to new jersey nearly two years ago. she has not been permitted to have any phone or e-mail contact with sean for more than one year. miseriby row has repeatedly offered and remains willing to end her limited application in brazil if mr. goldman would finally allow her to have individualsation with sean in new jersey." we will be back in a moment, but first your local news and weather. and

weather. vrnlths good morning. it's 8:26. good morning to you. i'm eun jiang. let's check in with storm four meteorologist veronica johnson. >> easy weather today, eun forgetting around doing anything outside. 44 degrees is where we are currently. we'll see the temperature rise, probably getting into the upper 40s to around 50 degrees most neighborhoods. a lot of sunshine out there already. a few scattered high clouds. that's about the only thing we'll see above. 43 in belvoir, 43 in college park. so hitting that 50 should be pr

123 and 66, i suspect people are heading to the malls. we'll get back to you on that. please be aware, we had a disabled vehicle northbound 95

at 100, should be off the left shoulder by now. have a great rest of your mornin

♪ 8:30 now on this monday morning, december 26th, 2011. it's about 32 degrees on the plaza but feels a little bit like 33 and the crowd is bundled up tight. i'm carl quintanilla along with savannah guthrie and jeff rossen. matt and ann have the morning off. coming up what to do with the holiday leftovers. >> how many ham sandwiches can you eat?

let's not put that to the test. we have ideas on how to transform your main course into a delicious brunch. >> also do you make new year's resolution? >> not really. i break them. >> coming up for those of you who make new year's resolutions, what you can do to make 2012 a little better and try to keep them, unlike her. >> also the good, bad and the ugly. some of the lighter moments of the year. >> the frogs. >> here on "today," yes, there's another, chock-full. >> on and on and on. >> this was almost crazy and that's coming up. first a check -- nice serve there, right? no, stephanie abrams from the weather channel. >> we have two kids who say the weather is better in cape charles, virginia. why is that? >> because it's sunny and warmer. >> much warmer. >> much warmer but the interesting thing about the kids, where is mom and dad, y'all? >> at the hotel room. >> and how old are you? >> 13 and 11. >> 11. >> mom and dad, i'm not so sure about this, but they made is so

hopefully you guy also get home okay. home alone, let's have a look at our forecast through the day yo? >> 13 and 11. >> mom and dad, i'm not sure about that. let's have a look at the forecast. sunny in the afternoon hours. otherwise rain in the lower mississippi river valley. as we head into tomorrow, it all heads to the east coast. it's going to be a soggy one here east of the mississippi river valley. here is a look at what's happening outside your door. it's bright outside of our door. we've got a lot of sunshine. a weak weather front came through the area. kind of stirred the air up, too. it's been a little breezy this morning. the temperatures, those have been dropping, started out in the mid and upper 40s, now in the low 40s, 43 in college park, 44 in d.c. 39 in manassas right now. still going to a high right around 50 degrees. breezy throughout the day. then t >> those two kids think they're pros, debbie you'll make sure they get home. >> i will, i'll take care of

them. >> find out the weather 24 hours a day at weather.com, home alone or not. carl? still ahead, gourmet ideas for the holiday leftovers. but first this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:35, this morning on "today's health" understanding alopecia. you tip cle associate hair loss with older men but it can impact women of all ages as well. here's one teen inlg ear's emotional story. like many young girls her age, caitlin bishop hated her hair. >> it was really big and frizzy kind of, so it was just a big poof. >> reporter: everything changed when at 11 years old, caitlin realized her hair was falling out. >> my mom was combing out my hair, i was taking a shower and she noticed a couple of bald spots. we were freaked out. >> another bald spot, another

bald spot and i didn't understand. >> reporter: concerned, caitlin's parents rushed her to the doctor. >> we called the doctor and we scheduled tons of appointments and it took us a while until they finally diagnosed me as alopecia. >> the diagnosis led to more questions. >> being a girl i was wondering what people would think. >> the biggest fear i had was the unknown. when she would ask me questions i was completely honest. i don't know. am i going to lose it all? i don't know. will it grow back? i don't know. >> reporter: while researching alopecia online, caitlin's mother, wendy, found an organization called the hairclub for kids. >> i came up all the brick walls in trying to do my research, and all of the sudden this voice was on the phone. >> hair club for kids is a fabulous program. it's free, free hair and services to any child between the age of 6 and 17, who suffers from hair loss for any medical

condition. >> reporter: caitlin and her family traveled to seattle earlier this year for a procedure called a hair restoration. >> i'm a little nervous, but excited. >> reporter: the treatment calls a biomatrix system will enable caitlin to have a full head of human hair. >> how does it feel? >> feels good. i don't want to wear wigs anymore and i'll basically have my hair back and be able to swim and curl and straighten it and do everything that a regular kid can do with their hair. >> reporter: the process took less than two hours. >> the moment of truth. >> oh, gosh! looks awesome. oh, gosh, i love it. >> reporter: but for caitlin, those two hours were life-changing. >> it will make life better in a lot of ways, mostly feeling kind of normal and just being like a regular kid. >> reporter: and as far as hating her hair --

>> i love the wave of it and the curl and -- gosh, yeah. >> don't you think it looks like your old hair? >> it does, well it looks better than my old hair. >> i like to see a happy ending. dr. rashini ranlj, good morningo you. >> good morning. >> what is alopecia, how much does it effect? >> it's a condition that affects many people at one point in their lives, sudden hair loss, patches of the scalp, sometimes the entire scalp or other parts of your body that have hair on them but usually it resolves on its own. it is considered an auto immune condition which means your body's own immune system is attack the hair follicles. >> generally speaking most who have alopecia will see hair grow back eventually?

>> 50% of the sufferers have full hair growth within the year. for some people it takes longer. >> we saw caitlin experiencing hair loss at 11 years old. does it tend to affect younger kids more often than adults? >> yes t could occur at any age but usually it starts at childhood. >> we don't really know what causes it. >> right. >> is there anything that's genetic about it in. >> most scientists believe there is some genetic component so if someone in your family has this condition you are at slightly increased risk. many people who don't have family members who will develop it. >> a lot of us brush our hair and find hair, maybe in the shower. how do you tell the difference whether it's normal hair loss that everyone experiences versus something serious like olapecia? >> it is totally normal to see hairs in the brush. the hairs on our head are in different stages of growth and some of them are ready to fall out every day. it is normal to see a few hairs. in this condition a dramatic, sudden loss of patches of hair so you'll see round circles on

the scalp that are bare surrounded by short, broken hairs on the edges. that's a hallmark of this condition. >> we saw caitlin get the amazing transformation with the hair replacement essentially. what other treatment options available? >> because it's an auto immune condition we start with an oral store 'roid or topical steroid cream can help. for some people waiting out but often there is a psychological component to this. >> i was going to ask you about that. especially for youngsters but really for anyone to lose hairdo you have any tips on how people can cope and deal with it? >> one thing is for everyone around that person and the person themselves to understand this can be psychologically devastating, whether you're a man or a woman and no matter what age. so really being understanding about that and doing things like wearing hair pieces or twoigz ma wigs to make you feel more confident. >> doctor, thank you so much. appreciate it. we know you'll be back for the next hour so she's got great ways to feel good in 2012.

coming up next, turning your christmas leftovers into a fabulous brunch. we'll show you how you can do it. first this is "today" on nbc.

♪ rockin' around the christmas tree at the christmas party hop ♪ back at 8:43 on "today's holiday kitchen" we turn your leftovers into a christmas meal. it's your first christmas this year as a mom. >> yes. >> your son alessandro is 3 months old. he's on the right. >> yes, on the right. >> he's too young to work in the kitchen. >> exactly. >> what are we doing today with the leftovers? >> something easy. most people have ham and mushrooms at christmastime, i

wanted to make a fritatata souffle. i separated the egg yolks and the whites, i like to create quality whipping it. the ingredients, parmesan, milk, puree and egg yolk. mix it up. >> what makes it a souffle is? >> the air, the egg whites, you're incorporating the air in it and gives your fritatta a fluffy, light feeling. >> you're talking about stiff peaks which sounds naughty but really isn't. >> yes, look, so it's almost ready now. okay. and now you're going to fold it and you need to take a spatula, remove the whisk, fold in the egg whites for a mixture and you want the air to stay in. it's okay to make a mess. it's the day after christmas. we got a fire on the "today" show. >> popcorn turkey over there. >> once this is folded in we

pour in the mixture, and this is really easy. i think the day after christmas as a host you're tired but there are always leftover guests lingering. >> the product is familiar, a souffle element. >> it's the souffle that makes it special for your guests. >> you're lifting the eggs around the edges. >> we left the edges this way t cooks and you'll cook it seven to eight minutes, put it in the oven for 350 and that's when it's going to rise. it's been deflated a little bit but the texture is much lighter as opposed to a very heavy frittata and it's beautiful. so just lift the edges and that's done. >> okay, beautiful. >> you can have a bite. you can have a bite. >> oh, i will. >> another classic with a lot of american families have turkey for christmas. i've made a turkey pot pie. this is error proof. you buy your store bought cut pastry and potato, turkey, onions, peas. >> as many vegetables as you

like. >> whatever vegetables you had, dump it, put it in the oven, let it cook and you're good. >> the ultimate comfort food. the turkey pot pie. >> now we're going to make -- i'm italian. you ever see the pomatoni in the stores? >> bread and raisins. >> exactly. we're going to make bread pudding. we'll whisk the eggs. i'm going to get your hands dirty. come to my left, put light cream in here, some brown sugar. >> how long does the bread stay in? >> you can do it the night before, let it soak overnight or at least four hours. can you put the bread in? >> all the way in, everything? >> yes, put it all in, get your hands dirty, you want it to soak. go ahead, get in there. >> submerged, right? >> i don't want to ruin my ring. >> what do you think i'm wearing? >> you're a guy. it's different. i got the rock. >> do we have any single people

in here? okay, so the bread is wet. >> overnight your hands are wet, here is the damp cloth, and you can put it in a big casserole, let it bake for about 45 minutes at 325 or individual ramikens, dot it with sugar and butter on top, let it bake and it's so good. >> how many families have leftover panapanatone? >> if you don't have leftovers, buy a box. >> donatella, fantastic stuff, it's delicious. merry christmas and congratulations. >> merry christmas, thank you. still ahead the small changes you can make in the years to come. my ring is still messy. first this is "today" on nbc.

♪ back now at 8:50, with a one-of-a-kind school offering hope through education. here's "today's" contributing correspondent jenna bush hager. >> reporter: open the doors to the monarch school and you'll hear the sounds of laughter and learning. ♪ >> reporter: typical of a good school. but what makes this san diego public school unique is that all of its students are homeless.

open year round it serves kind garden through 12th graders and strives to end the cycle of homelessness. >> i'll give you three wishes. >> reporter: 14-year-old noelle has been homeless for two years. what's the hardest part do you think about being homeless? >> the stress basically, because like stress with food, whether to live, clothes, money, what people might think of you. >> reporter: noelle, along with her grandmeter, sister and baby brother live in this one-bedroom motel room. >> every day we ask the question of how did this happen to us? it's depressing to wake up and not know where is home going to be tomorrow, do we have to call the school and say where we are and it's not easy. >> reporter: noelli and sister jamie spend over two hours getting to and from monarch each day. how important is it to you that your granddaughters get an excellent education? >> it's my life. i want them to have every opportunity that they can have.

>> reporter: monarch strives to create a stable environment, one that combines education with counseling, friendship and support. >> education is the great equalizer. what we're trying to do is give the kids a sense of hope that anything they want to achieve they can. >> they know that they have an identity here as a student and as someone who can be successful and having that stability there is key to their success. >> reporter: academically, most students enter monarch three years behind but within six months they progress a year. in the 18 months since noelle has been in monarch, her reading has improved five grade levels. >> i had no friends, i didn't study and now i'm going and they're helping me, i feel better about myself. >> reporter: with the stigma of homelessness torn down, the students form friendships that resemble family. >> people don't judge you. we're all in the same situation so kind of like it's kind of like a bond, just makes us stronger. >> reporter: the monarch project is the foundation associated

with this school, it provides extra services to the kids and their families. in addition to academic support, each student gets to shop for free clothes, toiletries and school supplies once a month. >> what we try to do which is unique is provide a whole myriad of services beyond the scope of what a traditional school can do. >> reporter: doors open at 6:00 a.m. as soon as the first shelter closes. parents run a coffee cart each morning and twice a week the school hosts dinner for the families. >> we try to make this campus a real place for families to engage, and i think that that is such a hook. >> they really want us to learn and be somebody when we're older. >> i know i'm in a situation but all the school work and the teachers and the friends and the good positive vibes i get from everybody, i kind of feel like i'm in a normal life like everybody else. >> reporter: tell me about this school. is it fun? >> yeah. >> reporter: how come? >> because you get to play and

you get to do art projects and you get to read. you get to do math. >> reporter: and do you feel safe here at school? more than a school, monarch has the warmth and comfort of home. >> i don't want my kids to go through what i went through because i know how it feels. >> reporter: for "today," jenna bush hager, san diego, california. >> i love that story in part because everybody knows it's the early childhood development that's key, sets them for the rest of their lives. >> even with the little boy we interviewed, so articulate and excited about school. great to have a place to go to. still ahead we'll look back at the good times, the bad times and the ugly times, we share it all together here in 2011. there's matt. >> if i was a viewer i would think those people just dance every day. >> it's true. when you were watching commercials we're dancing, there it is, some of the patented moves. >> that's the stuff we can run. >> exactly.

so we just hope you'll walk down memory lane with us and come to the conclusion that we all have, which is we are insane, for sure. >> you got that right. in addition to all the big news stories of the year. before that we'll get you your local news and weather and share some of the most striking images of the past year. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ 8:56 is your time now. good morning. it is monday, december 26, 2011. i'm eun yang. it's a nice day out there for late december. let's check in with meteorologist veronica johnson. >> our november in december continues. we are at 46 degrees right now.

s the loget /w50s in!s it's goingget /wp-cñdox temperature2 ivvget óget /wp-co[ that's our cool spot right now in manassas. going up today to a high of about 50, to maybe even 53 degrees. the breezy conditions, that will

we were checking 495 and 66 for you. no problems. nothing in your way. you are good to go i'm happy to report. 66 at 28, look at it. it's beautiful. 66 at glebe, nothing in your way up in maryland. let's say you're heading to germantown to return presents, middle brook road exit, you are open and smooth. enjoy the

♪ oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful ♪ back now more of "today" on this monday morning, december 26th, 2011, a bright and sunny, a little bit chilly in the heart of midtown manhattan. people have come down the day after christmas to celebrate. good morning, everyone, i'm savannah guthrie alongside carl quintanilla. matt and ann have the morning off as do al and natalie. we're the last ones standing around. >> i think so, but we're lucky to do it. >> yes, we. . just ahead, holiday returns. >> the malls are already packed, bargain hunters looking to scoop up some day after deals. are the deals really worth the hassle of braving the crowds? we'll talk about that in just a

moment. looking ahead to 2012, tips on how to make this year the best ever. we've got some ideas how to get exercise, improve your mind, improve your relationship, we'll get to that and more coming up. plus from your health to social greatness. we'll put savannah to the test how she would deal with awkward social situations, something she's familiar with. >> i'm keeping count during them, why? >> especially some that can crop up at this time of year. did you ever think you'd be giving etiquette lessons in your lifetime? >> i think i'm a lesson in what not to do. and talk about beembarrassi, some of the highlights and lowlights at the "today" show. you don't want to miss it. let's get a check of the news now. natalie is off so we have jeff rossen at the news desk >> looking forward to all of it. good morning, everyone. retailers are calling this mega monday one of the busiest

shopping days of the year, across the country. nbc's ron mott is the at the shopping crossroads of america in herald square. ron you've been there for days no excuse for you. >> reporter: exactly, jeff, good morning and welcome. mega monday, a lot of americans have been on a shopping spree since about thanksgiving night. they took yesterday off and today they're charging back into stores on the hunt for even more deals. they shopped and shopped and shopped some more, but never quite dropped, though prices did, 40%, 50%, 60% off and more. >> you know, there's a lot of deals. i'm quite surprised. >> reporter: today, their credit cards cooled by a day of rest, shoppers are gearing up to go back into overdrive. back into stores by after christmas steals and deals following a month-long blitz that reeled them in to the tune of a projected $469.1 billion in holiday sales, up nearly 4% from a year ago, a happy new year

indeed for the nation's retailers. >> it's gotten really crazy over the years. the holiday promotions started early on in the season and they're continuing right on through the new year. i mean the name of the game is promotions, deals, discounts. >> reporter: on friday, hoards of shoppers stormed malls not so much in terms of discounts but the suddenly released hot ticket item a $180 throwback pair of sneakers, the nike air jordan concord 11, first introduced 15 years ago. they weren't used for gift giving. you're going to resell it? >> yes. anybody want a pair? >> reporter: gunfire reported near san francisco, the christmas weekend was abuzz with last-minute bargain hunting and tracking santa's every move. more than 100,000 calls were fielded by norad with kids checking on his minute by minute progress, nearly a million lights on stand's facebook page from around the world and wide eyed smiles of all ages spoke

the universal language. >> i also got a wii game which i completely love, which is the london 2012 olympic games. >> reporter: fewer miles in colorado, 50,000 u.p.s. packages got snowed in, delivery uncertain. where is the truck, in timbuktu? >> reporter: leaving ac, customers standing in line, wondering if they'd get theirs in time. >> woohoo! package is in the truck. >> reporter: this will be a big week for consumers and even bigger week for retailers. experts say this could account for about 10% of all holiday sales, so they want a strong finish going into 2012. jeff? >> ron mott here in new york, thanks. investigators are still on the scene this morning of a deadly fire that brought tragedy to a family in connecticut. on christmas day, flames swept through their house, killing three children and their two grandparents. the grandfather had just returned home from his job as a department store santa claus. the mother and homeowner, madonna badger, was able to

escape. the house was under renovation at the time of the fire. another christmas day tragedy has left seven people dead in texas. four women and three men were found shot to death inside their home, apparently after opening their christmas presents. police believe the victims were all from the same family, cleaning up wrapping paper, when the shooting began. investigators say the gunman is among the dead and they are still looking for a motive. amazing new image this is morning of the comment called lovejoy or some are calling it this year's star of wonder. this picture was snapped by the crew aboard the international space station from their perch, give or take 250 miles above our planet. the comet has been shining especially bright in the southern hemisphere where an observatory in chile captured this video of lovejoy with the milky way in the background. not talking about the candy bar. tom cruise took the top spot at the box office this weekend, "mission impossible: ghost

protocol" came in at $25.5 million, "sherlock holmes: a game of shadows" and "alvin and the chipmunks: chipwrecked" came in three. hang ten for the third straight year, surfing santas hit the water in cocoa beach in florida for a good cause, gift cards were collected at the event and given to children living at a local mental health facility. and the chilly little polar bear is warming hearts on youtube. the fluffy dynamo was born in denmark last week and already an internet sensation. her name is seku which means ice in greenlandic for those of you who don't speak it. her mother didn't produce enough milk and abandoned her but not to worry, seku has earned a lot of love online and you can see why. >> jeff, you should have heard the ahhh!

polar bear. let's get a check of the weather from stephanie. >> it was cute but not as cute as this couple celebrating their 50th anniversary from texas. was it all you thought it would be? >> it was more and more than that. >> gold is what you tradition alily give. did you get mom any gold? >> ahh, yeah. >> that was convincing. let's have a look and see where the weather will be gold today and it's going to be into the northeast. that's my anniversary present to you guys the nice weather, otherwise not looking good in the lower it's going to be into the northeast. that's my anniversary present to you guys. otherwise not looking so good in the lower mississippi river valley. the southwest is looking sunny as well. here is a look at what's happening outside your door. >> i like platinum better. that's what i'm going to use to describe our weather. absolutely stellar across the area. clear sky now. just a few scattered high clouds. we're at 46 degrees currently and still going to keep climbing. low 40s to the north. we're warming up all across the area. we had a weak weather front that came through here. that kixd our wind up out of the

northwest, made it a little breezy. we'll hang >> savannah, back to you. >> announcer: "today's daily dose" is brought to you by multigrain cheerios, five lightly sweetened whole grains and 110 calories. >> this morning on "today's daily dose" feeling great in 2012, christmas behind us, we can now look forward to the new year so how can you make sure you get things started on the right foot? dr. rashini raj is a "today" contributor and contributing editor to "health" magazine. good morning to you. >> hello again. >> your advice is not the big resolutions, run a marathon, but small tweaks. >> you want to come with small changes that have a big impact and get you really healthy in 2012. >> the top of your list is an easy one, it is good for your

digestive tract. >> absolutely, eat more fiber. i'm a gastroenterologist, all about getting your tract moving and fiber has other benefits, shown to lower cholesterol, can prevent diabetes, heart disease and may prevent certain forms of cancer so whole grains, fruits, vegetables, most americans are not eating enough fiber so it's an easy way to improve overall health. >> number one favorite source of fiber? >> i love the cereals, granolas, bran cereals, but i also love apples and oranges. >> fighting cancer, you say there are some super foods we could adapt into our diet. >> the darker berries the better, blackberries, blueberries, dark raspberries, antioxidant, they have phytochemicals which really do fight cancer. in your breakfast time incorporate granola with berries, add yogurt as well, a great way to improve overall health. >> exercise is good for you, it's on everyone's list every year but you say it's also good for fighting breast cancer. >> right, many people don't

realize in addition to improving cardiovascular health exercise is shown to prevent breast cancer or preventing a relapse. important to get out there and exercise and we're not talking about an hour every day, just 20 minutes, go out for a walk with your girlfriend, whatever you need to do but you need to get out and get moving. >> exercise is great. depending on the type of exercise you get it might lead to back pain particularly for runners. you have great advice to ease back pain. >> we talk about strengthening your core muscles. not aerobic exercise, but weight bearing exercises, things that will strengthen your core back and your core abdominal muscles. 10, 20 minutes a day help ease back pain if you tend to get it. >> what are the best core exercises, pilates, yoga? >> pilates, abtommal center crunches, leg lifts, things that improve your back as well. you can go to a trainer, simple

things online, look for core muscles. >> the body to the mind, it would help to sharpen our memory if we took a break from technology. >> it is interesting, these days we're so reliant on technology our brains are not retaining information the way they used to so you can google something or you can rely on your blackberry to tell you when the next appointment is. >> yes. >> exactly so your brain doesn't have to remember very much and that's not a good thing. we want to exercise our brain and our memory, so at a certain time of the day, 5:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., you need to turn off all technology and really just destress, but also use your brain for things rather than just for relying on the gadgets in the house. >> turning off the technology can be good for destressing for a lot of reasons. do you have other ideas, relieving stress, that's the number one thing that bothers people. >> one of the main ways i like to encourage people to relieve stress is breathing exercises, deep breathing can calm you down in almost any situation and there say certain way to do it so we talk about an article, the

four, seven, eight deep breathing. >> that was a new one. how do you do that? >> maybe you can practice it. you want to start with your tongue behind the roof of your mouth behind your teeth, inhale through your nose for four seconds, slow four count, hold your breath for seven seconds and exhale through your mouth for eight seconds. it's a long exhale. if you do four of those in a row, we don't have to do all four now. >> so relaxed. >> there you go. >> now we have to get through the segment. talk to your partner if you want to improve your relationship, talking. >> this is so key. we're all so busy, we often forget to sit down and spend quality time and i don't mean watching tv. i mean actually talking to each other and add a little touch, pg stuff, a back rub, can go a long way towards improving your relationship. >> last, sleep. seven to eight hours. >> i love my sleep, shown to prevent depression, heart disease, get your sleep.

>> the crew is laughing at the prospect of seven to eight hours. it's a goal, guys, a goal. dr. ranj, have a great year. >> thank you. kate's first christmas as a royal, but marred by a health care for prince philip. a look back at some of the fun times we had on 2011, right here on "today," coming up right after this. but to be honest, i find the omega choices overwhelming. which one is right for me? then i found new pronutrients omega-3. it's from centrum. a name i trust. it goes beyond my heart to support my brain and eyes too. and these ultra concentrated minigels are much smaller than many others. it's part of a whole new line of supplements. there's probiotic and fruit & veggie too. new pronutrients from centrum. look for your five dollar coupon in this sunday's paper. you noticed! these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain

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make you come back to save! get $10 off with... ...no exclusions. we make style affordable. you make it yours. jcpenney. is this your normal? jamie lee curtis?? oh, hi, yes...wow, you really went all out on the decorations, huh?! yeah, but i'm so slow taking them down after all the fatty holiday food. but that's normal. what do you mean that's normal? it doesn't have to be. to me, normal, means feeling good inside. not slow. try some activia. activia helps with occasional irregularity, when eaten 3 times a day. keep a video diary and let me know about your new normal. love your new normal or it's free. creme body wash with nutrium moisture. after 1 week we took their close-ups. when they saw how much more beautiful

their skin looked they had only one question... ♪ dove visible care creme body wash. we cover a lot of very serious stories heerns "today" but you would never know it from the video we're about to show. here's a look back at all the fun we've had in the past year. ♪ you and me and we're running this town ♪ and it's me and we're shakin' the ground ♪ ♪ ain't nobody going to tell us how to go because this is our show ♪ everybody, whoa, whoa, whoa ♪ ♪ come on, are you ready ♪ whoa, whoa, whoa ♪ let me hear you now ♪ oh, oh, oh >> and good morning, welcome to "today" on a thursday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry in for i

guess nobody this morning. me, myself and i. oh your birthday wish to meet me. oh my goodness you have a sign. >> hi, i'm matt. >> hi, al roker. >> nice to meet you. natalie is going to be replacing ann at the news desk and that means there is an opening in the 9:00 hour, so if you would like to host the 9:00 hour -- >> oh, no! i'm savannah guthrie. >> from the white house in washington up to new york city to join us on the 9:00. >> ann curry this lady came from a thousand oaks just for a hug from you. >> because you no he what i give a good hug baby, come on. oh, group hug. >> woman after my own heart, "matt i've purelled a cheek for you to kiss." >> wrong cheek. it was the other cheek. ♪ ♪ i get a good feeling, yeah

♪ oh e sometimes i get a good feeling ♪ ♪ yeah >> i just shook a few hands outside, i'm not sure i should do that. >> don't put those on our beautiful table. >> sorry. >> pb&j, peanut butter and blueber blueberries. >> i'm tasting a dog biscuit. i learned that trick from matt lauer. >> let me tell you a great way to keep your potatoes hot while you're waiting. >> i know all about keeping my potatoes hot. >> i make you nervous, don't i? >> he why, yyes, you do. oh look there's chocolate cake. >> no, you're not changing the subject. >> u.s. -- a mosquito is in here. ♪ we're on the right track, baby, i was born this way ♪ ♪ i'm on the right track, baby,

i was born this way ♪ ♪ born this way ♪ ♪ oh there ain't no other way, baby i was born this way ♪ >> contact lenses have been great for ann's career. >> which actually i don't actually wear them, which is why i can't read the teleprompter half the time. no, but -- >> it's been a long time since i've had the power of the poop but -- >> i'm sorry, that was funny. >> no, guys, you didn't hear it, they're lower in alcohol. you're not going to like them. >> oh. >> still ahead we've got kat lee lee and hoda coming up. >> and it's going to be great. >> what's ann curry doing here? oh, you forgot your blackberry. >> cameo curry. >> ann curry forgot her blackberry. >> her iphone is playing music. >> don't reveal the song. >> it's "glee." >> no, no! oh, no! ♪ today is your day,

everything's going your way ♪ ♪ hey, yeah, hey, yeah ♪ today, yes, today is your day ♪ ♪ today, ooh, today, yeah ♪ i said today, yeah, ooh, today, yeah ♪ ♪ today is your day, yeah, mmm ♪ >> oh. >> i could watch that a hundred times. >> it's just amazing the team that put that together. >> was there any scene that you don't steal? >> oh, stop it. >> i'm serious. >> it's just embarrassing. >> on the ipod thing -- >> don't ask. >> what song? >> it was "glee" but what song? >> the most embarrassing "glee"

song you could possibly have. >> all of america needs to know. >> it was "all by myself." >> oh, no! oh my! eric carmen? >> yes. >> are you kidding me? >> go to commercial. >> cut. >> i'm dying, yes. >> this is big talk from a guy who ate a dog biscuit. >> touche. >> i feel so bad, that was kind of mean. what a great year again thanks to our crew that put that together. ♪ all by myself >> stop it! when we get back, how to get you through new year's faux paxes. >> like that one. >> exactly. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] take the special k challenge. lose up to six pounds in two weeks. get your free, delicious personalized plan at specialk.com. what will you gain when you lose?

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how to turn leftovers into mouth watering new dishes. >> first your local news and weather. can i have the definition? swapportunity: the opportunity to swap a higher calorie snack for a yoplait light. can you use it in a sentence? mmm. swapping a 300 calorie donut for this 110 calorie strawberry shortcake is a good swapportunity. that's not a real word. oh haha it's real. [ female announcer ] delicious, creamy, yoplait light. over 30 flavors each around 100 calories. do the swap today. there's a battery that's relied on to help bring children holiday joy. of course, children don't really think about which battery makes their toy run, but, still, you'd never want to disappoint. duracell. trusted everywhere. creme body wash with nutrium moisture. after 1 week we took their close-ups. when they saw how much more beautiful their skin looked they had only one question...

♪ dove visible care creme body wash. first your loc weather. 9:26 is your time now on this monday, december 26, 2011. good morning to you. i'm eun yang. another nice day out there, very mild for this time of year. veronica johnson is in the storm center with more. >> good morning. nobody will be frowning about today's weather at all forgetting around, getting stuff done. we're in the mid 40s. so it's real easy to take out there, even if you've got on fleece or a light jacket. 46 currently, going up to a high around 50. even north of us we're at 43 in gaithersburg and columbia, 45 degrees currently in college

park. today 50. then tomorrow just 46. tomorrow is looking awfully overcast and cloudy w

eun, it is a beautiful day for christmas returns and exchanges and a great day to be on the roads. look at new york and florida avenues. you got to roads to yourself. let's hop over to the beltway, 495 at river road, beautiful.

495 robinson terminal, looking totally awesome. enjoy your day off. eun, back to you. >> all right, carol. thanks so much. another news update in 25

♪ from the royal wedding to charlie sheen's "winning" ways and the kardashian divorce, the world of entertainment produced a lot of stories that had us talking in 2011. which ones were the biggest according to the folks at "people" magazine? we'll find out tomorrow on "today." coming up in this half hour i have no doubt that you two are smooth customers when it comes to social situations. >> obviously. >> obviously. this time of year can put a lot of faux pax on the platter so to speak. just ahead we'll put jeff and

savannah to the test and you'll teach us a thing or two about minding our manners. >> that's a joke. >> i'm a little bit nervous about this because we don't know what the questions are in advance. >> you didn't peek? >> i didn't peek. >> i didn't peek. >> i'm glad we got that out of the way. also coming up, how did the british royal family spend their holidays, with the duchess of cambridge first holiday as a royal, of course marred because prince philip spent some time in the hospital recovering from surgery. we'll get an update on all things royal just ahead. either of you cook, big thanksgiving? >> i think we all know the answer to that question. >> the answer is no. >> in my house i don't cook but the refrigerator is packed with leftovers. come up what to do with the leftovers, turn them into great meals for today and make the next few days coming up. >> i can do a mean dish. >> empty dish but it's a dish. let's get a check on the weather from stephanie abrams. >> a couple of mainers who got rid of the kids and came down

her here. what are some of the great things? >> radio city rockettes, empire state building, police museum. >> i'm havingoing to go on and . i'm glad you've been enjoying new york city. if you're enjoying new york city, it's going to be raining here in the lower mississippi river valley. otherwise, it is hot. the 40s all the way throughout the northern plains and also into the midwest. otherwise, tomorrow the rain spreads along the east coast. now here is a look at what's happening outside your door. >> that's right, so you'll want to enjoy today and get stuff done. the rain is going to be developing, moving on in tomorrow. we're at 46 degrees right now with a mostly sunny sky. northwest breeze at 13 miles per hour. we've seen higher guests through the area. a breezy day for us from 46 to a high of 50. then it gets wet tomorrow and pretty wet, too, by the afternoon and

>> savannah, back to you. >> kathy wants to say hi, mom. all right, come up next, minding your manners, boy, they're going to put us to the test. how to make it through the holiday season without rustling any feathers. we'll talk etiquette right after this. lee curtis?? oh, hi, yes...wow, you really went all out on the decorations, huh?! yeah, but i'm so slow taking them down after all the fatty holiday food. but that's normal. what do you mean that's normal? it doesn't have to be. to me, normal, means feeling good inside. not slow. try some activia. activia helps with occasional irregularity, when eaten 3 times a day. keep a video diary and let me know about your new normal. love your new normal or it's free. how about both? with covergirl lashblast fusion. our biggest brush meets our fiberstretch formula for a blast of volume and length. lashblast fusion. from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl.

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it can be ho, ho horrible trying to mind your manners web you get holiday gifts you hate or want to skip out on a new

year's party that sounds like a dud. philip gallanos has a book called "social qs, how to survive the quirks, quandaries and quagmires of today" and he puts savannah and jeff's etiquette skills to the test. good morning. >> good morning. >> what is it first that makes these things happen? >> nonstop parties, bad gifts, all that booze, is the time for an advice columnist to come out with a book, because now is when we need it. >> help us, philip, help us. >> here is question number one, actual questions. >> actual questions that came into my mailbox and i wanted to see what these two beauties would make of it. >> yes, beauties. >> every year my husband and i give a new year's day brunch for 20 or so, with great food and champagne. this year practically every single one of the guests has communicated some food allergy or die taert restriction. short of creating 20 individual meals, what can we do?

savannah? >> cancel the party? no. i don't know, what would you do? i guess you'd try to accommodate them. i don't know. >> that was so diplomatic and boring. >> go ahead. >> to me if you have a food allergy it's up to you to mind what you eat, i would try to have a wide assortment of food. >> i'm going with him because we are a nation of fatties, no one is going to die if they miss a meal, so you do your assortment and you're not a short order cook. you're there to give them a good time and i'm sure your party would be very fun for that. >> savannah would just cancel the party. >> second question, a really nice neighbor asked me what i was doing for new year's eve. i told her nothing. she immediately invited me to her pet party for friends and their pets. how i do get out of this? she'll see my car just sitting there all night. >> oh, that's so hard. this is a hard one because you can't say i have other plans. >> exactly. >> i guess you just say you no

he wh know what? i love to get in my snuggly pjs and watch a movie, thank you so much but i think i'll stay home. >> i'll say it's a pet party? who goes to pet parties? i'm not going. >> savannah nailed it. personally i'd pay money to see what a pet party looks like but there's a chapter in the book on it, friends and neighbors you do not have to feel guilty about saying no to people. you just don't have to. >> even if they can see that you're there? >> but you're not lying. you're just saying i'm having a quiet new year's eve >> listening to "all by myself" the ""glee"" version. >> i would go and bring a goat. my neighbors put up their tacky christmas lights the minute after thanksgiving. when can i go over there to ask them to take it down? >> never, scrooge, never, you can't. >> agreed, never. >> you can take, ask them to take it down when you want them to come over to you and say, i hate the color you painted your house. unfortunately, we live in america or fortunately we live

in america. >> until you start paying their mortgage payments it's their business. >> we can relate to the sentiment. i know i called you scrooge but i'm kidding. we all get it. >> this christmas spirit will be out of them in like another week tops. >> i'm sure that my sister regifted a hideous tablecloth she gave me for the holidays, after i made a careful selection of books that i thought she would really enjoy. how do i tell her i'm hurt without starting word war iii? >> i would just repress it and hold it against her secretly for decades. >> that's how families are made. >> exactly. >> it's amazing savannah's been sort of able to go along with life. >> therapy. just kidding. i wouldn't say anything. would you? >> i probably wouldn't say anything. i would never use it. that sends a message. >> bad taste, there's no accounting for any kind of taste. she might think that tablecloth is better looking than george clooney so you keep that part aside but when it comes to regifting, maybe the first time

i'd let it slide, maybe she's a little broke this season, maybe she got really busy but if this becomes a habit, i'd maybe say, give her an easy out. say how about we focus on the kids and stop exchanging gifts among the adults because obviously she doesn't care about you that much if she's regifting you year after year. >> let's squeeze in this last one. my boyfriend is terrific but his generous holiday and birthday gifts are never my style. can i say anything about this without hurting his feelings or do i just keep smiling and shove them to the back of my closet? did you write this one, savannah. >> no, but maybe you can say i really like x, y, z and the boyfriend will probably be relieved. >> i've always liked it when they tell you, hey, a few months out. lead me along. i don't need to be original. tell me what you want, i'll buy it. everyone will be happy. >> compliments, i really love how thoughtful you are. criticism, but why don't we go

looking for gifts together this year? then compliment again, because i love spending time with you so much. >> sandwich method. >> yes, sandwich. >> i'm getting nervous that "the new york times" has seen this because i could be out of a job. >> thanks for playing as always. see you guys shortly, too. up next the british royals spend part of their christmas at the hospital. we'll fill you in on prince philip's holiday health scare, right after this. this monday. shop from 6am to 1pm and save big with doorbusters like... ...9.99 sweaters for her. 70% off sleepwear for him. just 3.99 for bath towels. and buy two bras and get two free. plus with jcpcash... ...get $10 off when you spend just 25. storewide. no exclusions. unlike other stores, we don't make you come back to save! go to jcp.com to see everything on sale. we make style affordable. you make it yours. jcpenney. ♪

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prince philip is missing out on a royal family tradition today, after spending a third night in the hospital following emergency heart surgery. this as the duchess of cambridge earns high marks for her first christmas as a royal. nbc's stephanie gosk is at buckingham palace this morning.

stephanie, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. it's been a great year for the royal family, more popular than they have in a generation, mostly because of william and kate. this should have been a time for celebration, but instead, there was a medical emergency. prince philip was rushed to the hospital. he's the queen's husband, he's been married to her for more than 64 years and he's still in the hospital today. every christmas they come to catch a glimpse of the royal family, but this year the crowd outside mary magdalene church broke a record, 3,000 people. the star attraction, as she has been all year, the duchess of cambridge, simply but elegantly dressed for the day, this was her first christmas as a royal. after the service, kate lingered with the eager crowd taking special time to talk to the children. >> she said she liked your coat, didn't she, and that she wished us a merry christmas.

>> reporter: prince william was a crowd pleaser as well, delighting everyone with a kiss for one of his well wishers. >> oh! >> reporter: but the day was not all festive. the royal entourage was notably minus one. the queen's husband, prince philip, is still in the hospital after emergency treatment for a clogged artery. >> it's a sad day for us, really, i mean, poor old boy is getting on but we really miss him. >> reporter: the duke of edinboro was air lifted to the emergency room friday night, having surgery following chest pains. following christmas lunch, all paid him a visit. prince charles says his father is resilient and determined to make a full recovery. >> prince philip is actually a very fit individual. he's 90 years old, so he's always going to have some medical complaints. he has had actually a heart condition for many, many years and takes medication for it. >> reporter: in her christmas address, recorded days before

the duke was rushed to the hospital, the queen emphasized the importance of family, especially during challenging times. >> the importance of family has of course come home to prince philip and me personally this year, with the marriages of two of our grandchildren. each in their own way, a celebration of the god-given love that binds the family together. >> reporter: traditionally christmas has always been the one time each year that the royal family can gather in its entirety. >> actually it's at christmas where the royals can switch off, just be themselves like any other family on christmas day. >> reporter: any other family who regularly draws a crowd of thousands, that is. today was the day of the big pheasant hunt, normally prince philip leads that hunt. sadly he couldn't take part. the palace says he had a good night in the hospital and should be released shortly although there hasn't been a date set for that release.

savannah. >> stephanie gosk at buckingham palace, thank you. coming up next how to turn your holiday leftovers into delicious treats.

♪ back now at 9:51 and this morning on "today's holiday kitchen" tasty ways to use up your leftovers. alice's day off host, and judge of iron chef america. good morning. >> good morning. >> nice to see you on the kitchen instead of seeing you judge everyone else. >> i got my lumps for christmas. >> talking about leftovers, before we get to the potato, carrots and my favorite the ice cream, how long can you keep turkey or chicken, how many days can you leave that in the

fridge? >> everybody has a different situation at home, refrigerators are different temperatures. i say a couple of days but the famous smell test. if you smell something and you have to back and smell it again. >> if you smell something, say something. >> yes. >> leftovers and potato patties. >> for the leftovers you often have the staple. can you wipe that out? >> no problem. >> you often have the basic stuff. here i've got mashed potatoes. i sauteed up onions and garlic and a little bit of flour, just to hold those leftover mashed potatoes together and give them an extra panache, add some oil. you cook the onions and garlic together, heat your pan, same pan, wipe it out, a little bit of oil, get that nice and really hot. >> these are quick ideas. this will only take you how long? >> this will take a few minutes. cold mashed potatoes, mix the onion and garlic in, a spoonful, right, form it a little bit,

drop that right in the oil. >> you sauteed up some onions before this? >> onions, garlic and a little flour just to make sure the potatoes stay together. it's lick a little friendly reminder like the coast guard in the water, making sure everything is cool. you get those cooking and what you end up with after you brown them is lovely potato cakes. >> do i use my hands or fork? >> either. you get this wonderful crust on your mashed potatoes. you can also sprinkle them with cheese, herbs or other stuff. >> amazing. >> good stuff. >> this is amazing. >> he can't move on. >> the crust is really good. a lot of us have this, just the leftover vegetables, carrots. >> they're crispers, like a graveyard for carrots, onions and parsley. i cut up some leftover carrots, dropped them in a little bit of butter, add some brown sugar. >> all of it? >> yeah, go for it, it's the

holiday. just a little bit of salt and pour in a little bit of water, right in front of you. >> so a little bit of oil. a little bit of water >> oil or butter, brown sugar, regular sugar, honey can work, too. you're just going to simmer the carrots and let them bubble. add leftover wine if there's a leftover bottle of champagne, cook it in the champagne, whatever you've got lying around. >> that gives them a glaze? >> what happens is they get wonderfully glazed, these are all different colors if you only had orange carrots, whatever, but all together you cook them in wine, champagne, water, leftover apple cider, orange juice, whatever flavor you want and let them simmer in the sweetness and a little bit of liquid and they cook down and they clean your crisper out. we have to get the carrots and onions and potatoes, the basic stuff out. >> how did i know this would happen? >> hello. we smell stuff cooking. >> they skipped the potatoes and vegetables and here for the ice cream. >> i noticed that.

>> the extra cookies and ice cream left over. >> i often find i have a lot of leftover candy, chocolate chips from cookies, candy canes left over. this is toffee, you can do a drive-by roll. >> can i do it? >> go for it. pistachios -- i like the half and half. you've got a knock for this. >> for dessert. >> we're elbowing each other out of here. this is vicious >> remember what we talked about, christmas spirit. >> and i really love also you have those cookies that don't have a lot of personality on their own, they need that extra bit of lip gloss and shine and love to be fantastic. >> we got to go. >> thank you so much, alice. >> tha

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i've watched that wind go up and down. we've got wind gusting throughout the area, still at 30 miles per hour. it's 47 degrees now in st. belvoir, up to 50 just south. some of the neighborhoods south of us will probably hit 53, get ready for the rain that's going to start developing tomorrow about noontime and then will move out early wednesday. let's get a look at traffic now with carol parker. >> thank you so much. we've got a little bit of slow traffic southbound 95 from acquan river bridge to the prince william parkway. it is a little slow but it's moving. enjoy the rest of your day. enjoy the rest of your day. back to you,

captions paid for by nbc-universal television hi, it's fun day monday, december 26th. >> the day after christmas. >> we hope everybody had a joyous christmas weekend. >> yes. i wonder if they are sitting up to their necks in paper. is it all around? did you stuff it in a hefty bag right away? are you one of those people who sits in the piles? >> i'm bad about it. we keep it to a minimum, but there still is wrapping paper. somebody has the job of having the trash bag. the minute anything -- we never

open everything at once. one person and one gift so it's appreciated. one person and somebody, everything goes into the garbage bag so it's not a mess. you know the old saying, if mama ain't happy ain't nobody happy. everybody appreciates it now. everything gets -- it snowballs. it gets out of hand. next year is a good idea. >> if you have a lot of leftover paper and thinking what am i going to do with it because we never bothered throwing it away, we had great holiday decorating ideas you can do. >> nobody loves that more than hodi. >> why don't do you this? tape it on some cardboard and turn it into a card? >> for next year. >> that's jerry's daughter. that's all we care about. i think jerry's daughter is gorgeous. this card on a piece of box --

>> you wouldn't appreciate somebody going to that much trouble for you? >> no. >> or you can make a frame. >> look. >> you can have laura's son in the middle of it. >> that's joanne's son. >> it looks like laura's son when he was little. they both have amazing hair. >> that is nameless' child. what you could do according to joanne, why don't you spend time taking the old envelopes and filling them with wrapping paper. line them. because that's worth the time. >> who doesn't want to do that? and my favorite idea -- >> let's stay here for a minute. this is the worst idea ever, okay? joanne, thank you for trying. what else? >> you can scrunch it up and use to get the frost off your car

windows, which is great unless you live in arizona. >> or you can use it to stuff in your ugg boots so they don't lose their shape. that happens with uggs. >> we hope we've been helpful on this december 26th. nameless, we don't tell you enough how much we love you. you work your beautiful little butt off and we adore you. hoda makes such fun of you, but i personally adore you. hoda, not so much. i love you. >> thank you, thank you. here's the thing. let's talk about regifting for a second. this is a big topic. you got a ton of gifts over the holidays. you don't like some of them. so is it okay, do you think it's okay to take a fwift from someone, thank them, wrap it up and give it to someone else? s. >> here's the thing. sort of. because i think it's not so much something you don't like. if i come across somebody that would love it more -- it would

mean the world to them -- >> you always do that. >> i can't tell you how many things i loved and wear and somebody says i love that. i don't know if it's from my life of guilt. i take it off and give it away. if this person loves it so much, is that a bad thing to do? >> i got a gift from someone who works here, but i don't remember. >> who shall remain nameless, jill martin. >> no. >> i think it might have been from tammy. i'm sorry. i think. >> who shall also remain nameless. it was a bracelet with an evil eye on it. it was pretty. i was thinking maybe i should regift that. maybe tammy would like that. oh, my god, maybe it came from tammy. i was afraid to give it. you get nervous. >> how much you get outside of your regular sphere.

>> let's watch a "seinfeld" clip. >> they make great gifts. i just got one from tim watley for christmas. who sent you that? >> tim watley. >> i think this is the same one i game him. he recycled this gift. he's a regifter. >> that's what happens. >> the emily post institute says regift only -- it was right there until somebody took it away. not a good way to start the week, folks. >> regift only if it is something you would want to buy for someone that you happen to already have. the worst thing you can do is regift to the person who gave it to you. frank was going through yet

another divorce at the time. somebody sent him a reindeer. >> reindeer? >> before he met me, the man was a mess. he was invited out with some friends who felt sorry for him. it was christmas. he was in the doldrums. he said i'll wrap something, he took them the very thing they sent him. it happens. it happens. >> a reindeer? >> it was a bronze deer or something. >> that is very distinctive. >> this is what the wrapping looked like. he took the deer and was busted. just be careful. don't drink so much and you might remember who gave you what. >> what is the worst gift you ever received? people are telling us -- i don't remember bad gifts? do you remember? did i give you something bad? >> i don't think any gift is bad. somebody cared enough to give it to you. >> according to natalia from

arizona, this is a beer can helmet. >> he should have sent it to me. >> from her husband's gift exchange party. >> that's sara. that was sara at the christmas party. >> if you are a house guest in someone's home, pay attention if you're watching us. a lot of people don't know how to be a good house guest. you had good and bad ones. >> i had mostly good. one of the joys of becoming an old person, you remember the people you never invite again. we only have good ones and we love them. >> if you show up to someone's house, you should bring a bag of groceries. >> i would be offended by that. >> what if it was fruit and hey, i brought fruit and cheese. >> that's different. that's a hostess gift. groceries with bags like we can't afford to feed them.

>> maybe they'll bring food they like. >> see you always check ahead. this is not going well. >> the next one is, give your host personal space. >> it's their house. >> sometimes you crowd. when you're done, strip your bed. >> that's from nameless. here would prefer you do your sheets and remake the bed. >> and vacuum the whole room and wash the carpet. >> i'll show you our favorite thing. this is going to blow your mind. it is snowing or raining, you don't have an umbrella. you know what you have? >> you have a snood. >> that is a scene from "the girl with the dragon tattoo." >> wait, wait, look. >> that is rather chic. >> and when it rains you have -- or snow, it's water repellent.

>> you pull it further down. >> hey, watch it. i'm here. you can throw it in your purse and go on our website and figure out about it. >> it comes in nine designer colors. >> what you got, girl? >> mary in the make-up room brings me great stuff. this is called dermalogica. $38 at drug store.com. if you go down the back of this thing, you cannot believe the nutrients in this. >> you spray it on your face. >> all day long. for travelers who get on a plane. it fights dehydrate iing, anti-aging. it would take the whole show to tell you -- i don't know if they would let you have this on a plane. >> you need a smaller version. >> you thought something through. i am proud of you. >> miss era. >> what bepter time to think about thank you notes than after the holidays. i love papyrus.

you love handwritten notes. >> i try. >> you do, too, hoda. these are a sweet way. they sparkle. they are $10 and it's a nice touch. it's all in the presentation. >> you know what else it's time for? our fan of the week! >> no! who is it? >> this is a good one. this week our fan of the week is paula mccarty from wyoming, michigan, who watches on winn tv. >> that is what it says. >> they ran out of city names. watches every morning with her daughter. paula put up her own security gate for her daughter who likes to bang on the tv when kathie lee and hoda are on. she loves ambush makeovers and

cooking segments. believes laughter is the best segment and appreciates the daily dose from you. congratulations paula from turning your whole family into fans. we are sending you to jamaica. you and a friend will enjoy three nights at one of the sandals 12 resorts in jamaica. accommodations, all meals, land and water sports and more. round trip airfare will be included, provided by the jamaica for just board. visit our website. you can be our next fan of the week. >> you know what i'm afraid of now. these are so great people are making up why they like us. i would. we're on to you, okay? we are not that great and you're making this up. we are very grateful. >> we are buzzing with the worst and best celebrity moments. >> and how men think. go out without my covergirl. are you crazy?

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now in today's buzz, the end of the year in review. >> the highs and the lows. >> there is no one better than huffington post.com rob shuter. >> number tennis the sexiest man alive. >> bradley cooper got the sexiest guy alive. he's funny, handsome, everything, however ryan gosling was in the running and bradley cooper even said he thought it shut have gone to ryan, which makes us love him more. >> i don't know. next year. >> arnold schwarzenegger is your number nine. >> shocking story came out of the blue. he has a teenage son from a different lady, not his wife. >> but in his house.

>> it was the housekeeper he had an affair with all those years ago. she continued to be the housekeeper. she now left. we yet to have heard from arnold and maria. he is making movies. >> she'll be happy. >> beyonce. >> one of the most private celebrities we met. >> it's refreshing. >> i love it. she never told us she got married, but what she did tell us she is expecting a baby. she told us at the mtv awards. >> she actually got married before she had a tired. how refreshing. >> demi and ashton. >> everybody thought they would never make it because of the age gap. >> guess what? they didn't. >> he was allegedly caught cheating and she sent him packing. >> is it alleged? >> i think it's real. you never read that. now they are getting divorced and hope demi has a great year

coming up. >> we wish ashton all the best. he's young. hope he learned something. >> michael jackson trial conviction finally. >> absolutely. this trial kept us all on the edge of our seats. >> or did it? >> i don't know. >> i was into this one. >> of course, you're rob shuter. my mother didn't. there is rob and then there is my mother. >> circue de soleil is keeping this on tour. >> justin beeber? >> his private life is doing well too. >> she is a lovely girl. >> selena gomez. they are together and happy. the one thing that comes with fame, a little bit of drama. there was a young lady who said she is having his baby. she is taking a dna test and he said he will sue her.

>> he is making a statement. lindsay. >> lindsay, in and out of court all year. >> this is one we got tired of reporting. >> it became white noise. >> it is so sad on so many levels. >> she ended the year doing "playboy." >> is that going to help her career? >> i don't think it's a good idea. >> let's go right to pippa. >> so pippa came out of nowhere. we never heard of pippa this time last year. she is coming to america this year. we are going to see pippa here in america. she is writing a book so is star has been born in the royal family. >> number two is kim kardashian. let's puddle jump to charlie sheen. >> charlie sheen wins our year. >> how does he win? >> there were more stories on charlie and more buzz on what happened and the stories kept going on and on. >> please tell me he is not going to be "time" man of the year. >> he got fired and had to go

through a very difficult public period. he seems to be doing really well. he has a new show coming out that i hear is terrific. he's been a great father to the boys. >> you and i have to act badly next year to get on that list. >> count on it. >> oh, hoda. what's next? what's on your man's mind. our guys tell all. what he's really thinking. my name's jeff. i'm a dad, coach... and i quit smoking with chantix. knowing that i could smoke during the first week was really important to me. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is prov to help people quit smoking. chantix reduced my urge to smoke -- and personally that's what i knew i needed. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic

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yeah, our low prices are even lower. we need to teach her how to walk. she is taking up valuable cart space. aren't you, honey? [ male announcer ] it's our biggest clearance event of the year where our prices are even lower. save money. live better. walmart. my mommy! that's right... your mommy donated her immune cells to help destroy your leukemia. st. jude children's research hospital pioneered this breakthrough that's helping save kids like hayli across america. thanks for letting me play with her. thanks for my daughter's life. thanks for giving to st. jude. give thanks for the healthy kids in your life. and give to those who are not. go to st. jude.org or shop wherever you see our magnifying glass.

our all-guy panel help us make rhyme or reason about man. david is the author of "the man code." >> next is the funny chuck who can be seen on "world's dumbest." saturday morning is host of "the hot 10." he's been married 12 years. >> hgtv called "price this place." >> that would be helpful. >> then we have comedian and actor rick younger who is married with a toddler son. you've been on so many commercials. >> just trying to feed that toddler son. >> pop culture commentator joe levy. he's been married six years. >> let's go across the street to

miss sara. >> i'm here with britney from atlanta with a question about dating. >> i recently turned 30. does dating change after 30 and do guys still chase the woman they want? >> yes. they just happen to be much older than 30. they are still chasing what they want, which is you because you are now 30. >> probably with kids and older. >> he doesn't want a woman 30? >> sure. >> i'm 30. >> would you go out with a 30-year-old? >> no. >> younger? >> i want somebody younger. >> why wouldn't you go out with this girl? she's gorgeous. >> all right. set her up. >> it's a date. >> we can make that happen. >> she didn't look very excited about that. >> i was looking at her. she was like, what the heck did i get into? >> i want a mature man, trust

me. >> move on then. >> it's hot in here. >> let's get to our next question. facebook question from kelly. why do men look at other women then act like they didn't? >> all right. this is instinct versus training. instinct says look, training says i shouldn't. >> i'm married, not buried. i know a beautiful woman when i see one. my wife doesn't want me sitting there like, ah. if she is walking down the street i time it so when she is going past i have a reason to look at something that way and keep moving forward. >> i think she already knew. >> i change my technique now. i wanted to share that with the people out there. i've got a new one. >> i told my wife, i'm looking. i love you, but i'm going to be with you the rest of my life, but i am looking at her because she is leaving. you will be here. i'm never going to see her

again. >> you look too long, you'll be leaving. >> we'll take a little commercial break and be back with our man panel. >> this is riveting. s your norm? jamie lee curtis??your norm? oh, hi, yes...wow, you really went all out on the decorations, huh?! yeah, but i'm so slow taking them down after all the fatty holiday food. but that's normal. what do you mean that's normal? it doesn't have to be. to me, normal, means feeling good inside. not slow. try some activia. activia helps with occasional irregularity, when eaten 3 times a day. keep a video diary and let me know about your new normal. love your new normal or it's free. by marie claire as one of the 25 beauty products that will change your life because it whitens by removing up to 80% of surface stains. see how it can change your life. crest 3d white. life opens up when you do. mom, we're dying. no you're not, you're just hungry. make some totino's pizza rolls.

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we are back with our back panel. chuck nice, rick younger, chuck levy. >> more questions. >> back across the street with sara. >> bobbi from boise. she has a question about communication. >> my question is, why do men like to, from your perspective, do texting instead of calling personally on a phone to ask a woman out or to even anything. go to texting. >> this is so simple. men are lazy. men are lazy. it's easier. it's easier. >> wouldn't you rather hear a woman's voice? >> she is saying exactly what i

want. >> i prefer the telephone. you spend so much time then you tone gets misinterpreted. i like to talk. i think that might be a generational thing. >> i enjoy texting. it's easy. you can think about what you want to say. >> would you ask a girl out? >> no. i would never ask her out. >> you're married. >> right. that means i can control how much you talk because i am texting. i don't want to call you because 25 minutes later, i'm still on the phone going, yeah, yeah okay, all right, love you, too. >> guys are geared. we don't have a conversation like girls do. >> if you did it like that i would. >> here is jennifer. my man thinks showing affection makes him whipped and makes him look weak in front of his buddies, but very loveable behind closed doors.

>> what a little puppy. how cute is that? you've got to impress the guys. hey, what's up. >> a man who is in love won't care who's around. >> when i stopped doing that was when i realized i was not having sex with my friends. >> know who you're going home with. >> we've got cheryl from nashville. >> i would like to know if you think it's appropriate for a spouse to volunteer their wish list? >> what do you mean volunteer? >> you mean tell them what you want? >> yes. >> i love you! thank you! thank you so much! >> we're not mind readers. >> i don't have to guess or do detective work to figure out what the hell you want? thank you! >> i want to get it right. please tell me. let me know what you want. >> the thing is, most men are terrible at paying attention. women tell you what they want all the time. i actually pay attention and i

check her web browsing history. then i know exactly what to buy her. >> you check her web browsing. >> which is why he is getting her sex toys. >> how do i get my husband to willingly help around the house with our toddler. if i ask, he doesn't want to. i'm tired. help. >> she needs to get up one morning and go. leave the baby, go. this is your child. you take care of him. trust me, you'll figure out a way to keep him alive. >> he might be alive but he might be laying in his own filth. >> he needs a day to realize just how hard it is to do what she does. >> if he is a nasty, selfish guy, he will resent she got up and left. he is not going to learn anything. >> i'm hoping, i'm giving him the benefit of the doubt once he realizes what she goes through he will be willing to do something. >> men need a reward system.

whatever he likes, emphasize it. i don't care if it's donuts or affection. i need you to take care of the baby. there is a donut on the other end. >> donuts of affection. >> that is disturbing on a lot of levels. love you guys. you're awesome. >> our latest inductee into the joy fit club losing over 350 pounds. >> is that true? oh it's clearance time! yeah, our low prices are even lower.

we need to teach her how to walk. she is taking up valuable cart space. aren't you, honey? [ male announcer ] it's our biggest clearance event of the year where our prices are even lower. save money. live better. walmart. sally, you don't need toys when you have... ♪ imagination ♪ imagination imagination ♪ ♪ helps you see the world in different ways ♪ yay! yay! ♪ this is a pony ♪ and this is a choo-choo ♪ [ male announcer ] it's movie time. and this is a... [ male announcer ] with a wii twist. what is this? [ male announcer ] netflix now delivers unlimited tv episodes and movies instantly through wii and nintendo 3ds. all for only 8 bucks a month. ♪ creme body wash with nutrium moisture. after 1 week we took their close-ups. when they saw how much more beautiful their skin looked they had only one question... ♪ dove visible care creme body wash. here's a better idea... pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits.

in just 15 minutes, the light delicate layers add a layer of warmth to your next dinner. pillsbury grands! dinner ideas made easy. add a layer of warmth to your next dinner. when bp made a commitment to the gulf, we knew it would take time, but we were determined to see it through. today, while our work continues, i want to update you on the progress: bp has set aside 20 billion dollars to fund economic and environmental recovery. we're paying for all spill- related clean-up costs. and we've established a 500 million dollar fund so independent scientists can study the gulf's wildlife and environment for ten years. thousands of environmental samples from across the gulf have been analyzed by independent labs under the direction of the us coast guard. i'm glad to report all beaches and waters are open for everyone to enjoy. and the economy is showing progress with many areas on the gulf coast having their best tourism seasons in years.

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it is time for look at me now, the joy fit club. our newest member is a 28-year-old from indiana who lost a whopping 334 pounds. >> derrick dieton. let's take a listen to his story. >> i am 28 years old. two years ago i weighed 529 pounds. i grew up to be a volume eater. it was nothing for me to order a large pizza or eat three or four sandwiches at one time. it was about how much food i could consume in one sitting. it didn't matter if i was hungry, bored, tired, stressed or sad. i always turned to food and large amounts of it. because of my size, i didn't study abroad or apply for internships in college. i'll always remember the stares, giggles and chuckles that followed me wherever i went. it's hard to be invisible when you're the biggest person in the classroom. i had major health problems.

at 26 i was on two blood pressure medicines and struggled with sleep apnea. my sister persuaded me to tried weight watches. i stuck with it. i lost 324 pounds. today i'm in the best shape of my life. i live by the motto, you can only fail if you quit so keep going. >> that is amazing story. >> before we ask derek to come out, here with us is joy bauer, leaders of the joy fit club. >> derek is one of our very biggest losers. his transformation is going to take your breath away. i love his mom is so proud of his accomplishments. she is dragging him all over town to show off his look. >> i loved how he turned down surgery. >> yes. he lost in just the first four months, 100 pounds. then of course continued on and lost 344 pounds. i wanted to talk about how many

calories he was taking in. people on don't realize as you lose weight, you have to lessen and decrease the calorie load because as you get smaller, your body requires fewer calories. if you don't do that, you'll hit a plateau. when he first started the four months that enabled him to lose 100 pounds, he was eating this, about 3,000 calories per day. >> all of this? >> everything on the table. the weight was coming off. >> because he was probably eating 10,000 before. >> exactly. he lessened and now today, to sustain the 344 pounds that he's lost, he eats about 1,600 calories a day. it's still an ample amount of food. it goes to show you. that's why people hit plateaus. because they don't decrease the calories. >> let's meet derek. come join the joy fit club. >> come. >> oh, my gosh!

>> are you kidding me? >> and no surgery at all. >> oh, my gosh. >> wow! you look so terrific. >> thank you. >> what a great holiday story. >> what happened to all those medical issues? >> i'm off all my blood pressure medicine. i don't have sleep apnea. i don't sleep with a c-pap. they all went away. >> you must feel like a gazillion bucks. >> his skin snapped right back. no surgery. >> what do you think it was that food filled in your life at that time that you don't need now? >> i don't know what it was at that time. whatever that problem was, it's no longer there. i think it really just became a really bad habit. i ate the wrong foods and too much of it. it was a bad habit that lasted for many years. >> what about exercise? >> huge part of my life. i signed up for my first mini marathon. i've done nine 5-ks.

i do the elliptical and treadmill at the gym. >> you must be one of the great success stories. >> yes. thank you so much. >> you rock. >> how impressive. up next what? >> we are going to tell you what to wear in the new year. is this your normal? jamie lee curtis?? oh, hi, yes...wow, you really went all out on the decorations, huh?! yeah, but i'm so slow taking them down after all the fatty holiday food. but that's normal. what do you mean that's normal? it doesn't have to be. to me, normal, means feeling good inside. not slow. try some activia. activia helps with occasional irregularity, when eaten 3 times a day. keep a video diary and let me know about your new normal. love your new normal or it's free. thanks, man! that's what i'm here for. ( palms slap ) man: do your simple return

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now in today's countdown to the new year, fashion with metallics and sequins, you can get the hottest looks for 2012. >> the sisters liz lang and janing whatman are going to help us look smashing all season long.

look at you two. >> festive. >> you're going to give ustive looks for different events upcoming. let's pretend we want to stay at home. >> we have that look. >> come on out. this is jody. this is a kind of going out outfit for me. >> jody is staying home. >> you're having a family dinner at home. you don't want to come down in your leggings. you put on a bright pair of pants, a button down. she can wear flats. i went nuts with my color. >> her make-up? >> keep it simple with the make-up. we love malley. she does a great mascara and blush and lip gloss. >> let's say we want to party like a rock star. >> that would be hoda. >> tina come out. >> tina's got plans. >> i don't know if she is taking

her cues from "black swan." she looks chic. i love that this is a neutral color. what i love also is make-up doesn't only have to be about your face. she is wearing this mama mia shimmer. >> the young kids do that, too. my daughter says your face looks good but what about your arms? they are totally into it. >> let's pretend we are going to a beach party. we were invited and we are charlotte. >> yes. >> we have charlotte in a maggie london dress which is so, so cute. because we know none of us sit in the sun any more, you don't want to be ghostly pale. if you don't like me then we love this dr. brand hint of tint. you want some cream with a little color in it to give yourself a little glow on your

face. then throw on an old pair of earrings. >> and lots of bracelets. >> layering. earrings are the limited. they are incredible. >> they are incredible. >> thanks, sweetie. let's pretend we are going to a ski lodge because we can go there. what do you have here? >> i love that we've taken your day taim ski lodge and kicked it up a notch. she is in sequin leggings. >> you have to be very thin to wear those. don't try this over size 10. >> you could wear it with your boots. a longer top, could be very cute on any size. they are from joe fresh, really great price. she is wearing mama mia. no. excuse me. cia bigelow chap stick. >> i have that vest she is

wearing. talb talbot's. >> if you're having a small intimate dinner party. >> we love winter white. we found this an tire outfit at the limited. throw on a bright bag and some bright lips. you want to really stay hydrated in winter. you don't want flakey skin. one of our favorites is curel. they do a 24-hour moisturizer. >> all right. >> let's bring all our models out. >> thanks, sisters. have a very happy new year. >> happy new year. >> up next, awkward. those funny photos of families with their pets. [ female announcer ] help i need a holiday party idea.

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from cats and dogs to birds

and bunnies, there is a special bond people share with their pets. maybe, just maybe, some take it too far. >> the wildly successful book "awkward family pet photos." mike bender and doug chernack. you're so smart to go back to the well. we are looking at the cover on your book. that was a unique one you selected. >> look at the dog's face. i'm trusting you, but now i'm not sure. >> tell us about this book. what made you decide to go this route? >> when we launched "awkward family photos" we are getting pet photos. we thought this deserve as place of its own. >> close encounters. involves a dog named cody. here it is right here. tell us about this one. >> this is one of these amazing photos where you find an alien

abduction back drop in a portrait studio. it's an example of the bizarre photos. >> let's stick with the outer space theme. >> those are brothers. >> those -- okay. all righty. >> the two people are brothers. >> those are brothers. >> we know all we need to know. >> it's two guys in space with a cat. >> why shouldn't it be? we don't judge here. >> this is your favorite. this is a guy and his cat. they braved long lines to get this picture taken with the easter bunny. >> we love our pets so much, we want them to be part of the holiday spirit. >> even if they don't want to be. >> the cat looks like it's about to have a heart attack. >> people like to dress their pets up. what happened here? >> this is an extreme example. some people dress up their pets, some dye their pets' hair these cotton candy colors.

>> it doesn't hurt the dog. >> a family of monkeys. >> they are all dressed up. >> what is going on here? >> this is one of those pictures that speaks for itself. a family with a lot of monkeys and they are all dressed up. >> look how happy they are. >> people love to take pictures of babies with their pets. >> this is interesting. when they were getting married, she said that you have to marry the monkey if you're going to marry me. this is their official engagement photo. >> that takes the rainbow coalition concept to a new dimension. >> what is this one? oh, what is this? >> it's good enough for fido, it's good enough for me. >> we want our pets to be part of everything, and sometimes we want to be part of our pet's everything. >> looks like hannah. >> quit it. what's going on here? the two of them.

>> we treat our pets like babies. in some cases, this dog is 42 years old. why do we do that? i don't know. >> you guys are great. wait a minute. all righty. >> dogs do it. >> all right. thanks so much. >> coming up tomorrow, solutions for your fashion emergencies. >> plus, a holiday survival guide. it's going to be ugly, but necessary. have an awesome day. >> see you. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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