This week on "Sunday Morning" (December 23)
WATCH THE FULL DECEMBER 23 EPISODE!
HEADLINES: No end in sight for government shutdown (Video)
It's not looking as if the standoff between President Donald Trump and Congressional Democrats over having American taxpayers fund his border wall will end any time soon. Correspondent Ed O'Keefe has the latest.
COVER STORY: How Apollo 8 sent a timeless holiday greeting from the heavens | Watch Video
On Christmas Eve 1968, the first humans to circle the moon aboard Apollo 8 sent back the first image of the Earth above the lunar surface. The picture, dubbed "Earthrise," showed us the beauty and fragility of our home planet, and helped invigorate the environmental movement. Lee Cowan talked with astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders; with Jeffrey Kluger, author of a book on Apollo 8; and with former Vice President Al Gore, who talks about the impact of that mission on man's environmental awareness.
For more info:
- Apollo 8 Mission (nasa.gov)
- "Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon" by Jeffrey Kluger (Henry Holt), in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon
- Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
- American Museum of Natural History, New York
'TIS THE SEASON: Fruitcake: More than a hefty holiday gift | Watch Video
It's that time of year when some of us will reach into our Christmas stockings and wish we found coal instead. What is that lumpy thing down there? It's fruitcake, that classic hockey puck of a dessert with the Christmas ornament-looking fruit on top. Nancy Giles visits a company that has been making fruitcakes since the 19th century, and talks with a nutritionist who explains why long-distance runners and hikers are turning to fruitcakes as the perfect energy food.
RECIPE: Brenda Braaten's Fruitcake
For more info:
- Collin Street Bakery, Corsicana, Texas
- Cortri Brothers, Sacramento, Calif.
- Nutritionist Brenda Braaten, Little Haven Hiker Services, Belden, Calif.
- Thru-Hiker articles by Brenda Braaten
- Pacific Crest Trail Association
PASSAGE: Penny Marshall | Watch Video
"Sunday Morning" remembers the actress and filmmaker Penny Marshall, who died this week, who was best known for starring in the comedy "Laverne & Shirley," and for directing such acclaimed motion pictures as "A League of Their Own" and "Big." Jane Pauley reports.
DANCE: Ballet for special children | Watch Video
At a workshop by the New York City Ballet, children with disabilities can wear tutus and top hats, and experience the joy that dance brings. Lesley Stahl talks with Dr. Joseph Dutkowsky, a specialist in cerebral palsy, and with parents of children experiencing movement in a studio with live music and other dancers.
For more info:
- New York City Ballet Access Programs
- Dr. Joseph Dutkowsky
- "Perfectly Human" by Dr. Joseph Dutkowsky, available in Trade Paperback and eBook formats via Amazon
Our thanks to producer Alexandra Dean and Reframed Pictures, for allowing us to use some shots from her inspiring video, "From Leg Braces to Ballet"
'TIS THE SEASON: One family's Christmastime tradition: A tamale-wrapping party | Watch Video
Mo Rocca reports on one Austin family's Feliz Navidad tradition: a tamale-making party known as a tamalada.
For more info:
- San Antonio's historic Market Square
- Ellen Riojas Clark, University of Texas at San Antonio
- "Tamales, Comadres, and the Meaning of Civilization" by Ellen Riojas Clark and Carmen Tafolla (Wings Press), in Trade Paperback and eBook formats, available via Amazon
TELEVISION: "Property Brothers" stars Drew and Jonathan Scott: All in the family | Watch Video
They are the reigning kings of home renovation reality TV: identical twins Drew and Jonathan Scott, known as the Property Brothers. Michelle Miller visits with the Scotts to experience their storytelling and humor (and home demolition) firsthand; and then heads out to their family's home on the range, in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies outside of Calgary, Alberta, where the boys came to their entrepreneurial spirit at an early age.
For more info:
- "Property Brothers" on HGTV
- "It Takes Two: Our Story" by Jonathan and Drew Scott (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon
- "Builder Brothers: Big Plans" by Jonathan and Drew Scott, illustrated by Kim Smith (HarperCollins), available via Amazon
MUSIC: "Silent Night": A song for peace | Watch Video
Faith Salie looks back at the history of one of the Christmas season's most revered songs, written 200 years ago, and attends a special performance at New York's Trinity Church, commemorating the song's American debut in 1839.
For more info:
- Trinity Church, New York City
- Bruce Forbes, Morningside College, Sioux City, Iowa
HARTMAN: The greatest gift (Video)
Not so long ago, Bo and Lake Giles toiled as sharecroppers in a field in Kelton, South Carolina. Their children, raised in poverty, would look upon a nearby house as a veritable Taj Mahal of luxury. Steve Hartman reports on how the family's poor circumstances did not prevent them from succeeding – or from one day moving into the house to which they aspired.
MUSIC: Shawn Mendes: His star has taken off | Watch Video
Shawn Mendes, a young, Canadian self-taught musician with little more than a guitar, skinny jeans and a megawatt smile, has cheerfully become one of the biggest names in pop music. At just 20 years old, he's already a veteran of three world tours and three hit studio albums. Tracy Smith talks with Mendes about "In My Blood," the Grammy-nominated single from his Grammy-nominated new album, which speaks to the crippling anxiety he's learned to live with since his star took off.
To watch Shawn Mendes perform "In My Blood," click on the video player below.
For more info:
- Shawn Mendes (Official site)
- "Shawn Mendes" (album), available on CD (Amazon, Barnes & Noble), Vinyl (Amazon), Digital Download (iTunes) and Streaming (Spotify)
- Follow @ShawnMendes on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify and YouTube
MUSIC: Holiday music by Charles Osgood (Video)
The "Sunday Morning" anchor emeritus and the Young People's Chorus of New York City join us for a musical celebration of the season.
CALENDAR: Week of December 24 | Watch Video
"Sunday Morning" takes a look at some notable events of the week ahead.
NATURE: Northern Lights | Watch Video
"Sunday Morning" takes in a spectacular evening's view, in Norway, of the Aurora Borealis, by videographer Kyle Meek.
WEB EXCLUSIVE:
MUSIC: Check out the "CBS Sunday Morning" Christmas song playlist on Spotify!
Our staff wanted to share our favorite Christmas tunes!
NATURE UP CLOSE: Why can't we all be like Costa Rica?
Judy Lehmberg visits the Central American country with a higher percentage of land protected by national parks than any other in the world.
The Emmy Award-winning "CBS Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison.
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