♪ o israelith. merry christmas to all, to all a good night. [captioning made possible by fox news channel] >> welcome to a fox and friends christmas. all about family and friends, hope, forgiveness and miracles. >> and it's a holiday that means so much to each of us. and we have a very special audience to help us celebrate. >> we welcome with us right now the men and women who served the country from each of the five branches of the u.s. military. [applause] >> we have with us members of the army, the navy, the air force, mat reincorps, and of course the coast guard. so welcome and merry christmas. let's get right to the spirit of the season with some music. >> all right. are you ready, everybody? please welcome emmy and tony award winning singer christian chenoweth accompanied by violinist joshua bell. >> ♪ i'm dreaming of a white christmas just like the ones i used to know where the trees are glistening and children listening to hear sleigh bells in the snow i'm dreaming of a white christmas with every christmas card i were -- i write may your days be merry and bright and may all your christmases be white ♪ >> ♪ i'm dreaming of a white christmas with every christmas card i write may your days be merry and bright and may all your christmases be white ♪ >> ♪ and may all your christmases be white ♪ >> great to have you as part of our special. and you can hear more of them together on joshua's latest c.d., at home with friends. and a little later on we'll talk to kristin about her latest role and she'll sing another song. >> this is the season when people come together to celebrate the spirit of jesus christ. and the holiday that bears his name. >> and joining us receipt now with a very special christmas message, our friend, pastor, former arkansas governor, mike huckabee. mike. >> you've heard the christmas story a thousand times. but do you really know what happened in bethlehem that night? maybe you only know this church version. you know, the sanitized sterile version that we've fold all these years. the real story of what happened in bethlehem, well, let me tell it to you. it's the story of an unwed teen mother probably about 14. she goes into labor when she's away from home. her mom, her family, nobody there to be with her. no doctor. no sterile delivery room. and in fact the only place she can find in this little insignificant town called bethlehem is some space in a little cave. in fact, when she gave birth, had to move the animals out of the way. can you imagine the squalor, the smells, that must have been in that place? hardly the fitting environment for the birth of a child. it was painful and humiliating. silent night, silent night, my foot. there were no epidurals, no lamaz classes. this is a young lady going through the fear and anxiety of childbirth with nobody but joseph hanging around to help her out. in fact, this raw and earthy story is probably more jerry springer than oprah. and you might wonder why did god do it like that? because during this christmas season, there will be some people that will say i'm hurting. i don't think god would understand. i feel lonely and abandoned. you know what? he does understand. that's how he started, too. and the fact that it worked, it's a miracle. and it still is. >> thank you very much, governor huckabee. the holiday season, it's the time of year when troops fighting for our freedom overseas, may miss home the most. and that's why a group of ms. americas traveled to afghanistan to visit with them and bring them some christmas spirit. but what they got in return was an unexpected gift of a lifetime. >> what's on your mind, ms. americas? >> you know what? i want to enlist. i like the guys here. >> six former ms. americas and a former ms. utah went to afghanistan at the invitation of armed forces entertainment and the department of defense. sam haskell, chairman of the board of the ms. america organization, escorted them. the group flew into afghanistan about a gram air force base -- bagram air force base on a massive troop transport and didn't wait to land before beginning their mission. over the next four days, this band of sisters traveled via blackhawk helicopter in afghanistan to kabul and jalaba: >> i'm the flight chief. my job is to secure the installation and provide base defense. >> they got to know some of our troops. >> my name is benjamin alan schaefer. >> how long have you been in afghanistan? >> for three months. >> you love it here? >> i love it now that you all are here. >> coming home soon. >> at forward operating bases, they heard stories from the battlefield. >> at valley, high ground, all four sides. and that's basically how they got in and were able to get an upper hand. >> wonderful to see the commitment level which they performed every single day. for a year each one of us represented america. and so now collectively we are here to say america remembers you, america loves you and america supports you. >> and i feel more honored to be -- to say thank you. so i'm more humble. more grateful and more proud to be in america. and what better than ms. america to be here thanking them and giving them hugs? >> we hope you give good memories. >> great. >> a nice treat. very nice treat. >> and joining me right now, former ms. america is erica dunlap, heather whitestone, susan powell and bebesch hofment ts and former ms. utah and a former soldier her civil, sergeant jill shepard and sam haskell, chairman of the board of the ms. america organization. welcome to all of you. when you see those memories of your glorious trip to afghanistan it brings tears. and it brings happiness. and bebe, for you, ms. america 1948, i have to tell you that among this crew they said you were the inspiration. >> no, they're the young ones. >> she was the grand dame. she truly was. >> i couldn't understand what value we could have by going over there. we weren't performing or singing and dancing because that's what we do. but we're here one on one with these men and so great and when you see the terrain which is -- the same uniforms, and here we come, six, eight, smiling faces, that are different, even though we're in our armor. and our jeans. and it did mean something to them. and i realized how valuable that was. >> jill, you served. you served in the armed forces. and then you -- and i interviewed you when were you ms. utah competing in the ms. america pageant because that made you so special and you went back on this trip. what was it like for you? >> it was great to go and represent this nation in a different way. to those who represent our nation every day. and hard circumstances. and i truly love these men and women who serve in uniform. and are in harm's way daily. >> heather, i know is the first deaf ms. america. this must have been such a surreal experience for you. and when you came home, you visited schools. >> yes, i did. because the children, they wrote letters to the soldiers. and i came back to the school and i shared the picture with them. and they were so excited. they were jealous. they wanted to go there and hug the soldiers. >> i know it was such an emotional experience for all of you. and erica, at one point, you visited with this troupe -- with this troop who had lost eight of their own and one of them had a connection with you. >> yes. i visited his hometown. and that was really special for me to be able to share experiences from places that i've been to as a ms. america. with these young men and women who were from some of those places that i visited. and it was really an awesome opportunity to share even more familiarity with them. it was really great to be able to talk with them and share their experiences. and i was so touched. and i was inspired in a way that i'll never forget. >> susan, you had a chance to go to iraq with some other ms. americaings. >> april. >> six months ago. and something you said to me i will never forget. you said when i will ever see a soldier in an airport or anywhere else in a uniform, i will have a totally different thought process in my head. >> it awakens something in me. i think for everyone. and i want to say, that is -- that's a huge thing to have that awakened and when you see a soldier in an airport to have a totally different reaction. but i would just like to say these people that you're seeing here on the stage were amazing. in that country. and every one of them, nobody complained. everybody was full of love and full of commitment while we were in and i'm just so proud to have traveled to that country with these women. >> sam, you were the only man along with these women. hurting -- herding them in as you say. >> i was the luck lucky guy who got to travel with them. and when we looked into the eyes of these soldiers, we saw faith and hope and character. and some of the senior soldiers said, you're thanking us all but you should really thank the young ones. the 19, 20 and 21years old because they volunteered to be here. we made the service our career. but they should be thanked and we made a point of thanking the young ones especially. it was an incredible life changing experience for all of us. >> we're so lucky we got to do it. >> hats off to all of you. >> coming up on a "fox and friends" christmas. reuniting loved ones who can't find each other and he's here with a christmas miracle. plus his unmistakable voice has never been heard like this before. super star tenor andre bocelli steve: it was the hardest decision she ever had to make. laura chavez was 16 when she gave up her baby boy for adoption. there she is. 33 years later trying desperately to find him. so today we brought in troy dunn, the host of "the locators." and at the suggestion of your mother, you contacted his show. and today, kind of a first step. you can hear your story that started 33 christmases ago. >> absolutely. i was 16 and scared. and didn't really know any way to raise him, didn't know of any social programs. and through some pressure from my family, gave him up for adoption. steve: they said there's some other better mother out there. rather than you. >> and all i could do was love him and i didn't have any way to support him. 16 years old, i was a sophomore in high school. i wanted him to have a good life. i wantd him to have parents that loved him and cared for him. and so i did sign those papers when he was just six weeks old. and probably regretted it instantly. and so i kind of went through the years waiting for him to grow up. because i couldn't really find him until he was 18. steve: bitz been hard for you because -- it's been hard for you because you looked at the amended birth certificate and it's smunddle up and you can't find the name. >> right. steve: you have hit a brick wall. troy did not hit a brick walm. -- hit a brick wall. david's name is now anthony. and anthony is here today. and he's here right now. would you like to meet him? >> yeah. >> merry christmas. >> oh, my god. >> hi, mom. [applause] >> i can't believe it. >> you have the blanket. >> did you give that to him? >> yes, i made this at the maternity home that i lived in at st. ann's. and i was only allowed to give him one thing and this is what i chose to give him. because when you're living at home, the only two things you learn how to do is crochet and play rummy 500. don't do anything else. steve: sit down for a second. you have been looking for this piece for -- this man for three years. what is it like to have his hand in your hand on this christmas? >> it's surreal. i can't -- i just can't even believe -- this never entered my mind when i came on and talked to troy. and talked to his mom who was -- locate. she's awesome. >> she's awesome. >> anniversary thought that this would happen. i thought i'm coming on and i'm going to tell my story. and i'm going to hope that somebody says, you know, we're going to help you find your son but i never thought he would be here. steve: anthony, is there something you've wanted to ask her these many years? i'm sure you've got a million questions. >> oh, absolutely. you know, i just want to start with i love you. and that after all these years, it's just amazing to see, to look into those eyes. and, you know, to actually know you now. it's just wonderful. steve: you've got a little catching up to do. and you have another brother and a sister that you're going to get a chance to meet. thank you very much for making this happen. merry christmas. a christmas we will never another get. -- we will never forget. >> thank you. [applause] >> a christmas classic like you've never heard before. superstar tenor gretchen: voice has captivated millions of fans worldwide. now superstar tenor andrea bocelli has a c.d. "my christmas." good to see both of you here and andrea, finally a holiday c.d. for you. >> yes. i've been thinking about it for a long time. but for an album so important like this one, one has to have all the best conditions. and first of all, it's important to have the best producer. so i spoke with david foster, and luckily, he said ok. and now we have the c.d. gretchen: the right response. david, you inspired andrea to finally do this. >> well, andrea has such a magnificent voice. and he really -- anybody could have produced this c.d. but i'm glad he chose me. gretchen: will you sing for us. because that's what everyone is waiting for. and you are going to sing one of the most beautiful christmas songs ever. >> i try. gretchen: "silent night." andrea bocelli, david foster. ♪ [singing in italian] ♪ sinlt night holy night -- ♪ silent night holy night all is calm, all is bright round yon virgin mother and child holy infant so tender and mild sleep in heavenly peace sleep in heavenly peace ♪ [sleep in heavenly peace ♪ [applause] steve: thank you very much. andrea bocelli singing from his very first christmas album. stl ahead bill o'reilly and steve doocy on a christmas quiz and also a special performance friends" christmas. ♪ steve: welcome back to a fox and friends christmas. we have a great audience filled with true american heroes and i was just staring at them just now. gretchen: let's meet some of them. dave. who's over there? >> thank you so much. we're going to talk to some of the members of our armed forces about the special meaning of christmas. and we will start with one -- with -- tell me about the special meaning of christmas for you. >> well, for me, being on the way, like christmas of 2007, for example, i was on deployment for eight months. and i took my family with me. at that deployment. because my younger brother and my cousin happened to be stationed on the eisenhower and even though i was with the family, i took a little part of my family with me. >> i've never been deployed during the holidays or christmas. but with us, it's like my immediate family is 19 of us. and we share every holiday and christmas together. and just singing carols and visiting each other's families and just spending that time with one another. those are the most important times for me. we always stick together and it's always good to have them, great support family. >> i was down range in iraq. and i didn't take my vacation yet. so i hadn't told my father that i was coming home. i was trying to make it home for christmas. there's a sandstorm and i didn't think i would make it back. but it actually cleared up and i made it home christmas morning. i landed and i didn't tell my father, took a cab home and walked in christmas morning. it was the best christmas that i've ever had. >> merry christmas to all of you. and now let's get it over to laura -- laura ingraham with another very special guest. >> you may remember 10-year-old alec greben when he taught all young boys how to talk to girls. and now he's written another very helpful book, how to talk to santa. hi. how's it going? >> great. >> what makes you an expert on talking to santa? >> i'm not really an expert. >> you wrote a book. what do you mean you aren't an expert? come on. >> yeah. but sometimes writing books can just be the basics. >> tell me about it. i'm an author. naughty, being naughty or nice, what do you qualify as naughty? >> well, naughty is when you're pretty much bad. more than 25% of the time. >> we have a lot of kids and they've been sitting here very patient. did they have to be good all the way up until christmas or like the last few hours could they be a little naughty? >> well, i -- it totally depends. if they were naughty all year and naughty most of the few hours, then like santa could easily change that, i think. >> how does santa watch us? >> like i don't think anyone really knows. but it might be your parents. it might be spies or his magic. >> what about kids who want to see santa, they want to catch him in the act of leaving toys. under the tree. >> well, i would say that's -- you're pretty much risking your presents. >> wo, that quches as naughty if you're -- qualifies as naughty if you're just curious? >> not really curious but santa won't come if you're awake. so 99.99% -- >> have you ever -- >> no. >> never? >> yes, i've seen him. but i've never like caught him. >> what's your next book? >> i have written the rough draft for rules for school. and -- but -- i'm not sure if it's going to be published or not. but that's kind of in the works right now. >> i have a feeling when you're published in 18 languages you're probably going to get that book published. it's great to see you and merry christmas. now, it may seem like bill o'reilly knows it all. and believe me, he does, right? but it's time to really test his skills. steve doocy has challenged him to a christmas culture quiz, turning the tables. i love it. steve: a special holiday edition of the christmas culture quiz. today i'm asking the great bill o'reilly the questions. are you ready, sir? >> ready for what? steve: to answer. you got a, b and c and d. >> great american christmas culture quiz? steve: something like that. bill, in the 1946 film it's a wonderful life, what is the name of george bailey's guardian angel? clarence, ernie, bert, or charles. the answer is -- >> lady gaga. steve: b. no. it's clarence. a. >> how do you know? steve: i watch the movie. everybody watches the movie. bert and ernie. they were the cop -- >> i got one wrong. steve: one down. all right. bill, you will know this one. in what year did congress declare christmas a national holiday? 1856, 1902, 1870, or 1794. i'll give you a hint. >> you don't give me a -- need to give me a hint. c. steve: that is exactly right. he's 1-1. what is the name of scrooge's dead business partner in "a christmas carol." jimmy wilcot, john smith, jacob marley or james mantis. >> the answer is c. >> what are you then? >> in life i was your partner, jacob marley. steve: that's right. >> why are you insulting my intelligence? steve: what american president barred the christmas tree from being displayed in the white house? was it george washington, teddy roosevelt, richard nixon,, or james monroe? >> nixon. steve: it was teddy roosevelt. >> it was nixon. he bucked the tree. -- bugged the tree. steve: teddy roosevelt thought they were depleting the national forest. one more. in the 1983 film "a christmas story," what was ralphie's favorite radio show? was it mut and jeff, little orphan annie, the red ryder or dave's decoder hour? >> i'll go with little orphan annie. to my viewers, merry christmas. and i give doocy a hard time. there is a reason why. steve: what? >> you deserve it, doocy. steve: nanks a lot. >> you look like a nice guy on tv but behind the scenes, he's a nice guy. it's the christmas season. steve: merry christmas, bill o'reilly. >> the youngest ever to become a top 10 finalist on america's got talent her show-stopping performances captured the hearts of millions. 5-year-old singing sensation caitlin mayer is here with us. merry crs mass. >> merry christmas. you are a movi