good morng. desperate search.t. to s racing against time find survivors after the powerful tsunami in indonesia. ne0ly 30 people now killed. more than 1,000 injured. the disaster hitting with little warning turning popular tourist areas to wastelands. we're live with the very latest. president trump sends james mattis packing saying he'll leave hisex pos week, two months earlier than expected. thismorning, their growing war of words. no deal. the government shutdown now entering day three with both sious warning it last well into the new year. >> candidly, it's juvenile. >> the senate democrats have the

ability right now to open the government and agree to the deal. >> hundreds of thousands of american workers caught in the middle of the stalemate. >> we're at their mercyt this point. >> a live report from the white house just ahead. all that, plus new evidence. what investigators just uncovered in the ce of that missing colorado mom. her fiance now behind bars chged with murder. white christmas. the stormy weather, bitter cold and snow set to face millions heading home for the holidays today. and holly jolly jackpot! mega millions soars to more than $321 million ahead of tomorrow's rare christm day drawing. making tickets theinerfect laste stocking stuffer today, monday, december 24th, 2018. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb live from

stio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> and w come to"today." thank you for joining us on this christmas eve monday morning. craig melvin alongside kristen welker. savannah and hoda have the day off. that norway spruce shining brightly. >> it's such a treat with you on christmas eve. >> usually down at the white house. here on thismbd. let's get right to this breaking news. the frantic search for survivort afterhe tsunami struck without the death toll climbing again this morning. lucy kafanov has the latest. >> reporter: good morning to you. thousands of emergency workers are combing through the wreckage of homes, cars and hotels in indonesia trying to survivors of the deadly tsunami. at least 281 killed. more than 1,000 injured. those numbers likely to rise. with the death toll climbing

higher this morning,ra a despete search for the living. this little boy pulled to safety after being trapped for more than 12 hours. coastal towns devastated, homes flattened, cars crushed in the debris. no warning, no time to get away because there was noearthquake. >> there was zero warning. there would have been no triggers. it would have just happened. nobody would have been able tot predthis. >> reporter: this is what experts believe triggered the tsunami, this volcano, setting off a landslide. >> e281 peo are dead. about 15,000 people that are displaced. a it'so very different because many, many of the people there were domestic urists. reporter: this indonesian pop band was performing at a beach resort when theten-foot tall tsunami wave suddenly hit. theead singer posting this

tearful message saying his bass player, guitarist and manager died. b two othd members and his wife still missing. sharing this photo of e pair in paris saying today is your birthday. hurry home. with hospitals overwhelmed and the body count piling up, n fears this morning could disaster strike again? authorities warning residents and tourists in coastal areas around the sunda strait to stay away fromhe be a high tide warning is in place until chrtmas y. tragedy has struck indonesia before. more than 2,500 were killed by a quake and tsunami this september. and in he2004, day after christmas, the deadliest tsunami recorded in history claimed more than 230,000 lives. today, more grief and angui for a country that has suffered so much. >> lucy, how concerned are folks

there about another tsunami this morning. it's a very real concern, craig. that volcano is still active. it began erupting again last night sending clouds of ash and smoke high into the air. if there's another partialse collf that volcano wall if another chunk slips into the ocean, that could potentially trigger another tsunami which ia why fol being warned to stay away from coastal areas. craig, kristen? >> a desperate situation there. >> tragic indeed. also this morning, the government shutdown is entering day three and the white house is now warning that the stalemate between president trump and congress could stretch well int9 nbc's white house correspondent geoff bennett joins us wit the latest. what are you hearing this morning? >> reporter: even on thise, christmas resident trump is facing another tumultuous week with parts of the government gon dark, financial markets in a tailspin and now a sudden move by the president to cut short the tenure of his defense secretary jim mattis.

this morning, president trump is abruptlyut pushing his defense secretary ahead of schedule. a announcing in tweet he's replacing jim mtis at the start of the new year. two months earlier than planned. two senior administration officials tell nbc news mattis learned of his n end date sunday in a phone cal from mike pompeo. rather than from the president himself. mr. trump grew frustrated. according to several administration sources, byre rts which painted mattis as the last adult in the room. mattis portrayed as the cabinet mmber capable of reining trump's impulses. mattis' replacement? dety secretary of defense patrick shanahan, a former boeing executive who joined the ad17nistration in 20 it comes as the government shutdown enters day three. as a congressional compromise, remains out of reh. owly appointed acting white house chieff staff mick

mulvaney offering his predictions on how lon it might last. >> i think that is -- it's very possible the shutdown willyo go the 28th and into the new congress. >> reporter: the senate gavelled into session on saturday. but with no deal in sight, adjourned until thursday. ensuring the shutdown drags past christmas. >> 60 votes in the senate, majority in the house, and president trump's signature. that's what will end thista regre episode. r eporter: the stalemate hinging on funding for trump's signature campaign promise, a southern border wall. the white house has dropped down from its $5 billion demand for border security money hoping democrats move up from their $1.3 billion counteroffer. democrats are dug in. >> sru the shutdown isn't over border security. it's because president trump is demanding billions of dollars for an expensive, ineffective wall. >> reporter: government workers caught in the middle of the

stanreff. >> w at their mercy at this point. g reporter: and hundreds of thousands of thoernment employees are either working without pay or being forced to take unpa leave while this partial shutdown drags on. but taiy will be retroactively when the federal government reopens. kristen and craig? >> no doubt that's another pressure point. and there's another story there that you're track chicago ing w the growing concerns about the economy. treasury secretary steve mnuchin made some unexpected calls yesterday. that's get something scrutiny. >> mnuchin called top executives from the country' six largest banks over the weekend. those calls were aimed at calming t nerves of investors following last week's heavy losses in the stock marke and this partial government wn shut mnuchin posted a statement saying the banks told him they have plenty of credit to lend to americanusesses and house dllt holds but you have several saying his attempt at damagou control backfire and drive

even more concern and unease in markets. >> a lot of big headlines out of the white house. geoff bennett, thank fu. ou are headed home for christmas today, there are some problem areas when it comes to the weather. dylan is in forl withur first check of the forecast this to christmas eve. >> good morning. so people want a white christmas, and for some folks in the northeast and out west we'll get it. we have a little light snow falling across central new yorko heastern pennsylvania, western pennsylvaa as well. this is a quick little clipper system that's mainly going to affect us today. it's going to produce perhaps some squall lines up across new england, including the boston area. those are those brief lite periods of heavy snow. just enough to coat the ground andake things slippery on the roads. also enough to make it pretty for christmas neve. it going to amount to much but we're still looking at those potential squalls for today. then that will movegh out to how much snow? maybe a dusting to an inch across most ceareas. ral and northern new england. and then your lake effect snow could produce two to outhree, f

inches especially near sacuse and across parts of pennsylvania as well. on the west coast, we hav another storm system that's going to move eastward. this will guarantee a white christmas for areas in the rockies. this moves eastward, the higher elevations could see as much as 2 ihes of snow through the northern sierra. also the cascades, too, and this will dive down into the four corners and produce some rain andlso some higher elevation snow. and that could be enough to make for that white christm in the mountains. >> good news for some. we'll have a white christmas. dylan, thank you. there is much more to getto including supreme court ginsburg.th bader she's up and working as she recovers from cancer surgery. she's at memorial sloan-kettering here in new york after she had two malignant growths removed from her left lung on friday. doctors eound nodence of any remaining cancer but they haven't said when the -year-old judge may be released. the next meeting of the court is january 7th. and justice ginsburg has never

missed angu nt. now to a controversial call at a high school wrestling match that's led officials in newn jersey to o civil rights investigation. >> the referee at the center of it now benched. nbc's matey bra joins us with more on this story. >> good morning. >> spectators watched as a black wrestler cut off his dreadlocks. that's after he was given two options by the white referee. cut them or forfeit. that video has gone viral with nearly 15 million views. many people were outraged over the ref's ultatum and are demanding justice. moments before his match, andrew johnsonad choice. cut his dreadlocks or forfeit. johnson's hair length and headgear weregainst the les, according to the referee. johnson ended up winning his match but los his dreadlocks. johnson's motherri wng on facebook, hardest thing i've ever seen. he's good now, but that was brutal emotionally and physically. now the new jersey state

interscholastic athletic assottation and stateorney general's office are opening a civil rights investigation. referee allen maloney will be sidelined until it's complete. up with dia is blowing many calling the ref's move racist. chance the rapper labeling then inci bogus. benjamin watson tweeting thisne entire s wreaks of the bias so many fight daily. ava duverney writin to watch this young man's ordeal wrecked an olympic gold medalist calling it sickening. >> in high school as you're growing and developing and establisng who you are, i know as a young black man how much my hair meant to me. >> reporter: actress amanda seals starting #drewfam. >> discriminatory. >> it's not the referee's first brush with controversy. a new jersey paper reported he

called a ref a racial slur. he later apologized. now his latest call leaving the community to wrestle with controversy. >> hard to watch that. matt, what do the rulou say this? >> the rules say that players with long hair or hair beyond their ears can wear lik a p. but apparently this referee argued that this cap didn' do enough to cover the player's hair, but it's impornt to note that he had wrestled previously under other refs andhere wasn't a problem. >> it's stunning how many people have weighed in on thisver the weekend. matt, thanks. and also this morning, london's gatwick airport is offering a $90,000 reward to help catch the culprits behind drone flightshat disrupted operations. police released two people arrested friday night sayingo they are n longer suspects. the drones were fir spotted at the airport last wednesday. ivou1,000 flights had can canceled orted as a precaution, and the british military was deployed to secure the area.

gatwick ran a full holiday schedule on sunday with a small number rev zidual delays. a damaged drone found near the airport is being examined fo any possible connection. if all you want for christmas is to be a mu imillionaire, you've got a shot. the mega millions jackpot has climbed $321 million ahead of tomorrow's rare christmas day drawing. nbc's kerry sanders has more on that. at's the word, kerry? >> reporter: well, good morning. $321 million. a tremendous amot ofmoney. so put down that fruit cake that the bossou don't understand gave you and head out and buy a tickettoday. $321 million on this rare christmas morning drawing will be really quite stunning if somebody walks away with the money. it's the largest prize ever on a christmas day. and at$321 million, gigantic. only four drawings have ever been held on christmas day before. and nobody has ever won on

christmas day. so there's real opportunity. now if you were to win, i was wondering, what might you be able to do with that money? you could head out and buy a ferrari gto. costs $52 million. c actualld buy a couple. you could get a chopard wrist watch for$25 million. buy a couple of those for your family. head out and buy a painting. the card players only went for $275 mlion so after taxes you might be pushing it to buy that one. and since we' talking christmas, the only one who can get to the north pole right now is sanclaus, but you could go in june or july to the nor pole. you could get a boat for two people, a luxury yacht that will gep youere for $90,000 for the two of you. inrestingly, i've been to the north pole. i went up with a group o scientists. there was nothing luxurious about it. it didn't cost $90,000, but it isamazing, guys.

so those are just some of the things you may be able to do, spend with some of your money, if you're thinking about,, we like getting one of these as a stocking stuffer. if you are buying this as a stocking stuffer andiving it somebody, you might want to put your name on the back just in case they win. >> we're talking about mega millions. what about the porball jackpot. that's not too shabby either, is it? >> take a loo at thatsign. it's amazing. $294 million. i'm looking the wrong way. $294 million and so, yeah, that's not too shabby either and that will be the following day. great stocking sffer and, craig, i thought you were going to buy one of these for mend we might share it. >> i did. i'm going to mail it to you. u >> jus that money to pay for all those christmas presents. >> there you go. thank you, kerry. it seems that rudolph the red-nosed reindeer had a shady scheme.

not the real rudolph, of course. a burglar disguised as santa's go-to reindeer broke into a small business i ft. collins, colorado. get this. she took her time looking around , stuffingshlig items into her bag. and maybe it got a little hot inside that giant plush head because the rogue reindeer makes a rooe mistake. there it is right there. captured on camera. b sheathily takes off the reindeer head giving the camera a pretty goodluck. police are confident somebody will recognize the burglar. lesson there, craig, if you're going to commit a crime, do in a holiday themed costume. >> if you do it, don't take the hat >> there you go. dylan dreyer standing by for ol check of theay forecast. what are we looking at? >> i want to know why you neede the flash light. got the red nose. >> that's a valid point. >> we've got a little snow across the northeast. a little bit acros the northern plains and also a bigger storm system will begin to move into

the west and into the rockies as well. down south, we're actuall looking for a lot of sunshine for your christmas eve if you are traveling. and bk through the middle of the country, temperatures warm up quite a bit. into the0s and 60s by this afternoon. that's a look at the weather across your country. we'll goat your local forecast in the next 30 seconds. good morning. i'm storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. skies a clearin out. we'll be left with plenty of sunshine on christm t eve. currenperature in the 30s to around 40 degrees. seasonably chilly outside.

it will be a breezy afternoon. northwest winds today up around 15 to 25 miles per hour. so should stay on the esunny s of the straight, it will be all right. temperatures peak in the mid-40s r christmas eve. tomorrow, mostly cloudy but dry. next chance for rain is friday. >> and that's your lates forecast. >> dylan, thank you. just ahead -- disturbing new evidence found several away in the case of the missing mom from colorado. her fiance nowit charged w murder. we're live with the very latest. also dur the busiest time of year forli deveries, a trucker shortage that's about to get worse. its impact on your bottomline. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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diamond hoops, and more. plus, save up to 30% storewide. only at kay. this is a news 4 "today" newsbreak. >> goo morning. it's 7:26 on this monday, december 24th. 2018. i'm molette green. >> i'm david culver. today, z-burger i giving out free burgers at the location on wisconsin avenue between m.:00 a.m. and 7:00 drop by and get your free burger. bring your government i.d. back in 2013, z-burger gave out over 15,000 burgers during that shutdown. just hours from christmas and all that holiday s from this weekend continues into today. the malls were absolutely packed this weekend. many of you were out looking for last-minute giftss. and de according to the national retail

federation, about 130 million people are out shopping today. that's almost as many shoppers as all of black friday soweeken. stores are staying open late for last-minute oppers. check of your forecast coming up next. >> stay with us. you know when you're at ross and you find their favorite hero at a price that makes you the hero? yes. that's yes for less. yes! with hot holiday toys for all ages, ross is your toy destination. it feels even better when you find it for less, at ross: yes for less. when you find it for less, hey, batter, batter, [ crowd cheers ] like everyone, i lead a busy life. but i know the importance of having time to do what you love. at comcast we know our customers' time is valuable. that's why we have 2-hour appointment windows, including nights and weekends. so you can do more of what you love. my name is tito, and i'm a tech ops manager at comcast.

we're working to make things simple, easy and awesome. your sister stopped borrowing your sweaters?e it's time yes! that's yes for less. stop stealing mine... never. the perfect sweater makes the perfect holiday gift. and it feels even better when you find it for less - at ross. yes for less. good morning. still some clouds in our eastern skies this morning, but they're moving on out. we'll be left wh plenty of sunshine later in the day. pper 30s to 40 degrees right no it's chilly outside. afternoon highs will recover into the mid-fourts today. it will bebreezy. winds 15 to 25 miles an hour. your extended forecast for twe ahead. christmas day partly to mostly cloudy. no rain, though. high torrow only 43. back to near 50 on wednesday and thursday as clouds move back iny and rain is lior friday. thanks., another local news update for

you in about 25 minutes. >> for now back to t "today" show right after this short break.

♪ beautiful shot of the christmas tree. it's 7:30 on a monday morning, december 24th, 2018. christmas eve, everyone. that beautiful tree for us shining bright. i'm kristen welker alongside craig melvin. savannah and h hodae the morning off. a great crowd in the christmas . spir >> we'll get outside and visit with them in just a moment. check os start with the headlines. jim matt sis going to be leavi the trump administration two months earlier than expected. president trump announcing lasg that mattis will be out on january 1st. deputy defense secretary patrick shanahan will take over as acting secretary. mattis handed in his letter of

resindation on thursday was supposed to stay until the end of february but that letter was y critical of the president's policies and may have led to the more abrupt exit. the partial f shutdowne federal government is now in day three with no sign of a we compromise b congress and president trump. the two sides failed to reach an agreemdit on f the president's long-promised u.s./mexico border waat. the s won't be back in session until thursday. and acting white house chi of staff mick mulvaney predicted the shutdown could last until january. mary poppins umbrella was not enough to fendff "aquaman." he was king of the seven seas and t multiplex. $72 million in u.s. ticket sales. mary poppins returns was well back in secondpl e. the musical starring emily blount sold $22 mlion in weekend tickets. one of the smallest debuts for a disney movie this year.

new developments in what aspolice now say the murder of the colorado mother who vanished on thanksgiving day. this morning, her fiance is under arrest, and new evidence has been discovered. nbc's steve patterson has more. good morning. >> reporter: it has just been over a month since kelsey berreth was first reported owssing. policeelieve she was murdered, and her body has yet to beisfound. morning, a multistate investigation into the rance ofving disapp kelsey berreth, the colorado mother who sappeared in november. police in twin falls, idaho, releasing a statement saying in part that they had worked with the colorado burea of investigations and the fbi to prepare and serve several search warrants, as well as processing some items of evidence. the news comes nearly a month after berreth's cell phone pinged a tower in idaho. frat rick azee arrested on friday. police carting him away fromis h

ranch. >> patrick frazee was charged with first-degree murder andci sotation for first-degree murder. reporter: it opens up the possibility that others may be involved in her death. >> at this time there is only one arrest. re will be w if t additional arrests in our future. >> reporter: the desperate search to find sey now officially a search to find her body. >> we do not believe kelsey is still alive. >> reporter: the arrest comes after they zeroed in on berreth's home, making multiple trip hauling away evidence. >> we've uncovered a number of items that make us suspicious the crime occurred at h'berr resident. >> reporter: she was spotted shopping with her 1-year-old daughter who is now in protective custody frazee told solice heaw kelsey later that day at her ehome. sh then vanished with cinnamon rolls still on the stovend her car parked in the driveway. they scoured the property for any sign of berreth but came

up the mystery deepens while the man prosecutors believe is responsible for her death sitsn bebars. >> what a tragedy on this holiday. steve, are we expecting to hear from frazee any time soon? >> he's being held without bondt his next c appearance scheduled for new year's eve. we reached out to the public defender's office, but it's their policy not to comnt on pending criminal cases. let's switch gears here and get a cck of the ather. dylan is in for al. we know some folks will be having a white sochristmas. other folks warmer than usual temperatures. >> yes. f's going to be feeling more like spring some folks. especially down through the southern plains, down across texas. a lot of sunshine and mperatures above average. we've got a strong southerly wind up to m0 to 30es per hour. that's going to help to bump up our temperatures. and we are looking for highs running about 10 to 15 degrees above average. so it's not liket's crazy warm. but, still, low 50s for this time of year in wichita and

kansas city is warmer than expected. as we go through the week, temper57ures up to in kansas city. by thursday, low 60s in tulsa. on the flip side of that, dodge ty will drop to 39 degrees by thursday. so who is getting ari white mas this year? well, we are going to see it out in the rockies. the storm moving in from the west. the northern upper midwest and northern plains could see somel t snow by christmas morning and then across the northeast, especiallyreas used to lake effect snow could get that white christmas tomorrow. that's a look at the weather across thecountry. now here's a peek out your window. >> i'm meteorologist chuck bell. skies are clearing t. we'l be left with plenty of sunshine on your christmas eve day. temperatures in the upper 30s, now.0s a nice afternoon. northwest winds today. a bit of a breeze at times. you'll notic itor sure. daytime highs today in the 40s. mostly mid to upper 40 around town. christmas day tomorrow, waking up with temperatures below eezing. and a mostly cloudy and cold christmas day coming but no rai

or snow. and that's your latest . foreca >> dylan, thank you. much, much more ahead on morning, stmas eve including some help if you still have holiday shopping to do like myself. we've got solutions so simple you don't even have to leave the sofapl f>> us, a growing crisis that impacts all us. america's trucker shortage. why it could have you paying more for nearly everything you y. then, an early christmas present for meganr. trayno inside her weekend weddg. but first, delivery by drone? amazon predicted it would be huge this year. so what happened? we'll get some answers right after this. ♪ you gotta see this! ♪ owen's gonna do it! ♪ i got him. ♪ come on, come on, come on! alright!

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or vision changes. w tell ytaking ozempic®hu have a sulfonylurea or insuliny may increase the risk for low blood sugar.ct common side efare nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, anconstipation. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. i discovered the potential with ozempic®. ♪ oh! oh! oh! ozempic®! ♪ (vo) ask your healthcare provider if ozempic® is right for you. we're backhin christmas eve. carson joins us. >> good morning. >> good morning to you. d this morning, drone delivery. >> amazon's ceo jeff bes has

pretty good track record when it comes to making his dreams his reality. onef his high-flying predictions hasn't quite gotten off the ground.di chwartz has more on this. what happened? >> reporter: good morning. it was five years ago that amazon's ceo jeff bezos predicted that by this year amazon would be delivering packages b drone. federal laws, even technological hurdles have made it easier said than done. how close are? th it's christmas 2018 and, still, no amazon drones. back in 2013, amazon's ceo jeff bezos predictedhat by now swarms ofs butty robots could be delivering packages to our doorsteps. >> could it be four, five years? i think so. it will work. and it will happen but it's going to be a lot of fun. >> reporter: the drones would be able to deliver items up to fivn pounds wit ten-mile radius of an amazon warehouse. but there were and stillre a federal aviation rules to >> such as drones not being able to fly out of t line of sight of their operators.

and there are even mo leghurdle. they generally can't fly more than 400 feet over federal facilities or within five miles of an airport. night flights are also forbidden. in a statement, amazon tells nbc news we're committed to making our goal of delivering packages by dronen 30 minutes or less a reality. adding, we continue to collaborate closely with the federal aviation administration and other regulatory bodies around the world to realize our vision. and looking at bezos' track record, there's little reason to doubt him. the website that initially only sold books now sells anything and everything, including fresh food. >> here's the weather in new york for thisweekend. >> reporter: amazon's voice-activated personal assistant alexa has become a bonnified phenomenon, providing feel tim information on command. all while bezos' cpany blue origin is even working on taking us to the stars. >> this is the firstre able rocket in the world. >> repor hr: some argueis most impressive accomplishment,

getting us to pay for free things. >> you need to join amazon prime and you get free shipping. >> free shippingor only $79 a year? that's not free. >> reporter: with that kind of drive anddetermination, maybe it's only a matter of time before amazon's drones beat out santa, dropping gifts right dn yo chimney. there are still some technological problems, and one of theng biggest b battery life. amazon didn't give us a firm date when they expt drone deliveries but they're working on drone development centers in five countries and alsoeveral private companies as well as the u.s. government researching drones for deliveries, especially to disaster areas. one company called zipline is already making drone deliveri of medical supplies and blood transfusions in rwanda with hopes to bring those flights to the united states soon. guys? back to you. >>adschwartz, thank you. >> would you trust a drone to deliver your agpa >> depends on what i'm ordering.

maybe not with electronics. >> i like it for the -- like in rwanda. that technology should be earmarke >> i think we're okay waiting for a few days for a truck to pull up. >> we continue to wait. all righ s up next aking of deliveries, there's a massive truck driver shortage facing the icountry. why could lead to a big hit on your wallet. that's right after this. ♪ ♪

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♪ welcome back. imagineris for food, clothing, electronics going up and up. imagine even worse,ms those i not being available at all. >> 70% of all products in the u.s. are delivered by truck. and the industry is facing a crisis. there simply aren't enough drivers to meet needs. here's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: in general, on-demand goods are something americans take for granted.ha

but t may soon change. >> w have a shortage of drivers in the neighborhood of 50,000, r 60,000 dr but they are smiting by the year -- in the 2020s that shortage will be as large as 175,000. >> reporter: lynette brown is the chief financial offic for kkw trucking. and they he jobs they can't fill. this orientatio course designed for eight had only one trainee. >> any given day we'd have, say, 100 shipmentshat need to go. if we only have 80 drivers, that means 20 sit behind. >> reporter: retirement, stagnant pag gruelin lifestyle and gender disparity are some of the problems. >> the average age of truck drivers today is quite high. it's pushing 50 years old. don't have very many females truck driverstoday. it's growing but it's about 6% of all truck drivers are female. >> reporter: outdated

regulations also limit the work po. >> you have to be at least 21 years old to haul interstat freight. so we miss all these people that don't go to llege. >> reporter: casey swim has been behind the wheel for over 30 years. >> it's a lot to get used to. you have to be verde ndent. you have to be kind of a person that doesn'tom like to be all the time. >> reporter: but the industry is changing.re salaries going up. pets are welcome. trucks are now coming wh amenities like double bunks, fridges and tvs. and women are actively being recruited. bonnie brown started driving trucks cross-country just over year ago. and now helps with recruitment for kkw. she says the lifestyle can be hard, but the advenre is worth it. >> it is just so muc to see in this country alone. it's just so many cultures and different ways of life.

i feel like driving a truck has changed me forever. >> reporter: the driver shortage is already beingy felt b consumers. higher price for products, longer delivery waits, and inrt paue to shipping costs, amazon hiked its primeme ership from $99 a year to but as long as consumers continue buying, truckers will be in demand. making the trucking industry one place where it's good to be in the driver's seat. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. one possible solution, some trucking companies are now partnering with the military to cruit and train outgoing veterans. i love that they're recruiting more women as ll. >> she's right. the drive, i rode my across this country and there are amazing sights to see but the thing is, i did it once. >> i did it with my dad about fitimes. that's like the thing we did.

>> youonould see how pase she was about that. just ahead, a stinute guide to the holidays. erom gifts to wrapping to entertaining, simple solutions. plus, a bonus with their burgers. mhanks' holiday surprise for unsuspecting diners. first, your local news. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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this is a news 4 today newsbreak. >> 7:56 is your time on this monday, december 24th, 2018. goodorning to you. i'm molette egreen. person -- a crash in bristow. five people were inside a car when it crashed. three people were thrown from that carnd had to be flown to the hospital with serious injuries. we are two days into the government shutdown. visitors to the national mall on this christmas eve won't be able to get close to the national christmastree. the information kiosks are unstaffed and some rest rooms at monument sites are closed. mark rangers are also on furlough because of the shutdown a check of your forecast coming up next. stay with us.

we already have a fai amount of sunshine over washington this morning. temperatures are chilly for sure in the upper 30s, low 40oos. afte highs in the mid to upper 40s across the area. aostly sunny sky. breezy at times, though. for your christmasday, wake up with temperatures below freezing in many of the suburbs and highs in the low 40s tomorrow with lots of clouds but no rain until friday.

♪ oh, the weather outside isl fright♪ it's it's 8:00. coming up -- let it snow. the stormy weath that would impact your holiday travel plans. will it be a white christmas after all? dylan has the very latest soou n make your plans. plus, walf faith. >> it's 8:13 so we need to -- >> she set out on ailimage to find a deep er meaning to life. >> a friend is enduring her own uncertainty. no problem if you're still making your list and checking it twice. we've got last-minute ideas to

help you finish your holiday shopping. and e youven have to leave the couch, today, monday, december 24th, 2018. ♪ first time in new york city >> from north carolina. >> feliznavidad! >> happy holidays! ♪ >> from maryland -- >> fromeorgia -- >> here on "today"? >> hi to my friends and family in hoton, texas. >> celebrating my1st- birthdaybirthda birthday -- "today"! >> and welcome back to "today." craig melvin alongside kristen welker. finish your shping? finished my shopping. are you ready? >> i am not. >> y have few more hours. >> i'll get some help a little

later. some last-minute tips for all of us procrastinators. it's a busy g morning so let's right to your news at 8:00. the search for survivors is growingore desperates the death toll soars from this weekend's tsunami in indonesia. and new trouble could be on the way there. nbc's lucy kafanov joins us with breaking details. >> good morning. the focus this morning is on search and rescue operations. this was a holiday weekend in indonesia which means the beachside hotels and resorre packed full of families. those areas now flattened by the foot tall wave. nearly 300 killed so far. more than 000 injured. they are combing through the wreckage as we speak. a desperate search for survivors with the death tl expected to climb even higher. this is a race against the clock. there are new fears this morning of more deadly waves. experts believe an eruption of the krakatoa volcano set off a

landslide triggerin that tsunami. the volcano is still active. if there's another landslide, disaster could strike indonesia yet again. >> lucy kafanov, thank you. and there appea to be no compromise in sight in the government shutdown, but the end of the jim mattis era will come much sooner than expectne. geoff b has all the latest from washington. good morning, geoff. >> reporter: good enrning. on this christmas eve, president trump is facing another chaoticweek. mr. trump announced in a tweet over the weekend that he's d replacinense secretary jim mattis at the start of the new year. two monthsha earlier planned. now his replacement is deputy secretary of defense patrick shanahan. or's ar boeing executive who joined the administration in 2017. that's all unfolding as this partial government shutdownte day three. the senate gavelled into session on saturday but wit no dealn sight, they adjourned until

thursday. ensuring the shutdown drags past christmas. but, look, there's a glimmer of good news in all of this. the utdown isn't putting a damper on a long-running pol day tradition. norad is still tracking santa's journey this christmas eve like it has for the last 63 years. so merry christmas. >> a little bit of good news in a very busy news cycle. geoff, thank you. another big story, the holiday weathe especially after last week's rough start to the holiday rush. but a lot of folks wondering, or l we get a little snow christmas? will be it a white christmas? dylan dreyer, what's the word? >> for some, yes. through upstate new york, northwestern pennsylvania once the lake effect snow kicksin. clipper system producing snow through eastern new york. also just to the north and west of new york city across northern new jersey and northeast pennsylvania, this system will race through the northeast today. so you will see some flakes. especially in the boston area today. snow squalls could develop.

that couldeduce visibility on the roads. keep that in mind if you're traveling in that area. won't really accumulate but enough to make things slippery with those gusty winds. then this will continue to pull away. we're looking at perha a dusting to an inch but then some lake enhancement we could see two to three inches across portns of the great lakes area. now out west, we have another storm system that's going to move in. actually of concern this morning will be for the high tides. soe could see some flooding in san francisco and also across seattle withib flooding po. this will move eastward. pretty much guarantees a white christmasor parts of t rockies. across the northern sierra, they could see 20 inches of rysnow. ood news for the ski resorts. this will eventually turn into a storm sldtem that c produce significant snow across the upper midwest by the middle of the week. >> all right. a white christmas for some. we'll take it. tomorrow's christmas night mega millions drawing could make it a holiday to remember for some lucky player since there

was no big winner on friday. the estimated jackpot now stands at $321 million. this is oy the fourth time in the lottery'sha history tt a drawing will be held on ristmas. and nobody has ever won it on christmas day. by the way, the winner of be yet. the ticket worth $1.5 billion i was sold south carolina. so, craig, some last-minute gift ideas for you. >> people in south carolina, i can assure you, it wasn't one of them. hoda is off but she left behind a mning boost. a little girl's note to santa is proof the holiday spirit does, in fact, travel beyond borders. 8-year-old tied her christmas list to a red balloon hoping it would travel from mexico to the north pole. it lande t across border in arizona and that's where randy found it. >> it was obvious it was a christmas list. the cld lethe balloon loose

with faith that someone would find it. if you happen to find it, you don't turn away from an opportunity like that.o >> with clues from the no , randy found that girl's home town and asked a radio station there to help. randy and his wife who lostr thei only child years ago drove to mexico with presents for her and her family. they sayug it bht them healing joy to see those little faces light up. >> i have chills hearing that story. that's a christmas miracle. >> that's a christmas eve rning boost. >> and for sure. just ahead -- one american's remarkable journey. a 500-mile pilgrimage to find the deeper meaning of life. on this christmas eve, some very last minute holiday help for all of us procrastinators, including the gts to grab if you're in a real pinch this morning. first, these messages.

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huseventy five percent off andthe entire store, with last minute gifts from three, four, and five dollars! you still have time for last minute gifts! buy online and pick up in store. the entire store is on sale, with up to seventy five percent off, only at old navy. what does it take to work that's a great question. if you'd stop in a monsoon to help someone change a tire, save a whale that had beached itself... you're gonna be ok big guy. push! lend a hand in an old-timey barn raising... you got it, jebediah! and if the middle school dance group was down one member and you'd step in and lead them all the way to glory... yes! then carmax is for you, because helping people is what our people are all about. we are back with our special series on t o power faith. when you think of a spiritual pilgmage, you might think o

jerusalem, perhaps even rome. >> in northern spain, there's a less-known shrine. and they get there on foot. keir simmons decided to check out this walk of faith. good morning. >> reporter: hey, guys. merry christmas. a time when many folks relax with their families but also a time to reflect on your faith. for a thousandyears, pilgrims have walked hundreds of miles to santiago to a place considered holy by millions of this morning, we are following one american pilgrim's progress. ryan holland is a modern dayri pilgm. >> it's 8:13. so we need to get stepping. >> reporter: starting from a village in southern france, the washington, d.c., native sets off into the mountains. >> we've been walki for abo three hours. >> reporte a 500-mile journey of enself-dial, self-reliance,

self-realization. a month has passed. on the pilgrim road they call "the way." >> hi. >> hello. >> how fitting to meet you at a crossroads >> how far have you come? >> a little over 300 miles. we have about 200ore miles t go. >> as many do, ryan has found a compannian to share the journey. >>s this my friend celine from paris. she actually walked from paris. >> youro walked paris? >> yes. >> the historic walk ismb ized by a simple scallop shell carried by pilgrims who are lrning so much. >> how big god is and how small you are. reporter: though not every lesson need be sos. seri >> we learned that god made the same frog in the u.s. and

france. >> it's france it's -- >> not ribit, ribit. >> reporteome days they'll cover 30 miles or more on foot and spiritual. the end of a long day, a warm welcome at a local church. and along the route, many hostels where a pilgrim's passport is stamped and dinner and a bed costs less than $10. for these folks, love thy neighbor applies to anyone on the walk. often people in need. >> they lost their job, they lost their partner and they need some time to puthings back in order. >> repter: some days, ryan and celine will have walked for eight hours or more. the simplicity that you don't get in your everyday life. just to be simply okay with where you are and that you're fed and you have a bed. >> reporter: this, their ultimate destination. th spectacular cathedral at

santiago. said to be the final resting place of one of the greatest of all saints. this is what people come to see. it is said that theones of the apostle st. james are buried in that casket. day two with our pilgrims back on the road in cold december weather. >> god is going to put you in all types of weather. >> reporter: and yet, they say -- >> our father who art in heaven -- >> rorter: theirrayers have rarely been more resonant. their friendships more rich. >> i chose to hike it as a form of prayer to oer for a frien who is enduring her own suffering and uncertainty. so not by any means have iye en my blisters or my hunger or any sort of discomfort, but as i choose to accept it i can then offer it up on her behalf.

>> reporter: and justg mak to the end of each day along this long road. a small victory on a faith-strengthening journey to discover t world and yourself. incredy.le hist amazing to think there are more lgrims coming here than there were in medieval times. the last part of the pilgrimage is on a beach a little way from here where people burn theirwh clotheh is probably not a bad idea if you've been walking in them for more than a month. guys? >> probably not. just incredible, tkeir,nk you. eight hours a day? >> would you ever do anything like that? >> probably not. maybe one hour a day. >> you could not. my goodness, those who do, i can only imagine. >> tremendous. >> mr. daly, a special christmas day -- >> it's happening. our buddy megan traynor got married in the backyar of her

l.a. home over the weekend. they first revealed their relationship in 20. the singer posted this photo saying i'm a wivy for livy. best birthday ever. thanks to everybody who helped make it happen. congratulations to the couple with a l to celebrate. up next, tom hanks has ati repu for being mr. nice guy and for very good reason. hanks and his wife rita wilson stopped by an in-n-out burger and decided to pick uphe tab for several customers waiting in the drive-through. hanks also took time to take photos with fans enjoying a meal at theopular fast food chain. snapped a bunch of pictures there inside and outside the restaurant. even stopped by individual tables to greet diners. the surprisee appearaas exciting for the residents of fon fontanlifornia. it's about 50 miles outside of lot ofd they don't get a

celebrities swinging by their town. and mindy kaling. remember reese with aewitherspo? she created a"reese." the holiday project inspired lotsf fan editions and mindy decided to up the celebrity theme decorations for what she called a very punny holiday party. the photos of her latest crafts on instagram. gingerbread armiston. and the chris pine tree with photos of her wrinkle in time co-star. and the matth mcconna-tree. nd judy garland making an appearance. leave it to our buddy mindy to have a great idea. >> she never disappoints. >> nope. >> that wascr tivity. >> we've got a pop start extra for you.

and we alnow arianyaiana grande can hit the high notes. now she's letting us in on her early days belting out celine dion's "the reason" at just 4 years old. >> what would you like to sing? ♪ ♪ you are the reason the reason ♪ >> she also shared another video with her mom singing. these little car concerts would eventually pay off for the superstar. >> she's feeling it, too. >> digging deep. >> that'simpressive. >> carson, thank you. how about a little forecast? >> takin l ak across the country. we do have some tricky weather spots. especially across upstate new york and back through northwestern pennsylvania.

that will mov into eastern new england later on this afternoon. we could see briefquall lin of snow. also looking at sunny skies down south. temperatures in the 50s and 60s. a big storm movesnto the west coast. flooding possible from seattle to san francio. a bignowstorm for the rockies, sierra and also parts of the cascades. th's a look at the weather across the country. now here's a peek out your ow wi >> i'm meteorologist chuck bell. bright sunshine now on a chilly christmas eve morn temperatures in the upper thu30o around 40 degrees. not a big rise in temperatures. a northwest wind will be breezy and blustery at times. afternoon hies today in the mid to upper 40s. will be cold if you're headed out to late night services. windchills in the 20ncs. next cfor rain is friday.>> and that's your latest forecast. kristen? >> dylan, thank you. ifou are just waking up and realizing today is christmas ve and you still have some

shopping to do, don't panic. >> tim herera is the editor of "the new york times" smarter living section. de's here with a digital gift guide. ou don't even have to leave your couch. >> everybody has a smartphone. such a blessing come holidays for people like me who a always last-minute shoppers. tons of great ideas you can get from the comfort of your own home. >> all is not lost. very interesting where it feels li every other day there's a headline about millions of people losing their identity. password protection as a gift. >> it's not the most glamorous of gifts but something i literally goty paren last year for christmas. so having a password protector isar just of general digital hygiene we should all practice. you set up one singlpassword and this password manager holds your passwords for all your log-ins. know one need to outside of that master password.

two services i like. last pass and 1password. it's not the most glamorous thing butct a pal gift. >> what about in terms of price for those? >> l it pass around $24 a year and 1password is $36 for the year. worth every penny. >> very affordable. >>absolutely. >> what about the entertainment apps? >> one app is audm. it has audioon versions of reads from some of your favorite magazines like the new yorker or atlantic and wired and it's a tally good way burn through all those stories that are sitting in open tabs on yourr brown your desktop you'll probably never get to. throw it on while doing lundrla, cleaning, cooking. you'll actually get to them now. >> streaming services. some of these folks have obviously heard of likeot y, netflix. but there are a couple that folks perhaps have not heard of.

there's one you like in paicular, utube premium. >> everybody uses youtube. but youtube premium is $16 a month. that gets you ad-free youtube. and originals a music which is youtube's music streaming service which is really eat. >> what's the one shutter all about. >> if you have somebody in your life who is a horror fan, get them a subscription to shudder. it's a streaming video service that focuses on horror films. >> i love horror sifilms. me up. >> things you've never even order of. c >>nchy roll? >> so it's another video streaming service. s focusedely on anime. if you have an anime fan in life, they'll love you for life. >> and carson would love this one. >> twitch. >>t' hugely popular with the younger set. you can watch people play video games. >> and the other big category, health and fitness.

you have to be careful with this one. om you have to know your audience when it to giving health gifts. a couple of like is an app called lose it. a fitness and nutrition tracking input everything you eat, all the exercise you do. it helps you track over time what your eating habits are like,ieour cal count, all kinds of stuff. night'syone wants a good sleep. there's an app for that apparently? >> i'm one of those people. di u an app called sleep cycle. i used it last night. when you are s going toep you turn it on. put it face down on your bed and it tracks the timnd quality of the sleep you're getting for that night. >> another one called playbook. >> it's anng ama fitness app where it's $50 a month --$15. and you pair up with a personal trainer and essentially have ao pe trainer in your pocket. workouts, yoga or strength training, they have it. it's great. ha personal trainers sit there and tell you to eat and not eat? >> not there yet.

evolutioe next >> great ideas. tim herera, thanks so much. we have talked a lot about last-minute shoppin and shipping and last week, craig took some friendly teasing from our correspondent kerry sanders who mentioned on more thanne occasion that craig may be a procrastinator. he's still not done yet. craig felt a little bad so he -- kerry felt bad about it so he mailed craig a special surprise. he even put the box on the usps conveyor belt on live tv. so did it arrive in time? that's the big estion. well, the ups driver is here to delihe special delivery in. pers here it is. >> u.p.s. i actually have a special package for craig. >> what is it? >> thank you so much. >> you have to open it up. >> we're not going to have anything pop out of this, are we? >> i don't know. kerry, this was impressive. this was impressive.

>> easy to open. off to a good start. >> this is something we know you needed. >> craig, to replace your old unicorn slippers that have worn out. >> oh, boy. >> craig, how are m sources? are my sources good? your old unicorn slippers have worn out, i've heard. >> you've got to hold those up. those are unicorner sli >> thank you. and the perfect size, too. >> do they fit? that's the question. thre's ay impressive gift. are you a fan of unicorns? >> i love .unicor thank you, kerry. thank you so much. >> all is forgiven. >> i'm wondering how the delivery is going to get to me now. i take it you've spoken to santa because there's no other way to get it to me. >> the problem is you're not on the nice list, kerry. you're on the naughty list. >> you oere put the naughty list almost immediately. >> merry christmas, my friend. >> merry christmas, guys.

great job. just head -- >> are you familiar with regifting? >> yes! >> a team of experts are going to teach us the right way to wrap all of your gifts. this is a news 4 "today" newsbreak. >> 8:26 on this dmonday,ember 24th. christmas eve. good morning. i'm david culver. this house fire was caused by a faulty extension cord powering christmas lights. started at the home on riggs road last night. one person ended up in the hospital but is expected to be okay. the fireaused about $100,000 worth of damage. a family of five now has to find a new place to live. we'll get a check of that christmas eve and chrtmas day forecast with chuck bell after this.

c> good morning. hope youristmas eve is off to a nice start. temperatures in the 30s and low 40s across the area now. a breezy and sunny afternoon with temperatures in the mid-40s for highs today. tomorrow, mostly cloudy by christmas afternoon. no chancesucor rain until later in the week. probably rolls in some time late thursday night. quite aai bit of likely on friday with a high near 60 degrees.

dry weather for saturday and maybe a chance for winter weather a week from now. >> chuck bell, thanks. get all your news and weather in the nbc washington app. ♪ two... one... two... three... three... four... four...

five... five... six... six... ♪ this christmas eve morning, december 24th, what a fantastic crowd we have today. we've stepped outside to join l of these fine folks who are starting this holiday week with a visit to theaz >> don't forget about us over here. >> kristen welker. there you are. >> i was actually wondering, where is carson? >> that's kristen's umbrella. >> i've got a fun crowd moment for you. where are jennifer and daniel from kentucky?ll >> aright. >> yea! hi. how are you guys doing? >> we're doinggood.

>> you guys are from kentucky. what part? >> bowling green. we came to new york to announce to our friends and family that we're pregnant with twins. >> no way! congratulations. >> this is our official announcement. >> this is your christmas present to everybody.av you'reg twins. >> two boys. >> congratulations. when are you due? >> instead of what do you do, it's when are you >> july? >> i hope your family and friends are watchie'. >> so excited. >> lost my dad last christmas eve so we're here good news this year. >> i'm sorry to hear that. you have a lot to celebrate. new life all around. >> so sweet. that is amazing. >> what a wonderful christmas miracle. fantastic. congratulations. coming up if you are like me and haven't finished holiday shopping, fear not.

some help for you. then it's going to be time to wrap. yourt tips to have presents look like they came from a pro carson daly. >>hat's ght. wasn't me. plus the fun holiday party without all the stress. our friend elizabeth is here with great ideas and recipes to throw a fun hiday open house. and a shout out over here. >> they're watching right now. happy -- merry christmas to each of them. coming upn the third hour, a special holiday performance from asante herself. >> first another check of the weather. >> we may see another snowflake fall in new york but most of the activity will be back toward the eat lakes, acros central new england and parts of boston could see some snowls squ later this afternoon. so that would make it a white christmas eve at onleast. christmas day itself, most of the fresh snow will be out in the rockies. higher elevations. could end up witnc 20s of snow in some parts out west.

a little light rain and snowou moves t the midwest and the great lakes area and the northeast. it's sunnyutchilly. temperatures in the 30s and 40s. an a few spotty showers along the gulf coast tomorrow on christmas day. and wemperatures willm up today through the midwest but tomorrow back down into the 40s and 50s. and down across southern florida, temperatures in the 70s. are you guys ready for christmas? >> absolutely. >> you're going to wear that all day? >> you bet. >> you should. that's a look at the weather across the country. here's a peek out your >>window. ood morning. right here at home, the sun is shining and the wind is going to start to increase. so plan rather breezy or blustery afternoon. and the temperatures won't go up a whole lot because of that. mostly low 40s around the city now. 43 in washington currently. temperatures later on in the day staying in the 40s with plenty of sunshine around. highs today 48 in washinon. low 40s in the shenandoah valley. christmas day will be dry.

off to a cd start. and then mostly cloudy afternoon with highs in the low 40s. >>nd that's your latest forecast. craig? >>ylan dreyer, thankyou. this morning, hassle-free holiday. w to wrap presents like a pro. hopefully you have bought all your gifts. now it's time to literally put a bow o ings. so to help, we brought in some e s. wrapping experts to give you last-minute pointers. we askedour experts share what they keep in their wrapping toolbox. obviously, wrappin paper and scissors. what else? >> wrapping paper, scissors, tape. doublesided sticky tape. >> tissue paper. ribbon, stickers. >> jackie gamble is here from in order to s--nordstrom. what's your number one tip for all t procrastinators? >> don't stress, first of all. when wrapping gift the tip is less paper is more. >> less is more?

>> less is more. you don't ant too muchpaper. messy.l make it if you measure the box, put it right in the middle. put your hands right along the box and make sure you have enough paper and then you cut. >> you make it sound so easy. >> once you cut, crease the edges reallyik nice that on each side. >> that's a pro tip. >> so you won't see any tears or anything. crease is nice and tight. then you'll take your doubled si sticky tape. >> why? >> you don't want any tape showing on the nice and clean. you put it right on the box like that and then just fold up. >> do you use aeruler or tap measure? >> no, just your hands. less is more. >> very simple. >> miss welker? >> impressive. >> next we have marney harris from department stores throughout the midwest. thank you for being here. you have some basic tips that

are useful for everyone. >> i do. >> top one. >> you know, don't overthink it. some of these things here you have laying around your hse already. but the biggest thing is von mar does complimentary gift wrap all year round. plan a little ahead of time and let us do for you. >> make it simple. >> right. >> l t professionals handle it. cards.s of folks get gift what's the best way to wrap them so that they look festive like you've lut a of effort in it? >> don't just put them in a box or in the card. so i brought these circles. u'll make four circles. don't worry if you are sitting at homet today and w do this. you can do this fast. >> they are pretty surk circles. this is nice paper. >> fold them in half. you can use a newspaper. fold them in half. back to your geometry days. they'll make a square in the

middle. >> could you put a message in there? >> youcould. >> how many times are you folding them? >> i'm jus folding the in half and taping them together. one simple fold here. but to give you the idea. >> i'm losing my mind. >> this is amazing. >> all tho origami things you did. >> yout are going to put your gift card in the middle of it. and now if you want, decorate, do whatever but in the interest of tv, all we are doi is folding them up like so. and then put your -- >> it's like a little surprise. >> alternate colors andbo a done. >> another popular one, wine. what's the best way to wrap we that it doesn't necessarily give it away? >> so the best w -- the best

way -- here's for us.ou so can have that to calm down to. but all you're going to do is put this around. >> is this a towel? >> it's your towel. ma sure it's clean and looks new, right, but if you are this htlast minute r now -- >> in addition to the gift. >> you'll fluff it and make it look nice. if you want, then just tie a little bow on . >> that certainly beats wrapping paper and just rolling it up and then it gets crinkled. >> tootsie roll. >> i have luis herera from williams-sonoma. you're going to make it look like w didn't jus let the store do the wrapping for us. >> super easy tips.e weoing to make sure that we measure from your wrist to elbow just so you have enough ribbon. that's the perfect lengthur for ribbon. i like to do two knots in the

rything really e well secured. >> two separate pieces? >> this is one piece. iied it togethernd tied it again to make sure we have a nice secure ribbon. next we're going to tie a nice little bow. i like t use ribbon that has wire at the end so i creates a nice shape. you do a little pinch action so it gives volume to yours ribbon here you can see. it givest i a nice volume there. >> this looks a little boring. >> you can spi it up. there's a way to spice it up.ng we're g to fold in the edges and cut it from the corner inward and it creates little pigtails. old it and do the other edge and then you go right. so we've got l thesetle guys hanging around. what i also like to do -- just ribbon >> maybe we should open the wine now. >> what we're going to do isit take ae bit of double-sided tape. put it at e the of your ribbon

and put it on there. >> tluis,nk you. this is so nice. >> and look at that. >>hat is nice. >> it feels empty, but -- >> leave me a little time. ryan letterman from niemannrc . i'm trying to tie this tie. i must have run out of wrapping paper. don't have a box. >> don't panic. look around you. you bought a shirt and tie. throw that tie around the box so we don't have to worry about wrapping paper. work on that. i'm aoing to talkut what to do when you have the opposite problem. no boxes but tons of wrapping paper. no problem. wee going t make a tube of wrapping paper. we're going toecure that seem with our special double sided ends in tosh the two a frog's mouth and then you'll fold those two right over the top. you get thatecured with your

double sided tape. you're going to open that up just like so. made yourself a little bag. you're going to throw in the t-shirt like so. goes all thehe way to bottom. you're going to fold this over and ma holes in the top and ribbon. who needs xe >> i need you to show me the frog mouth thing. >> if we were going to do it on this end you'd -- >> there's my tie right there. >> amazing. >> the president trump style.a >> it'ft. >> that's a wrap, ladies and gentlemen. merry christmas and thanks so much. need more pointers, we've got them for you. plus a 16-second wrapping hack that's e. up next, more holiday help. we'll teach you how to make the perfect holiday photo. first, this is "today" on nbc. thank you, guys.

national geographic photographer joel sartori has made this mission to document the more than 12,000 captive species aund the world one photo at a time. and his book "the photo ark" showcases the largest studio portraits hoping to save at-risk animals. "the photo tk," what it and why is it so important? >> we're trying to document evny species captivity around the world. so we're talking about 12,000 to 15,000 species. it's going to take about 25 years. we're 13 years into it. and we're announcing our 9,000ts spectoday. this is a big day. and the goals really to inspire the public to realize there are other creaturese share the planet with. a lot of diversity and inspire people to save them while there's still time. >> the pictures are just breathtaking. that 000th species.

>> yes, sir. >> what is it? >> it's the bangela barb. >> what? ? >> the esater stream fish. not even as big as your thumb. and it lives in 1.5 kilometers of stream in sri lanka. the villagers there they had the only population of this fish and agreed to not pollute the stream and save it. it's a good news story. >> how did youapture that photo? >> it was in a captive breeding populati at the zoo in the czech republic. so i learned about it there on the day that we came across our 9,000th. that was the one. t> so you put something fun for us. t together called the 12 photos of the holidays. >> what is it, 12 days of photo ark. >> yeah. >> let's walk through a few of them. let's start with the first one. >> the first one is a bornean orangutan. that was shot actually in the

philippines. and it's an azing animal named trixie. we let her out to our white background. e laid down and posed. >> also a family of opossums. >> a mama possum with her baby. we photograph them all whether they are rare or common we want to show what biodiversity looks like at this point in time. no mter whether they are endangered or not. we want to celebrate all biodiversity. we love them all. >> which one is your favorite? which of these 12 >> i don't have a favorite. they're like my kids. the next one is myfa rite. the next one. because we care about everything coming in. everything. whether it's a mouse or elephant. we love them all. i thought i saw some flamingos there as well. i'm a sucker for a flamingo. what day? >> eight, i think. are there eight flamingos? the lincoln children's zoo in lincoln, nebraska, where we started the photo ark about 13

years ago. >> wow. and i see some butterflies as well. >> that'sright. monarch butterflies started us out down outside mexico city that we actually shoot animals in the wild once in a while. those are where the big migration goes to overwinter. >> while you're here. 'tis the season for amateur photographers to try and capture some pictus of the family. do you have any proips for us? >> i do. people use their smartphones for everything, right? so the big thing is, have the background nice and clean. shoot horizontally. turn your camera horintally. so there's no phone poles sticking out of people's heads and get close. walk up and get closer. that's the way to do it. >> you don't use youho to take pictures. >> not for the photo ark, but once in a while. >> good luck. >> thanks for havingme. >> keep us up to dateth e book is "the photo ark."

more information on today.com/shop. back in a moment. first, this is "todayon nbc.

a we're back with a holiday edition of today food. this morning we're throwing a holiday open house. >> instead of a stressf sit-down dinner, one that hosts a party where guests can mingle and come and go as they please. >> contributor elizabeth mayhugh here. i went to a party in the neighborhood last night. it's just that. open door policy. kids running around. why is that better than the stress of just a formaldinner? >> it just takes the total stress out. food can be eaten with your hands. yo a don't need fork and knife and all of that. you can obviously use really easy prepaend ingre you can run to the grocery store right now. like -- >> give us an examplre what you making? >> we're making a tomato basil -- cherry tomatoes.

some minced garlic. some fresh basil. now do all this -- if you're going to g thecery store now, brie. no eggs. this is brie. one trick with brie. you can eat the rind. it's totally fine to eat. the other thing is cut it up. if you put it in the freezer for 20 minutes, it will be much easier to cut because thenife n't stick. add olive oil. mix this all together.hl fr ground pepper. >> is this a salad? >> almost like a brie caprese. mix this together. let it sit for an hour or two. you can make this now and if you'll do your open house. open houses usually are in t afternoon or evening. give clear times of start and finish. let that sit and marinade. then take store-boug puff pastry. trim one edge off one side and take a knife and trim the edges off the others. then you'll take an egg wash which is just one egg mixed with

a tablespoon of water. you're going to brush it all over. and then to adhere these, this egg is going to act like a glue. just go ahead and put your edges that.e and then if you have any extra left over -- is this like decoration? >> it's actually to keep the sides up. cause what happens -- >> you built a ledge. >> when you put the filling on top of it, the filling is going to weigh down the puff pastry in the center. so whatto you wan do is have that nice edge. you'll spread this all ouks >> it l like a pizza. >> you can take that brie, put mozzarella in. goat cheese if you want. >> in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes. just go aad and watch it. >> and then this is it. >> that looks delicious. >> what is this? it looks like a pizza. >> toto/brie puff pastry. you can do that tart with all

different things. mulled wwine. got right to the wine. >> when you're doing an open house, keep thell drinks rea simple. i say serve wine, der and like sparkling water. >> it smells so good. e the spices a key part? >> it's mulled wine. cheers. >> cheers. >> you don't have to use anin expensive for this. you heat it up with some spices. the recipe is online. this is a pretty way to serve a dip. carve out a -- whatever that thing is -- >> cabbage. >> a red hcabbage. it's a petto d pesto dip. >> she loved your ham idea. >> a ham sandwich makes so much sense. >> what's great about this, put it in the oven. you really want this to be good ng room temperature because you don't want it gbad. i put a little ginger ale on mine to keepis it

tent it and go ahead and put a glaze on. afterwar >> and then serve it with mustard and pickles and really good rolls. >> and lastly my favorite is the gruyere caramelized onion tart which i suggest you try. >> you can get the ripes and other festive ideas at today.com. 'll be back here in a moment. first, this is "today" on nbc. merry christmas. >> can i try that one? ...oh, yeah! bring on the holidays! that's yes for less. everything you need to prep, cook and serve up the season. it feels even better when you find it for less-at ross. yes for less.

and you realize you are the the hostess with the mostest. you know when you're at ross yes! yeah! that's yes for less. entertain in style all season long. it feels even better when you find it for less-at ross. yes for less.

this is a news 4 "today" newsbreak. >> good morning. it's 8:56 on this monday, decemb 24th i'm molette green. you still have some time to get presents under the christmas tree. today is your last chance to buy gifts before the holiday. and it's not too late to score some holidaydeals. some stores in our area are staying open late for last-minute shoppers. expect some long lines and big crowds like what we saw over the

weekend. of the l get a check forecast when we come back. stay with us.

good morning. bright sunshine here on your christmas eve in the natita's ca it's going to be a nice day to be outside today. nowhance for rain betwe and really thursday night. next real serious chance for rain rolls in o friday. current temperatures, mostly in the low 40s around town. not expecting a big warm-up but plenty of sunshine. more cloudisover on cas day. and colder as well. >> thanks so much, chuck. get the latest news and weather any time in e nbc washington app.

from nbc news, this is "today." >> good morning, everybody. welcome. i', along with craig. we have jenna, sheinelle and keir, all the way from the u.k. >> here i am. >> talking christmas eve.oo we'reng forward to christmas. want to talk about traditions, some of ouravorite holiday traditions. anything you guys do special on christmas eve? when i was growing up, we would go to my grandmother's house, my maternal grandmother for christmas eve, and we would gifts open some of our from her on christmas eve. that was always the highlight. now, this is the first year where my boy, dell, he's 4. he's into it. he's in