good morning. congress is preparing for new session after a year of nasty gridlock with not much got done. this morning, we will look at the chances that things will get better in 2012 in middle of a presidential election cycle. the day after christmas so let the returns begin. with 4 out of every 10 people returning holiday gifts, we will talk about the best way to handle that without all of the stress. >> to washington's kennedy center what a long, strange and wonderful trip it has been for sonny rollins. we will speak with the legendary sax player "early" this monday morning, december 26th, 2011. captioning funded by cbs

>p a very good post ch morning, every. i'm jeff glor. >> i'm rebecca jarvis. yil erica hill and chris wragge are off this morning. >> i hope you had a nice holiday. >> i did. i guess we can sing happy new year? >> almost there. we will spend some time this morning looking at the biggest news stories of the year. >> a huge year continuing with the arab spring and japanese earthquake and tsunamiy and osama bin laden killed by u.s. forces this year. >> we begin with terrell brown with a check of today's headlines. it's megamonday. retailers expect the day after christmas to be one of the busiest shopping days of the year. it will also be the bifting day for returns and exchanges.

correspondent michelle miller has more on the holiday season shopping. >> reporter: this year's christmas was a little brighter for the nation's retailers, as holiday sales were up 3.8% over a year earlier. that is according to the national retail federation. but it wasn't all good news. as analysts say sales were driven by heavy discounting. >> i feel like a lot of the stores are cutting prices this year. i don't know. maybe it's just me. >> reporter: final sales figures for the two-month period are expected to hit $469 billion nationwide. >> there is great deals and there's a lot of people out shopping. been a spectacular holiday shopping season. >> reporter: one item in high demand nike's air jordan sneakers wents for did 180 a pair and fights over the shoes broke out over malls across the country. no north carolina, secured guards called in local police to break up angry crowds. in indianapolis shoppers broke

down the door to get in. couldn't wait for early shopping. in seattle, police pepper sprayed the crowd. one reason for the shoes demand is the expected profit to be made online. if you're heading out to the malls today, expect unusually large crowds. >> gift cards usually fuel a lot after the day christmas shopping. it used to be primarily returns. >> reporter: but the returns are coming. consumers are expect to bring back $46 billion worth of gifts this week, that's 10% of all holiday sales. michelle miller, cbs news, new york. in suburban ft. worth, texas, a christmas murder mystery. seven people, all believed to be related, shot dead in an apartment. police say it appears they just opened their christmas gifts and believed the gunman is among the dead. in nigeria, 39 people were killed yesterday most in a blast outside of a catholic church after mass.

a radical muslim sect is claiming responsibility. a suicide car bomb struck baghdad this morning. seven people killed and 34 wounded. the bomb detonated as a checkpoint outside the interior minute city office. help arrived this morning, for a russian fishing ship stuck off an arted antarctica. a vessel reached the ship today and will help retear that one-foot hole. president obama met a very young admirer on christmas in hawaii. the president was posing for photographs when an 8-month-old baby put his hand in the president's mouth. mr. obama was visiting with u.s. marines and their families. i'm surprised the secret service didn't try to go after that baby there. time for weather. now here's a look at what's going on outside your window.

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stastart with the earthquake a tsunami in japan. thr that stanthat stand. whp what elements were the significant for 2011? >> p >> i spent a lot of t japrjapan anp japan ajas usp used used to big natur especially earthquakes and tsunamis. r bp br bp by themseb disastedisasters werp didi hadnp hadn't behadn't been thp that cathat came aftert r p in fukushima that melted down. >p >> which>> which they>> japr japan japan we arp. we thinp we think of japan efficiep efficient aefficid ththey dip they did the bas disaster happened, they essentially tried to cover it up. that's not what we expect from japan and that was a shock for me. >> mu a march gadhafi, we saw a

dramatic video of him killed on camera. what is next for libya? >> if you like the hard part begins with bargaining between the different tribes and who gets how much responsibility, who gets how much authority, but the thing to keep in mind about libya they are a tiny population and less than 7 million people and huge amounts of oil. they are a highly educated society and high education standards there. one thing gadhafi got right. they have the intellectual capital and money to get it right. i'm not trying to make it a small thing but all that remains is a political arrangement they can come to now. the world is ready to help as the world was ready to help them get rid of gadhafi. the europeans in particular are offering to help and united nations. >> europe is facing their own crisis. >> less optimistic about europe. this was a crisis many years in the coming. you had two europes. you had greeks and italians and

spaniards spending the money that the germany and french were making. and it had to come to this. at some point the germans would say we are not going to keep financing your luxurious lifestyle and the greek debt which was the sort of trigger for all of this to happen. the europeans are now trying to find a new arrangements but the real problem is that one-half of europe is wealthy and willing to work hard and do the right thing and you have another half of europe that is essentially feeding off the first half and that can't survive. >> bobby, thank you. appreciate it. >> thank you. we mentioned the tsunami in japan. in the u.s. we had a string of disasters including hurricane irene in august. >> three months after irene caused the worst flooding in vermont, they have rebuilt rojs a roads and bridges and did it for a fraction of the estimated

cost. >> we are the engine in this local economy in the wintertime. after irene left, the next morning it was a beautiful sunny day. we began assessing our damage and immediately started putting our people to work to bring her back and get ready for this ski season. >> we literally had such extraordinary damage that we felt like we had grand canyons in many places. you know, 90 foot, 200 foot drops that were created by small little tiny brooks and rivers. we had over 500 miles of roads cut out. we had 200 bridges, 34 that were entirely shut down. >> we were working 16 to 18 days, seven hours a week for weeks. the small brook was over. every place we lost the roads the river was now running where the road could be. before we could reconstruct the road we had to relocate the river. rocks had been created to not

harm the environment at all. >> we have one road left that really there was nothing left. only a riverbed and we are making great progress there. >> the wet stone bridge flooded its banks and came across the road here and washed everything out and when the water had left, there was a foot of mud left in the restaurant. all my restaurant equipment was totally ruined. >> the water level was up to here. all the way down through. at that time there were about 6,000 or 7,000 pair of shoes down here. it probably took us eight weeks to get back to where we were fairly comfortable doing business. >> today, we have got a volunteer crew, mainly staff and friends and patrons of the pub are coming in to clean up this area here. hopefully, we will be able to get everything cleaned up for thursday and we hope to open thursday, friday, saturday.

>> this year, compared to last year at the same time period, we are actually ahead of last year with prebooking forring stays and our season passbooks are ahead as well. >> good old vermont ingenuity. people who work hard and work together to make things happen. we rebuilt this stage faster than anybody thought problem and we did it frankly for 25 cents on the dollar. >> that's you what like to see. i mean, obviously, they had to go through a lot but to see them rebuild like this. >> vermont is a pretty cool state. >> it is. i was at a wedding in vermont, my friend got married outside the night of hurricane irene. didn't stop the fun. >> good stuff. good for them. >> good for them. >> yes. >> congratulations, john and jill. >> congratulations, vermont. before you decide to return some gifts we will tell you some new store rules that might make

it a little bit difficult this year. the wonderful sounds of a local sound in al. al "the hurricane" sanchez. you'll meet him. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. she discovered the mccafé caramel mocha from mcdonald's, she's been expecting a little bit more out of...everything. ♪ this is what happens once you savor the taste of sweet caramel in rich chocolate with smooth espresso. ♪ settling for less is no longer an option. mccafé caramel mocha. the simple joy of big expectations. ♪ 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. with less chronic osteoarthritis pain.

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♪ welcome back to "the early show," everyone. december 26th. i'm jeff glor, along with rebecca jarvis. coming up here, you've opened up your christmas gifts and let's face it, some of them will be going back to the storm. >> you one the got me? just kidding. >> serious? >> no. >> 40% of us will return something this year, but a catch this time. a lot of stores are shortening the period in which you can return a gift. many places are giving you just two weeks. >> i'm only kidding about that because you didn't get me a gift so we're good. >> it's coming up. it's in the mail. some have specific return rules you should know about. we will tell you what you need to know to avoid the half at the store. here is terrell brown at the news desk with a check of today's other headlines for us. it's megamonday when

shoppers hit the stores for after christmas discounts. today is expected to be the third busiest shopping day of the year. but expect more chaos than usual at stores because today is also the biggest day for returns and exchanges. the computer hackers known as anonymous say they have started a holiday week of cyberattacks. the hackers claim they broke into the website of stratfor. anonymous says it used the information to make christmas donations for charity groups. stratfor clients including the u.s. air force and apple. >> reporter: a deadly house fire in stanford, connecticut. the blaze killed three parents and the parents of an ad executive yesterday. she and' male acquaintance escaped with minor injuries. a star was seen.

they say it was a few years ago, women's boxing got a boost from the academy award movie "million dollar baby." nix year it will be in the olympics for the first time. >> karen winter brill is here with the story of an inspiring woman breaking tl ining through boxing barriers. >> punching.

christine yeah cruz is a breed apart. a female boxer with a dream to compete at next year's summer games in london. i was privileged to stand ringside as she trained. >> reporter: christina cruz is on a mission to make her mark on history as one of the first women to box at the olympics. >> i get goose bumps when i think about it. >> reporter: her primary weapon? her blazing speed. and footwork that can make her next to impossible to hit. >> she is only 112 pounds. how much power could she have? but when you get hit, like a machine gun. >> reporter: have you ever knocked anybody out? >> yes i have. >> reporter: her inner looks belie in inner toughness and she is one of the premiere amateur boxers. watching you in that ring, sheer toughness. where does that come from? >> probably comes from being a

latino. >> reporter: on the way to winning five golden gloves matching a record set by olympic gold medalist mike brelan. >> growing up, i was raised by my two brothers and my dad got us involved at a young age playing basketball. a friend of mine introduced me to the gym when i was 22 years old and i immediately fell in love with it. >> you look at her train, you see the science of it. >> reporter: is there a level of fear when you step in that range at all? >> not at all. no fear. once that bell rings, everything goes out the window. i could fighting in madison square garden and the only person who i saw here was my trainer. >> christina is an olympic boxer. if you watch her in a ring, she she sees everything coming.nard-

she seize every punch and very difficult to hit and as soon as she hits you, she makes the bell ring. >> reporter: she is a role model for kids who fight at the brooklyn club who sponsor her and learning the same life lesson. >> now i can do something with my life. i know i have the potential to do something. >> reporter: pat russo is the director at the kids boxing program where sponsoring children who dream of one day being just like christina is worth every penny. >> it costs about a hundred thousand dollars to incarcerate. a teenager, 20-year-old, it costs us to run this gym here, about $35,000. >> reporter: training christina is also a labor of love for marcos who works as a building superintendent. he has trained dozens of olympic

gold medalists. for christina cruz, being a woman and a boxer fits like hand in glove. what took so long? >> i don't know. a lot of people didn't agree with it, that women should be fighting, but we're here now and we're here to stay. we're rooting for her. the next step for christina comes in february at the first-ever olympic trials for women's boxing in colorado when she will join seven other hopefuls in a bid to represent the united states at the 2012 summer olympics, so go christina. we are rooting for her. can't wait. >> fantastic. >> great work. >> not me. her. >> well, both of you. i'm glad you got the story and she is doing a great thing for the community. thanks. happy new year. coming up next, let's just imagine you got something you didn't want this holiday. well, we have an answer. >> boxing gloves, that is an idea. >> that would be great.

>> we have tips on half-free to returns because a lot of stores are shortening up return time period when you have to return it. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. do not miss sears after- christmas sale. get 60% off coats. 60% off fleece and sweaters. 60% off pajamas and robes for the whole family. plus its the big denim savings event! for serious after-christmas savings, get to sears! [ female announcer ] kleenex brand tissues are america's softest... no wonder people want to share them on and on. send a kleenex brand share package for free today at kleenex.com and start your own chain of sharing. in return, you'll receive a sample of new kleenex cool touch tissues... the only tissue that actively releases a cool sensation to soothe a sore nose on contact.

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christmas is about giving and opening up those presents. the day after, in many cases, it's about returning for some. the national retail federation says nearly 40% of us will return holiday gifts this year. >> holiday returns expected to top $46 billion and here to tell us how to make the experience half-free is financial contributor carmen wong ulrich. a lot of stores or at least some of the stores are making it a little more difficult this year to return. >> they are. because in terms of how many of us have been returning since 2008, since the financial crisis, more and more of us are returning gifts. now they are making it a little more difficult. the national retail federation also found that even though 83% of retailers are keeping their rules the same when it comes to return, 13% are tightening their rules. that's a trend we have been seeing every single year. even if you've been shopping with the same place or with the same retailer, they may have changed the rules this year so you got to pay attention. >> what are the policies of the big retailers right now?

>> target, for example with their computers, camcorders and cameras 45 days you have to return. 15% restocking fee has been dropped. i'm glad to see those dropped. those were expensive. best buy shortened their deadline bay week. toys "r" us 45 days to return but if it's opened, not returnable. pay attention to it that. sears returned their period for electronics and jewelry from 90 to 60 days. >> every once in a while you come across unusual return policies. >> they are getting funky. amazon, 30 different return policies, depending on the product you buy. so you really got to pay attention. now you may know of this one, rebecca. getting the nice expensive dress and wearing it to the holiday party and returning it? we have no idea what that is about but jcpenney and express and macy's require tags to stay on the dresses. sports authority will not accept

online purchases at their brick and mortar stores and if you buy it online you may have to return it online and vice versa. >> and may have to pay for the shipping when you return it back. >> a lot of retailers you do. >> besides not wearing a dress and returning it. >> suits, ties! >> socks. >> what else might one -- yeah, well, i may have to return all of mine. what can we do to help ourselves? >> if you return gifts, put that gift receipt in. i hope you did but a lot didn't. 27% of us put the receipts most of the time and 34% some of the time. next year if you didn't do it this year, put in that. don't assume that return policy applies to sale items because sale items they may have a completely different policy and maybe a final sale. don't expect cash back especially with local small retailers. it's exchange in return only. and defective products fall under a different rules so if it doesn't work, you can return it.

>> i'm happy to see you're ready for new year's with your jacket. >> it's about being festive. >> sparkle. >> i have to match your socks. >> thank you, carmen. up next, a man who is called the godfather of new mexico music. >> we will here a local legend al hurricane who has been performing for years. we meet him next on "the early show." and that's why i'm here. i've been a cpa for close to 30 years, and i've seen all kinds of tax returns. i used that experience to help develop the turbotax software to point out deductions that are relevant to you. we even guarantee that all turbotax calculations are accurate. and if you have questions, our free "ask a tax expert" service is now available. you can call or chat with us online. i'm joy shaw. i'm a turbotax cpa. man: go to turbotax.com. goals for the future... what if they were stolen from you? by alzheimer's.

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their skin looked they had only one question... ♪ dove visible care creme body wash. 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. this morning, we continue our series on local legends. people who represent the spirit of a particular place in america. >> and we want to take you now to albuquerque, new mexico, seven years ago at age 5 al hurricane sanchez entertaining people with his signature style of music. >> give it up. my father, al hurricane! ♪

♪ >> my name is al hurricane. that's my professional name. my real name is alberto sanchez. my mom picked the name al hurricane because i used to knock things of as a kid and it stuc to me so i took it as a professional name. >> i've seen you play before. >> all right, man. >> i'm a ham. i just love it when people recognize me and say, hey, you're al hurricane, you know? this is where i grew up. i yo i used to go to church here and come here and perform. wow. look at this. this is -- this is where i used to play. i should have brought my guitar and bring back memories. ♪

>> it's mexico style but it's not -- i don't want to call it traditional but we can do traditional songs but you got to be modern in what you do. believe it or not, i still get butterflies. a couple times i get on stage and i got so excited with the crowd. love albuquerque. always loved it and i just couldn't leave it. i don't know if it sounds right, but i think people love it. i'm not going to turn my back on them. i want to be here. >> he is all over! we follow him! yeah, we are like the followers. we love it! ♪ >> he's the godfather of new mexico music. we all grew up hearing and listening to his music and dancing the night away and he is still going strong at 75 and,

hopefully, he'll be around for a while longer. >> i love him very much. he transcends any generation. >> he is number one and always be number one in new mexico. he keeps us alive. >> he is the reason new mexico music is what it is. >> we love you people. love all of put. good night, everybody! >> i've had a heart attack. i've had some bypasses and i came back and said i'm still going to do it. so i keep doing it. >> keep on doing it. keep on trucking. you might have noticed he wears an eye watch and he got into a car accident in the 1960s. that has become a signature part of his style to wear the eye patch ever since then. people know him by it. >> the hair also. >> the hair. >> love to see him on sunday. we're right back after this. em an instrumless. system.

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[ man ] we've been in the business over the course of four centuries. [ woman ] it was a family business back then, and it still feels like a family business now. the only people who knew about us were those in new england, that moment that we got our first web order... ♪ ...we could tell we were on the verge of something magical. all of a sudden it just felt like things were changing. we can use this to advertise to bakers everywhere. [ man ] browns summit, north carolina. crescent city, california. we had a package go to kathmandu once. the web has been the reason this entire section of the warehouse exists today. we were becoming more than this little flour company in vermont. [ woman ] we're all going after one common goal,

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♪ welcome back to "the early show." post-christmas morning. we hope you had a wonderful holiday. i'm jeff glor, along with rebecca jarvis. it is a day after christmas. a lot of presents have been opened now. a lot of new gadgets have been picked pup. what do you do with the old gadgets you no longer need? coming up we will tell you about buy back programs that might get you cold hard cash. >> we are having a conversation with sonny rollins. he'll recall his amazing career as a saxophonissaxophonist, howt a young age he would be a

musician. here is terrell brown at the news desk with a check of today's other headlines for us. it's gegmegamonday. shoppers expected to pack the stores the day after christmas eve in search for stores. >> there is great deals and there is a lot of people out shopping. been a spectacular holiday shopping season. >> today, also expected to be the biggest day of the year for returns and exchanges with shoppers bringing back over $46 in unwanted gifts. no shame. tourists fly to bethlehem for christmas. hundreds attended mass at the nativity church. the number of visitors has risen recently. 100,000 people were at manger square this weekend.

9 people were killed in bombings in nigeria that. a radical muslim sect claimed responsibility. in baghdad, a bomb detonated at rush hour to the iraqi interior ministry. republican presidential candidates with back campaigning tomorrow taking christmas off. time is running short. the iowa caucus a week away. >> reporter: mitt romney got a christmas gift from new hampshire. a new state poll has him leading by 22 points over rivals newt gingrich and ron paul. the poll also shows him favored by 32% of the state's independent voters. although he trails newt gingrich nationally and in iowa, romney has historically polled better with independents. a recent study in "usa today" shows there are now 24 million registered independents and a poll from earlier this year, says their numbers have increased 8% over the last decade to 37% of american

voters, most the of any time on record. democrats and republicans still have them beat with more than 70 million registered members combined but their numbers have been slipping. and it's not just republicans who need to appeal to voters outside of their party. president obama whose 2008 victory was due largely to a surge of independents knows he has to do more to win back their support. jim kessler is the senior vice president of third way, an independent think tank. >> they are going to be the deciders. they are going to be the ones that will pick the next president. they very fickle voters. you don't know what they are going to do. >> reporter: as americans grow more disgusted with this function in washington and are turned off by bitter party politics, candidates may want to start thinking purple instead of red or blue. whit johnson, cbs news, washington. britain's prince phillip remains in a hospital as he recovers from heart surgery. phillip who is 90 is said to be in good spirits after undergoing a stent procedure on friday.

grandsons prince william and harry visited him yesterday. time for weather. now here's a look at what' announcer: this portion of "the early show" sponsored by kleenex brand tissues. helping you sneeze shield your kids wherever they if. she's not an actor or a politician but she does have one of the most recognizable voices in the country. >> that's right. everybody who travels by air

hears this woman say watch your bags or don't park in a loading zone. lee cowan introduces us to the face behind the voice. >> welcome to new york kennedy international airport. >> reporter: in a way, she's a lot like your luggage. >> welcome to charles degalle airport. >> reporter: everywhere you go, there she is. gentle but authoritative voice. >> it's a soothing voice. >> and she says it in such a nice way. >> reporter: that midwestern accident hails from a place you might expect. a village in maine where that voice has a face. carolyn. >> while on the moving sidewalk, please stand to the right. >> reporter: at 63 years old, she e-mails those little greetings from her modest office. >> ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please.

>> reporter: and most she says she does with a smile. >> traveling can be such a bummer nowadays that people need a friendly voice. >> reporter: she started almost by accident. she worked at innovative electronic design, the company that sells public and paging address systems. they had a product and she had the secret ingredient. >> my father had a deep, deep, booming voice and i always kind of imitated him. it was a little strange for a girl, but that's all right! >> reporter: her voice has gone places she, herself, have never been. 00 airports all around the world, subway stops, train stations. she even does weather warnings. >> this is a tornado emergency. >> reporter: but she's not perfect. there are some things even the voice can't quite spit out. >> two words. similarly, and regularly. i just die when i see them in a piece of copy! >> reporter: so the next time you hear an announcement that

isn't such good news. >> departure has been delayed due to. >> reporter: just remember, she's only the messenger and a jolly one at that. lee cowan, cbs news, los angeles. >> so cool to see that. >> it is. >> do you have a tough time with any words in particular? i never loved senator. >> walrus. >> you don't like saying it? >> sometimes i've said it so many times one time, i didn't believe it was a word any more. walrus, walrus. >> any word you say enough -- keep going. walrus, walrus. you don't believe in it. >> i don't know. >> we should move on. >> yes. good call. up next, worried about overeating during the holidays? what do you do? >> it's one of the health questions you asked us and dr. holly phillips will be here with all of the answers. this is "the early show" on cbs. cbs, cbs, cbs. >> walrus, walrus. ♪ send a kleenex brand share package for free today

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we are tackling questions from sugar substitutes to migraine treatment options. >> here with the answers is medical contributor dr. holly phillips. good to have you with us. >> great to be here. >> our first question from facebook. what is the difference between natural sugar and a sugar substitute for diabetes? >> actually, this is a very important question. i'm asked this on which by my diabetic patients and also my patients who are at risk for diabetes. so, in general, the sugar substitutes are a good idea for diabetes. they are fewer calories but even more important than that, they have fewer carbs which we know drive up blood sugar. so if you look at regular sugar here, it would be about 11 calories and 3 to 4 grams of carbs. each of the sugar substitutes are a little different but in general looking at three to four calories and less than one gram of carbs. also keep in mind, though, the sugar substitutes are incredibly sweet. about a hundred times as sweet as sugar so a little bit goes a long way.

>> it's actually leading to our next question because a lot of people are worried about with the sweets and gaining weight this holiday season and may relate to this question from monica. >> i have a trouble of overeating. how do you not do that? >> how do you not do that, holly? >> you know what? i think that's a work in progress for of us during the holiday season. diet experts say there are some basic tips to follow. first is to eat slowly. it actually takes our body between 12 and 20 minutes to register that it's starting to feel full. so if you eat slowly, you won't have stuffed in too much by the time you realize you're full. pay attention to when you're eating. try to avoid the unconscious eating like in front of the tv set, of course, my favorite! or driving. then you end up eating more than if you're really paying attention and having a meal. also try to choose satisfying and filling foods. we know the things high in calories and don't fill you up

like chocolate, cheese, milk shakes. >> you're making me hungry! >> i know! but really reach for the protein and high fiber foods. just so you at least get filled up after your calories. finally, use a smaller plate! it seems obvious but there is research out there that we take smaller portions and we eat less when we use a smaller plate. for the rest of the holidays i'm just going to maybe use a teacup sized plate and hope for the best. >> that is a great plan. next question, another one from facebook. michael asks what is a good way to take away a migraine if you don't have access to aspirin? >> really with both migraine and tension headache the key is to stop what you're doing. if you can get into a cool, dark room, that will help. make sure to hydrate, plenty of water also helps. if you can do a cool cloth on your forehead or behind the neck, you might get a little bit of relief. but, again, with all headaches,

the key is prevention. so really try to identify your triggers, whether they are bright lights, specific foods, missing meals, being too tired. whatever it is that is triggering the headache by combating that, you're more likely to get some relief. >> great advice! dr. holly phillips, thank you. appreciate it. >> always great to be here. up next here, more on our series on the kennedy center honoree. son irony rollins will sit downh julie chen. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. orations, 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.

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legendary career, throughout his career, sonny rollins used his saxophone to redefine jazz. >> he is 81 now and has become a kennedy center honoree. he recently sat down with julie chen to talk about his adventurous life and his memorable music. ♪ >> reporter: he's been

considered the colossus of the saxophone. indeed to watch and listen to sonny rollins as 81, the jazz great appears as if he were a music god. at once, commanding, and inspirational. ♪ >> reporter: born onto the cradle of jazz, new new york harlem during its golden age, rollins was raised on the sound of dizzy and monk. take me back to your childhood. what is your earliest memory of music and the saxophone. >> i love music. i heard a lot of it when i was in the crib almost. we used to listen to the apollo theater and used to hear the big bands that came to new york. so i sort of had the light of music when i was a baby and then, of course, i fell in love

with the saxophone. as a child, i knew that i would be prominent musician. i knew that -- >> reporter: how did you know that? >> i loved music so much, i think it just consumed me and i knew that that was going to be what i had to do in life. ♪ >> reporter: by 19, rollins was sharing the stage with his idol, playing new york's nightclub circuit. what followed were the trappings of fast success and easy access to illegal drugs. you've battled drug abuse? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: i've been in prison? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: what did both experiences do to you, change you, form you, who you are today? >> well, it's a place that i don't want to go back to. >> reporter: either one. >> no. but it was an experience. it was a good experience. i mean, i can look back now and

say it was a experience since i came out on it on top, but, of course, it was difficult. ♪ >> reporter: rollins says he emerged from prison with renewed purpose. ♪ >> reporter: he began playing festivals instead of clubs before taking a break from it all. for two years, rollins stopped performing. instead, he took to rehearsing atop new york's williamsburg bridge. ♪ >> reporter: you don't see a lot of foot traffic on the williamsburg bridge. >> no, you don't see a lot of foot traffic. >> reporter: it had to be freeing. i bet it was a great experience. >> it was a great experience. it was a religious experience. ♪ >> reporter: rollins music has endured seven decades of popularity and he has long enjoyed critical praise, but awards came late in his career. he won his first grammy in 2000. his second, four years later,

the album "without a song" inspired by the event of september 11th. when 9/11 happened, i know you told me you heard the first plane. >> i was there. >> reporter: you were there when it all happened? >> that's right. >> reporter: blocks away? >> i was in a high-rise building. i had to be evacuated. i walked down a lot of steps and -- you know, we had to be bussed through another area out of the zone, and that was really sort of mad, in a way. then i realized that this is the way life is. i don't know why -- i don't know why this happens, i don't know why people kill each other, hate each other, but it's part of life. i don't know why, but it's part of the way the world is. so i had to accept it and that then helped me to accept and

learn a lot about life. >> reporter: in march of this year, president obama awarded rollins the nation's highest he accepted with gratitude on behalf of the gods of music. >> sonny! >> reporter: at the recent kennedy center honors, rollins joined them. sonny rollins carried the distinctive sound of american jazz into a new millennium and has stirred a countless many who follow his path. is there no such thing as retiring from what you do because retiring would be like dying? >> i think so. >> reporter: be deceased, to stop existing. >> i think most people -- their retirement doesn't work. >> reporter: not for what you do? >> no, not for what i do, but you have a feeling like your job, not a lot, but you like it

a little bit. if you retire, what are you going to do? sit down and just do nothing? and so retiring is really a death nail for a lot of people really. if you can do what you do, do it. so, fortunately, at my advanced age, i'm still able to do it. ♪ >> dancing it up? when you think about the sonny rollins saxophone, i think like the sounds of new york. when you think what are the sounds of new york, i i associate his saxophone with the sounds of new york. >> i could listen to that all morning long. >> it's really easy listening. you can see the kennedy honors tomorrow night at 9:00, 8:00 central on cbs. still to come, a tree for book lovers. we have a round table of best selling authors. jennifer egan and brad meltzer and nicholas sparks are here to

tell us what inspire their writing. you're watching "the early show" on cbs.

from the bedroom you could see the fire and that work me right up. and it was absolutely terrifying. we got out of there as quickly as we could. i'm watching the house burn up and i'm sitting there saying, there goes everything. these days you don't have to lose your house in a fire to know what it's like to be left on the edge in the cold. the shelter gave us a place to stay. and citizens energy helped the shelter with heat. i'm excited to finally have a place of my own. citizens energy is helping us with the oil. citizens energy was created to help the forgotten ones keep warm. we asked the big oil companies and oil producing nations to help. only citgo and the people of venezuela said yes. and this year, in spite of soaring fuel prices, congress cut home heating assistance nearly in half. while people need help more than ever. for the last seven years, citgo has helped families and homeless shelters in good times and in bad. thanks joe and thanks citgo. so if you need help staying warm this winter give me

a call because no one should be left out in the cold. ♪ welcome back to "the early show." it is december 26th. it's a monday. i'm jeff glor, along with rebecca jarvis. erica hill and chris wragge are off today. coming up, a great round table of the hottest authors in the business. very interesting mix here. jennifer egan is here and brad meltzer and nicholas sparks will all join us. we are approaching the new year and people think what will inspire them heading into the new year. all of them will talk about what inspires their writing and read passages from their favorite works. >> photographer we meet can save

a life with the right pictures and specializes in taking pictures of pets and largely she is focused on photos of dogs thatry vable for adopti thatry -- that are available for adoption. we will see how she is make ago difference. you received that great new gadget on your holiday wish list. what should you do with the old model you can't use any more? can you get cash for it? >> i bet you can. joining us now is bridget carey of c-net.com to tell it us how it's done. how does it work? >> like buying back a car. take your old gadget and go to a participating website and tell them what you have and what quality it's in if you have all of the cords. they give awe quote how much you'll pay for it. you have to send it to them and they will verify you're a liar and it's not scratched up and they will send awe check or a gift card and in return they will resell it. >> do you have to pay to ship it to them or they pay for it as

well? >> a lot of these sites will pay for the shipping as well. >> what sites? >> i'm going with one around for a while and have a good reputation. gazelle and nextworth.com. amazon has electronics buy back and so does best buy. >> what do you think about using the smaller sites they might quote awe better price? do you trust them? >> sometimes when the price is too good and it's a smaller site that just popped up, a lot of complaints online from people who kind of get duped. 200 for my laptop and send it over, sorry, we only give awe hundred. that's a pain in the butt. stick with ones been around a while and have good reviews. >> what sort of things are we looking to trade? you mentioned a laptop. what else? >> you can trade a lot of consumer goods. phones, ebook readers and cameras and gps even. so just go online and check out if your gadget is there.

>> in terms of the items that tend to make the most money are there certain items that you should say, yes, i'm going to send it and take the time versus others where it might just not be worth the time you might get $5 for it? >> it's worth going online and seeing. if it's something you got a year ago and people aren't asking for it might not have any value but you could package with it with something that has value and it could pay you. >> the blackberry wish list a product that didn't work out as they expected. can you tell something like that? >> is there still a demand for some stuff out there. the blackberry playbook at gazelle 74 but best buy, nothing. the winner there is nextworth.

>> a lot of people getting rid of smart phones when they upgrade to the new one. >> high turnover on smart phones so you'll get good money if you have within two years of the turnover. >> what do we do for that? >> go search. i looked up the iphone. the old 3gs model is still good money in it. best buy, there is your winner. $123. >> security is always than issue. you put so much information maybe on your smartphone and computer. whatever you're sending back what do you recommend people do before they send it in. >> you should always take responsibility to delete your stuff and take your sim card out and go into the settings and do a factory reset so it's like out of the box. >> that eliminates everything. thank you, bridget. >> appreciate the advice. here is terrell brown at the news desk with a final check of today's other headlines for us. pope benedict condemned

terror attacks this morning. overlooking st. peter square he called for everyone to pray for the victims of yesterday's bombing attack targeting churches. 39 people were killed and most of them at a catholic church near the nigerian capital. president obama spent part of his trip in hawaii visiting troops. he thanked servicemen and women stationed at a marine base. for tens of thousands of u.s. troops, another christmas in afghanistan. on the front lines, they celebrated as best they could. at 7,000 feet this outpost is most of the most remote and one pof the most breath-taking in al of afghanistan. it's the scene of some pretty heavy fighting over the last six months. the 19 soldiers based here took a little time out to enjoy christmas on top of the world. christmas morning the men of this battalion man their post as

usual. far from home and nine months into a grueling deployment on the pakistan border the season spirit is slow to set in here but there were a few noticeable changes. >> he may look nice but he's not. >> reporter: a helicopter flew in from a nearby base bearing gifts and mail from home. >> oh, that's nice! >> yes! >> reporter: korcorporal billy jennings worked as a pastry chef before enlisting to the men are in good hands. the food seemed to hit the spot. after a few moments, the men were able to relax, even their afghan guards were getting into the spirit. but the meal was cut short. a neighboring checkpoint skam under attack. the soldiers rushed off to fire mortar at the suspected enly location. the war doesn't stop for the holidays up here but serves as a reminder what is important in

life, which is why no one lets down his guard not even on christmas. back to business for these soldiers. the good news in march they will be heading home to schofield barracks in hawaii so just a few months to go. to india now. what may be the world's biggest santa made of sand. the 35-foot high sculpture required 1,800 tons of sands and 16 people worked on it for days. the artist said it's a message for peace around the world. looked like a big old cookie to

our next guest include some of the best of the best. nicholas sparks is the best selling author of 17 books, six have been turned into movies with three more on the way. his latest novel is "the best of me." bra meltzer specializes in political flilers including "the inner circle" and host of the history's channel series "decoded." and jennifer egan, "a visit from the goon squad. >> they are here to talk about what inspires them as we move into the next year. guys, good morning. >> good morning. >> i don't have to tell any of you that writing can be a challenging process. jennifer, what inspires you to write? >> well, i decided i wanted to become a write when i was 18 and

traveling in europe. i took a year off between high school and college and i didn't speak the languages of the countries where i was and i felt like i didn't know anyone and was quite isolated. i think in that moment what i discovered was writing was a way for me to organize the world. it made the world seem alive and kind of exciting and magical and it also grounded me. so i think, in a way, what really inspired me is the desire to feel like that. it's what really gives life meaning for me. >> when you're not writing, you don't feel organized? >> i feel like something is missing. i feel like i'm living this life instead of the second life i like to live. i feel i get a bonus and live two lives. >> my first book got me 24 ejection letters and only 24 publishers at the time and i got 24 ejection letters. and some wrote me twice to make sure i got the point. i had an english teacher, miss

spicer, in ninth grade who gave me the inspiration to write. she said you can write. my first book was published and i knocked on her door. she said can i help you? i said i wrote this book and it's for you. she started crying. why are you crying? she said i didn't think i have an impact any more. i said you had. 30 students. i think of my mom. my mom died from breast cancer. when one of my books wasn't doing well, i thought my publisher had shut down and i wasn't able to any any more. i called my mom, scared. i'm terrified, mom. she said, brad, i would love you if you were a garbage collector. she is not making a crack at garbage man, my sunk a garbage man. >> i think nomenclature is a wasted disposal. >> but my mom didn't want to

say -- >> thanks for ruining the memory of my mother! >> sorry about that. nicholas, you've sold more than 90 million books at this point. was there a point you didn't know if you would sell one? >> oh, yeah, yeah. when you first head out. i get a lot of letters from people who want to be writers and usually they all say how do you get an agent, or a publisher? those aren't the questions. the real question is how do you get your novel to sell out of the store. how do you get people to know who you are and want to take a chance on what you're writing? so i spent the whole year prior to the publication of "the notebook." you have no idea whether it's going to sell or not or whether i will come up with another story or anything like that. >> you guys are certainly one of the most eclectic mixtures of authors i've ever seen on one couch here. jennifer, how do you decide what you're going to write about next? >> i usually begin actually with a sense of time and place more than anything. there is sort of an atmosphere that i'm looking for. and that is often my entry point.

i tend to write fairly unconsciously. i write fiction only by hand, believe it or not. what i'm looking for is the kind of meditative state where i don't know what is going to happen myself. i'm discovering it as it unfolds and then that's really how the charkss characters in the story come along. i shape it then. the big impulses are largely unconscious. >> how much is playing out beforehand, brad? >> i wish i could plan everything. to me one rule is write what you love. one time i got a letter from former president bush sr. and former president clinton say i like your novels. i thought if the presidents write to me about my book, i want to write to them. a few years ago, my son was born and i said i want to write a book for him and i wrote "heroes for my son" and probably could not be smart because my editor wants me to do that. but to me if you write what you

love you'll get better material. >> you're a planner. >> definitely a planner. these are stories but for me to write, i have to be very clear pretty much on six elements. you have to know the age of the characters, which is always the first decision i make because that informs what the dilemmas are, different ages you might have older parents and you'd care, things like that. the age. how the characters meet. what is the conflict that keeps them apart. i have to know what forces them to be together despite that conflict. what is driving the overall story. and i have to know the ending, whether it's happy ending or a sad end or bittersweet. unless i know those six things, yeah, i've had the experience where i've gotten halfway through and i just know the novel is not going to measure up to what i want. so until i know those six, i don't write a word. >> stick around for a second. we will have a special segment where you will do readings for

this is about a woman who lived on her looks for quite a while but now feels she is losing them and has decided it's time to find a rich husband so she is pursuing a man named percy grace. she returned wearily to the thought of percy grace as a way farer, picks up a heavy load and toils on after a brief rest and almost sure she had landed him. a few days work and she would win her reward but the reward itself seemed unpalettible just then. she could get no vest from the thought of victory. it would be a rest from worry. no more. and how little that would have seemed to her a few years earlier. her ambitions had shrunk gradually in the desiccating air of failure but why had she failed was it her own fault or that of destiny? she remembered how her mother after she shall lost their money used to say to her with a kind of fierce vindictiveness but

you'll get it all back with your faith. >> all life includes loss. it's taken me many, many years to learn to deal with that and i don't expect i'll ever be fully resigned to it. but that doesn't mean we have to turn away from the world or stop striving for the best we can do and be. we owe that to ourselves and deserve whatever measure of good may come of it. >> he saw her running in the woman's race and her arms close to her sides. she was among the stragglers and stopped and walked off the field laughing and wiping her face and throat with a handkerchief of the same material as her silk summer dress. lefan that is all was standing near her brother. she said i used to run when i was smaller. she was not accustomed to think of herself as a beautiful woman made her feel very tender toward her. she was in her mind when he watched the defendantants in the three-legged race hobbling over the meadow and he noticed one in

particular. a man with red hair who struggled forward angry with his partner as though race were a pain and a humiliation which he could wipe out only by winning. what a difference. he said to himself, what a difference in people. >> we're back. following some inspirational readings there. you all did wonderfully, by the way. >> thank you. >> you're impressed we can read? >> read and write! how about that? nicholas, as we enter the new year what else would you recommend besides your own novels? >> i read a great book and it's a couple of years old called "the passage" and i just thought it was a great novel written in the last five years. i say now would be a great time to read it because the follow-up is coming out next year. i think it will be -- it will give you time to buy it, read it and do everything because the next book called "the twelve" is coming in august, i think. i think people will enjoy that. >> fantastic book, "the passage." >> i'm a sucker for young

adults. i love "the hunger games." the first sucked me in and i'm glad they are make ago movie. to me the first book is gold. simple and easy and i think it will -- it gets a lot of kids reading but like "harry potter" to me for adults too. get you thinking about your own life which to me is the most important part after good book. >> jennifer? >> i read "butterflies child" by anna davis gardner and about to come out in paperback and follows the fate of madam butterfly's mixed race child who goes back to america and raised in the late 19th century by his white father and it's a really fascinating book novel and fantastic for book groups. >> so happy all three of you could come in. thank you so much for sharing your inspirational stories. happy holidays and new year to all of you. >> thank you. you too. >> here is rebecca. >> very interesting inspiration. we have all heard that dogs are man's best friend but who would be a homeless dog's best friend? we think it could be the woman

that steve hartman went to meet. >> looky here. >> reporter: takeresa berg is a professional pet photographer. her issue is bad dog adoption photos. that is not the ideal pose, i take it? >> i would think not. >> reporter: shelters and rescue post these pictures to entice people to adopt. but teresa says the effect is often just the opposite. that thousands of dogs are euthanized every year for no other reason than bad marketing. >> i can't stand the thought of, you know, for want of a good picture a dog goes homeless. >> reporter: that's why a few years ago, teresa started working for homeless dogs pro bono volunteering to take their adoption photos and worked with a rescue group ran by kathleen coleman. >> we were getting adoptions but it was just slow going. >> reporter: so teresa retook

all of the pictures of the dogs kathleen had posted online, brought them in focus and put them in pearls. got them out of jail and on to the couch and replaced the nick nolte mug shots with dog fancy cover shots. after the re-takes, every one of these dogs got adopted in record time. and, today, adoptions at the rescue are up 100%! >> pictures make a difference. that dog looks like it could be my friend. >> reporter: this was liberty's picture. the day after it was posted, three people called to adopt her. >> how are you? welcome! >> reporter: teresa is now determined to multiply her results from voluming other rescue shelters and to lend other professor photographers to lend their hand to the cause. >> if photographers could lend a hand, we could save so many more dogs. we really could. >> reporter: she is talking tens of thousands of lives. picture that. steve hartman, cbs news.

>> what a sweet story! >> it really is. you're upset getting you ninth gifts than a tenth. >> a puppy? >> no, a coffee table version of those puppies. >> i think it's a great metaphor we think about next year too. think about changing the way you're doing something. if you've been pounding your head against the wall and not getting it done, this is a story if you look at things, you try things a little bit differently it can have a huge impact and a great result. >> really good stuff. that will do it for us on this post-christmas morning. thank you for joining us. we will be back again tomorrow. your local news is coming up next.