Dealing with Holiday Bills; Laura Bush on Decorating the White House
LEMON: $6 million, that's a settlement reached by the family of a woman killed in the big dig highway tunnel collapse in Boston. You may remember a Boston woman was killed when the ceiling of the tunnel collapsed on her car. That was in 2006. Investigators determined workers secured the ceiling with a fast drying epoxy adhesive that wasn't safe to use for overhead loads. The company that supplied the adhesive will pay the woman's family.</s>KEILAR: We wanted to bring you some of the best stories from the past week. One was the U.S. Navy's rescue of a teenage girl. She got sick on a cruise ship so the navy sent in a team to pluck her off the deck. They took her to the "USS Ronald Reagan" for an emergency surgery for appendicitis. Our Heidi Collins had a chance to speak to the rescue crew and the girl. She was on the phone from her hospital bed in San Diego and she told us how the whole thing started.</s>HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Laura, when did you start feeling sick?</s>LAURA MONTERO: On Thursday night.</s>COLLINS: Thursday night. How long had you been on the ship? Was it several days you had been there or was it very soon after you had gone on board?</s>MONTERO: I was -- how many days had I been on the ship? Five days.</s>COLLINS: About five days. Because we should let everyone know at least what we have learned here is that when you have appendicitis or an attack like this it can come on really, really quickly. So I wanted to make sure that people knew, you didn't get on board feeling awful.</s>MONTERO: No.</s>COLLINS: What do you remember about the rescue? We should let you know that we are looking at video of these fine gentlemen taking you off that cruise ship and aboard the USS Ronald Reagan. What do you remember?</s>MONTERO: I remember getting hoisted up into the helicopter.</s>COLLINS: Because why? Was that frightening?</s>MONTERO: No, not really.</s>COLLINS: No!</s>MONTERO: It was actually kind of fun.</s>COLLINS: It was fun. Well I mean you must have felt pretty lousy though, is that right?</s>MONTERO: Yeah.</s>COLLINS: Lieutenant commander and Navy petty officer Gregory Leland, when did you find out about this mission which you were about to go and try to do?</s>LT. CMDR. GREGORY LELAND, U.S. NAVY: Well ma'am we heard about it the night before around 2100.</s>COLLINS: What did you think? Did you have any special training for emergency appendectomy cargo lifts?</s>LELAND: I had no formal medical training ma'am but we do train to this mission literally every flight. A portion of every flight goes to training to this mission. So we were ready and thankfully the "USS Ronald Reagan" was able to close the distance and the cag 14 guys responded. Our maintenance department had the aircraft ready to go.</s>COLLINS: I have to tell you I know a little something about getting on and off an aircraft carrier. I am willing to bet there wasn't a lot of training for going down on a cruise ship, right?</s>LELAND: Well not particularly a cruise ship but we do train to go to other types of ships. So the training transferred quite easily.</s>COLLINS: I think a lot of people were probably a little bit surprised about the fact that there really isn't much room on the deck of a cruise ship to actually land a helicopter. So you did have to use that basket. That I'm sure is where your training came very well into play.</s>LELAND: Yes, ma'am. In particular Petty Officer Hines who has done this mission quite a few times up in the mountains of Nevada and California. That played a huge role in this mission going off without a hitch.</s>COLLINS: How did all of you keep her calm?</s>LELAND: I'm sorry, could you say that again?</s>COLLINS: How did you keep her calm?</s>LELAND: Basically I just reassured her whenever I got on board, went and talked to the doctor and her, and I just made her as comfortable as possible.</s>COLLINS: What were you telling her, we're going to put you in this basket, we're going to hoist it up into a helicopter over the sea and then everything is going to be ok?</s>LELAND: As hard as it might to be to kind of make someone comfortable telling them that. That's pretty much it. Just told her step by step what we're going to do and just reassure her to the best of my ability.</s>COLLINS: Laura, if you can still hear me, how did you feel once you were on board the "USS Ronald Reagan." Were you aware that that was where you were going to be getting your treatment and hopefully they were going to make you feel a whole lot better?</s>MORENO: Yeah.</s>COLLINS: What did it feel like to be on an aircraft carrier?</s>MORENO: I didn't really get to see it fully but it was kind of cool.</s>COLLINS: Remind us where you are right now. You are still in the hospital.</s>MORENO: Yeah, I'm at children's hospital in Balboa.</s>COLLINS: Ok I do have to wonder --</s>MORENO: In San Diego, sorry.</s>COLLINS: San Diego. I do have to wonder if you think you might ever get back to the "USS Ronald Reagan" to maybe get a look around and not have to be on a gurney.</s>MORENO: Can you repeat that.</s>COLLINS: Actually I'll ask the guys, do you guys think that maybe she could get another invitation where she is able to get around and maybe see some of the "USS Ronald Reagan"?</s>LELAND: Oh yes, ma'am, absolutely. She would be welcome any time.</s>COLLINS: Do you guys have anything you want to say to Laura or vice versa? I know we have you connected here so it might be an opportunity to chat for just a moment.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would like to know if she got her school report done yet.</s>COLLINS: Laura were you worried about a school report?</s>MORENO: Well, I haven't got it done yet.</s>COLLINS: What's it on? Could it possibly be the topic changed to this event that happened to you?</s>MORENO: Well my school report is supposed to be on what I did for my Christmas vacation.</s>COLLINS: Aha, I'm detecting a new topic, absolutely. Anything that you want to say to these great guys that are sitting here with us today?</s>MORENO: I want to say thank you and hi everyone, hi Scott.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi Laura.</s>COLLINS: You guys it's an excellent story. So glad that you are with the finest military in the world and had the training that you had to make this all go as smoothly as it did. What a great story. Appreciate it. All of you. I'm not going to say thanks to every one of you but please know that I'm sure Laura and her family thanks you deeply and greatly. Thanks again.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.</s>LEMON: Did you hear her, hi everyone.</s>KEILAR: That was so cute. You could tell she forged a relationship, a friendship with those guys.</s>LEMON: Yeah, that's very nice. Very special, especially this time of year we want to hear those things. Good for her. Another Christmas quest we're going to tell you about.</s>RICHARD QUEST: Very beautiful ornaments. I suppose I won't get out in one piece if I try and eat any of them.</s>LAURA BUSH: They are edible.</s>QUEST: I know.</s>BUSH: You can have one.</s>QUEST: Would you say it again?</s>BUSH: You can have one.</s>QUEST: Excellent, now I have permission to eat an ornament.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is sergeant first class</s>KEILAR: Christmas at the White House the halls are decked out from end to end, filled with Christmas goodies and our Richard Quest wanted to get an up close look. He also met someone special along the way.</s>RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We all like to dress up our homes at the festive season. So my next visit had to be to one of the most famous displays. I'm in Washington, D.C., at the White House. This year the Christmas decorations are unusual and distinctive. First Lady Laura Bush is responsible for making the house glow with festive spirit. This is her seventh season.</s>BUSH: We're here in front of the major White House Christmas tree. This big Christmas tree in the White House is always here in the blue room.</s>QUEST: From the ginger bread model of the mansion.</s>BUSH: It is real ginger bread.</s>QUEST: To that giant tree in the blue room, the White House takes festive spirit seriously. Mrs. Bush kindly invited me in for a Christmas chat.</s>BUSH: Happy holiday.</s>QUEST: How important is it for you, ma'am, to create this environment, to create a special feeling at this time of the year?</s>BUSH: I love Christmas. I love the opportunity to decorate this magnificent house for Christmas. And every year I've worked very closely with the White House florist and all of the other White House staff. We usually start in March trying to determine what the Christmas theme will be and what the decorations will be.</s>QUEST: You start in March?</s>BUSH: That's right.</s>QUEST: That reminds me of those toy stores that buy a good year in advance. How can you be thinking about Christmas in March?</s>BUSH: Well we jus start to think of the theme of something that we want to talk about that Christmas. Some special American theme that both President Bush and I like. And that we think is important for our country and this year it's our national parks.</s>QUEST: America's national parks are displayed everywhere. That's a replica of the Cape Hatteras light house. On some of those Christmas trees you can eat the ornaments, very beautiful ornaments. I suppose I won't get out in one piece if I try to eat one.</s>BUSH: They are edible. You can have one.</s>QUEST: Will you say that again?</s>BUSH: You can have one.</s>QUEST: Excellent. Now I got permission to eat an ornament. Tens of thousands of people have been invited to visit here over the holiday period. The White House cooks 20,000 cookies at Christmas, 19,999 to go. America is a melting pot of cultures and religions. So here at the White House they are truly celebrating this as a happy holiday season. What is it about this time of the year that it doesn't matter what we're celebrating, what religion we're celebrating, it doesn't really matter, there is something about December, what do you think it is?</s>BUSH: Maybe it's the idea of home and hearth and the coziness of being together with the family and loved ones. I think that's one of the most important parts of the holiday Christmas holiday for many Americans. Of course when you're in a time of war like we are and when you have people overseas, our troops who are employed over there, there are a lot of families who are at home without a loved one, and I think it's a special time of year to remember all of those families.</s>QUEST: Does it worry you that Christmas has become a lot more --</s>BUSH: Commercial.</s>QUEST: You said it.</s>BUSH: Well sure, but I also know that the values are there and that's what I see when I travel around our country.</s>QUEST: This time of the year, we can take it as being highly religious or a holiday season.</s>BUSH: That's right. And both, really. I mean we're certainly religious and we are celebrating the birth of Christ. But it's also a festive time of year, a festive time to be with family members and friends.</s>QUEST: By visiting Mrs. Bush at the White House I have learned festivity on its own is nothing more than a party. There has to be an under pinning in values. It's no accident that the world's winter festivals share a common theme. I was in Delhi for this program.</s>BUSH: The festival of lights.</s>QUEST: Hanukkah festival of lights, Christmas, a festival of lights. And there is a common theme there, isn't there, ma'am, a festival of lights?</s>BUSH: That's right. I think the light, certainly the Christian light is the savior, Jesus, that's his birth is what we celebrate at Christmas. Also I think we all as humans look to the light, the very idea of lighting the way.</s>QUEST: May I give this to you and the president?</s>BUSH: Thank you very much, Richard.</s>QUEST: Very happy Christmas to you.</s>BUSH: Thank you very much, Merry Christmas.</s>LEMON: Very kind of him. That was a good interview. This horte torty here has been to the White House Christmas party and seen it up close. It's beautiful was it?</s>KEILAR: I got to be the plus one of a photographer actually. I actually wasn't invited myself. But I can vouch for the cookies, they're very delicious. And some of them are shaped like Barney the dog.</s>LEMON: When you said that to me during the story, what happened to Barney cam. I didn't see it. Have we run Barney cam, we have, ok.</s>KEILAR: You just missed it. That is so much fun, you're right.</s>LEMON: We're taking questions from our viewers about how they are spending their Christmas afternoon. Who is the first one? You do the first one.</s>KEILAR: The first one, actually this is a really cool one. This is from David he's in the U.S. Navy. He is actually aboard the USS Harry Truman and he said, "It may be of interest for you to know what sailors do during Christmas. We all miss our families so stories are commonplace. Yet we all know why we are here so we gain a new family and we all wait for e-mails from home or the ability to call home. Very nice, thank you David for e-mailing us.</s>LEMON: Absolutely. Thank you David. Let's read the next one, Candace from Kansas City. Congratulations Candace, she said "I'm spending my afternoon being engaged. My fiance Nathan just proposed." That could have been one from Brianna Keilar, my fiance Dave, just proposed. Let's see the bling, hold it up.</s>KEILAR: The bling.</s>LEMON: Very nice, congratulations, in Peru.</s>KEILAR: Thank you, yes, yes. Last month, early Christmas. Now the next one is from Kristen in Santa Barbara. She says, "No one should ever have to spend today alone, and so my parents' home becomes the north pole of Santa Barbara and we all eat, open stocks and count our blessings that we have each other. Your family isn't always who you are related to but who you open your heart to." Which is so true.</s>LEMON: Absolutely, because being news gypsies, moving around the country. A lot of the times you have to spend the holidays with friends and co-workers and they become your family. Look at this guy. He's in need of a razor. Dennis Lovello, Dennis what happened with the razor? Is he miked? No. You just have to mime. Can you mime for us today? Hey Dennis, we got an e-mail from your family. Really, somebody actually claimed you, Dennis. They said, "We are waiting for CNN producer Dennis Lovello to come home so we can open presents." The Lovello family, Marietta, Georgia. Dennis, you actually got presents this year?</s>KEILAR: He said I did. I can make that out.</s>LEMON: Because he's been very, very, very naughty. Merry Christmas, Dennis. Merry Christmas to the Lovello family and all the families who are watching and send us emails. We want to hear from you. How will you spend your Christmas afternoon? E-mail us at cnnnewsroom@cnn.com. The NEWSROOM continues.