Christmas

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.--  The US Postal Service says there are a few things you need to do to make sure the gift you sent is there by Christmas morning. First of all make sure you have the correct address. The Postal Service recommends sending gifts and other packages in one of its flat rate boxes that offers one low rate to any state.   The boxes are free and can be delivered right to your home. Also, you can save time by mailing online, just log on to usps.com and schedule a pickup time and location.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- You helped make a little girl's Christmas wish come true. Eight-year-old Kailey Stilwell was shocked when she came home to see her room redecorated in her favorite color, purple.  KY3 viewers voted online which bedroom Kailey should come home to.  The makeover was made complete thanks to Ashley Furniture Home Store and the Salvation Army. Both of Kailey's parents had recently been laid off, unable to provide furniture or decoration for her bedroom.

WILLARD -- It was not the Christmas one family hoped for, but at least no one was hurt after an early morning fire damaged a home in Willard. Flames erupted around 3am in the home located near Highway HH and Farm Road 54. Firefighters say it appears the flames started near a fireplace. All four people inside the home made it out safely. The family even had time to rescue their presents from under the tree and their cat. The Willard fire chief credits a quick response by the department with saving the house from being destroyed.

BRANSON, Mo. - Branson scores a colorful Christmas ranking. Yahoo! travel editors rank the live music capital as the No. 6 best place to see holiday lights throughout the country.  It highlights Silver Dollar City and the Branson Area Festival of lights drive through as must-see attractions. Silver Dollar City's Old Time Christmas lasts through December 30. New York City tops the list.  See where else made the list.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A nasty Christmas morning accident near downtown Oklahoma City shut down a section of  Interstate 40 for several hours.  The 21-vehicle pileup involved 10 car crashes and sent several people to the hospital. It happened around 3 a.m. when a semi-trailer jackknifed on a bridge over the Oklahoma River; freezing rain had moved in ahead of a snowstorm causing the highway to become slick overnight. A total of three tractor trailers were involved in the crash.  Authorities said 12 people were hurt in the massive pileup, but none of the injuries appears to be serious.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- For some kids this season, Christmas wishes will remain ‘wishes’ because of their parent’s financial struggles.   But thanks to North Point Church, financially-struggling families will have a merry Christmas after all.   “Today we are serving 1,500 family members.  And by serving, I mean giving their kids a toy and giving them a Christmas feast of turkey and all the trimmings, said Tommy Sparger, Lead Pastor of North Point.

The number of fatality crashes in Missouri during the Christmas holiday counting period was only two this year. The Missouri Highway Patrol began counting crashes from 6:00 pm on December 23 through 11:59 pm Sunday night. That's the lowest ever for a counting period that covered 78 hours. “The Missouri State Highway Patrol would like to emphasize the decrease in crashes, injuries, and fatalities during the 2010 Christmas holiday counting period,” said Colonel Ron Replogle, superintendent of the Patrol.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - After providing nearly 1,000 Thanksgiving meals to local families in need, Crosslines is now looking ahead to Christmas. The organization will begin accepting applications on Monday for Christmas holiday baskets. Registration is from 10:00am - 3:00pm through Saturday, December 1, at the Crosslines Holiday Center. It's located in the Southern Hills Shopping Center at 3014 E. Sunshine in Springfield. To qualify, recipients must meet Missouri WIC income guidelines, live in Greene County, and have children in the home that are 18 years old or younger.

OZARK, Mo. -- Some kids here got a chance to go shop for Christmas with some special friends on Sunday.  Eighty children paired up with Ozark police officers as part of the department's Shop with a Cop program. Each child, referred by Christian County Children's Services, got $100 to spend.   The event is made possible by community donations. Officers hope it will help the kids see them in a positive light; they started this program 12 years ago.

BRANSON, Mo. - A Branson destination leads off a popular travel site's list of best places for holiday lights . Yahoo! Travel chose The Old Time Christmas at Silver Dollar City as one of its best holiday light attractions. The theme park was chosen for its display featuring more than four million lights. Silver Dollar City is in good company, as the list also includes Rockefeller Center in New York and Disney World in Orlando, Fla. The Old Time Christmas display runs through Dec. 30 at Silver Dollar City.

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo -- Some Christmas thieves in Camden County took advantage of lake homeowners being away for the holidays. One couple used to have a full house, but now just a few bed frames. Debbie and David Maassen were hoping to spend a long weekend at their lake home ringing in the New Year. Instead they are one of three homeowners in a Climax Springs neighborhood dealing with a grinch. It looks like the Maassens just moved in, but that's not the case. "As you can see the indentations in the carpet, all of our furniture was gone," said Debbie Maassen.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- You helped make a little girl's Christmas wish come true. Eight-year-old Kailey Stilwell was shocked when she came home to see her room redecorated in her favorite color, purple.  KY3 viewers voted online which bedroom Kailey should come home to.  The makeover was made complete thanks to Ashley Furniture Home Store and the Salvation Army. Both of Kailey's parents had recently been laid off, unable to provide furniture or decoration for her bedroom.

SPRINGFIELD -- People needing a break from all the turkey and trimmings on Christmas can get in some fun exercise on the ice. Mediacom Ice Park in Springfield will open its doors on the holiday for a free ice skating session. The event is all part of the Festival of Lights Celebration.      The one hour of free skating is from 5 p.m. to 6 p-m.      It will cost $2.50 for anyone needing to rent skates.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A nasty Christmas morning accident near downtown Oklahoma City shut down a section of  Interstate 40 for several hours.  The 21-vehicle pileup involved 10 car crashes and sent several people to the hospital. It happened around 3 a.m. when a semi-trailer jackknifed on a bridge over the Oklahoma River; freezing rain had moved in ahead of a snowstorm causing the highway to become slick overnight. A total of three tractor trailers were involved in the crash.  Authorities said 12 people were hurt in the massive pileup, but none of the injuries appears to be serious.

VERONA, Mo -- They might have lost everything, but they are in good hands thanks to strangers. A mother and her two teens left their home in Verona for a few hours. When they returned, their house was fully engulfed in flames. Volunteer firefighters were putting out hotspots, hours after the massive blaze. "Everybody was sitting at home.  They were with their families doing the Christmas thing, getting ready to have Christmas dinner, then the fire happened right after 1 P.M. A lot of guys left their families to come out and freeze and do this," said Verona Fire Chief, Tony Hinkle.

Springfield, Mo. -- Hundreds of people in Springfield spent Christmas Eve sleeping on the streets.  But Christmas Day an army of volunteers prepared a traditional Christmas dinner for those who had nowhere else to go. "Brown sugar, butter, and Kraft marshmallows, has to be Kraft," said Wanda Walker, the kitchen manager of Harbor House near downtown Springfield. Walker assembled a team of volunteers Christmas Eve morning to prepare 14 turkeys, 14 hams, and all the trimmings.  The meal was held at Harbor House, a rehabilitation program for men in crisis, at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

TODAY Near Freezing Mostly cloudy, light snow TONIGHT Near 20 Mostly cloudy, light snow WEDNESDAY Upper 20s Partly cloudy 12-hour forecast 24-hour forecast Satellite & Radar Wind Chill Allergy Index Almanac   Blustery Christmas Day ...

TODAY Near 40 Partly cloudy TONIGHT Mid 20s Mostly cloudy CHRISTMAS DAY Near 30 Mostly cloudy, snow 12-hour forecast 24-hour forecast Satellite & Radar Wind Chill Allergy Index Almanac   Colder Today Good morning! ...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- As Santa checked his list to prepare for his big trip, a lot of people in the Ozarks headed to Battlefield Mall in Springfield to finish shopping for everyone on their list.  Last-minute gift buyers were not alone.   According to the National Retail Federation, 10 percent of shoppers waited until Christmas Eve to buy their presents. "It's nice. I mean you can't complain when you work retail and it's busy. " said Joey Kinder, a manager at Tradehome Shoes.

                  TONIGHT Low 20s Becoming Cloudy TUESDAY Low 30s Cloudy with snow developing, heavy at times during the evening.  Strong winds gusting to 30.  Winter Storm Warning South WEDNESDAY Upper 20s Snow ends early then mostly cloudy windy and cold 12-hour forecast 24-hour forecast...