saturday and sunday. >> back in 25 minutes with an update. feel free to sing along if you want to. welcome back on "today," saturday morning, the 24th of december, 2011. it's christmas eve. what better way to spend part of it than here on the blah yeah at rock center, beneath the christmas tree. thanks to you for spending your holiday weekend here. i'm finishing a cookie. that's why i'm talking that way. i started an oatmeal cookie -- >> and then you didn't have quite enough time to finish it. >> outside the plaza, letter holt along with amy robach. coming up, we're going to get the latest on prince pill yip's

health. >> the 90-year-old husband of the queen underwent surgery on friday after he was rushed to the hospital with chest pains. queen elizabeth went to visit the prince at the hospital. that's understandable. we're going to get the latest from buckingham palace in just a moment. if you haven't finished your christmas shopping, folks, it's time to focus. we're going to help you whether it's last minute gifts for a loved one or what to give to a hostess of a party you're going to, don't worry, we have some simple and easy ideas that will help ease your stress here. and then heaven is for real. colton was rushed to emergency surgery with a burst appendix. when he awoke, he had an astonishing story. it's an amazing family. we will meet colton and his family, coming up. veronica de la cruz at the news desk for us. >> good morning, everyone. president obama is starting his delayed christmas vacation in hawaii after securing a

agreement to some payroll tax cuts for the next two months. kristin welker is in honolulu. good morning to you, kristin. >> reporter: good morning to you, veronica. president obama arrived in honolulu on friday evening. his vacation was delayed by about a week because of that fight over the payroll tax cut extension. now, he's arriving just in time for christmas and starting his trip after what many are calling a political victory. on friday, republicans caved to him and congressional democrats and agreed to extend the payroll tax cut for two months. the bill will also extend unemployment insurance benefits. senate democrats passed an almost identical bill last week, but republicans balked. republicans eventually gave in to mounting pressure from members of their own party who called on them to pass a stopgap measure. right before the president boarded air force one to head to

hawaii, he held a news conference and continued with the theme that we will undoubtedly hear in 2012. >> there will be some tough fights, i'm sure, in the years to come. but that's the kind of country that i'm fighting for. and everybody is doing their fair share. >> now, b this is the fourth time to see obama family will spend their christmas holiday here in the president's hometown of honolulu since the president wag elected in back in 2008, veronica. >> kristin welker, thank you. donald trump may yet run for president. he dropped his republican affiliation friday so he can run as an independent in 2012 if he doesn't like the republican nominee. queen elizabeth accompanied by her children visited prince phillip in the hospital where he is recovering from a heart operation. he was successfully treated

friday night for a blocked artery. this christmas, more on that at 8:30 from nbc's duncan golasani in london. and nike's new air jordans are sparking a buying frenzy on this, the last day to shop. kerry sander has more on this. kerry, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. this is the must-have gifts. things here at the mall are very calm as people try to buy them. in other part of the country, it has turned somewhat ugly. there were some shots fired in richmond, california, and in indianapolis buyers were trampled. no one was seriously injured there. the national retail federation has increased its spending forecast for this holiday season up to about had $60 billion. that's up 4%. and, of course, they're celebrating the christmas falls on sunday this year. it means they get one more saturday to sell when i held

these up at 7:00, somebody came up and offered to buy them from me. these are the hot item. >> but you're lucky, you got them, kerry. good for you. >> tiny, though. >> that is the news. let's send it back to you, lester and amy, outside on the plaza. >> i'll take those shoes. i'm sure they'll fit one of my kids. veronica, thank you very much. bill carin sess out there on the plaza. >> something knot quite right. someone has forgotten their gloves this morning. >> uh-oh. thank you so much. >> those are mine. i forgot to bring them out. thank you. >> don't say i didn't ever give you anything. we've got a first baby christmas here. >> how old? >> six months. >> and what time do you think she's wake up to get her gifts tomorrow morning? >> about 2:00 a.m. >> oh, you are so good like that. >> we've got a little bit of a white christmas out there in areas of west texas. midland right in the jackpot area. you're going to have a couple inches on the ground by the time

it's all said and done. there's not many of us that can go out and play in the snow this weekend. there's no snow on the ground. it's amazing that most of the michigan, wisconsin and minnesota doesn't have snow on the ground. it's crazy. as far as the forecast for christmas eve, rain down in texas and into louisiana, and that looks like where the rain is >> things are looking good around entire state, here in baltimore, topping at 45, and t. 40 in denver and you had some snow earlier this week so you also get a white christmas. that's a look at your holiday forecast. amy, back to you. now to one boy's near death experience and what he described as the trip to heaven that's

been a publishing phenomenon. we'll talk to colton and his parents in just a moment. but first, colton answers astounding story. >> some people have called this god's country with christmas job sunrises and rolling farmland. imperial nebraska, population 1,982, is the heartland. it's also where todd, the local pastor, his wife, sonia, and their three kids live, normal in all respects except one. >> a few angels, they came and picked me up and i was looking right at jesus. >> that's right, colton, their 12-year-old, has been to heaven. >> then he says the things that get our attention. but that's where the angels sang to me, mommy. and it's like, wow, angels. wow. >> it all started when colton was 4 with a near tragedy. >> we hit a real low because we looked at each other and thought

we had money it. >> what he this out thought was the flu turned out to be a burst appendix. >> we think it had burst for five days. >> at the hospital, they were given little hope. >> i remember the doctor just not saying anything. that was a nightmare. >> after 17 days in the hospital, colton emerged, but he was different. he began speaking about things he couldn't possibly know about, his mother's miscarriage, his father's prayers and a visit with his great-grandfather, pop. >> i was sitting by the holy spirit. this guy comes up to me and says, are you todd's son? i said, yes. he says, well, i'm his grandfather. >> colton's story is stoeld in the book "heaven is for real." >> there were a lot of colors up there. colors that you can't even name because we haven't seen them before. >> it has been on the top of the "new york times" best seller list for nearly a year. now in his latest book, colton

is sharing his trip to heaven with other kids. >> i remember seeing gee jesus. he had really pretty eyes. he had a rough, kind face. brown hair and a smile that was brighter than any other smile that i've seen. >> and we're joined now by the burpa family. todd, sonja and colton. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> and, todd, i have to wrnd, you have your son have this incredible experience. he decides to write about it. but are you surprised by how much attention his story is getting and how popular it's become? >> we're very surprised. we thought a few people would find it, it would sit on a shelf and that would be it. >> commenton, let me ask you, this trip to heaven happened when you were a little boy. i know memory starts to fade a little bit. what still stands out the most to you when you remember those moments? >> well, two of the things i remember the most are my family members and jesus. >> and what do you remember about them?

talking to them, what they looked like? >> well, with jesus, i remember being with him and just having a great time with him up in heaven. but my family members, i just liked having a great time with them. >> and meeting them for the first time. >> yes. >> and sonia, speaking to that, i can only imagine how shocking it would be to hear your 4-year-old talk about a daughter you miscarried. what was that like for you? i mean, it probably was hard to believe. >> it was shocking, but it was very comforting to know that she's okay and she was in heaven and being taken care of and that we don't have to worry about her. she's waiting for us and we're thrilled to hear about that. >> how did he describe that? >> he basically told us, i have three sisters, mom, and i was trying to figure out what he meant. at that point, we had not shared with him that a baby died in your tummy. and so he said, she told me, she

died in her tummy. and he kept revealing things and gave us such a complete peace and comfort. >> with the good comes the bad. u the doubters and the haters. how have you all handled some of the unfavored comments you've received? >> the main thing that we found is god has, i think, convinced a lot of people that we're not making this up. not only that, we come from a small town. this story began eight years ago. our friends, family, people there in town have encouraged us to write it, to share it with others. and i think there's lots of witnesses that have heard from colton first hand that this is true. it's not just us. >> colton, how have you handled all of the attention you received? >> i don't. i just go with the flow and pretty much -- >> you just tell what you remember? >> yes. >> and what impact do you think that's had on people like your friends or even grownups? >> well, with my friends, they have grown up with the story, so it's only impacted them a little bit because they knew the story

and when it came to the book, that's when they starteded being like, oh, okay. but with the adults, it's started healing some of their hurts. >> adults have enjoyed your first book. why did you make the book to children? >> who is going to know how to talk to kids better than kids? all the colors, jesus loves them, playing with animals. i don't know how many kids have asked colton, is my pet going to be there? he doesn't know if their pet is going to make it, but he saw animals and played with them. that's why i think it's natural. it's like, this is what it should be. >> todd, sonja and colton, the books are "heaven is for real" and "heaven is for real" for kids. th just one purpose ♪ ♪ to help you fall in love with nook ♪ ♪ for movies, music, apps, and books ♪

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if you're weaking up this morning and still in the need for gifts, no worries, you have a few hours to go, anyway. >> what can you buy? where do you find it? and is it too late? >> here to help us figure out where to do that last-minute shopping today, is lifestyle expert robin mereno. let's get started. one of the big -- but we mentioned this earlier in the broadcast. these air jordan shoes are back. >> people are going crazy. they're rioting in the streets for these guys and they're still available, luckily. so if you go to nike.com, they'll tell you they're out of stock. if you're lucky, they'll have them at a store near you. >> expensive? >> $180. on ebay, they're 500, but $180 from a normal store. >> we've seen some mega deals already in this file week. are we going to see more? >> procrastinators, it was good

that you waited. you can get some big deals. macy's is having up to 60% off their cashmere. car mere is a lovely gift. if you're in the market for a watch, kohl's has up to 60% off for their entire selection. that's a great deal for men or women in the market to have sears is having half off their craftsman tool sets. and walmart, they're having big sales on their kids' bikes starting at $50. >> and one thing you said was don't discount the pharmacies and drugstores. >> in addition to organic turkey, you can pick up scarf and earrings, the cute stuff. tomorrow, if you're down to the wire, cvs will be open from 10:00 to 8:00 tomorrow. >> so you can pick up, like, stereo systems and tablets and

they have cute toys, gift sets featuring didny's favorite characters like princess and cards. it's something for the entire family until the last minute. >> it's panic buying, but it works. >> they'll never know. >> how here is amy. lester, thank you. if you're heading to a party or a family member's house this weekend and still looking for a last-minute hostess gift, help has arrived. allison is here from thefind.com. i love your first two items because they involve food that i love to eat. pizza and meatball makers. >> they have makers for everything these days, doughnuts, cakes. these are both from bella. if you have monday night football, the kids are coming back from a hockey game, everyone can make their own pizza, and these are both available at kohl's. so you can scoot into kohl's today and they're all under $40. >> that's impressive. and then instead of a bottle of

wine, you suggest perhaps bringing -- >> coffee. so keurig is the hot new item to have. instead of sending your hostess back into the kitchen, set autopsy coffee making station so she can enjoy dessert with everyone. these are the barista people yumm coffee house flavors which are the fave. you can make colder drinks witness as well. >> i was just saying we needed one of these in the kitchen. the can you leave this with us? >> i'll ask if they don't mind. but that is what is so great. instead of the wine, bring the ba rita. along with the desserts, bring the dessert stand. you're bringing something chic and beautiful. these are actually sin day crawford style collection. she's getting into everything these days. these are all available at jcpenn jcpenneys. these ornament bowls just went on sale for $10. so bring the dessert, bring it

on something and that way you're leaving it for the hostess as a gift. >> and then you have some fun, rote row games for the kids? >> yes. and what i like about this is it's kind of bringing friendly competition. these are all available at marshals, ranging from $20 to $6. and they're nice enough and decorative enough that you can leave them out on the table. what i love about places like tjmaxx, marshals, 10,000 new items every single week. >> you don't have to tell me on that. thanks so much. now here is lester. >> amy, thanks. it's the season for giving. if you're looking for a gift that gives back, we have a few unique ideas. elaine griffin is here with us, contributing design et tore at better homes & gardens. if you want to donate to a person's favorite charity, you can do that online. but if you want something tangible along with that, how would you go about it? >> you want to take it a step farther. number one, we think that giving online for gifts with a charitable tie-in are great for last minute things. but always do your homework on

the charity first. that's number one. we love heiffer international. if you want to pair your gift cardses from them with something that reminds you of the gift. if you give to honey bees, pair it with honey. exactly. >> now, a fashion gift that gives back. >> yes. >> you've got some ideas for that. >> for the style maid on your gift, loving the j-gel compassion t-shirt. it's stylish, cute, comfy and benefits their compassion fund which helps homeless women. >> and this new balance product here, it's supporting breast cancer research. >> you have to have accessories. it's their new heart rate monitor watch punish new year's resolutions are coming up. exercise is going to he one of them. >> you just hold this, right? >> you just hold it and this benefits see san g.komen. >> and ornaments. where are these being sold? they're from macy's.

add a little celebrity buzz to your christmas tree. the macy's design star ves all done christmas ornaments. they benefit the make a wish foundation. this is from madonna, rachael ray. >> starbucks? >> they have a great gift card that your recipient will louf every morning for. and it goes to benefit the global fund which supports aids research in africa. when you do that, you want to pai pair it with the ultimate morning combo and that's charity mugs from west elm. >> and they're donating to -- >> a variety of different charities. >> perfect. thank you. >> happy holidays. >> this is "today" on nbc.

i miss that guy with all my heart. we shared classes together, we survived the lectures,

and we took the tests and we told the jokes. but now i must look at the empty desk with an empty heart, unable to rest. while all the other kids laugh and play, i'll only remember that one day, when my best friend jeff was taken away. i love you, jeff. still to come on "todayed,"

prince phillip undergoes heart surgery. we're live with an update. and then we're going to switch gears as michael bublea will stop by and treat us to a special holiday performance. but first, these messages. get ? i'd like a decaf 360 calories please. i'll have a triple iced 410 calories please. you know what... i'll have this instead. [ female announcer ] swap one thing a day for a yoplait light at around 100 calories. it will add up to amazing. so you don't have to deal with this. [ crying ] i just wanted some stocking stuffers. what am i -- invisible? are you serious? don't get involved. everybody's bumping me! [ crying ] [ female announcer ] just go to walgreens. one simple trip to fill all those stockings. and don't forget the hershey's kisses chocolates. and we're open late to help you finish your list. happy holidays and from all of us at walgreens we wish you well. [ female announcer ] shopping simplified. with walgreens...there's a way. forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement.

he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa. would you like me to read you a story? you can't read. [ grandma ] 'twas the night before christmas, and all through the house... whoa, that's grandma. [ grandma ] nothing was stirring, not kara, not maya. how does she do that? magic. [ grandma ] ...grandma loves you. goodnight, grandma. goodnight, grandma. [ female announcer ] be there to read them a story every night. read it to me again. [ female announcer ] hallmark recordable storybooks. this christmas, make it wonderful. ♪ fantastic! [ man ] pro-gresso they fit!

okay-y... okay??? i've been eating progresso and now my favorite old jeans...fit. okay is there a woman i can talk to? [ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less. >> live, local, late wraking, this is wbal tv news today in baltimore. >> good morning, the time is 8:25, and a look at the top

stories. during the weekend, aaa estimates that 93 million will be traveling. and this will most likely be the second highest holiday travel period in the last decade. and airfare prices up and gas prices climbing. >> the national average is $3.22 while down from last month, it's higher than this time last year. >> according to aaa maryland gas prices are averaging $3.18, that's down from last year. meanwhile traffic brought to a stand still after an accident when a pedestrian was hit by a car at 5:30 last night. the victim had to be flown to

shock trauma, no word on her condition this morning. police made an arrest after a deadly stabbing in baltimore county, george evans faces first degree murder charges, unfolding last night. investigators believe that the two got in a fight, and evans stabbed the victim several times. evan is held on the the baltimore

>> all right, you have to bear a

little longer for the forecast here. that's over at the polar bear watch at the maryland zoo in baltimore. they have been out all morning, it's great. one taking a rest and one climbing around. want it tell you about your travel forecast, the good news the entire eastern seaboard will be clear, with mild temperatures in the south. and if you are driving west to pittsburgh and chicago, it's looking good as well. hey, there is a raven's game today. and the conditions will be cool, temperatures 40-45. and for the christmas forecast. everyone wants to know what will happen. tonight clear and cool, 35. and christmas day 46, partly

clear skies. >> thank you, and saturday morning news starts in 25 minutes. see you then. we're back on this saturday morning. it's december 24th, 2011, and christmas eve. look at this crowd we have out here on the plaza getting ready for santa to come to their homes. we want to thank you for spending your morning with us. i'm amy robach along with lester holt. still to come this half hour, we're going to give the latest on the condition of prince phillip. he had a heart issue. >> heart issue. the duke of edinburgh taken to the hospital for chest pains on friday. prince william and harry's grandfather turned 90 this past june. he was getting ready to spend the holiday with the rest of the

royal family. we're going to find out the latest on his condition, coming up. >> then we're going to switch gears and turn to the holiday feast. as many folks across the country get ready to celebrate, some of us may wonder what's on the menu. we're going to show you how to mae a traditional christmas eve feast. these dishes are easy to make and they're delicious. >> later on, we're going to hear from michael bublea. we're going to hear one of the songs on his album coming up. >> looking forward to that. but first, let's get a check of the weather from bill karins out of the plaza with us. bill. >> i'm hiding behind lester. it's a great morning out here, fantastic. and behind all these beautiful pooep people out here, we have the lovely christmas tree right there. a lot of football fans, too. kind of a weird saturday with a lot of football fans. let me take you through your weekend forecast. if you're lucky enough to get all your shopping done, you can

spend the day indoors watching football. as we go into christmas day, the weather forecast doesn't change much. what you have today is pretty much what you're going to deal with for your christmas day. it looks pretty soggy out there. we also in the northwest are going to see the first storm system in a while coming in. just some light rain, mountain snow, but that's about it. pretty simple weekend for your forecast. >> after a cloudy start this morning, things will move to partly and mostly sunny this afternoon. by way there a raven's game. winds out of the northwest go to new mexico, colorado, and it still looks nice and pretty.

of course, here in new york, we have a big football game today. we have the jets against the giants with sunday night football. that's going to be a good game, too. lambeau field, you can't get any more historic than that. a surprising loss last week taking on the bears. is weather will be tranquil for lambeau field. 28 to 30 degrees. that's pretty warm up there. back on you, amy. >> royal family was beginning to gather for their christmas holiday. prince phillip began experiencing chest pains and was air lifted to the hospital. duncan is outside buckingham palace for the latest on his condition. good morning, duncan. >> good morning w, amy. at this time of year, buckingham palace pretty much shuts down as the family moves out for the holiday season. that's why an announcement late last night took everyone by surprise. the duke of edinburgh should have been welcoming family for the holidays.

instead, this morning, they're visiting him in the card i can't go yak hospital 50 miles away. he was rushed there last night by helicopter. buckingham palace confirmed he had chest pains and underwent some minor operations called artery exte artery stenting. >> june, the prince turned 90. and enjoyed all the royal pomp of the palace celebrations. later, he was flirting with film star gweneth paltrow. >> despite all the wonderful things you do, it's wonderful when you stop doing them. >> but he's not likely to stop. there was a grueling 11-day tour of australia. >> the duke of edinburgh carriesing on something like 400 engagements a year. he realizes that he can't carry out the same pace. >> the prince has been married

to the queen for more than 60 days. always a few steps behind her, careful to be the supporter, never the star. but behind closed doors, she turns to him. >> the queen described prince phillip as her strength and stay. he's simply somebody who has been with her for such a long time, she can't imagine life without him. >> they were together for the biggest occasion of the decade, their grandson's marriage to kate. it's possible he'll miss her first christmas. the royal family have big celebrations. this year, they'll be wishing for the home coming of a much loved husband, father and grandfather. >> and through the morning, all of the prince's children have been to visit him, including prince charles and his wife, camilla, and the latest from the hospital is he's in high spirits. amy. >> all right, duncan golastani, thanks so much. come up, how to make a simmer traditional christmas feast. it's not too late to get started. we're going to show you how.

[ female announcer ] you call that bread? in 15 minutes, you can serve some warmth with your bread. and some flavor with your bread. and some layers with your bread. if you're serving bread honey, then serve it. grands! dinner ideas made easy.

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this morning on today's kitchen, a extradition that's long by associated with many homes in the holidays.

christmas eve feast might sound difficult to prepare, but it's not. here is ed brown, chef and collaborator for ed's chowder house and restaurant associates. great to have you here. >> good morning. >> what's the significant of a fish with christmas? >> there's a lot of explanations. the one that i'm using which is the easiest one is it starts with the theory that catholics don't eat meat on fridays or on holy day. so on the holy day of christmas eve christmas they eat the dinner of fishes. why seven? they say there's one fish for each day of the week. >> and seven recurs many times in the bible. >> that's right, it does. >> you have a seafood salad you're starting here. >> onions, celery, chili flakes, garlic and a good amount of olive oil. i've got shrimp that i split in half. some fresh squid. >> scallops.

>> scallops. now, if you notice, i don't have the pan on a very high heat because we just want to warm up and cook that seafood to be cooked. we don't want to brown it. we just want it to come along slowly. >> okay. >> i've got one coming along nicely here. and just as soon as that seafood gets cooked a little bit where it's going to finish it off with some lemon juice -- >> this looks like it's going to be an entree. ite actually an appetizer. >> it's an appetizer. >> would you serve it up with crusty bread? >> yeah. i'm going to put a little lemon zest in there to give it a little of that freshness. >> this looks delicious, ed. >> and it's as simple as that. >> how long would you cook this, then? >> total cooking time is probably only about five minutes. >> oh, this is quick and easy. yeah, really quick. >> now a few minutes so to saute

the onions. >> the seafood is the quickest thing. then a little olive oil over the top. i like to put a lot bit of the large sea salt for a little crunch. you can taste that. make sure it tastes good. >> looks terrific. let me give that a shot. very nice. that could away whole meal, though. >> could be. >> we're going to come over here now and do braised cod with muscles and -- ooh, it has a kick to it, by the way. >> yes. a little chili pepper on it. >> here we have gray scott. >> and i've cooked this with cuban ell peppers, fresh chili peppers, a lot of garlic, braised it together with the muscles and the cod. i've salted the cod for about an half hour. then i rinse it off and pat it dry. the cod firms up. it's much easier to handle.

here, i've got white wine and a little vinegar. we've braised everything together. >> is this going to cook a while? >> this cooks for about 15 to 20 minutes. i serve it with some creamy polenta. really make it soft like this. >> i used to think of polenta as being more firm than that. >> in this case, we make it very soft. it's almost like we make a little pool for that. finish it up with basil. then pull the cod fish out. right off the plate. >> right. by the way, if the muscles don't open after cooking, you don't need to toss them aside, right? >> toss them aside. >> great presentation. this looks great on the family table. >> i'm coming in, hi. it's always awkward to storm the

castle. sorry. >> not when you smell this. you come running. >> olive oil on top, fresh cracked pepper. >> look how christmassy it looks, too, on the red plate. >> you got that theme, huh? >> i did. i figured it out. >> pasta dish, pasta with clams. i put raw chopped parsley in at the last minute. >> what is that? >> clementines that we pulled apart prior to the segment. i put syrup, gren na dean and it looks great in the glass bowl. >> what is this, the champagne? >> this is a nice holiday looking sort of drink. >> well -- >> happy holidays. >> merry christmas, happy holidays. >> are you cook this christmas? >> absolutely. >> good for you. thanks for having us. >> thank you. >> thanks to you for being here. up next, music man michael

bublea stops by with a special message.

want to add some swing into your holiday season? grammy award winner michael bublea is out with a brand new holiday album called simply, "christmas." good morning. >> good morning. >> your last album called "crazy love" sold over 7 million copies worthwide. seen by over a million people. why did you want to go out and ring out a christmas album? >> i think that it's a huge time for me and my family. the second i legislature that christmas stuff, it brings me back to warm and fond memories with family members. i felt like this could be the most important record of my life if i had done it right. and i just lost the holidays.

i can't even tell you how exc e excited i am tomorrow for my nieces and nephews. santa claus is coming tomorrow. >> he's coming tonight for some. >> for some, yeah. >> and i was telling you earlier, your voice is so perfect for those christmas songs. >> that's my niece and nephew on the video. >> oh, how cute! >> was it difficult, though, trying to make these songs that are so loved and so well known? >> no. you know, i wanted to make this record for so long that i had come up with the concept years ago, some of them 20 years ago. so i walked into the studio and i worked my butt off. we worked in july, which people think isn't christmassy. but just playing these songs gets people into the spirit. and we did it all live at capital records and there were about nine people all playing at the same time. and it made it easy easy to get into the spirit of things. >> and you mentioned july. we're seeing snow, but you say

it was 95 degrees out there when you were doing? >> it was so hot, yes, it was so hot. >> so you're an actor, as well. >> it was filmed in vancouver, canada. it's summertime. they have this weird fake fake bubbles. >> and you're wearing an ov overcoat. >> and every few takes they were patting me down. is it okay if i just go and do it? >> go. take it away. >> merry christmas. merry christmas to you. thanks so much. ♪ i'm dreaming tonight of a place i love even more than i usually do ♪ ♪ and although i know it's a long road there ♪

♪ i promise you i'll be home for christmas ♪ ♪ you can plan on me sneets please have snow and misestle toe ♪ ♪ and presents by the tree ♪

♪ christmas eve is gonna find me ♪ ♪ where the love light is green ♪ ♪ i'll be home for christmas if only in my dreams ♪ ♪

♪ i'll be home for christmas if only in my dreams ♪ >> michael buble, thank you, and we're back after this. tourism season in years. all because so many people came to louisiana... they came to see us in florida... make that alabama...

make that mississippi. the best part of the gulf is wherever you choose... and now is a great time to discover it. this year millions of people did. we set all kinds of records. next year we're out to do even better. so come on down to louisiana... florida... alabama... mississippi. we can't wait to see you. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. [ female announcer ] let betty crocker do the measuring and get a head start on delicious homemade cookies. ♪ just pour, mix...love. keurig has a wide variety of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. because it is.

but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. removes 99% of dirt and toxins without dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. so skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] from neutrogena® naturals. just unroll it fill top bake and present. that must have taken you forever! it was really tough. make a pie with pillsbury tonight. [ cat yodeling ] honey, check your email! [ cellphone chimes ] [ cat yodeling ]

kids! [ cat yodeling ] sing, larry, sing! [ cat yodeling ] we should have got a cat. [ male announcer ] get low prices on gifts to stay connected. order your last-minute gifts at walmart-dot-com and get free same-day pickup on select items. save money. live better. walmart. and that's going to do it for us on this saturday morning.

our thanks to veronica de la cruz and bill karins. coming up tomorrow on "today" we're going to celebrate christmas on the plaza and give you a sneak peek. >> plus, tips for returning unwanted gifts. that will do it tonight for nbc nightly news. so long, everybody. thanks for watching and have a merry christmas. >> merry christmas.

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal tv news today in baltimore. >> good morning, here's a look at some top stories. the search continues this morning for a suspect after a double shooting in east baltimore. happened thursday night and officers found a 19-year-old man with a gunshot wound, and a woman with a gunshot wound. ed hale is now a retired man.

making that announcement yesterday with new york base premium fund, that will provide $30 million into the bank, and the bank president will serve as c.e.o. state transportation officials announced a pilot program for emergency parking for select park n rides. only for certain inches of snow. coming up next we have answers to the pet questions. i love this song, a maryland holiday classic, celebrating its 30th anniversary. joining us live. and impress your friends and get creative, we will show you

unique ideas to wrap christmas presents. >> it

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal tv 11 news saturday morning. >> good morning, and merry christmas eve, and we have lloyl, ho