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 can see. So, i think weve hit the 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 coupons in your inbox. 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 system said, not to expect it 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 christmas miracle. 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 well. Where we could see upwards of a 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 joyful. 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 haitians with temporary 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 will give up 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, heard the plane starting to take off, and thought to his self, my gosh, i cant believe someones 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 an accomplished pilot. 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 any, any, any opportunities 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. Thats my robe. 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. And lower your a1c. Wow. Jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration. This may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, or lightheaded, or weak upon standing. Ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, and trouble breathing. Stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of ketoacidosis or an allergic reaction. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include rash, swelling, and difficulty breathing or swallowing. Do not take jardiance if you are on dialysis or have severe kidney problems. Other side effects are sudden kidney problems, genital yeast infections, increased bad cholesterol, and urinary tract infections, which may be serious. Taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you have any medical conditions. What do you think . I think its time to think about jardiance. Ask your doctor about jardiance. 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. And bridges our divides. 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 to zero. 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 town. 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. 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. My mouth felt more lubricated. I use the biotene rinse and then i use the spray. Biotene did make a difference. [heartbeat] the unpredictability of a flaree may weigh on your mind. Thinking about what to avoid, where to go, and how to work around your uc. Thats how i thought it had to be. 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