We begin with a christmas turned deadly by the kind of storms we dont usually see until spring. Dozens of tornadoes tore through the south and midwest including the first ever recorded in michigan in december. At least eleven were killed last night, more than 60 hurt. States of emergency have been declared in georgia, tennessee and mississippi, where about 100 homes were destroyed. Manuel bojorquez begins our coverage near holly springs, mississippi. You can see the debris. Reporter this tornado was on the ground for ten minutes as it tore through the town of clarksdale, mississippi. Storm chasers scrambled to get out of harms way as a tornado came right at them, and another slammed into a busy highway, knocking a tractortrailer on its side. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant if you look at the damage here, it is as bad as any tornado that weve had, and i have been through a lot of them. Reporter marvin and bernita sims were in their house watching tv when the storm hit. Their home was destroyed. I looked up, the roof was blowing off the house and i just told her, hold on, hold on. I held on to her as tight as i could. Reporter the massive storm system that moved across the southeast yesterday spawned 29 tornadoes in six states. In perry county, tennessee, sheriff say 69yearold Ann Yzaguirre and 70yearold Antonio Yzaguirre were killed when a tornado hit their home. The couple had just celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary. And one of the dead in mississippi is a sevenyearold boy, killed when the car he was riding in was tossed into the air. This is the town of chulahoma, mississippi. People here lost homes and this church. A tornado sliced right through it. The pastor told us the congregation still plans to hold services in the parking lot. Manuel bojorquez, cbs news, chulahoma, mississippi. Axlerod flooding is a concern in elba, alabama. Some people are packing up their christmas presents and getting out. Millions along the east coast woke up and wondered if they slept through winter. In new york, the high was 72 degrees. In july, it was 75. Lets bring eric fisher from wbztv in boston. This is about as strange as it can get on Christmas Eve. Temperatures in vermont hit 68, beating the old record by 16 degrees today. Warmest december day recorded. Also in norfolk, virginia, and albany, new york. Evened at midnight tonight when santa might visit a few homes on the eastern seaboard, 62 new york, 69 charlotte, jacksonville 69. Tremendous warmth everywhere you look. More record highs heading into Christmas Day, especially across the southeast, widespread 70s and 80s, above the norm for this time of the year. Also on the next storm developing this weekend in the southern plains, this will bring blizzard conditions to parts to have the southern plains, very heavy rain, a chance of Severe Weather on the eastern end of it. In terms of snow, mexico, west texas, western parts of oklahoma, also very heavy rain on the eastern end and, jim, this is a storm to watch because as warm as it is now this will bring the first snow of the season into the northeast next week. Axlerod eric fisher with the forecast of what a difference a year makes in syracuse, new york. Syracuse had nearly 28 inches of snow by this time last year. This year, less than one inch. The warm weather across the northeast made it coats optional for a number of last minute shoppers. Anna werner has more on a shopping season thats run hot and cold. Reporter at the Flemington Department store in new jersey, the warm weather has cooled apparel sales. Owner Martin Resnick says most of his heavy winter clothing items are sitting. A lot of business in my industry went away because people just dont feel christmasy and theyre not cold, theyre not going to work and feeling cold. Reporter a similar story up and down the east coast. Data firm planalytics estimates retailers have lost over 400 million in sales from november 1 compared to the same critical sales period last year. In chicago mits sales down 15 . Outerwear sales dropped 25 in tampa. Fred fox is planalytics c. E. O. Merchandise will be marked down 50 to 70 in january, so were not going to make a lot of money off it. Reporter there are some winters in this winter warmup at some golf courses in the midwest, rounds of golf played in december have gone up over 1,000 . Sales of bicycles, fishing gear and even iced tea are all up. But fox says some retailers are at risk. Any retailer that has been marginal, meaning they have been limping along, a season like this can certainly put them out of business. Martin resnick says his store will survive but wont make back those sales. Theyre taking the money they would have spent in our industry and spending it elsewhere. Reporter fox says apparel is driven by need. But who needs a coat in this weather . On the other hand, whats bad for retailers is good for consumers, who should be able to purchase heavily discounted cold weather gear if not for this year, then next year. Axlerod anna werner, thank you. We are continuing to chart major changes in the way people conduct their holiday shopping. This year, narrowly half, 46 , is expected to be done online. But weve discovered in some ways whats old is new again. Reporter from slinkys to lincoln logs, these are the hot toys boomers had to have. For some shoppers like julie berke, classic toys are still a musthave at christmastime. Its a very nostalgic feeling we want our child to be able to have. singing carols reporter but its the procrastinators in los angeles that are doing real bonding over long lines and packed parking lots. For malika meads and her son, hitting the mall early on december 24 is their version of smart shopping. I dont want to take a chance of not getting here by december 24. Reporter according to a gallup poll, shoppers are spending 830 this holiday season, over 100 more than last year. In 2008 when the economy tanked, sales dropped 5 below average. In 2015, theyre expected to climb at least 5 above average. There will be something in here, whether youre eight or 80, that will punch the button. Reporter tastes have changed but dave levy of big kid Collectibles Store owner knows that one tradition that never goes out of style is a trip down memory lane. When a kid comes in and sees an etch a sketch or simon which is not really technically that ingenious compared to what theyre doing now, it fascinates them. Reporter so whether youre searching for this years hottest toy, the hover board, or in the mood for a nostalgic trip back to your childhood, take solace in knowing youre not alone. Now if you are expecting a fed ex package at your home, some those deliveries are being affected by Severe Weather across some parts of the country, but, jim, fedex is actually saying they will make up for delays by delivering on Christmas Day and actually having some stations open till 1 00 p. M. Tomorrow. Axlerod so the gifts will get there. Mireya villerreal, thank you. In chicago today, several hundred protesters disrupted shopping along the citys magnificent mile. The demonstrators demanded chicagos mayor, rah emanuel, resign for handling of shooting laquan mcdonald, the 17yearold killed by police last year. In charlotte, north carolina, one person was shot and killed at a Shopping Mall today, captured on cell phone. A fight broke out then this. Shoppers ran as shots rang out. Offduty officers who were working at the mall responded and shot one man who was pronounced dead at the scene. The n. B. A. Is teaming up with an antigun Violence Group for a new Public Service announcement that will debut tomorrow and feature some of the games biggest stars. The league says the campaign is not a jump into politics but Julianna Goldman says it will no doubt court controversy. Parents always say a bullet doesnt have a name on it. We can all make a difference. Reporter the Ad Campaign Features n. B. A. Stars carmelo anthony, joakim noah, chris paul and stephen curry, speaking in very personal terms about gun violence. I heard about a shooting involving a threeyearold girl over the summary. My daughter riley is that age. Reporter while riley curry has stolen the show, the Public Service announcement features people who dont often grab headlines, victims of gun violence. In the united states, 88 people die from gun violence every day. Reporter the campaign was directed by spike lee and paid for everytown for gun safety, a group found by former new york city mayor Michael Bloomberg to push back against the National Rifle association. Its heartbreaking. Reporter gun control is never directly mentioned by the ad marks the n. B. A. s entry into the polarizing debate over guns, a first for a professional Sports League and largely led by the players who are increasingly using their celebrity to draw attention to community violence. The guns should never be an option. Reporter like anthony seen marching with protesters in his hometown of baltimore last april following the dead of freddie gray who suffered a spinal injury while in police custody. Ive seen so many of my peers and friends lose their life to gun violence. One day theyre here, the next day theyre not due to gun violence, violence, period, and now im in a situation where my voice can be heard. Reporter the n. R. A. Did not respond to request for comment and the nba said its not advocating changes in laws or policy. The campaign got the endorsement of one gun control advocate, president obama, who said hes proud of the league for taking a stand and change requires all of us standing up. Axlerod thank you very much. No one wants to spend Christmas Eve at the airport but some holiday travelers may have to. Heres mark strassmann. Raise your hand if your flight is still going. Reporter in a throng of stranded travelers do you think you can get out today . Reporter a family of five flies to chicago to see relatives every christmas, but today Stormy Weather canceled their flight twice. We usually leave on the 24th, never had this problem. Reporter new screening rules meant longer lines and shorter patience for passengers like debbie king. I mean, were people, were humans, not cattle. Reporter for many flyers, turbulent weather also jostled hopes of smooth travel. In the last 48 hours, more than 9,000 flights were delayed and almost 1,000 more were canceled. But the record 91 Million People hitting americas roads, 2 million more than last year, are getting an early Christmas Gift. The National Average is 2 a gallon for gas, 37 cents less than last year. So far, on average, drivers have saved 550 at the pumps this year. Robertson claire is with aaa. This is the cheapest gas in 81 months, roughly sixanda half years and people are taking advantage of it. Reporter in atlanta, the stockdales were out of options. The first available flight to chicago leaves in the morning. Its worth it, but, still. Im frustrated. Reporter the stockdales bought their ticket last july, got to the airport early this morning. They did everything right. But for them, jim, christmas in chicago will have to wait one more day. Axlerod mark strassman, thanks very much. In his Christmas Eve homily, pope francis called on christians to live as jesus did. With empathy, compassion and mercy. He criticized a society he called so often intoxicated by consumerism. Tomorrow, tens of thousands will pack st. Peters square for the popes traditional Christmas Day blessing. Coming up next, getting a business off the ground by sleeping on the couch. The actor robert downey, jr. Gets the news he was looking for. And the feelgood story of the night when the cbs evening news continues. Itestrips. They whiten way better than paste. Crest 3d White Whitestrips whiten 25 times better than a leading whitening toothpaste. Someones making quite an impression. This holiday season, select crest whitestrips are buy one, get one free. Iits just a cough. Ur cough, youd see how often you cough all day and so would everyone else. New robitussin 12 hour delivers fast, powerful cough relief that lasts up to twelve hours. New robitussin 12 hour cough relief. Because its never just a cough. The way i see it, you have two choices; the easy way or the hard way. 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Ask your doctor about crestor. Whfight back fastts tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue and neutralizes stomach acid at the source tum, tum, tum, tum smoothies only from tums axlerod recently, two young businessmen in california took an unusual approach to funding their dreams. Anthony mason with a story now thats two parts ambition, one part awkward. This is the very first product we made. Reporter when friends Erik Schnakenberg and sasha koehn launched their Online Clothing company buck mason in 2013, they barely had enough money to pull it off. We had really no experience raising capital from outside investors, so the thing we knew how to do is be scrappy. Reporter they both poured in all their savings and quit their day jobs to focus on the company. This left them more time to plan but less cash to get by. I just slept on the couch. Reporter schnakenberg listed his l. A. Apartment on air bnb and in less than four months made the 15,000 they needed to kickstart their business. When you start a business your most important asset is time. This basically also freed up the time it would take to earn the income and a you cant put a price tag on that. Reporter there are 17 billiondollar companies in the shared economy, where retailers are sold person to person. Last year, 155 million guests slept in an air bnb last year, 22 more than hilton hotels. Uber gets more business travelers than taxies. And over the next ten years, the share economy will be worth 335 billion, 22 times more than what it is now. Profits have soared in the past year. Erik schnakenberg and sasha koehn built a physical store 20 feet from the apartment to make it possible. I slept on someones couch to give me the opportunity to own my own business. Thats a nobrainer. Reporter still less than 20 of americans participated in the new sharing economy but growing fastest with adults over 45 who are rethinking the value of ownership, jim . Axlerod anthony mason, thank you very much. Next, a nativity scene that didnt go as planned. Nativity scene that didnt go as planned. Holds stronger than the leading paste all day. Without the ooze. Feel secure. Be yourself. With stronger, clean seabond. Wheall i can think abouthit, is getting relief. Only nicorette mini has a patented fastdissolving formula. It starts to relieve sudden cravings fast. I never know when ill need relief. Thats why i only choose nicorette mini. Frequent heartburn brand in america. I hope you like it spicy get complete protection with the purple pill. The new leader in frequent heartburn. Thats nexium level protection. Axlerod californias governor jerry brown has presented the actor robert downey, jr. With a Christmas Gift a pardon. Downey spent more than a year in prison on drug charges starting in 1999. The pardon doesnt erase downeys conviction, but does restore his right to vote. After centuries of being performed, the last thing you might expect from a nativity scene is an adlib. But watch this goat in dallas jump right into the manger. The show went on after the actors regained their composure. Now to the sound of pure happiness. Thats a sixweekold polar bear cub getting a checkup at the toronto zoo. The sound is called trilling, which zookeepers tell us is a sign of extreme contentment. Up next, a book that can put any kid to sleep, even on Christmas Eve. N Christmas Eve. Now you just book a seat, right . Not quite. Sometimes those seats are out of reach, costing an outrageous number of miles. Its time to switch. To the capital one venture card. With venture, youll earn unlimited double miles on every purchase, every day. And when youre ready to travel, just book the flight you want, on any airline and use your miles to cover the cost. Now thats more like it. Whats in your wallet . Axlerod on a night when so many kids have a hard time getting to sleep, vanita nair has just the story to end the broadcast. Reporter like most 2year olds, hudson cowen is not a fan of nap time. That is one of the biggest issues for parents is how do i get a child to go to sleep. Reporter thats why his mom Bailey Gaddis is eager to try Bailey Gaddis is eager to try a book that promises to soothe a child into slumber. I am going to tell you a story that can make you feel very sleepy. Reporter its called the rabbit who wants to fall asleep. The yawns are written into the story. The characters have names like the heavy eyed owl and the sleepy snail. There are even notes for when you should read slowly. Allow yourself to fall asleep. Reporter it worked on hudson. Its worked on so many kids that its become an amazon best seller in the u. S. And five other countries. That is rare for one book, let alone one selfpublished with illustrations drawn by a friend. Swedish author and Behavioral Scientist carljohan ehrlin said he came up with the idea watching his mom sleep in the car. I woke her up and told her, ive got this great idea and we have to write this down and started to look tore paper everywhere. Reporter how did you test it . I went to preschools and asked them to read it when they have group nap time. They did for a week and they were pretty amazed. Reporter now some people can fall asleep right away i was curious if it worked on my own son. It didnt happen immediately. But when i read it the second time, he fell asleep. But it doesnt work on every child. A quarter of the amazon reviews are just one star. Big fat freaking fail, said one parent. My children hate this book and begs me not to we are it. Other experts say kids need fall asleep on their own. But gaddis says its been a life saver for their family. Its really effect i around put me to sleep. Reporter isnt that the dream of every parent . Vanita nair, cbs evening news, new york. Axlerod thats the cbs evening news for tonight. For scott pelley, im jim axelrod. Merry christmas and good night. Captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org ,,,, of the bay your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. Now at 4 30 snow in the bay area. But first its one of the bay areas most popular hiking spots. New tonight, posted warnings about a new danger. A fissure is opened up on a crumbling cliffside. Good afternoon, im ken bastida. Im betty yu. Thanks for joining us for this special edition of kpix 5 news before the raiders game. Emily turner is in point reyes but standing farther from the cliff than she normally would. Emily. Reporter thats absolutely right. Now, with storms like this one or all of the wind or