there is an accident investigation out there. that's our only problem on the roads. we will take a live look at the george washington bridge, it is pretty quiet but things moving along nicely into the upper and lower level. you can head to any roadway with the exception of the deagan and you will have a smooth ride. more weather and traffic ahead. thousands of people started christmas day at st. patrick's cathedral for the annual midnight mass. katherine creag there now. >> reporter: good morning to you and merry christmas. as you know it is such a sight to see, a sight to behold here, midnight mass at st. patrick's cathedral. you have the crowds lining up hours before midnight mass takes place, once you are inside we want you to take a look, it is quite majestic. thousands of people gathering inside. you need a ticket to be inside and there were some people on the outside trying to peek in, trying to hear the homily of

always gives him a warm feeling to celebrate christmas with the to uses of people who gathered here. he also welcomed two refugee families hosted by catholic charities who were there for the service. he didn't identify them but said one family fled el salvador and one from the ivory coast. he talked about his christmas message god is everywhere. it's something he shared with savannah guthrie on the "today" show. >> there is a freshness and newness there all the time. this year i think especially because we so crave the hope and the light and the promise. >> reporter: cardinal dolan had a lot to talk about in is homily and his sermon. he also reminisced, gus, about pope francis's visit here just three months ago he shared an he can dote of what pope francis said when he arrived here to st. patrick's cathedral. a little bit taken aback, a little surprised when he saw the cathedral. we will tell you all that b.

and great to he so the cathedral with all the scaffolding off it after so many years. we will talk to you in a little bit. speaking of pope francis he will deliver his annual christmas day message in st. peters square in just about an hour. at midnight he celebrated mass. the pontiff also delivered his homily at the vet can, he spoke out against what he called society's focus on extravagances and nars sichl. midnight mass in the holy city of bethlehem at the church of the nativity believed to be the birthplace of christ. palestinian officials joined the faithful there, but there were fewer pilgrims this year, that's because of the ongoing violence on the west bank. >> pill stin yan security forces thwarted a terror attack planned against a popular player service in bethlehem. the group was allegedly planning

prayer at the patriarch of jerusalem service. security was tight and services were subdued in france amid concerns over potential terrorist attacks there. heavily armed soldiers were at churches around the country. france still under a state of emergency but the government says there have been no specific threats. your time is 5:03. definitely a morning where we didn't bring our coats in there. i don't think you need it today. outside. no jackets needed but you do need the fog lights on the cars, dense morning fog out there. we're tracking that for you, also dealing with the warmest christmas ever. already we've seen temperatures breaking that record that went back to 1982 and we're doing it again on sunday, another record in jeopardy as we deal with this very warm december. here is a look at the visibility we're tracking, the trouble spots farmingdale, long island, nassau, suffolk county and areas down the jersey shore. good in the city, visibility at

hudson valley for the most part. we're not tracking any rain, you don't need the umbrellas until later on today, probably south of town, you may see some showers and there is your record high temperature of 6 degrees, lots of clouds on this christmas but it's 66 degrees so enjoy. we will take a look at the seven day in just a few. i hope you don't have a commute today, but if you do a new accident out there on the roads, 280 westbound out by exit 16, cleveland avenue three lanes shut down. i will continue to keep a close eye on that. if you are going to be using mass transit to get around, new york city buses are on a holiday schedule, there is no bm 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 service. and dee camp is on a saturday schedule. parking rules are suspended as well as meter rules. another story on the roads we have been following today, at least one child was among three people hurt when a car jumped a curb on long island.

before 10:00 last night in hicksville at the intersection of old country road and new bridge road. video from the scene you can see shows shoes lying in the street and also we're seeing a car with front end damage, also a shattered windshield. there is no word yet on the season of the three people who were hit. coming up on 5:05. new this morning police say an argument between two groups of people led to the death of a 16-year-old boy, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene, shot multiple times in the back, he was found in front of 2270 jerome avenue, that's in the university heights section of the bronx. a 19-year-old was also shot in the back, he is in stable condition at st. barn bass hospital. >> in brooklyn please have arrested a 14-year-old boy for allegedly sex ri assaulting a woman inside her apartment building in east flat bush. this is video of the suspect after the attack allegedly happened. authorities say the teen grabbed the 33-year-old woman interest behind, assaulted her, stole her cellphone and money.

>> it's christmas but thieves cannot steal the holiday spirit in one new jersey community. >> everything was like a shambles, they went through the dresser, they went through the desk, knocked everything over. >> the joe hands ens were the latest victims in a string of break-ins that have been reported in saddle brook. police say a they have stole jewelry, a laptop, also an up opened tell vision that the couple bought as a christmas present. the good samaritan heard about the burglary and came through. >> someone saw the story and actually wanted to gift us a television. it's an amazing ending. this is like really feels like christmas. >> well, that generous donor wants to remain anonymous. >> we're talking about generous folks right now volunteers are working to prepare meals for thousands of needy families in new york. "today in new york's" mark san tee a is with the city's meals on wheels workers i see you took the hair net off.

pantry, the pantry section. afte this is where they're getting bags of shelf stable food, food that can sort of stay on the shelf for seniors, including, natalie, you will appreciate this, the italian christmas bread here which will be going home. city meals on wheels depends on new yorkers' generosity. they have so many bags of shelf stable food ready to go out to nearly 10,000 seniors across the city today on christmas. they do this on the weekends, they do this on holidays, emergencies. so this food will be going out as well as hot feed that they're starting to prepare right now. and not only that, gus, and notally, but what they're also doing the volunteers, hundreds of volunteers today, it's face-to-face contact with these seniors, many of whom are homebound, they never leave, they don't talk to folks, they stay at home. this is why city meals on wheels so important. they're having that interaction, face-to-face communication with seniors across the city.

food, but they are also getting hot food on this very special christmas. natalie, gus, back to you. >> mark, thanks. like you said, just getting the chance to chat with those folks and interact is great. a controversy that's divided a small new jersey town nearly grounded a send off for santa. it started with the referendum failing to give money to improve an aging firehouse in roosevelt, new jersey. then allegations that a fire truck ran its sirens outside of an opponents house a few nights ago. the fire department a uns no it had would cancel the fire engine escort for santa's christmas eve parade after a noise complaint was filed. >> if they're being used inappropriately and out of anger because someone isn't happy about a referendum passing that's wrong. >> we're doing silent santa now? maybe just facebook everybody? how ridiculous. >> so instead of sirens

kids know santa was on his way from the north pole. new york city has a christmas gift for more than 50,000 homeowners who are poor, elderly or disabled. it's a $115 break on their next water bill. the credit is part of the home water assistance problem. that program started last year and is expanding to include people po qualify for the federal home energy assistance program for property tax exemptions for senior citizens or the dis i believed a. the credit will show up automatically on their next bill. one of the smartest gifts you can give yourself or family is a flu shot. this flu season off to a slow start but the centers for disease control expects activity to pick up in a few weeks. right now it's high in south carolina, moderate in arizona, mississippi and texas. cdc officials say flu season tends to peak in february. >> definitely doesn't feel like this right now. >> but eventually. >> coming up on 5:10 toek. panic for last minute shoppers

and busted, the cops who finally caught up with the grinch. plus your warm weather and traffic on the 4s.

police say an argument between two groups of people led to the death of a 16-year-old boy, the victim was shot multiple times in the back in the university heights section of the bronx, a 19-year-old was also shot in the back, he is in stable condition at st. barnabas hospital. the search is on for the thieves who stole christmas decorations from a teenagers's home in connecticut. chris sauls set up an elaborate display, but thieves made off with his reindeer set and other decorations. we are witnessing a rare holiday treat today. we will see the first full moon on christmas day since back in

it will peak in size around 6:11 and a full moon won't happen again on christmas until 2034. today is the warmest christmas on record. we made history at midnight hitting 66 degrees. and the warm weather continues this morning, temperatures still in the 60s out there, we have patchy dense fog to worry about as well. you can see dense fog advisories in place for nassau, suffolk county, down the versy e y shore. if you have to travel on this christmas morning leave yourself extra time and the distance between you and the car in front of you. temperatures in fairfield counties in the 40s and 50s. a cold front came through yesterday, that's what brought us a few showers, it's cooled things off north of town where that front has passed, 48 fairfield, 60s to the south, 40s to the north, we are split in the middle. 41 monticello, 45 in knew berg. nothing christmas like about it.

we're tracking a quiet picture besides the fog, no rain to worry about on this christmas morning. we are headed towards the warmest december on record in central park by a long shot. this is since december 1st, the average temperature for the month has been 51.6 degrees, that's over 13 degrees above average. take a look at the previous warmest decembers we are not even close to these breaking a record like this by such a large margin, really unprecedented, i haven't seen anything like this in a very long time and we are coasting towards the finish line. we finally got some rain, almost 4 inches for the month, we're above average, we have been so dry for so long, this is a nice change at least. you can see on future tracker some clouds around 9:00 a.m., a couple of showers popping off to the south around 2:00 this afternoon, that's where the best shower chance remains off to the south, 6:00 p.m. also looking pretty quiet as you're making your way around town. 66 your record temperature making it the warmest christmas on record in ken tropical park.

stays cool for tomorrow. get ready for change. still above average but you will feel the difference, 52 for your high on saturday, back to warm, record warmth on sunday, 66 your high there and then white chilly on monday, wind chills in the 30s, maybe a wintry mix monday night into tuesday changing over to rain, that could make the roads interesting. we haven't seen any of that so far this season. >> i'm sure we are all thankful, messy roads aren't fun. we still have worse out there, we will head over to the major deagan. two lanes shut down, all lanes subject to cloesh you are auto. there is a minor delay there. heading over to new jersey on 280 westbound by exit 16, cleveland avenue, an accident blocks three lanes there. those are your two trouble spots. the new jersey turnpike, here things are doing just fine, there's very few cars and trucks

there is a speed restriction out there heading between the delaware memorial bridge and interchange 12 because of low visibility. parking rules and meter rules are suspended. in charlotte, north carolina, police say two groups of people got into an argument before shots rang out in a busy shopping mall. one persona lejdly pulled a gun and opened fire sending all those christmas eve shoppers scrambling for cover. authorities say an off-duty police officer responded to the gunfire and shot a suspect who pointed a weapon in his direction. witnesses describe the panic inside northlake mall. >> i heard six gunshots and it sounded like fire crackers to me and then i saw people turning around running towards me and trampling each other. >> you can imagine how scary that was. authorities say the feud was not gang-related. the suspect was given emergency aid but later today.

chicago where protesters spoke out against the deadly police shooting of a teenager. demonstrators blocked the city's magnificent mile and tried to dampen holiday purchases. they also demanded the resignation of chicago mayor raum eel newel. they remain furious over the shooting of laquan mcdonald. nearly half a until suvs are being recalled for a second time. fiat chrysler says a wiring problem could spark a fire in come 102011 and 2012 jeep grand dare keys and dodge do you remember range goes. the auto maker is also recalling 2015 jeep compass and patriot suvs for potential power steering issue. santa is not the only one making special deliveries on this christmas day, fed ex-drivers will be dropping off packages that could not be

customers will be able to pick up their own shipments at fed execs press stations. they say they are doing everything possible, but deliveries were delayed by bad weather and last minute shipments. hundreds of santas were hanging ten for the holidays. >> they took part in the seventh annual surfing santas event, an event so big it set a world record with 648 jolly st. nicks if you are if i think at cocoa beach in florida. >> we started surfing santa back in 2009, myself, my son and daughter-in-law paddled out and had a family day at the beach. we've grown from three in '09. we can exceed 500 surfing santas this year. >> merry christmas. >> so we teamed up with grind for life. grind for life helps people with cancer. >> i'm a two time sarcoma survivor. >> we have great charities for cancer but they are not always

we raise funds to help people get to the right treatment. last year we gave out $20,500 to help people with their travel. >> we should raise over $30,000 by the end of the day. >> i like surfing and i like -- i like santa. >> did you know santa just photo bombed you? >> hi, santa. >> look how big it's become in a short amount of time. this is awesome. >> it's awesome that we have so much fun and some money is actually raised and goes to a good cause. it says a lot of the community in cocoa beach. just a great surf community and city in general, but it's a pretty tight knit thing, you can't help but love it. one police department in

the tv show cops as the inspiration for a holiday-themed video. >> drop it. turn around. >> okay. so you have to take a look at the video to understand this. the video showing the grinch trying to break into the who family home. thankfully they show up to stop him. the grinch is found guilty of attempt to go steal christmas. >> especially, you know, it came around in the end, proof that you could be rehabilitated. planet wrong number, the astronaut who gave someone a bit of a shock when he tried to phone home from space. plus a massive tornado captured on camera. where this hit and all the

news reporter: hurricane patricia, hit vallarta nayarit and manzanillo, mexico, on october 23. yeah...but no major damage was done. and as you can see, everything is...exactly as it should be. so, mexico invited the good patricias to come. a lot...of good patricia's. who do you think names the

no way. savor an egg mcmuffin any time you like. a fresh cracked egg, canadian bacon and an english muffin with real butter. mcdonald's all day breakfast menu. i'm sergeant matthew hagen iii in romania. i'd like to say happy holidays and merry christmas to my mother and rest of my family in long island, new york. i miss you, love you, happy holidays to all, god bless. take care. welcome back, a live look at the queens borrow bridge. mild out there, so far 60 degrees, merry christmas.

your cellphone listen to what happened to british astronaut tim peek. peek seen here on the right in the video tried to make a call from the international space station, then he tweeted i'd like to apologize to the lady i just called by mistake saying, hello, is this planet earth. not a prank call just a wrong number peake had to leave a christmas greeting message because his parents were home for the call. who you do you miss that call from your astronaut son? temperatures we hit -- official reading -- the reason i called i saw 65 at midnight but you never know, sometimes you want to call to check to make sure that wasn't at 11:55 then it's not an official record. john told me the temperature went up to 66 at 12:30 which is a shocker. >> oh, wow. >> so, yeah, 66 degrees. thank you, john at the national

guys are working harded on this christmas. take a look at what that cold front did yesterday. temperatures are about 20 degrees solder in places like danbury and monticello, a bit more of a winteryish feeling. 66 your high, we did that after midnight. winds out of the north 5 to 10 miles per hour. only a few showers later on today. a couple cars out on the road. one of those things we are tracking as well. >> a lot of people are going to be getting on the rails as well so there are a bunch of changes to schedules. if you're getting on the light rail nj transit on a weekend schedule, newark both operating on a sunday schedule. lirr and nj transit holiday schedule and path is on a reduced schedule. we have just a couple minor

i will have the details coming up. it is 5:26. still ahead, the spirit of giving alive and well in brooklyn. in the kitchen on christmas morning, volunteers preparing a holiday meal for thousands across the city. i'm marc santia coming up who the food is for and how every new yorker can help. and i'm cath katherine creag. hear from cardinal dolan said about his christmas message, what he wants people to think about this holiday season. if you are about to head out the door take us with you, keep watching "today in new york." download the news 4 app on your

we are waking up to a gift from mother nature, the warmest christmas day ever. >> thousands of people starting their holiday with a message at midnight mass. and the volunteers at work right now spending time away from their families to make sure the hungry are fed this holiday weekend, "today in new york" starts right now. good morning, thanks for joining us, it's friday, december 25th, chris may day. merry christmas, gus, merry christmas, everyone. i'm natalie pasquarella.

storm team 4 joining us with the forecast. >> another record broken. good morning and very merry christmas. temperatures still warm out there, not as warm as just after midnight when we peaked at 66 degrees, down to 60 now, no jackets need the. we are tracking dense fog, that is a problem this morning just like yesterday in some spots, it's mild through the rest of the day, lots of clouds, a few peeks of sunshine and today's temperature a record setting 66 degrees. a couple showers possible later on toward the afternoon and evening hours mainly to the south of town, overall a dry and mild christmas day. right now lauren is here with a look at your commute. >> hopefully you are not commuting today, if you are or headed out the door we have two trouble spots out there, one of them the major deegan where we do have an accident investigation in the bronx, this is in the southbound lanes after east 233rd street, two lanes shut down here. this just came in on the southern state parkway on long island in the islip area.

that shuts down two lanes. we will have more weather and traffic coming up. thousands of people started christmas day at st. patrick's cathedral. "today in new york's" katherine creag is there now with a message behind in special service. >> reporter: as you said a special service for so many people, natalie. it is also such a huge event, families gather here, individuals as well. the next christmas day mass is at 7:00 in the morning and even in those early morning hours throughout the day sometimes the services are filled to capacity here at the cathedral. we want to show you what it looked like midnight mass. this is the only christmas day mass that requires a ticket from people who attended, but the cathedral -- the archdiocese gets thousands mon thousands of requests every year but it can only accommodate a few thousand people, but it was filled to capacity inside last night for midnight mass. cardinal dolan welcomed two refugee families who were there, they were hosted by catholic

he didn't identify them, but said one family fled el salvador, another is a muslim family from the ivory coast. he also talked about his christmas message that the church god is everywhere. it's something that he shared with the congregation. he talked about pope francis's visit only a few months ago and said that pope francis when he saw the cathedral for the first time that he was a little bit surprised by it. here is part of that story. take a listen. >> as the holy father commented, it's right here in the middle of things. and then he smiled and he said, that's where it should be, because that's where god is. right in the middle of things. i propose to you all this evening that that is the message of christmas. >> and even at this early hour, 5:30 something in the morning, there are some people walking around here around st. patrick's cathedral obviously, rockefeller

coming up in the next half hour you will hear what christmas means to them, their christmas message. they wanted to share it with others as well. back to you, natalie. >> thanks so much. faithful are gathering at the vatican this morning to hear the christmas message from pope francis. at midnight he celebrated mass. >> the pontiff also delivered his homily, he spoke out against what he called society's intoxication with consumerism, hedonism and wealth. the pope's message happens in half an hour. a call for peace at midnight mass in the holy city of bethlehem. the faithful were joined by palestinian leaders at the church of the nativity believed to stand at the birthplace of christ. the traditional crowds a bit thinner this year because of the ongoing violence on the west bank. time for weather and traffic on the 4s.

you notice the shoppers yesterday, not wearing jackets, not needing the coats and today once again for christmas day it's feeling like that. >> it is nice not to have to worry about the coats. we do in the seven-day forecast, don't forget where they are. right now we are taking a look at your weather headlines. dealing with the warm weather and dense morning fog just like yesterday making it difficult to travel. it is the warmest christmas day ever. breaking towards all over the place. we do it again on sunday, another record in jeopardy as we head into the weekend. right now tracking visibility, again, it's tough for nassau and suffolk county and down the jersey shore, we're seeing that reduced visibility and fog, please be careful islip and belmar. storm tracker 4 is nice and quiet on this christmas morning. we could see a few showers as the day goes on mainly to the south of town, i think we're mostly dry in the city. look at that, perfect comfortable 60s throughout the day today, enjoy it while it's

will take a look at the seven-day forecast in a few. good morning. if you happen to be on the buses today we do have schedule changes, new york city buses are operating on a holiday service, no ny transit on a holiday service. if you're getting on the ferries no service new york water way or sea streak. you do not need to move your car, you don't have to worry about paying the meter, rejoice, it's christmas, all parking rules are suspended as well as meter rules. more weather and traffic coming up on the 4s. a child one of three people hit by a car on christmas eve in nassau county. in accident happened just before 10:00 last night in hicksville. police say the car jumped a car at old country and new bridge roads, an investigation you can see shut down the busy intersection for several hours last night.

go out of controlled. no word of any charges being filed against the driver. police say an argument between two groups of people led to the death of a 16-year-old boy. the victim was pronounced dead at the scene, shot multiple times in the back. he was found in front of 2270 jerome avenue in the university heights section of the bronx. a 19-year-old was also shot in the back, he is in stable condition at st. barnabas hospital. it is 537 right now. in brooklyn a 14-year-old boy has been arrested accuse much attacking a woman inside her east flash bush apartment building. this is video of the suspect after the alleged attack. authorities say the teen grabbed the 33-year-old woman from behind, sexual assaulted her and stole her cellphone and money. he is being charged as an adult. in new jersey a good samaritan steps up to help a family hit by a holiday they have. >> everything was like a shambles, they went through the dresser, went through the desk,

>> the johansens were the latest victims in the spring of break-ins that have been reported in saddle brook. police say two days before christmas a they have broke in through a back door and stole jewelry, a laptop an unopened television the couple had bought as a christmas present. a good samaritan heard about the burglary and came through in a big way. >> someone saw the story and they actually wanted to gift us a television. it's an amazing ending, this really feels like christmas. >> outstanding. and that joan rouse donor wants to remain anonymous. and gus, continuing in the spirit of giving, volunteers are working right now to prepare meals for thousands of needy families across new york. "today in new york" marc santia is with the city's meals on wheels workers in the city. >> the hair net is back on because we are back in the kitchen. preparing meals for nearly

let's talk as your volunteers get ready to go out delivering much more than just food to so many seniors today. >> absolutely. if you think about t you and i have wonderful celebrations with family and friends, the people we're feeding, 80, 90, seem even 100 years old have memories of celebrations with family and friends, but they are alone for the most part they have outlived family, friends, even their own children and it is a day to remember a little bit outside of ourselves and that's what we're doing. >> beth, even nearly half the folks you're feeding today are homebound, they are not going out. >> yes. so that's our mission. city meals on wheels, we're feeding homebound elderly new yorkers, people too frail to get out and shop and cook for themselves. we are a ail little lucky that it's warm, ones who may be able to walk a block or two can come in and celebrate with others and

for the most part we're feeding 18,000 people who can no longer shop or cook for themselves in their home. >> at christmas the moto, it's so much better to give than receive and that's the motto of city meals for wheels volunteers who this is what it's all about. >> it is. between today and new year's we will have over 600 volunteers helping get meals to the doors of so many who need them. last year we had 15,000 volunteers, 69,000 hours of volunteer time. we couldn't do what we do without the help of so many other new yorkers. >> beth, a lot of people might say it's the holidays, i want to stay home, i work all week, but you find the exact opposite, people want to give. >> absolutely. they want to give of their time, it's very easy to come out, give an hour or two, bring meals to somebody who needs it. you feel great. i feel great. i mean, it's 5:30 in the morning, these guys have been here cooking since almost 4:00. >> i want to let you get back to the vegetables.

gus and natalie, back to you. >> it's some real perspective on this christmas morning. thanks to mark and beth and all the people at city meals. the local church that's using the force to fill their pews, the unusual service next. and whether and traffic on the 4s all coming up.

this christmas morning and dense fog blanketing much of the tri-state area. right now people in mississippi and tennessee cleaning up from monster tornado there. the 136 mile an hour tornado roared through holly springs, mississippi, on wednesday, that storm picked up a car and tossed t killing a 7-year-old boy inside. officials say that twister could have been on the ground for 150 miles. starting in mississippi and ending in tennessee. throughout the south violent weather has killed at least 14 people. and 5:44. time for weather and traffic on the also. we are tracking that dense fog around the tri-state just like yesterday, very filed out plrks folks getting out bright and early, they were out at 3:00 a.m. looking at the tree.

this warm weather without the jackets and hats, gloves and scarves. the ice will be wet once again. we have mostly cloudy skies, dense fog advisories in effect throughout the morning and nassau and suffolk counties you are seeing fog. please be careful. it's 57 in jersey city, 58 sheeps head bay, 59 degrees staten island. north of town that cold front has knocked down those temperatures for you. now you are in the 40s, a little more taste of reality in danbury with 40s, as we head south that cold front never made it past long branch it's 63 degrees and cooler 48 in morris town. no rain to worry about right now, but later on today those showers may fire up off to the south. let's jump ahead to the weekend, we have changes coming our way

every day is a different season. tomorrow cooler and damp, temperatures back to the low 50s, a little bit of a raw feel as well. not so nice and certainly not as warm. sunday temperatures bounce back up very nicely. record breaking warmth possible, likely again 66 is your high, the record is 63, i can we will break another record as we head into the second half of the weekend. those showers may be firing up as we head into the afternoon, you see the green around 2:00, 3:00 p.m. and you notice where it is, sunshine in the hudson valley, clouds in the city and showers off to the south, it's a split weather day depending on where you are today, maybe more showers around ocean county around 6:00 p.m. and we are beginning to see those showers moving closer to the city around midnight, hopefully drying out for some of your saturday. it's not going to be a wash out tomorrow. you can see more of the same potty showers on sunday, high temperature in the 60s.

with 43 degrees, monday night into tuesday a wintry mix possible, some may see snow for the first time mainly north and west of town changing over to rain on tuesday. let's see what the roads are doing right now. >> good morning. merry christmas, everyone. we did have an accident on 280 westbound exit 16 that cleared, major deegan southbound this accident investigation out there after december 233rd street. that shuts down two lanes, all lanes subject to closure. it is passable. then heading over to suffolk county on the southern state parkway out by bay shore road you do have a disabled vehicle that two lanes. overall the roads are in great shape. we will take a live look outside at the lincoln tunnel, things are moving along quite nicely at all of your hudson river crossings. i hope that you get to stay home and don't go anywhere to go. another good news, parking rules and meter rules are suspended.

on the 4s. tsa officers ri rested a passenger who tried to carry a hidden ice pick through security at newark airport. that is what officers found in his cane. a tsa worker pulled it off the conveyor belt, a turn of the handle revealed that steel pick inside. we have learned that some drivers in the bronx got a pleasant surprise after getting pulled over by the police. >> merry christmas. >> members of the nypd handing out toys to families after stopping their cars. the officers of the 47th precinct say they got an overflow of donations during this year's holiday toy drive so they decided to give some toys away. >> how great is that, you get pulled over -- >> seriously. >> we have showed you a few traditional christmas eve religious services. now for one that is not to traditional. >> one new jersey church tried

services this year, as rob schmidt shows you now, the force was with them. >> we're going to tell you the story of christmas in a way you probably never heard and hopefully will never forget. >> reporter: it's called could say mic christmas and it's a very different kind of church service that senior pastor timer lucas hopes can capture the ever wandering minds of your kids. >> the goal tonight is really to tell the message of christmas in a fresh way. we're using the epic story of "star wars" to tell the greatest story ever told from the bible. >> reporter: using dancing storm troopers it's the story of "star wars" as the sort of metaphor for the story of jesus christ. tonight's service featured hans solo telling the story, princess leah, chewbacca and kids could take a pic sitting on the lap of dearth santa. it's a program that's gaining in popularity with the explosive film the

>> on a typical sunday we have 4,000 people, today we have had 8,000. people are excited not only about "the force awakens" but hopefully their faith is awakening, too. >> >> reporter: liquid church has five locations in new jersey, it tauts itself as a fresh look at christianity. tonight's service was certainly interesting. it freaked this little girl out just a little bit. but other kids loved it. >> awesome. it's so much fun. it was amazing. >> there you go, whatever gets the message across. next at 6:00, health concerns for janet jackson. why the superstar is being

that sound. like nails on a chalkboard. but listen to this: (family talking) that's a different kind of sound. the sound of the weekend. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. it's always worth remembering... that icing the cinnamon rolls is a privilege not a right. unleash the power of dough.

coming up on 5:54. time for a check of your forecast. the mild weather continues on this christmas, already breaking a record, 66 is the record high temperature for this new warmest christmas on record. lots of clouds out there, maybe a few showers later on today especially to the south of town, up to the 60s lake caramel, 64 madison and 64 your high temperature in asbury park. a few showers are possible temperatures down to the upper 40s and cool for tomorrow. no commute on christmas, i hope that's your gift, but if

ferry service there is no service on the new york water way or c street if erie but staten island is operating on a holiday schedule. we will take a live look at the roads. this is. lie by the grand central parkway, a nice ride. we will have more weather and traffic ahead on the 40s. your time is 5:54. we want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone in our news 4 family. >> there's so many people behind the scenes who work tirelessly all year long to bring you the news.

grandma is so happy to be here for your very first christmas. i hear you' re quite the expert at waking people up in the morning. let me show you how grandma does it. your daddy made this when he was a little boy. this is your dad at my house, where he had his first christmas.

well look who' s up. i' m really glad you' re here mom. me too. look who' s here! now at 6:00, celebrating christmas with a call to the faithful as cardinal dolan welcomes special guests to the midnight mass. plus it is officially the warmest christmas ever for our area but more december like weather is on the way, "today in new york" starts now. good morning, friday, december 25th, merry christmas, i'm gus rosendale. >> and i'm natalie pasquarella. merry christmas to everyone out there. storm team 4's raphael miranda is here with the forecast. >> we did it again, another record. we set the record yesterday and now the warmest christmas day in new york city.

is mild throughout this christmas holiday and tours are back to the mid 60s later on today. maybe a few showers as we head into the afternoon, nothing major. watch outs for that fog this morning. that's your only weather problem today. we will tell you how long this warm weather will stick around. right now lauren scala is here with your christmas commute. >> hopefully no christmas commuting for you, but if you are headed out the door you will need to know about an accident on the major deegan. this is an investigation after233rd street, two lanes shut down with all lanes subject for closure. westchester county headed into the bronx the other roadways are doing fine. we do have a disabled vehicle on the southern state and that one shuts down two lanes, but that's not causing any delays. more weather and traffic coming up. 6:01. cardinal dolan is asking the faithful to open their hearts this christmas. the cardinal welcomed two very

midnight mass. "today in new york's" katherine creag is at st. patrick's cathedral to explain. merry christmas. >> reporter: merry christmas to you. indeed cardinal dolan said there is nothing more christmassy, he used that word, christmassy, to welcome a family that is seeking refuge to celebrate with them here at st. patrick's cathedral to welcome them really with open arms. we saw so many people gathered here for midnight mass, for that ever s thousands of people inside st. patrick's cathedral. among those thousands of people cardinal dolan welcomed to refugee families hosted by catholic charities who were there for the service. he didn't identify them, but said that he wanted them to keep their privacy, he didn't have them stand up, but he said one family fled el salvador, another is a muslim family from the ivory coast. we talked about with some of the people gathered outside of the cathedral about their christmas message and what it means to them. >> family.

>> it means spending wonderful time with beloved people and thinking about what's important. >> it means family, love. that's the same for all of the world, i guess. >> reporter: and the cardinal also talked about a lot of things in her sermon, in his homily, he reminisced about pope francis's visit just three months ago, also what does christmas mean to him. as you take a live look at st. patrick's cathedral the next mass is just under an hour from now, 7:00 a.m. is the next christmas day mass. really these services as you might know, natalie, they are so packed even in the early morning hours we expect the 7:00 a.m., also the other ones during the morning, the midday services, the afternoon services to be filled with -- filled to capacity and coming up in the next half hour we will also share with you cardinal dolan's christmas message, what he said to the congregants gathered her last night. back to you. natalie.

the vat van, that's where pope francis is delivering his annual christmas message, this is known as the pontiff's address to the city and the world. traditionally he calls for peace and then will comment on some of the conflicts taking place around the world. last night he celebrated midnight mass at st. peters basilica. a joyous celebration as pope francis delivered his homily as well, he spoke out against what he called society's focus on extravagances, appearances and narcissism. prayers for peace at midnight mass in the holy city of bethlehem as well. this was at the church of the nativity, believed to be the birthplace of christ. palestinian leaders joined the faithful but there are fewer pilgrims this year, that's because of the ongoing violence on the west bank. when you think about being packed into church you won't need your coat if you're going today because it's already warm out there. >> it's warm and muggy, too, except for areas north of town,

working in, but from the city and south temperatures still in the 60s on this christmas morning. you can see on your weather headlines -- excuse me. dense morning fog out there, warmest christmas on record after the warmest christmas eve on record and then again on sunday another record in jeopardy. let's take a look at the visibility, you can see it's reduced across long island, down to half a mile in west hampton, quarter mile in belmar, these are the trouble spots, new jersey and long island give yourself extra time as you're heading out the door today. storm tracker nice and quiet. no rain to worry about. ma i believe a shower or two this afternoon, a few showers mainly to the south. again, 66 your high. believe it or not we are talking about wintry weather heading our way, we will take a look at that in the seven-day forecast. right now lauren is here with your commute. >> i don't know what that was. it was a gift.

buses we do have some changes in he had ask uls today, new york city transit and nj transit on a holiday schedule, beeline no camp and dee camp on a saturday schedule. if you are getting on the rails plenty of changes, too. metro north operating on an hourly schedule, path on a saturday schedule. you can certainly get around, just a little of reduced service, parking rules and meter rules are suspended today. this is 6:06. new this morning a 16-year-old boy has been shot and killed in the bronx. police say it was an argument that started between two groups of people that led to the deadly shooting. the victim was shot multiple times in the back, he was pronounced dead in front of 2270 that's in the university heights section of the bronx. a 19-year-old man was also shot in the back, he is in stable condition at st. barnabas hospital. in brooklyn police have

accused of a sexual assault in east flat bush. the attacked happened wednesday the 16th and that surveillance video was recorded after the incident. investigators say the between grabbed a 33-year-old woman inside her apartment building, sexual assaulted her and stole her cellphone and money. he will be charged adds an adult adult. in charlotte, north carolina, gunfire caused panic inside a mall packed with christmas eve shoppers. police say one person started shooting during an argument between two groups of people. an off duty police officer responded to that gunfire and shot a suspect who allegedly pointed a weapon in his direction. people inside scrambled to take cover. others ran for the exit. >> people went running, ran through the store and rushed right through the twins, grabbed the twins and were gone. >> authorities say the feud was not gang-related. the suspect who was shot was given emergency aid but later today. >> on long island a search is

suspect who allegedly attacked a store worker with a stun gun. police in river head say the suspect is 33-year-old victoria dean, she allegedly tried to steal merchandise from a target store on old country road late yesterday afternoon but when an employee tried to stop her police say she used a stun gun to shock the worker and then just ran off. this morning a search is under way for the brinch who stole christmas decoration a teen's home in connecticut. 15-year-old chris sauls of bristol set up an elaborate display, you see all those inflatable characters on his front yard. the thieves ended up making off with a reindeer set and four other decorations. saul said he doesn't want to press charges he just wants everything returned. santa is not the only one who has been hard at work this morning. right now volunteers are cooking up a storm to ensure new york city's elderly have a warm meal on this holiday. marc santia is getting to know some good people. >> reporter: gus, good morning

here in the pantry there are packages being ready to go and in the kitchen it's buzzing now, volunteers are here. good morning. good morning. good morning. volunteers are here preparing meals that will go out to nearly 10,000 new yorkers, senior citizens all courtesy of city meals on wheels because of these volunteers ricardo and jackie have pan i wish rice going, they're looking to feed nearly 10,000 seniors, 30 of those seniors are 100 years old or older, most of them homebound, most of them not leaving the house. a lot of them don't have folks to talk to. not only are they delivering meals, they're spending time, face-to-face communication, volunteers, hundreds of them going out today to meet with seniors on this very special day, many of the seniors chronically disabled or arthritis, diabetes, they don't leave the house and the volunteers here an army of hundreds of volunteers will be ready to hit the streets, gus and natalie, to bring them a

won't sooner forgetting. we will be seeing you in a little bit and -- what do we have going on here? we have garlic, will take care of some stuff here. ricardo, spare ribs looking okay? >> yes. >> excellent. we will be back in a half hour with much more. >> a lot of busy elves there, mark. threw very much. the nassau county police department is bringing smiles to the faces of dozens of children. yesterday kids whose parents cannot afford gifts in christmas went on a shopping speed at maddy's toy store thanks to the generosity of officers. santa had to pay the children a visit, kids roamed the aisles finding their favorite toys. >> a lot of these kids will wake up tomorrow not even having a christmas tree. what's important is to show these kids that they are worth something, people value their existence. >> each child received 1

spend on whatever they wanted. >> we see a lot of police departments and fire departments -- >> we commend them. great job. as we continue up next a santa controversy in new jersey. we will tell you why one town nearly had to cut santa from an annual celebration. plus your weather and traffic on the 4s is coming right now. stick with us, merry christmas. you're watching "today in new york." kids don' t stay little forever.

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it is 6:14. time for your weather and traffic on the 4s. we're tracking that dense fog. but the dense fog advisory has been lifted for nassau and suffolk counties, still fog out there but it's lifting a little bit. you can see the dense fog advisory still in effect across new jersey, though.

that as you're making your way around town on this christmas morning. temperatures in the 50s across nassau county with fog. 55 valley stream, mid 50s in mass peek kwa and north america. who is in the north of town where that cold front came through, dropped those temperatures but still very mild south of new york city, 61 trenton and 63 down the shore in long branch. here is a look at storm tracker. it is nice and quiet right now, not worried about any rain, the fog is our only weather problem on this christmas morning. we have been talking about the record high temperatures, now this is the warmest christmas day, we have had the warmest christmas eve, this is the going to be the warmest december as a whole and by a lot. so we are we have seen temperatures hovering around 51.6, that's the average for the month as a whole, that's trending 13 degrees above the norm. when you take a look at the previous warmest decembers on record they are all in the mid 40s, right now we are in the 50s, i have never seen a record

even t tohough it's going to be cooler over the next few days this is probably not going to go down all that much. this is ain't incredible month that it has been. we continue to break those records. another one will fall on sunday. you can see on future tracker lots of clouds around 9:00 but the rain stays to the south around the afternoon. there are some umbrellas needed for those folks heading out the door in monmouth and ocean counties later on tonight and that's where the rain stays, mainly off to the south today, overnight tonight we see a few more showers around the rest of the try state. tomorrow could start out with a few showers. 66 for your high for today and there's the seven day, down tomorrow, 52 for your high, sunday another record, 66, warm again as we close out the weekend with a couple of showers. down again on monday, quite chilly there, monday night a little bit of wintry precip north and west of town, maybe some snow, no major accumulations but it could be a little slick for your tuesday morning commute.

tuesday commute already, lauren scala, but we have to get through today first. >> enjoy today. if you have a commute or even have to head out the door there are a couple trouble spots. if you're coming off the gothels ramp the ramp to bay way has some downed poles. then we have this investigation investigation on the major deegan heading southbound after 233rd street. two lanes shut down with all lanes subject to closure. it's still pass i believe something to note. we will take a live look outside at the cross bronx expressway, you can enjoy your ride there. if you were wondering if the light rail was operating today it certainly snj transit is running on a holiday schedule, and newark light rail and river line are operating on a sunday schedule. more weather and traffic coming up on the 4s. it's a tough christmas for some folks down south who are cleaning up after a series of

video capturing monster tornado, this was tearing through holly springs, mississippi on wednesday. this 136 mile an hour twisting might have been on the ground for 150 miles. traveling across two states. during that time it picked up a car and tossed it, killing a seven-year-old boy inside. in all at least 14 people have died in mississippi, tennessee and also arkansas. tornadoes also touched down in northern california on christmas eve. in el dorado county it caused one tree to topple over tossing a cars, in the town of if you will someone saw the story between reported a funnel cloud. this time the hackers targeted an online course management system just yesterday. that's why the processors post assignments and other course materials. it's the sixth time the university's computer system has been hacked. the school says users may experience difficulty using this system until that problem is fixed. robert downey jr. now has a

he received a full pardon from california governor jerry brown. the iron man star was one of 91 people granted the holiday clemency. the governor cited downey for turning his life around after his 1996 conviction for drug related offenses. the conviction was remain on downey's record. pop star janet jackson's world tour is on hold. she is tweeting she is postponing her tour for surgery. just asking for prayers and fans to respect her privacy. the tour was scheduled to make stops at the prudential center and barkley center in february. a controversy that has divide add small new jersey town nearly grounded a send off for santa. that will wake you up on this christmas morning. it started with a failed bond rerchl dumb to fix an aging firehouse in roosevelt, new jersey. then a noise complaint was filed when a fire truck allegedly

after that it looked like the fire department might cancel the fire truck escort for santa in the christmas eve parade. >> if they're being used inappropriately and out of anger because someone isn't happy about a referendum passing, that's wrong. >> are we doing silent santa now? does he have to quietly knock on doors, maybe facebook everybody? how ridiculous. >> well, instead of sirens christmas music played to let the kids know santa was on his way to the north pole. >> time is 6:20. up next, a wrong number from space. an astronaut gives someone quite a story to tell. >> then later the one time you want to be pulled over by the nypd, we will show you how new york's finest surprised drivers on christmas eve.

happening now, a full moon on christmas day. this hasn't happened since christmas of 1977. the moon just reached its peak size here in the u.s. about ten minutes ago but you better enjoy it while you can because the next time you will see a full moon on christmas day won't be until the year 2034. calling relatives is a must but doing it from the first time from space may be difficult. >> britain's tim peake dialed the phone yesterday from the international space station then he tweeted i'd like to apologize to the lady i just called by mistake saying, hello, is this planet earth. not a prank call just a wrong number. peake also tried to call his parents for christmas but we were all laughing here because they weren't home to get the call. >> i love how they sling the microphone back and forth kind

>> get some good karaoke up there. >> when he said, hello, planet earth did she hang up on him or give him a snarky response? >> you have been working the phones this morning with the national weather service. >> i saw we hit a temperature that would have broken the radio but i wanted to make sure. this is it, as of now 66 degrees, that was your high temperature just after midnight. so we shashd that old record that was 64, that was back in 1982 and there's another record in jeopardy sunday, the record is 63 that was set back in 1949, the forecast high is 66. that will be yet another record. it's been an incredibly warm month, incredibly warm year as a whole. 66 for your high today in westfield, winds are lighter out of the north 5 to 10 miles per hour, everyone warming whack up into the 60s, even spots that are cool in the hudson valley, 63 high temperature in lake

tomorrow we're dealing with 50. nothing like this tomorrow, then on sunday again record warmth returns. just crazy. i can't even -- you know, it's like usually on christmas morning we're talking about black ice, wintry conditions, dreaded wintry mix. >> we're going to miss this soon. if you're getting on the roads really not too many problems out there as there should not be on a morning like this. i do have an update to an accident fom coming off the gothels's bridge into new jersey. it's on the ramp to brunswick avenue. if you're head that had way something to vote. we will take a live look outside at the connecticut turnpike. overall the roads in for a nice ride as you head out the door. up next an update on our top stories on this christmas morning. im katherine creag live at st. patrick's cathedral where thousands upon shous thousands

mass and in that huge special guests, you will hear from cardinal dolan about them coming up. christmas in the kitchen, volunteers getting ready to feed thousands across the city. i'm marc santia coming up just toss receiving these meals and how every new yorker can help. and, hey, if you are about to head out the door take us with you and keeping watching "today in new york." download the news 4 new york app on your mobile device right now.

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now it's 6:30. a special request from cardinal dolan on this christmas morning. hear his message to the faithful on the crowded midnight mass. why you might be hearing your doorbell ring today. plus we're setting a new christmas record for heat. "today in new york" starts right now. it's friday, december 25th, chris may day, i'm natalie pasquarella. >> and i'm gus rosendale. raphael miranda is here with the forecast.

horizon, maybe wintry weather over the next few days. now still stuck with the mild weather, 59 degrees outside, we have patchy fog we need to tell you about, especially to the west of town across new jersey, it is a mild afternoon, back to the 60s again today, lots of clouds on this christmas, not a whole lot of sunshine and one or two passing showers a possibility, especially to the south of new york city. today's high temperature a record breaking 66 degrees, we will talk about exactly where that fog is coming up in a few here. merry christmas, everyone. if you are heading out on the roads right now we still have this accident investigation taking place on the major deegan, this is heading southbound after east 233rd street, two lanes shut down. if you're getting on the rails today some changes in schedule, metro north an hour schedule in place and path a saturday schedule. the faithful gathering at

the christmas holiday. "today in new york" katherine creag is there with what is always a big day. >> reporter: good morning to you. absolutely a great day. gus, we're wishing merry christmas to all these people passing by, there's some people right there about to go up to the steps because they are allowing people in now for the 7:00 a.m. mass a little bit ahead of schedule, usually it's quarter of 7:00 but they are letting people into the 7:00 a.m. service. thousands of people gathered for the midnight mass, st. patrick's cathedral filled to capacity, cardinal dolan also welcomed two refugee families there hosted by catholic charities, this he were there taking part in the service. he said he wanted them to keep private, but they were there for the service. he said one family thread el salvador, another a muslim family from the ivory coast, cardinal dolan said there's nothing more christmassy than to welcome a family seeking ref fuj to welcome them to this cathedral with open arms.

me as we celebrate this night when jesus was born away from home into a family that would soon flee as refugees for safety from an oppressive king into egypt, i think you would join me in welcoming those two families. >> midnight mass is the only christmas day mass that you need a ticket, for all of the other services throughout the morning, afternoon and evening no ticket needed, but people get here so early. we want to give you a live look, the ushers here at st. patrick's cathedral just opened up the side doors, again, it seems a little bit ahead of schedule, usually it's 15 minutes before 7:00 that they open up the doors but now it's a little earlier, people are starting to i a life here for 7:00 a.m. mass, it's not totally filled to capacity, gus, but you know the cathedral fills up so quickly with people who want to celebrate christmas day here at cathedral. back to you gus. >> catherine, kreesht appreciate it. new this morning on

calling for peace around the world. >> translator: my thoughts also turn to those affected by brutal acts of terrorism. >> that included the attacks in paris. the pope's annual christmas message also spoke out about the brutal violence in africa. new this morning president obama and the first lady are asking the nation to remember america's servicemen and women this holiday service. >> every day the brave men and women of our military serve to keep us safe and so do their families. >> so as we sing carols and open presents. let's take time to pay tribute to those who have given to our country so much. >> the president says go to the website joining forces.gov to see how you can support troops overseas and military families in your community.

today's cnbc money report fed ex is making last minute deliveries today. they are trying to deliver shipments delayed to bad weather and heavy volume. this includes making christmas day cities in select cities. customers will be able to pick up their own shipments at fed execs press stations. we are tracking that dense fog this morning, guys, just like yesterday. good morning and merry christmas. especially off to the south and west of town. it is the warmest christmas day on record in new york city and those records go back to the 1800s. we are doing it again on sunday, another record in jeopardy as we head into the weekend. we've been tracking the visibility for you all morning long. right now the worst spots appear to be to the south and west, belmar and trenton half a mile visibility, visibility has been improving in nassau and suffolk county and a dense fog advisory has been lifted for nassau and suffolk county. lots of clouds moving through

we are not expecting a ton of sunshine, especially to the south of town, maybe a few spotty showers. north into the hudson valley maybe some sunshine, everyone enjoying mild temperatures into the 60s on this christmas day then temperatures tumble over the next few days, we will have chilly weather coming up in a the seven day. right now lauren scala has a look at your christmas commute. >> good morning. not too many problems on the roads but we do have some. if you are coming off the goethals bridge heading to new jersey there is a pole on the road heading to brunswick avenue. if you are getting on the buses today new york city buses are operating on a holiday schedule as well as new york city transit buses. if you're getting on the ferries, no ferry service with the exception of the staten island ferry still running, always running but there will be 30 minute departures today. alternative side of the street parking rules and meter rules are suspended. another story on the roads

least one child was among three people hurt when a car jumped a curb on long island. an accident happening just before 10:00 last night in hicksville at the intersection of old country road and new bridge road. they haven't released many details, but video from the scene shows shoes lying in the street and a car with front end damage and a damaged windshield. no word on the three people who were hit. thieves can't steal the holiday spirit in one new jersey community. >> everything was like a shambles, they went through the dresser, desk, knocked every over. >> the johann sense were the latest victims in a spring of break-ins that had been reported in saddle brook. thief broke in through a back door, stole, jewelry, a laptop and unopened television that the couple purchased as a christmas present. a good samaritan heard about this burglary then came through in a big way. >> someone saw the story and

a television. it's an amazing ending. this is like really feels like christmas. >> it makes you feel good. the generous donor wants to remain anonymous. you may be starting breakfast for your family, but some people have been up, they've been cooking for hours to make sure new york city's elderly he is are dents have a warm meal on this holiday. marc santia has a look at their efforts. >> reporter: just for you i know you wanted an update on ricardo and jackie's famous pernil, it looks fantastic. they are busy in the kitchen ready to feed nearly 10,000 people. i'm joined by beth is that peer ra, talk a little bit about the program today. you're feeding people every day, but today is very special. >> today is special. when you think about your day with family, friends, celebrating, i know you're working but i have a feeling you've got someplace to go later. >> this isn't work. we're having a good time this

>> so we're feeding, as you said, nearly 10,000 people today, homebound elderly new yorkers, people who cannot get out or shop and cook for themselves. in brooklyn we have ribs you're looking at, we have the nl pernil, you said, veges, spanish rice. going to the home of someone who would be alone otherwise today. >> a lot of people watching how can i help. i know with you you're proud about donations for city meals on wheels all the money goes to feeding and reaching out and touching senior citizens. >> the first meal we delivered was 34 years ago today on christmas day. at that time our founder gail green said not 10 cents can go to anything other than meals, getting meals on the table. since that day we have guaranteed 100% of all donations from the general public go to meal preparation and delivery, every penny. >> we were talking about, beth, all this food today going to new

build this city, who helped and who now need a little bit of help. >> we're feeding people who are of 0 and older, average age 83, 90, we have over 300 people who are 100 years old or older. it's exactly what i have' said, they built this city. we owe it to them, i owe it to them, you owe it to them to make sure we take care of them with a simple meal. it doesn't take much. >> i don't want to keep you because i know you're keeping an eye on the spare ribs, a lot of food going out as you said 10,000 new yorkers going to be fed today. fantastic work, beth. back to you, gus and natalie. >> some great perspective there. thanks to you, marc and also to betting. new york city has a christmas gift for more than 50,000 homeowners who are poor, elderly or disabled. it is a $115 break on their next water bill. the credit is part of the home water assistance program. the program started last year and it is ex a pending to

the federal home energy assistance program program or property tax exemptions or senior citizens or the disabled. the credit will show up automatically on their next bill. christmas came early for some drivers in the bronx who were pulled over by the nypd. >> merry christmas. >> but this is a fantastic traffic stop. instead of tickets officers handed out toys to families after stopping their cars. the officers of the 47th precinct say they got an overflow of donations during this year's holiday toy drive so they decided to surprise the drivers and others with an unexpected gift. >> i'm like, oh, my god, i'm in trouble. >> but now? >> it's a good gesture. i'm really happy. >> it's very awesome. >> five five. >> very awesome. that's great. nypd say they gave away hundreds of toys and spread a lot of holiday cheer. kids are pumped up there. up next, christmas day,

what one local store already has on display. then later a new twist on the traditional christmas mass. are you looking at your screen right now? see how a local church is using the force this holiday season. . plus your weather and traffic on the 4s is coming up.

good morning, everyone. merry christmas as well. time for weather and traffic on the 4s. we've been tracking that dense fog off to the south and west. dense fog advisories have been lifted for nassau and suffolk counties. still patchy fog but the worst of it still off to the south and west. you can see all these counties in new jersey dense fog advisories continue in effect. if you have travel plans in morning definitely want to keep it safe and slow, if you can. temperatures in westchester county are cooler than yesterday, we are down to the 40s and 50s, cooler to the north of town, 52 terry town, yeah,

as we head south closer to the city near 60 and it's 63 degrees down in the shore the long branch. poughkeepsie and monticello tours in the 40s. obviously not a white christmas. no snow on the ground around the tri-state today. it is quiet, no rain to worry about right now but a front off to the south could spark off showers later on today. tomorrow it is a cooler day for saturday, showers as well, especially later in the day, 52 your high. 70s yesterday, 60s today, 50s tomorrow. sunday we bounce back, 66 and your record high temperature in 63. that's another record that is likely to fall on sunday and it's going to be mild again. a little bit of shower activity in the mix. future tracker around 9:00 this morning, lots of clouds, notice the sunshine to the north of new york city. danbury, sunny skies from time

around the city and there are those pesky showers off to the south mainly monmouth and ocean counties, showers do linger into the overnight hours. seven-day forecast shows cool tomorrow, warmer on sunday with showers both days, monday as we head back to work quite chilly, wind chills in the 30s and 20s throughout the day, breezy and tracking a chance for wintry mix monday into tuesday. good morning, everyone. one problem on the roads, the major deegan heading southbound after233rd street an accident investigation that's been out there since 4:30 this morning. that shuts down two lanes with all lanes subject to closure. we have more people out on the roads so you can see a delay there. let's head over to the secretary cut turnpike by exit 17 in west port, police activity on the shoulder -- yes, that is definitely the shoulder. you can see it's not causing any place, just something to keep in mind. heading over to the george

to see the sun coming up in the distance, no delays heading into the tolls at any of your hudson river crossings, the major deegan is the only problem out there. alternate side of the street parking rules are suspended as well as meter rules. back to you gus and natalie. britain's queen elizabeth is saying that light can triumph over darkness. that's part of her annual christmas address that will be broadcast in a few hours. she admits there have been moments of darkness over the last year. the queen courts her speech and spends christmas at her estate. it is christmas day and we've been noting but some stores are already getting ready for valentine's day. yeah. stacey marsh decker took this picture on wednesday in the seasonal aisle at walmart up in monticello. so if you love candy hearts, now you know where to go, hop on route 17 and head up to the walmart in monticello and get a head start.

but it's just too soon. we are not there yet. 6:48. up next see how a local church is using "star wars" to drum the faithful. you are watching "today in new york." year. this is cma john paul. i want to wish everyone a safe holiday and want to give a shout out to my wonderful girlfriend at home, i miss you, baby, and to my family. i appreciate the support. why let someone else have all the fun? the sometimes haphazard, never boring fun. the why can't it smell like this all the time fun. the learning the virtue of

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it is 6:52 right now, such a beautiful shot. merry christmas, a perfect way to start the christmas day here with a shot of the rockefeller center christmas tree. in a church not to far far away a pastor held a very unusual christmas eve service hoping that the force of christmas, that is, would be with his congregation.

story of christmas in a way you probably have never heard. >> okay. parents, take a second, look at the screen. this is called could say mic christmas. the idea according to senior pastor tim lucas is to capture the attention of children with wandering minds. part of the service at the liquid church, dancing storm troopers and the story of "star wars" as a sort of metaphor for the story of jesus. >> it's really to tell the message of christmas in a fresh way. we're using the epic story of "star wars" to tell the greatest story ever told from the bible. >> the liquid church has five locations in new jersey, we're told services have doubled -- doubled since "star wars: the force awakens" opened in theaters. >> they got a full house there. well, the grinch got caught in the act in a special video posted online by one police department in massachusetts. nope . freeze. drop it. turn around.

officers? dartmouth, massachusetts, stopping the grinch from breaking into the who family house. he was found guilt gree and sentenced to community after is the santa's village. a member of the nbc family has said i do, carson daly walked the aisle with siri pinter who was a self-taught cook, has appeared many times on the "today" show, the couple has been together for ten years, engaged since 2013, the newly waeds have three children. pinter called her wedding day the best day of her life and added all you need a love. up next, already breaking heat records on this holiday, half alley tells us how warm it's going to get.

grandma is so happy to be here for your very first christmas. i hear you' re quite the expert at waking people up in the morning. let me show you how grandma does it. your daddy made this when he was a little boy. this is your dad at my house, where he had his first christmas. thanks for making the coffee. well look who' s up. i' m really glad you' re here mom. me too.

right now the faithful are gathering at st. patrick's cathedral to celebrate christmas. >> "today in new york's" katherine creag is there. >> reporter: merry christmas and a lot of people celebrating the christmas day by going to mass. here at st. patrick's cathedral a lot of people showing up already for the 7:00 a.m. mass, the midnight mass, though, our cameras were rolling and there were so many people gathered there, thousands of people gathered for that special event. cardinal dolan also welcomed two refugee families that were there taking part in the service, they were hosted by catholic charities. did he nt identify them but said

another a muslim family from the ief rye coast. he said there's nothing more christmassy than to welcome a family seeking refuge to welcome them with welcome arms. another big mass to celebrate. it will start minutes from now. back to you. now to marc santia where volunteers have been working for hours to help those in need of a warm meal today. >> reporter: the assembly line here is at full speed. they're getting ready to speed 10,000 senior iz citizens, new yorkers bringing this food, this christmas meal right to their home. many of these senior citizens homebound, can't get out. they're bringing food, conversation, warmth and that special human touch. there is a lot of work to do here, gus and natalie, again, feeding 10,000 people today all thanks to city meals on wheels. gus and natalie, back to you. there. if you're heading outside, warm, you don't need the coat. >> once again don't need the

with lauren scala first. >> tease. >> we there are a couple problems out there. we do have an accident on the major deegan after233rd street, that's an accident investigation that blocks two lanes. then heading over to long island this just came in, there is an accident on the l.i.e. east bound. if you're getting on the rails today we have schedule changes, reduced service. you can still get around which is good news for the holiday. >> all right. now we're ready for the warmth. >> she's so into weather. she wants to do it all the time. we have record warm temperatures today, 66 that's the new warmest christmas day on record for new york city. we're keeping it mild through the rest of the day. there may be a few spotty showers especially to the south of town, new jersey, coastal sections but nothing heavy, no at washout. overnight tonight down to 49, tomorrow cooler, low 50s, but