Alexander, thank you for letting us be a part of your Christmas Eve. Down from the wire for last minute holiday travelers and gift buyers. More than half of all americans leaving some of their shopping to this final weekend, that window of course is quickly closing. Santas on his way and many places, snow has already beat him there. Tonight, 65 Million People in 24 states are under Winter Weather alerts with the strengthening arctic blast now sweeping across the country. Well have that forecast for you in just a moment. First we begin with jolene kent on the dar for deals. Reporter its the race to the finish line. People are scrambling to finish Holiday Shopping looking for last minute deals. Okay. Wish us luck. We are off to do our last minute shopping, hopefully we get everything we need. Reporter crystal from abilene, texas, is one of them. Everything here is literally 50 to 70 off. As you c jackpot here. Reporter more than 125 Million People are spending the weekend finishing their shopping. And its paying off big for retailers. In a Holiday Season where online shooping surged, the real challenge for brick and Mortar Stores were satisfying customers as they shopped online giving them better deals offline. Some of the best bargains are on clothing, toys, and Electronics Like laptops, smart watches, and fitness trackers. And stores like target, k mart, and big lots are open late tonight. Trying to cash in on procrastinating customers. How were the deals . Great. Deals were great. Reporter and if something has to be under the tree tomorrow morning you can still get gift cards, which are one of the most popular and most requested gifts. You can pick up a gift card just about anywhere. Reporter but for folks who are willing to wait, experts say put online items in your shopping cart now and leave them there overnight. Chances are, when you wake up, youll see prices slashed or coupon still need to buy for a few for my son. We were able to get it all done within about five hours. Reporter the final dash to put the perfect treasures under the tree. In addition to the last minute shoppers, of course are the last minute shippers working overtime this Christmas Eve. A scramble to make sure that your special deliveries find their place under the tree in time to be torn open tomorrow morning. Nbcs kristen dolgren has more. Standing here waiting for a package from ups. Reporter he ored the leg go set almost a week ago, he knew how much the son caleb wanted it under the tree for christmas. Hes talked about it probably once a week for the last two years. Reporter but with hours to go, still no leg goes. Check the front door no less than 100 times. Nothings there. Reporter while the website shows a scan near his home in georgia, this afternoon, the before christmas. Its very disappointing. Reporter this year, atlanta, along with houston, kansas city, and denver, are the four spots ups has sent special teams from across the country to help with the crunch. Several hundred office employees, like accountants and desk workers stepping in to assist sorting and even driving. Ups acknowledges thats more than in years past. The company says the vast majority of 750 million packages have arrived on time. Online shopping reached record numbers this year. Americans expected to spend half their holiday budget online. Which translates into record deliveries. For ups, more than 300 packages a second over the past week. Fedex says in spite of bad weather near its memphis hub saturday, it expects to complete all deliveries today. As for alan kid, hes bought alternate presents, but still hoping tonight, delivers a if it got here for him, i could see his face lighting up already. Reporter now ups says it is still working to try and get that package there tonight. Unless you think the shippers relax after this rush, they say they are expecting record returns starting tuesday, so peter, no rest for the weary. All right, thank you very much. Good holiday to you. Now to the answer to the question everybodys asking, whos going to get a White Christmas . Want to get a check on the forecast, dave price that has. How tees looking tonight. Much of the country blanketed in snow. Were talking about in the rockies through the cascades and the Olympic Mountains ranges. And the midwest had a good dose of snow now is it rolls into new england and these applications are not going to end as far as travel trouble rolling into Christmas Day itself. Heavy snow expected through sections of New Hampshire and maine into pieces of massachusetts as ll foot of snow and as we travel back into the upper midwest and northern plain states, bitterly cold along with more snow for sections of the rockies headed into the Central Plain states. Its going to be a tough guy Christmas Day as well for many folks trying to get from here to there. Well send it back to you. Dave, Merry Christmas, thanks. One place where it is not snowing, sunny palm beach, florida, thats where President Trump and his family are spending the holidays at his private club. The president taking time today to wish the troops a Merry Christmas. Also taking aim at a familiar target. Our White House CorrespondentKelly Odonnell has the details. We appreciate it. Have a great christmas reporter a holiday greeting by video conference. We say christmas again proudly. Reporter the president connected with Service Members from each branch around the world. Were grateful for each of you who spend this christmas away from your families and defend all of our families. Reporter but not all todays tidings were the president again delivered coal to the media on twitter. The fake news refuses to talk about how big and how strong our base is. A Political Base often energized by the president s views on immigration. Earlier this month, he said the u. S. Should stop the policy where naturalized citizens can bring family members to the u. S. Were calling for congress to end chain migration. Reporter saturday night, the Trump Administration linked chain migration to a gun attack by a 51yearold naturalized citizen from egypt, killed by police after Authorities Say he fired on pennsylvania law enforcement. The department of Homeland Security can confirm the suspect involved in a terror attack in harrisburg, pennsylvania, came to the u. S. Through extended family chain migration. Today, the white house argued for congress to make changes to clarify rules for temporary immigration programs that get extended for many years. Already ordering nearly 60,000 residency to leave within 18 months. The people here from haiti are here from an earthquake that happened roughly ten years ago. Under temporary protective status. Reporter while back at maralago santa moves very quickly. Reporter the president and first lady call children to chat about the global travels of santa as tracked by the governments norad radar. And in those santa calls, the trumps spoke to 22 children living in ten states across the country. The white house has not announced the specifics plan for the first family, by tradition, Christmas Eve services at the Palm Beach Church where the president and first lady were married. Peter. Kelly, Merry Christmas, thank you. North korea is lashing out over tough new sanctions imposed by the united nations. Kim jonguns regime calling the sanctions an act of war that violates its sovereignty. The North Koreans went on to say its a pipe dream for the u. S. To think the regime w its nuclear weapons. Back in this country, a scare near the home of a member of President Trumps cabinet. Authorities responded to a bell air mansion, examining a suspicious gift addressed to treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin and delivered to his neighbors home. In the ends found a pile of horse manure inside marked as being from quote, the american people. The secret service is now investigating. Tonight, five people are dead after a twin engine plane crashed at the end of a runway in florida. This happened at the Municipal Airport in Central Florida east of tampa. Officials say a family headed out on a day trip to key west in their private plane took off in heavy fog. We got more now from mya rodriguez. Reporter the plane never made it past the airport. Five People Killed when it crashed on takeoff. One of our airport pilots was in the hanger, starting to take off, and thought to his self, my gosh, i cant believemesoeons trying to take off. Reporter shortly after 7 00 a. M. , heavy fog blanketed the area. The plane took off heading east, visibility was less than 300 feet. A member of the Sheriffs OfficeAviation Unit heard the crash. He said it was just seconds later that he heard the change in the pitch of the blades, and the impact of the north end of the airport, not very far from our hanger. Reporter when First Responders arrived, they had trouble seeing the crash scene. Were on scene now at the air base, there is a plane down. Its really foggy, were unable to see it from our location. Im going to try to make it out on to the airfield. Reporter the plane already engulfed in flames by the time fire crews got to the scene. The victims on board known to many in this small town. John shannon, president of the Republican Club in lakeland and according to to the sheriff, he was also killed, his daughter, victoria, her husband, another one of shannons daughters, and a family friend. Hug your children today and your grandchildren a little tighter. And say prayers for the family of these folks on the airplane. Reporter this small town is reeling tonight. Shannons daughter and soninlaw were celebrating their first christmas as a married couple and before the group left on the plane, they had brought christmas cookies to the staff here at the airport. Peter. All right, mya, thank you very much for that. High drama today, high above the french alps. More than 150 skiers left stranded in chair lifts when a gondola broke. It broke down near a resort. The rescue operation lasted three hours. Helicopters swooping in to save them, about 80 feet off the ground. Look at that. Rescuers opening hatches in the roofs, then safely lowering the skiers to the ground. Heck of an ending there. Across much of the world too tonight, its time for a celebration. Tensions in the birthplace of christ are leaving arabs on edge. We have more from lucie cav and a half. Reporter rare moment of joy as bethlehem prepares to celebrate christmas, security is tight. The west bank in jerusalem have been the center of unrest in leent weeks. President Donald Trumps decision to recognize jerusalem as israels capital sparking clashes. But in the center of this city tonight, a symbol of peace, fear may have kept some tourists away, but not all. I like being here at christmas. Because jesus was born here. Reporter and at home, Christian Palestinian families gathered around their own trees. But the family worries about what the coming years will bring. Used to see the light at the end of the tunnel, now i dont see for peace. Reporter at the vatican tonight, pope francis presided over mass at st. Peters basilica. A prayer for unity and for peace. That prayer echoed in Bethlehems Church of the nativity where they celebrated the birth of christ amidst uncertainty across this contested land. Lucie cav and a half, nbc news. And still ahead tonight, making streets safer. Ambitious effort in cities of all sizes all across the country and some of the results are dramatic. Also tonight, tracking santa. Hes up, up, and away on his sleigh. Well show you w Liberty Mutual saved us almost eight hundred dollars when we switched our auto and home insurance. Liberty did what . Yeah, they saved us a ton, which gave us a little wiggle room in our budget. Wish our insurance did that. Then we could get a real babysitter instead of your brother. Hey, welcome back. This guy. Right . Yes. Ellen. You could save seven hundred eighty two dollars when liberty stands with you. Liberty mutual insurance. When heartburn hits fight back fast with tums chewy bites. Fast relief in every bite. Crunchy outside. Chewy inside. Tum tum tum tum tums chewy bites. Ancestrydna can pinpoint where your ancestors are from. And the paths they took to a new home. Could their journey inspire yours . Order your kit at ancestrydna. Com jardiance is the only type 2 diabetes pill proven to both significantly reduce the chance of dying from a cardiovascular event in adults who have type 2 diabetes and heart disease. 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And get to the heart of what matters. Us. Its what this country is made of. But right now, our bond is fraying. How do we get back to us . The y fills the gaps. Donate to your local y today. Because where theres a y, theres an us. Were back now with a major effort sweeping across the country. Drive to make our streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. Some places the results have been dramatic and nbcs Steve Patterson takes a look at how its all being done. Reporter in a city infamous for its traffic, the rite of way can be dangerous, sometimes fatal. Fabulous husband and father. Reporter jennifers husband was kill bid adistracted driver one year ago. Just as we turned right on foothill, i could see the police. Reporter jennifer is part of a movement called vision zero. Slow down, your choices matter. Reporter an ambitious, Global Project to cut traffic deaths vision zero transformations include reducing lanes, expanding crosswalks, sidewalks, and curbs and adding bike lanes. Really were talking about shifting our systems and placing priority on managing speed. Reporter cities and counties have adopted vision zero all in an effort to save lives. Now more than 30 cities have signed on to the vision. Seattle transformed a one mile stretch of the avenue cutting bike and pedestrian accidents by 40 . New york redesigned parts of queens boulevard, once called the boulevard of death. Not a single pedestrian or bicyclist has been killed here since 2014. Vision zero has hit some speed bumps. It basically created navk our community. Reporter back in l. A. , they implemented it in the beach community. By reducing the number of lanes on a busy road. We have rush hour basically all hours of the day, 6 00 in the morning until 8 00 at night. We just have the congo line of cars through reporter lawsuits were filed. Within a couple months. City crews began restoring the lanes. Were not against vision zero. Were against removing lanes on our arterial boulevards because youve pushed traffic off the boulevards into the neighborhoods. Reporter despite setbacks, vision zero continues its steady rollout across the country. Theres a new bike lane on the road where jennifers husband used to ride. Create a line to say, careful. Just like a crosswalk. Reporter a comfortable sight for not who hopes one day the number of traffic fatalities will finally hit zero. Steve patterson, nbc news, los angeles. Important reminder to be careful out there. When we come back, something to cheer about. A holiday surprise that will hey yeah . I switched to geico and got more more savings on Car Insurance . They helped with homeowners, too ok plus motorcycle, boat and rv insurance geicos got you covered like a blanket houston . You seeing this . Geico. Expect great savings and a whole lot more. Geico. I just drank tons of water a proall the time, it was never enough. My dentist suggested biotene. 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Raise your expectations and ask your gastroenterologist if humira may be right for you. With humira, control is possible. This just in from the folks at norad tracking santas sleigh around the world where its already christmas in many places. Santa and reindeer with making stops in rome, johannesburg, andist stan bull and he is on his way here which reminds the kids, including mine, ava and emma, im watching you, santa is still keeping tabs on whos naughty or nice. Be good for goodness sake. Among those helping make sure its an unforgettable holiday, right here in new york, men and women in blue are joining the man in red. Just in time for christmas, santa is getting some backup. In brooklyn, joining forces with some super friends. An assist from new yorks finest. Also some of its jolliest. Here, santas sleigh stretches 20 police cars. A care ra van overflowing with a bund of 7,000 toys. The gifts all donated and delivered to some people dont really get gifts, but its nice for cops to and santa to come around and give people gifts before christmas. So i thank them for that. Merry christmas. We want to give them a moment, magical moment to feel like children and forget about some of the daytoday realities. These elves turning their precinct into a workshop, sorting and wrapping every gift themselves. To see the look on a childs face, especially from the superheroes. Their eyes lit up as well as of ours. I love to see all the superheroes because one day im going to be a hero. Who wants a ninja turt. Merry christmas. Enjoy. Making somebodys holiday a little bright per. Its awesome to be a part of it. Might just be the best gift of all. Great way to kick off the holiday. One of our favorite holiday greetings this year comes from a family that became a viral sensation. Youre going to remember these guys. Dad, the professor, doing that live interview with a bbc from daughter makes that grand entrance followed by her little brother rolling in, and then, of course, mom trying to get them all out. Now the whole kelly family back together wishing everyone a Merry Christmas with this photo. Miriam wishing everyone a peaceful new year. And to them as well. Something extra cheer about tonight, Serena Williams will return to the court next week. Its an exhibition match. Her first time back in action since giving birth to her first daughter, her first child, daughter alexis, the last time we saw her on the dourt was when she won back in january. Youll remember, she earned her 23rd grand slam title while pregnant. Up next tonight, Magic Moments thatll make you smile this Christmas Eve. Bring the family around for this. For singing definitely dry mouth has been a problem for me. Im also on a lot of medications that dry my mouth. I just drank tons of water all the time. It was never enough. I wasnt sure i was going to be able to continue singing. He suggested biotene. It feels refreshing. My mouth felt more lubricated. I use biotene rinse twice a day and then i use the spray throughout the day. It actually saved my career in a way. Biotene really did make a difference. [heartbeat] but their nutritional needs vremain instinctual. D, thats why theres purina one true instinct. Nutrientdense, proteinrich, real meat number one. This is a different breed of natural nutrition. Purina one, true instinct. You can do it. We can do this. At fidelity, our online planning tools are clear and straightforward so you can plan for retirement while saving for the things you want to do today. Whoo a farmers market. Ve whats in this kiester. A fire truck. Even a marching band. And if i can get comfortable talking about this kiester, then you can get comfortable using preparation h. For any sort of discomfort in yours. When i was too busy with the kids to get a repair estimate. Liberty did what . Yeah, with Liberty Mutual all i needed to do to get an estimate was snap a photo of the damage and voila voila i wish my Insurance Company had that. Wait hold it. Hold it boys. Theres supposed to be three of you. Wheres your brother . Wheres your brother . Hey, wheres charlie . Charlie . you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you. Liberty stands with you™ Liberty Mutual insurance. Finally tonight, its the moment when you see your loved ones for the first time in a long time. Those unforgettable greetings at the airport that capture the true means of home for the holidays. Im waiting for my husband. Hes coming from afghanistan. Hes been there seven years, comes home usually about every six to eight months. Were waiting for my sister. 14 years, waiting for her. My husband has two kids in el salvador. 14 years and he hasnt seen them. My daughter, this is the first time shes going to see them. This is the first time well have all five of us under one roof. Merry christmas and happy holidays. Happy holidays love that. Big thanks to producer and our editor. What a beautiful piece. That is nbc night lit news nor sunday. Im Peter Alexander reporting from new york. For all of us, we wish you a very Merry Christmas to you and your family. A look outside at the rock feller Christmas Tree glisening bright on the plaza. Have a safe night. Narrator once upon a time, in a village far away, lived a group called the trolls that celebrated almost every day. Hey, thats a rhyme narrator the trolls had holidays up the wazoo from bubble day to new hairs eve, just to name a few. All yay narrator enjoying holiday after holiday, they partied without stopping. They celebrated everything with their leader, queen poppy. All poppy poppy poppy narrator but across the way, in old bergen town, lived a group called the bergens whose spirits were down. They had but one holiday that brought happiness. A tradition of eating trolls on a day called trollstice. Then poppy taught them that joy was inside all along so they got rid of trollstice and their only holiday was gone