forget the yule log or roasting chestnuts over an open fire this christmas. a strong warning about the air quality that will keep most people or some people indoors tomorrow. good evening, thanks for joining us. i'm terry mcsweeney, raj and jess eggica are off tonight. you may not want to step

outside. severe air quality will blanket the bay area. the air quality is expected to be the worst tomorrow of any place in the bay area. let's head to rob may ada. another spare the air alert for christmas day. >> the 18th really going back from november into december, but what's unusual about tomorrow is the totals that will be popping up in the south bay, so, yes, it's a spare the air day. and no burn day for the bay area, once the smoke particle pollution gets as high as we're seeing right now in the south bay, this is going to lead to some problems for all groups. not just those that have asthma or other pre-existing respiratory conditions. this will happen during the day on wednesday, you're being asked to cut back on some of those outdoor physical activities during the day wednesday, and especially during the morning hours when the smoke particle pollution is at its highest. what's unique, if you look at a comparison to last year, we only had ten spare the air days, a lot more rain too, that was over a four month period from

november to february of earlier this year, now, so far, less than just those two months, we had 18 spare the air days so far this year, almost 33% of the days, november into christmas day, looking at poor air quality. we could use some storms to improve the air quality and the rain, unfortunately the satellite view looking dry, and as you mentioned tomorrow, 70s in the forecast. mid-70s in a few spots, we'll show you where in the full forecast in a few minutes. back to you. >> following up on what rob was saying, there will be no cozy fires -- the bay area management district announced tomorrow's going to be the 18th spehr the air day many we can't burn wood, manufactured logs or any other solid fuel indoors and out. the air will be unhealthy to breathe for some people, especially the elderly and children. >> i think daze better to save the air with all the warming

happening. i think it's better to spare the air than to burn the fire. yeah. we can sacrifice that much, right? >> first time violations of the ban will bring a $100 fine. violations mean a fine of at least $500. head to nbc bay area.com for your latest forecast when we're not on the air. online you can find forecasts on your maps and radar. we are learning that oakland's top cop didn't take christmas eve off. he chased down a carjacking suspect earlier today. here's what happened just after 1:00 this afternoon. officers spotted a carjacked vehicle involved in several recent robberies, with interim chief sean went. he jumped out of the stolen vehicle, tried to get away on foot. officers later learns the suspect had a loaded pistol, but threw it away while he was being chased. ups is apologizing tonight as

thousands of gifts will not be delivered in time for christmas. the world's largest package delivery service said the unpredictability of shipments had overloaded the system. the drivers will not be delivering packages on christmas day, to make up for the delays. deliveries will start again on thursday. bay area malls and retail stores were busy today with last minute holiday shoppers. shoppers took advantage of a lot of bargains today before christmas. the other thing we noticed about the shoppers, they were mostly men. i'm working all the time, i have one day off, it's sunday. i have to watch football. >> we called around, and there are a few 24 hour cvs and wall greens stores still open. for some in the bay area, the holidays are a time to shine. holiday light displays are beyond over the top. jean ellie is live in livermore

with highlights. jean? >> we're here in livermore in front of a beautifully decorated holiday tree. this time of year, some people really like to go big. we found holiday displays that definitely outshrine the rest. >> no fog in livermore. dave and his team of volunteers strung more than 370,000 lights at his house on hillcrest avenue. this holiday lights show is months in the making. we start putting the lights up in october. >> the magic lights up all of december. >> i think that's pretty magic al you got to see the eflz and santa claus. >> i'd like them to leave with the magic of the lights. that bring peace upon people,

that's the fun of it. >> i don't know why, it's just funny. >> there's more fun to be had on dana highlands court in danville. neighbors say this winter wonderland keeps expanding. this year, decorations reach new heights. >> he was able to get a lift to get to the top of the tall trees. >> kids of all ages are mesmerize mesmerized. >> i see santa hanging up there. >> it makes me feel happy, joyful 37. >> i think it's really cool. >> it's not easy living next door. >> how do you compete with that. it's crazy. >> they figure out how to share in the season of this one of a kind creation. people from near and far are enjoying. >> brought everybody together. it's a lot of fun. >> a lot of fun on christmas eve. you can bet all of those lights have pg&e bills soaring. i don't have an exact number for

you. if you want to trade bills with him. he would be happy to pay yours and you can pay his great job, jean. a warning for patrons of one restaurant in the bay area. anyone who ate or drank there on december 12th through the 15th or the 19th may have been exposed to hepatitis a. so far, no cases of hepatitis a have been linked to the food handl handler. who is suspended until no longer contagious. the judge has ordered oakland's children hospital to continue life support temporarily. the teenager has been on a ventilator for two weeks. because the doctors have determined she was brain dead did so according to the law.

>> the decision is heartbreaking to hear that, of course but our faith is still strong, there's still time for a miracle. >> the judge's stay is still time to give the family time to appeal. new at 11:00, nine cars stolen in a little over a week. thieves didn't have to break any windows to drive off with their loot. each car was waiting to get service at a dealership. nbc's bay area stephanie truang has more. >> they're hitting the mercedes dealership, and the freemont toyota. >> one of my friends said we're

lives a real life gone in 60 seconds. >> now one or two, nine vehicles stolen from what were supposed to be secure areas at three dealerships. bmc, mercedes-benz and toyota. >> i feel like it was a planned operation. >> paid for everything and waited and waited for his suv. >> they came out and said, yeah. the car was probably stolen. >> as parents of two, the missing toyota suv was the least of their concerns. >> it could lead them to steal things from her house. >> they believe the vehicles were stolen, some of them overnight, waiting to get service or details, adding wash line vehicles have been left unlocked with the keys in the ignition. >> they're taking care of their

car. not going to get stolen. >> at bmw of freemont, there's a question why they were there so long. nbc bay area could not reach any of the three corporate offices for comment. but the chp says this could be a sign of an organized ring 37. >> that's very often the case. it's a much larger scale. there are the isolated incidents. often times it's a much greater plan. >> they've been trying to find any silver lining not to let what happened dampen their outing. she didn't get that new car, but she and her husband got good news today. they found their stolen suv in oakland along with two others. freemont police are still trying to piece together who was behind

these thefts. stephanie truang nbc bay area news. saying good-bye is hard to do. >> i'm sure everyone wanted a piece of candlestick, and some of them helped themselves yesterday. >> thieves destroyed, signs damaged. how much it will cost to repair scanned el stick after a final farewell. a christmas shock this morning, what led to the hole in their home.

a san jose family was enjoying christmas eve when a car slammed into their living room.

take a look two cars were racing each other through the streets of east san jose earlier today. one of the cars slammed into the living room with a christmas tree and presents. the car clipped another vehicle before hitting the home, that's probably why no one was seriously injured. street racing in san jose is not uncommon. >> there was supposed to be a racetrack built to get this off the streaks. >> police extracted the car from the house. both drivers were arrested for speed racing and may face reckless driving charges as well. >> the farewell to candlestick park could end up costing thousands of dollars. celebrating fans caused thousands in damage the impact of the overzealous souvenir hunters. >> the 49ers last regular season game at candlestick park ended

with a bang. a special night for fans like this guy. >> it was a great game. >> the parks department said people looking for last souvenirs of the stick, damaged 100 seats and 25 signs. one man was arrested in the parking lot with two stolen seats. >> we saw one guy, he was trying to peel the number off of his seat. >> police describe the 81 ejections and 30 arrests, mostly for public intoxication as relatively peaceful. fans felt a connection to the old ballpark. >> i'm sure everyone wanted a piece of the candlestick and they helped themselves. >> they were clearing away everything from abandoned couches to leftover tents.

they may have to host one more playoff game some fans offered their own solutions. >> 49ers pads and stuff like that. >> one guy next to us at our tailgate, he ended up coming back at 1:00 a.m., he snuck on the field and took a piece of grass. >> it's understandable why people wanted to take home a piece of the stick as for him, he was content with a few photos and a lifetime of memories. it's a historic christmas eve at the vatican pope francis celebrated, the leader of 1.2 billion cath ricks reached out to children, the poor and the abandoned later tonight, pope francis will deliver his first christmas message at the vatican. can you watch that right here on

nbc bay area right after this newscast at 11:30. >> rob? >> we're watching that too, and the latest on our norad tracker. the tech us of canada. you see the skies are clear no problem getting into the bay area. as you can see, seven-day forecast shows that christmas day will be quite warm around the bay area. temperatures climbing in the 70s. a little chilly around parts of the bay area. 43 toward livermore, we'll see upper 30s toward tomorrow morning. 47 degrees, what is not too good is the air quality, spare the air day tomorrow, you may notice it being a little worse in the south bay as those totals are at their highest we've seen so far this winter, for smoke pollution. reduce outdoor activity if you can during the day tomorrow

especially if you're around san jose. we can use wind to push smoke out of the area right now. some of our east bay and north bay hilltops will see winds at 25 miles per hour. not enough to push the smoke out which is trapped down closer to sea level. that's the problem here. high pressure has kept us dry. it's locked in the smoke and the particulate matter, as the high continues to build, storms will miss us warm temperatures, tomorrow may end up being the warmest day of the week. climbing into the low to mid-70s during the day tomorrow, unfortunately, no rain in the forecast. that would also help to clear out our skyies not seeing it there. also looking dry, the sierra, and not seeing any snow either. you're going to see in the forecast tomorrow, our temperatures that are going to look a little more like what you would expect to see in the

spring or summer. numbers in the low 70s in san jose. if we hit these low 70s tomorrow, you will see these as being new record highs for the day tomorrow. you can see temperatures around the north bay also in the low 70s, oakland about 67 degrees, cooler near the water, president anton near 64 degrees. temperatures really warm, even down into southern california. if you're headed that way, look out. 84 in los angeles. santa cruz looks fantastic. look out for high surf tomorrow. 74 degrees, christmas day, looks nice on the south coast. >> amazing, thanks very much. still to come, the christmas spirit brought to afghanistan. how u.s. troops are celebrating the holidays. good morning nelly! woah.

hey! have you ever tried honey nut cheerios? love 'em. neat! now you on the other hand... you need some help. why? look atchya. what is that? you mean my honey wand? [ shouting ] [ splat ] come on. matter of fact. [ rustling ] shirt. shoes. shades. ah! wow! now that voice...

my voice? [ auto-tuned ] what's wrong with my voice? yeah man, bee got swag! be happy! be healthy! that's gotta go too. ♪ hey! must be the honey! [ sparkle ] sweet. the usa has been busy spreading holiday cheer to men and women in uniform. there are 47,000 soldiers and marines in afghanistan. tonight and as u.s. winds down

operations there, our pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski report reports on last year's christmas tradition. >> amid the mountains of eastern afghanistan, santa claus is already going to town. it's the uso's annual christmas convoy. u.s. troops on the battlefield. it's led by santa herself, regina wages, the uso director at forward operating base. >> i love these guys, they need a little piece of home, and i love providing it for them. >> volunteers pitch in on behalf of their fellow soldiers. >> they're creating a smile. >> they're the only santa's helpers. all gifts are donated like flat screen tv's and the latest xbox. even the bikes are a symbol by committee. we don't have any parts left over, do you? >> i don't think we do. >> the gifts are tossed on to helicopters for delivery.

this time the base -- the soldiers are preparing for the mission. only days before christmas. the uso invasion provides a welcome break from the war. >> the usa convoy delivers the holiday packages to some of the most isolated and dangerous faces in afghanistan. where the only outside contact may be the enemy. >> as the war winds down, these christmas convoys will come to an end. that's bittersweet for regina. >> i'm glad they're going home, but for me, it's not bad. >> and while war has a way of rapidly turning young soldiers into men, these brief moments allow them to be kids again. >> you guys will do anything.

>> receiving what they deem the most precious gift of all jim miklaszewski nbc news, afghanistan. >> great story there. dave feldman from the comcast sportsnet is coming up.

hi, everybody, i'm dave feldman. yesterday dennis allen announced terrelle pryor would be the starting quarterback this sunday against denver. shortly thereafter, pryor's agent told comcast sportsnet, i think they're putting him in in hopes that he fails. coach allen, your response. >> i'd say that's the stupidest thing i've ever heard. no coach in their right mind. this isn't the real housewives of beverly hills, this isn't made for tv drama, this is football, and we make our football decisions based solely

on that, nothing other than that. i don't give it a lot of thought. i can't control the ignorance that might come out of somebody else's mouth, but i've talked to terre terrelle about it, it's situations like that you have to separate the player from the agent. he doesn't have control, i don't have control over those things that get said in my book, it's really nothing, it's one person's opinion, i've moved on from it and ready to focus on the broncos. different emotion on the other side of the bay. the 49ers are still on cloud nine after clinching a postseason birth monday night. >> for navarro bowman's pick six will sit in the history of plays at candlestick will exist for years to come.

>> i don't know how many plays like that a coach has in his career. probably so few you're going to remember them your entire coaching career, that was one of those memorable plays. >> it's a play harbaugh can't stop talking about. >> i was and still am, happier than a pig in shop. >> navarro bowman! >> i'm sure there were high fives at different grills across the country when that outsidekick sneaked through there, and then he hit a couple pa passes and then all of a sudden navarro bowman made that play. >> i got to get back. we got to get back. i know, onward. moving on ward to the cardinals. >> it's a cardinals team that is still fighting for its playoff life, coming off a win in

seattle, handing the seahawks their first home loss since the 49ers did so in the 2011 season. >> very aggressive defense, very stingy defense. tacky defense. >> the 49ers will not have the advantage of knowing their playoff position before they play the cardinals as two of the games that will determine their seed in the postseason kick off at the exact same time. harbaugh says he will not be scored watching, and the results of those games would not change the approach to arizona anyway. as he put it, there's too much at stake. in santa clara, mindy bach, nbc bay area. >> that does it for sports, for everyone here, happy holidays, more news after the break. we all have our little tricks.

mom swaps one of my snacks for a yoplait. i don't mind, i mean it's orange crème. and when mom said bobby was too edgy... 'sup girl. i just swapped him out for tyler. 'sup girl. mom never questioned bobby again. two can play at this game. [ female announcer ] swap one snack a week for a yoplait. and everybody wins. yoplait. it is so good.

the question is, what is santa not doing today? i'm going to tell you what he is doing, he's water skiing as you can see. the nearly 30-year-old washington, d.c., tradition. santa and his christmas crew took to the national harbor to water ski and jet ski. brought the reindeer with him as we saw. the river temperature a nice 42 degrees. santa doesn't care, he's magical. he went surfing today. the fifth annual event in cocoa beach, florida. a good time for santa and his helpers. santas of all ages came together to raise money for grind for life.org. they raise a lot of money today. and jolly st. nick put on scuba gear. wearing his signature red and white, he went diving in the florida keys, national marine sanctuary, bringing gifts for the fishes. dive customers can take pictures with santa, and the proceeds go to a local kids charity. santa all over the place, the

question is, where at the now? >> we're just watching him. oklahoma city right now, moving down the great plains, i don't think he's going to want to goo to the north pole once he takes a look at today's temperatures, you're going to drop the presents off tonight, i think he might stick around, 74. >> thanks very much. thanks for joining us. tonight show with jay leno up next.

now, a special christmas presentation from nbc news. from the vatican in rome, christmas eve at st. peter's

basilica. the secelebrant of midnight mas is pope francis with music by the sistine chapel choir. this broadcast is presented in consultation with the united states conference of catholic bishops. the commentator is monsignor tom powers, a vatican official, and a spiritual director at the pontifical north american college in rome. >> from st. peter's basilica in vatican city, this is monsignor tom powers extending to each of you a warm welcome as you join us here live for christmas mass during the night with pope francis. this is pope francis' first time celebrating christmas mass as bishop of rome and supreme pontiff of the universal church. we see the procession beginning led by a