It's always great to have you watching.

Besides December 10th, a couple other dates start off today's show December 14th in January 5th.

The first one is when early voting begins for two vacant U.

S.

Senate seats in the state of Georgia.

The second one is the date of the in person voting for those two Senate seats.

Why are we focusing on one state Senate races?

Two reasons.

One neither of them was decided on the day of the presidential election last month will explain why in just a moment, and too, it just happens that Georgia's pair of Senate elections will likely determine whether Democrats or Republicans will control the U.

S Senate going forward.

It is projected that Democrats will lead both the White House and the House of Representatives starting next January.

If they take control of the Senate as well, they'll have an easier time passing laws and establishing their priorities for the country.

If Republicans keep control of the Senate, they'll be ableto limit Democrats power and influence compromise.

The Senate's role in the U.

S.

Government is a critical one.

It confirms, or rejects the president's Cabinet nominees.

It confirms or rejects the president's Supreme Court nominees.

It has to work with House on any legislation that makes it to the president's desk for signature.

That's why so much attention is centering on the Peach State as voters there could decide the Senate's balance of power for the next two years.

Road to socialism does not run through Georgia.

We're living at a moment of crisis.

We win Georgia, we save American elections are a matter of life, and Georgia law requires the 80 candidate running for state, local or federal office wins at least 50% of the vote.

That didn't happen on Election Day.

So now these races are headed for a runoff in January, leaving the makeup of the U.

S Senate hanging in the balance.

The rematches will determine who controls the power on Capitol Hill.

If Republicans can manage to win one or both of the seats, Republicans will maintain control of the U.

S.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will remain the majority leader.

If Democrats, however, can win back both seats, they'll manage to create a tie in the U.

S.

Senate that can always be broken by the vice president, handing Democrats control of not just the U.

S House but also the entire Congress.

The two Republican senators running David Perdue and Kelly Leffler, are running against Democrats John Assef and Rafael warning two Democratic underdogs who are hoping to find the same success Biden found in Georgia during the general election.

If lawful, Irwin's, she'll add to the Republican ranks and the record breaking number of Republican women on Capitol Hill.

If we're not wins, he'll become the first black senator from the state of Georgia.

All eyes are on Georgia and January, said 12th Trivia.

Which of these countries has a square flag?

Nepal, Switzerland, Pakistan or New Zealand?

The thief Flags of Switzerland and Vatican City are the only two in the world.

Better square.

Okay, the eight day holiday of Hanukkah begins Thursday night.

Christmas Eve is exactly two weeks after that, and New Year's Eve is exactly a week later.

For Americans looking to be with their loved ones, restrictions and guidelines could be very different from state to state.

In Arizona, for instance, there are no restrictions on people traveling to or through the state in California, most people are under a mandatory stay at home order.

People traveling there are told to self quarantine for 14 days, and tourism is restricted, with many museums and businesses closed.

So to extremes there and many other states or somewhere in between.

It's a similar situation in Europe, where different nations governments are trying to figure out what they'll allow is.

People across the continent looked to spend Christmas with friends and family.

It reflects a balance that leaders have been trying to find all year.

The rules enclosures are an attempt to keep people from catching and spreading coronavirus.

But the effects go well beyond individuals stretching to national and local economies.

Melissa Bell hits the slopes.

Some come for the spectacular views and the fresh air, but many come for the sport.

Each year, the European ski industry brings in €34 billion in revenue, half the world's total, according to an industry expert.

But not this year.

Ski lifts will be a standstill this Christmas in many of Europe's top skiing destinations because of covert 19 restrictions on that means trouble beyond the ski industry.

Entire villages like Muj in the French Alps are up in arms.

The ski lifts here in Asia will lose €8 million in turnover on We know that €1 spent on lifts means €7 spent in the village, so that gives an idea of the extent of the economic damage for villages.

But by early December, after much debate and mutual pressure, France, Germany, Austria and Italy decided not to open their ski lifts, a decision met with incomprehension by those whose livelihoods depend on them.

It's an outdoor activity on, I think, in terms of big crowds were not confronted with same crowds you see in the metro in a big city.

But just 60 miles away across the border here in Switzerland, the ski lifts are open, with the resorts like verb putting in place special restrictions like masks that need to be worn on the lift and social distancing put in places well in order to make sure that people can ski as safely as possible.

Laura Bush, she who runs verbs, peace and ski lifts, says that much has been learned since the Austrian ski resort official was identified by health officials as a major cluster during the first European covert way last spring.

We didn't have any any measure in place.

We didn't have any mask, didn't have any social distance.

So now that the game is different, we are pretty much sure that we can do a good work in in order to keep the ski resort is safe.

Inver Bay The measures aren't just being taken on the slopes, but also in the village, where local leaders say they're leaving nothing to chance.

It's not only to save the Christmas holiday, but it's to save the winter.

It's to save as well the reputation, because way know that everybody is watching at us.

And if we make a mistake on afterwards due to the mistake, we have a coroner.

Cluster way will be appointed a za bad organizations.

The conditions here in the Alps this season are incredible loads of snow, plenty of sunshine, and the fear was that people might be tempted to flock to Switzerland to try and make the most of these slopes.

That's why several European countries have put in place restrictions to prevent their nationals from doing just that.

Melissa Bell, CNN Verbier.

You might have heard of the drive thru pay it forward phenomenon when someone at a restaurant pays for his or her own order and then covers the cost of the next car too.

Well.

That recently happened at a Dairy Queen in central Minnesota, according to affiliate W F A.

And it's making news because it kept happening, each car in the line paying for the one behind it, the store manager says.

The most cars she'd ever seen do this was around 15 or 20.

But last Thursday, she knew she was seeing something special when the number grew to 125.

That went on all day, and the person in the last car that night before the restaurant closed left money for the first car.

The next day, the manager posted this on Facebook, and on Friday it kept going.

Every single car paid for the one behind it.

It continued for most of Saturday until the chain was finally broken.

You could say somebody scrooged it up.

The total number of cars that did this was more than 900.

The total value in sales was more than $10,000 and the manager says the moral of all of this is for people to just take care of each other.

Thea average wait for a pet.

Goldfish is around half a pound or less, though they can grow toe £5 in the wild.

This one, though, recently discovered in a small lake in South Carolina, is £9 in weight and 15 inches long.

Parks and recreation workers found the massive fish while doing a survey of the lake.

These animals are not native to South Carolina.

Officials say it's likely someone tossed their pet in the lake, and it just had plenty to eat and a lot of room to grow.

They threw it back in after getting the photo.

Holy mackerel.

That's a goldfish, that a catfish wouldn't be caught kidding around with the officers.

Barrack Ouda kept it, but it's kind of bonito that they threw it back trout and didn't let it flounder.

I mean, after all, it's worth its weight in gold fish, and it swims to the tuna for different drum fish up coral Jesus.

We went fishing in the comments of our YouTube channel today, as we do every day, and we caught Central Aroostook High School.

It is in Mars Hill Main.