Will Americans be getting the gift of green in the new year?

This is a rush transcript from "Your World," December 25, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

TRISH REGAN, HOST: Forget about presents under the tree. Will Americans be getting the gift of green in the New Year?

Hello, everyone. I'm Trish Regan, in for Neil Cavuto. Merry Christmas.

This is a special edition of "Your World."

And what a world it has been, certainly for your money this year. The economy humming along, that's good. And you got companies adding two million jobs this year. Pretty impressive. Workers seeing more money in their paychecks, as wages are rising, but the stock market, well, not quite as great.

You have got a lot of uncertainty right now over trade. You have got a lot of uncertainty regarding the Fed and those rate hikes. You have got the Mueller probe. And you have got, of course, the promise of Democratic investigations, all taking their toll on the markets.

So with these crosscurrents out there, what can you really expect for your money in 2019? We're asking our money pros.

We have Lee Munson, Danielle Shay, and Scott Martin.

Scott, starting with you.

Is it going to be a good year for the markets?

SCOTT MARTIN, KINGSVIEW ASSET MANAGEMENT: I hope so. I hope so.

And here's the good news I would like to run down, by the way, because I would add too, Trish, economic data has suddenly gotten weaker in the face of, say, this market volatility too, which is a concern, as we have seen rates come down.

So, to me Trish, yes, it's going to be a better year in '19 and a less volatile one, but probably not for a couple months, as the market kind of sorts out where it wants to be valued. So, as an individual investor, you need to take these dips as reasons to buy to hold for the long term.

REGAN: I like that optimistic outlook.

Lee, your thoughts?

LEE MUNSON, PORTFOLIO WEALTH ADVISORS: Oh.

Well, the only thing I disagree with on, which really doesn't matter, is the volatility. I think it's going to persist throughout the whole year.

But, last Wednesday, after that Fed meeting, I got my Christmas gift early, which we're seeing 2500 on the S&P 500. So we're doing buying for clients. So I agree. You have got to take these dips to buy.

It is going to take such an act of God to have earnings go down 20 percent to really get into an earnings recession to make this market go even lower. So I think the bottom line is, even if we have flat earnings growth, that's OK. Even if we have 4 or 5 percent, that's OK, because the market can still rise on that.

That's why we, think as of right now, on Christmas Day, I think you have got 10 percent upside and a little less than 10 percent upside -- or downside. So I think it's even odds. I think you go in here. Again, recessions are always going to happen, but it's really going to take a lot to get us there by next year.

REGAN: I hear you on that.

Danielle, curious to get your thoughts, because I look at the economic landscape right now, and it feels pretty good. And I know the markets are rocky, but you have got the wage growth that I was just talking about. You have got GDP growth. You have got jobs being added.

In other words, the fundamentals, for now anyway, and certainly for a change, compared to the last decade, they feel good.

DANIELLE SHAY, SIMPLER TRADING: Yes, and there are a lot of fundamentals that feel good.

But, at the same time, there are a lot of problems. The political instability is a huge one. Trade wars has taken our industrial stocks and our transportation stocks for a huge dive. It is going to be incredibly difficult for this market to recover if the transportation stocks, if the industrials and if the financial stocks cannot get it together.

There's just really not going to be anything to pull the market higher.

REGAN: Right.

But do you think that a recession is actually in the works? Because I hear a lot of talk. And, in fact, I see -- I see these -- these Democratic strategists out there almost gleeful when they talk about it, this idea of recession being on the horizon.

I don't see it yet in the fundamentals. And I tend to run a little scared on these things. Is there anything that indicates to you, Danielle, we need to be worried about recession in 2019?

SHAY: Well, the main thing that I'm concerned about is a high level consumer debt, high level of margin debt.

I mean, I'm seeing reports all over the place that people are buying Christmas presents on credit cards. We have a generation that has a really high level of student debt as well.

MUNSON: Oh, my gosh.

(LAUGHTER)

SHAY: And so...

(CROSSTALK)

REGAN: By the way, the student debt is awful.

But, Lee, Was that you saying, oh, gosh, because, you know, by the way, sometimes, you would consider that a healthy sign, right, because people are out there spending. They're not holding on to every penny. They're willing to go into credit card debt.

And I'm not saying it's ever a good thing, but it does show, symptomatically, how people are feeling about the future. And it shows a little bit of confidence, which, let's face it, we need, Lee.

MUNSON: Every recession starts with a lack of consumer spending and a housing crisis and all these things that make people spend less.

We don't have any anecdotal evidence to suggest that's not. Debt is bad. Debt is bad. This is not "The Dave Ramsey Show," people. Debt is good. It's how you leverage. It's how you make more profits at the late stage of a bull market.

So, I like that people are positive about the world. And I think that when you see what's happening over the last six to eight weeks in markets, this is about investors being moody and investors being disappointed that we're not going to see 20 percent earnings growth next year.

And you can see those value -- those industrials, all those cheap stocks that got beat up, in a matter of months, you can see that stuff roar back. Beware.

(CROSSTALK)

REGAN: Scott, investors are moody. But let's not forget, there's also a lot of machines, right, and algorithms doing the trading, and when you hit certain levels, a lot of those algorithms kick in.

So it's investors, but isn't it also the sort of nature of trading these days, where you get a little more volatility?

MARTIN: Yes, sadly.

I mean, Fed day last week was certainly an example on that. I mean, that was a really steep slide, or the fastest I have seen this year, with all the volatility that the machines were hitting around the ping-pong ball with.

And, listen, I guess I'm sitting here disappointed, because Lee mentioned earlier he got this early Christmas gift, which, obviously, I guess wasn't mine. Sorry about that, Lee, that I sent you. I did put that on a credit card, by the way, because he's right.

I mean, credit is extended to consumers, to businesses for a reason. And with rates down, as they are, Trish, as we have seen over the last couple months, which is kind of curious -- if things are OK economically, why the 10-year note, say, has fallen from 3.75 to 2-and-change, you know, 2.7, 2.8, because that to me tells me something is weakening somewhere in the economy.

So, as credit is getting extended, that's great, but some of these businesses and consumers could be getting overleveraged.

REGAN: All right, we're watching it all.

Thank you so much. Good to see you.

Before we see, everyone, the ball dropping on this year, we're hearing a lot of name-dropping, shall we say, by presidential hopefuls in two years. Who's got the best shot, if anyone? Some answers that may surprise you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

REGAN: We haven't even said goodbye to 2018 yet, but already several Democrats are out there indicating that they may actually run for president in 2020.

You got a whole lot of potential candidates, including former Vice President Joe Biden and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. They're reportedly spending the holiday discussing their next moves with family and friends.

So, who actually has the best shot to take on President Trump?

We're asking National Taxpayers Union senior fellow Mattie Duppler, "Catalina" magazine publisher Cathy Areu, and Washington Examiner's Phil Wegmann.

Good to see you all.

Who's your money on, Cathy?

CATHY AREU, PUBLISHER, CATALINA: Bloomberg.

REGAN: Mike Bloomberg.

AREU: Yes.

REGAN: My old boss, by the way.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

REGAN: You know, I have heard a lot of talk about him. I think he actually is probably looking at this fairly seriously.

I know that he's looked at it seriously in the past, but as an independent.

AREU: Right.

REGAN: So, in this case, he would be running in the Democratic field.

The president himself, though, told me, Cathy, he doesn't think -- President Trump, that is -- that Mike Bloomberg would be able to make it through the field, because the party has gotten so aggressively left.

Your thoughts?

AREU: The party's a little bit everywhere. So no one's quite sure where they are.

But the party is energized. That's -- we do know that they're energized. We learned that with the midterms. So, with the energy comes a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and you don't know what's going to appeal to these voters.

So, Bloomberg has a great shot, because Republicans like him. The Democrats like him.

(CROSSTALK)

REGAN: He's a little more, though, down the middle.

And when you have got a party that is fascinated by the likes, Mattie, of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and was so smitten with Bernie Sanders, how does someone who's more down the middle actually play in that Field?

MATTIE DUPPLER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think that that is a very good question.

Democrats have a really big challenge ahead of them. And that is that a lot of the Democrats who are running for president actually have to govern. These are United States senators. And they actually have to keep the government open. They have to focus on the priorities in Washington, D.C.

Now, people like a Michael Bloomberg, or even a Beto O'Rourke now, who's become sort of the darling of the left, are a little bit liberated. They don't have to take hard votes in Congress. They can go out there and really start to campaign right away.

So I think that's where you will see a lot of divisions arise within the Democratic primary, the folks who actually have to do their job and show up in Washington and take the hard votes, and then the guys who really can go out there and try and set the agenda through rhetoric and through campaign events, and that's going to be a hard challenge.

REGAN: Phil, you think back on Joe Biden. And he kind of missed that moment, if you would, because he had that everyday kind of speak, right, that was very appealing to, I think, everyday Americans in a way that, frankly, Hillary Clinton just couldn't possibly do.

So Joe Biden's also looking at this. Do you foresee Joe Biden on the on the -- at the top of the Democratic ticket?

PHILIP WEGMANN, THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Well, I don't think that Joe Biden is going to make the same mistake that he made in 2016.

I think that he definitely is looking closer at jumping back into the race. But I think the better question right now is, who isn't looking to jump into the race right now?

(LAUGHTER)

WEGMANN: Because, if you're a Democratic governor, or congressman, or even mayor or dogcatcher, you have got to be looking around right now and asking yourself, why not? Why not run for president? Everyone is doing it.

(LAUGHTER)

WEGMANN: And I think the reason why is that what we saw in 2016 is, you had Hillary Clinton, who was an eminently qualified candidate, win the nomination, and then lose to Donald Trump, who didn't have a lot of the qualifications that we used to think were required for the presidency.

In 2016, the elites lost. And now I think the playing field is open for everyone.

REGAN: Yes, you know, 2016 was a unique moment in time. And I think that President Trump is a unique kind of candidate. I don't know as that kind of personality would play again or for others. I mean, it works for him, and it worked brilliantly for him.

But then, we you think about the field, remember when Marco Rubio tried to hurl some insults at him? It just didn't -- it didn't sit right. They weren't able to do it with the same panache, maybe because it wasn't natural.

And so to be a natural politician, you really kind of have to be yourself. You have to be authentic. And so, when you look at that field -- let me go back to you, Cathy. I know that you like Mike Bloomberg, but who are the examples of the most authentic politicians?

AREU: Like a Cory Booker. I mean, he's always -- always on point.

(LAUGHTER)

AREU: Sorry.

(CROSSTALK)

DUPPLER: I don't know about Cory Booker. I think that that is just -- Cory Booker has come under a lot of criticism for faking his resume in a lot of different things.

AREU: But Cory Booker -- -- well, I mean, Trump came under a lot of criticism for so many things that he did.

WEGMANN: Absolutely.

AREU: So, the Cory Booker is almost the answer to the Donald Trump.

So he is so controversial. He is out there. He is so loud. He could really get this energized base more energized. So, I don't know. Cory Booker is kind of like a Trump.

DUPPLER: I will tell you who I worry about, as a Republican, Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota. I find her to be very, very reasonable, very persuasive.

I think that she could really give Republicans -- really start to inoculate some Republican criticisms of the Democratic ticket, if she were to jump in the race. I really think that she might be a strong point.

REGAN: You have also got Kamala Harris out there who's looking at throwing her hat in the ring. She's been pretty divisive, I would argue.

And I think she has been someone who really has tried to make this push towards identity politics. Does identity politics even work anymore, I mean, given, Phil, that it certainly didn't fly with Hillary Clinton?

WEGMANN: Well, I think what we're going to see with Kamala Harris is, she's going to have to come to account with her record as an attorney general in California, and see whether or not that actually plays well with the liberal base going forward.

But something that I think is really important to remember here, while we're throwing out all of these names -- and, after the holidays, we will have a better idea of who's in and who's out. But this is an incredibly crowded field. And because it's so crowded, whoever wins the nomination, they don't need a majority.

They only need a plurality. That gives -- that can -- it gives voters more choice, absolutely. But it means that we're not going to necessarily have a consensus candidate at the end of the day. And I think that clears the lane maybe for some of these elder statesmen, like Biden, or some of the senators, like Booker, who have been making a name for themselves, because they don't need a majority.

They only need a plurality. And they need to be able to hold on to the end.

REGAN: I will tell you one thing. It'll certainly be interesting.

And, hey, we don't even know, right, because you think about Donald Trump at this stage in the game really wasn't out there in any kind of serious way. And now here he is the president the United States today. So, look, it's anyone's guess.

That field could get even bigger.

(LAUGHTER)

REGAN: Thank you, guys. Good to see you. Merry Christmas.

(CROSSTALK)

REGAN: Coming up, everyone, we have some great news for the record number of travelers hitting the roads this holiday season.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

REGAN: 'Tis the season to travel. Mm-hmm. We have never seen this many people flying and driving over the holidays. That's got to be a good economic sign, right?

Well, one big reason, a record 102 million Americans, can you believe that, are hitting the road this week, is that there are lower prices at the gas pump. The question is, will it keep on going as we head into the new year?

We are asking our energy guru, Phil Flynn.

It is good to see you. Merry Christmas.

PHIL FLYNN, PRICE FUTURES GROUP: Merry Christmas.

REGAN: Do you have some good news on the energy front?

FLYNN: I have great news.

REGAN: Yes?

FLYNN: I can't be a Scrooge on gasoline prices going into the new year? Are you kidding me? Of course they're going to continue to go down.

And that -- we have seen going into the holiday season some of the lowest gasoline prices we have seen in many years. Prices have fallen like 50, 60 days in a row. And it's going to continue into the new year.

And guess what? I think it's partly a present from President Trump. He got on OPEC to produce more oil, get those gasoline prices down. So I think, if you have got a present from President Trump, here it is, lower gasoline prices for the new year.

REGAN: OK. And so your reasoning behind this is not just the president. But in terms of output, you're seeing more output from OPEC, therefore, lower prices?

FLYNN: Absolutely. And you...

(CROSSTALK)

FLYNN: ... energy producers as well.

REGAN: OK, does it have anything to do with some concerns -- concerns that we heard earlier in the show?

One of the guests is concerned about the health of the economy. It's a concern I actually don't share, because I think we're in a really, really good spot. But, nonetheless, if you see weaker oil prices, is that associated in some way, shape or form, Phil, with a sense of not as good an economy?

FLYNN: It could be a warning signal, make no mistake about it.

In fact, before most recessions, we have seen a big drop in energy prices. Back in 2008, prices were at -- gallon gasoline prices were almost $5 a gallon. They went to down below $2 because the economy had basically stopped.

But I agree with you this time. I think the market is actually overreacting to the downside on fear. And I do not see the slowdown. In fact, there's a disconnect between the drop in price and what we're seeing an actual demand. Demand in the United States for oil, gasoline and diesel fuel is at the highest it's ever been.

So I agree with you. I don't want to be a Scrooge. That, to me, is a sign that the economy is doing great. And if you measure it in miles per barrel, the economy is on fire right now.

REGAN: Ah, I like hearing that.

FLYNN: There you go.

REGAN: So we just got a wacky stock market.

(LAUGHTER)

FLYNN: We have a wacky stock market.

REGAN: And, apparently, a somewhat wacky oil market too.

FLYNN: Yes.

REGAN: Well, not entirely. As you said, the supply has gone up.

But, all right, good things ahead, so lots of travel.

FLYNN: Great things ahead, and the refineries are producing a record amount of gasoline. They're refining the barrels with care, making sure they're going to be there for the new year.

(LAUGHTER)

REGAN: Cute.

All right, Phil Flynn, it's good to see you. Thank you so much.

FLYNN: Thank you.

REGAN: All right, everyone, all those holiday bills out there, do they make you want to scream?

("HOME ALONE")

(SCREAMING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

REGAN: I love that movie.

Don't worry. Larry Winget has got you covered. He's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MIKE EMANUEL, CORRESPONDENT: I'm Mike Emanuel in Washington. And these are the top headlines.

President Trump wishing merry Christmas to troops stationed around the world, but he also addressed the ongoing partial government shutdown, insisting that he is standing firm in his commitment to securing the border, whether it's with a wall or fence or whatever they'd like to call it, as he put it.

U.S. forces celebrating Christmas in Afghanistan were joined by Joint Chiefs Chairman General Joe Dunford, who said their mission remains unchanged. The president has ordered the Pentagon to start planning to withdraw our 7,000 troops in Afghanistan.

And an 8-year-old boy from Guatemala has died in government custody after crossing the border illegally. He had been evaluated in a hospital and given antibiotics and a painkiller after showing signs of cold and a fever. Authorities are already investigating the death of a 7-year-old girl also from Guatemala who died in government custody earlier this month.

I'm Mike Emanuel. Back to "Your World."

REGAN: I hope you're having a wonderful, wonderful Christmas.

Well, you know, after you rip open all those presents today, the next thing you're going to have to rip open is the credit card bill. According to a recent survey from personal finance Web site NerdWallet, 28 percent of shoppers are still paying off their holiday credit card debt from last year.

Personal finance guru Larry Winget, who's the author of "You're Broke Because You Want to Be," joins me now.

Larry, what's your advice to people this holiday season, as they confront these growing credit card debts?

(LAUGHTER)

LARRY WINGET, AUTHOR, "YOU'RE BROKE BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BE": Well, listen, when you get that bill, realize that you lost control of your self-control, and now you need to get back in control by paying this debt off quickly.

Give yourself 60 days to do that. And that means you're going to have to cinch your belt and kind of suck it up in other areas of your regular life in order to do that.

But the nice thing is, if you pay it off in 60 days, you will be used to that. And then you can continue and pay off all that other credit card debt that you probably have. And that will give you the highest return on your money you're ever going to find, because you're not getting 17 percent on it any place else.

(LAUGHTER)

WINGET: You might look off your credit card debt.

REGAN: That's a good point. Indeed, indeed.

Why is it that Americans struggle with this so much? I mean, you look at other cultures and other countries, and they don't necessarily have the same debt problems that we do. Is it in part just the availability, or is it sort of culturally something that is unique to us, for lack of a better word?

(LAUGHTER)

WINGET: Well, I'm not sure it's just...

(LAUGHTER)

WINGET: ... yes, unique to us.

But I do believe that we have made it awfully easy to buy things. And we have gotten our egos ahead of our common sense. When it's easy to buy, and we're buying out of ego or out of guilt or out of trying to keep up with other folks, then we overbuy, which means we overspend.

And that's where we really have to have some control and check our core values on what our true priorities are. Listen, nobody's ever been sad that they had no debt and a lot of money in savings. So, try that for a while.

REGAN: Well put.

Is there a commonality when you run into these people that are struggling and they keep finding themselves with these mounting debts? Is there a commonality to them? And can you say, look, if you could just fix this one thing, this would help you a ton?

WINGET: You know, it's rarely just one thing.

I do drive it all back to the core value thing, though, and figure out what's really important to you. What's really important to you should be your commitments. Your commitments are your bills and your family. So put them at the very top of your list. Get your bills under control, and always put your family ahead of your ego and your stuff.

And then you might be able to get your spending in the right place.

REGAN: Yes, I think that makes a lot of sense. There's a new survey from Fidelity that shows just how challenging it is for a lot of Americans, that they continue running into these issues.

Let me see if we can share that with you right now. The Fidelity survey shows that 30 -- roughly 32 percent of all Americans are trying to make some kind of financial resolution, Larry, going into the new year.

WINGET: Yes.

REGAN: And so, whether it be the diet that you see at the start of the new year, or whether you hear about the financial diet, there's a consistency there anyway.

Do Americans need to make these resolutions?

WINGET: No, resolutions don't come true. And I think it's a problem with the vocabulary.

Nobody ever really resolves to do anything anymore. So, dump the resolutions and make a commitment. We think differently when we use the word commitment. So, make the commitment to pay off your debt. Make the commitment to keep your spending under control. Make a commitment to save more money.

That makes more sense than just saying that I make a resolution. Most resolutions don't last for two weeks. Commitments, we look at differently.

REGAN: And what if someone's goes off the reservation? Like, they're -- they have got the program going so well, and they're being so careful. And then they give in to some impulse buy. What's your advice to them? Take it back?

(LAUGHTER)

WINGET: Don't. Don't.

It's like the oldest joke in the world. Guy goes to the doctor, says, doctor, it hurts when I do that. And then the doctor says, well, then don't do that.

When you know you're messing up, don't do that again, really. That's really about as simple as it needs to be.

REGAN: Mm-hmm. Yes, I hear you. Good advice. Good advice, sir, as always.

Thank you so much, Larry.

WINGET: Thank you.

(LAUGHTER)

REGAN: All right.

After all that spending, what if I told you half the folks you gave gifts to don't even like them?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "FAMILY GUY")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Sessions presents "A Peter Griffin Christmas," featuring such standards as:

(SINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Hey, everybody, look at the snow in the yard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REGAN: So how would you like that album under the Christmas tree?

(LAUGHTER)

REGAN: According to a new survey from Finder.com, you know what? A majority of Americans said they have received holiday gifts that they didn't want and that they will never actually use.

But get this; 30 percent keep those gifts anyway. That's how nice we are.

Let's go right now to FOX Business Network's Kristina Partsinevelos, Fox Radio's Carley Shimkus, and CampusReform.org's Cabot Phillips.

Kristina, starting with you.

Are you returning any of those gifts to sender this year?

KRISTINA PARTSINEVELOS, CORRESPONDENT: No, I have returned quite a few of even my partner's. My boyfriend has sent me gifts and given me gifts, and I have returned them.

But, no, this year, I'm going to keep whatever I get. Turning a new leaf. Just try to accept it, I guess.

REGAN: But should we accept it? I mean, I think we should, by the way. I always -- I -- it's the thought that counts.

PARTSINEVELOS: Right.

REGAN: Right, really, really and truly, Carley.

But we were just talking about credit card debt and how much money people are spending. And it kind of, sort of makes you wonder if we get a little too carried away at Christmastime.

CARLEY SHIMKUS, CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

I -- my go-to is, usually, if I get a gift that I don't like, I usually keep it long enough so I don't feel guilty throwing it away, which I think is probably normal behavior.

PARTSINEVELOS: Do you throw it away, or do you re-gift it?

SHIMKUS: Any of those things, give it away, donate it. If it's just a little knickknack, maybe I will toss it in the garbage.

The thing that surprised me, though, was that 15 percent of Americans -- that's 38 million people -- say that they give gifts to people that they know they're not going to like them, just because I think people get so busy around the holidays, and they see something. It's the first thing that they see. And they panic and get it anyway.

REGAN: Yes.

SHIMKUS: So, and that's where all this unnecessary spending comes in.

REGAN: So, Cabot, are we kind of overdoing it on the gift thing? Maybe we should maybe give a little bit more time, a little bit more of ourselves, as opposed to so many things.

CABOT PHILLIPS, CAMPUS REFORM: I think -- I think that'd be a great start.

In that same poll, only 5 percent of people said gifts were the most important part of Christmas to them. I think we should ultimately be celebrating time with family, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Those are two good places to start.

I have the experience with this. I still have a 10-piece hardcover encyclopedia set my grandfather gave me when I was 8. I have never opened it, I'm sad to admit, though I acted like I loved it.

(CROSSTALK)

REGAN: Oh. Do you know they don't even make the Encyclopedia Britannicas anymore. So you might actually have something of real value there.

No, really. I tried to buy a set.

PHILLIPS: It was an investment. That's what I will tell myself.

(CROSSTALK)

PARTSINEVELOS: You could re-gift it to Trish.

REGAN: Yes, there we go. I would appreciate that gift, Cabot.

But you bring up something that's important, Cabot. And I had a next-door neighbor growing up who was very religious. And she always told her children, you don't get gifts on Christmas, you get gifts on your birthday, but not on Christmas, because it's actually baby Jesus' birthday. And this is all about baby Jesus, as opposed to the actual gift-giving that you would get otherwise on your birthday, which I always thought was kind of harsh, because we all like gifts.

But now, as I get older, I kind of understand and appreciate what she was trying to say, which is a little bit in line with what you're saying. Remember the spirit of Christmas.

PHILLIPS: Absolutely.

PARTSINEVELOS: But it's unfortunate.

Commercialization has contributed to all of the holidays now. Look at Black Friday and how early all of the gift-giving has started, the shopping has started. Carley just brought up the stat of 30 million people still giving gifts, even though you know the receiver is not going to enjoy it.

Why are we doing that? Because it's a buyer's world. We know we can go to the shop, eventually return it, we can return it without a bill. Wal- Mart's really great at doing that. You can use this stuff and just return it.

It's -- we have created this culture where you have to give objects. You have to buy things, instead of -- what about making a card?

REGAN: It's interesting. You said, you know, your boyfriend gives you gifts.

Like, I really do think the most important thing you can give -- and I say this to my husband. He goes out and gets something with the kids, because it's important for them, and they like to be part of that process. And they go shopping for mommy.

And he will pick something out with them. But I really do think it's time.

SHIMKUS: Time.

REGAN: Right.

I mean, that is the one thing that we never have enough of.

SHIMKUS: Yes.

REGAN: And so if you can give that time to a loved one, that means more than anything else, Carley.

SHIMKUS: And I do think you are right that the sort of -- if you're a religious person, the real message of the season does get lost in the commercialization of Christmas.

So, if you do take a middle ground between what your friend used to teach her children and going ultra-big on the gift-giving and remember both, you might save a little bit of money and still have a very special Christmas, when you remember the reason we're celebrating.

REGAN: Yes.

So, does that mean I don't have to get as many gifts this year?

(CROSSTALK)

REGAN: Am I going to get a free pass? I will say, mom, sorry.

(LAUGHTER)

PARTSINEVELOS: I don't know if your son would like that.

REGAN: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

PARTSINEVELOS: He's outside in the green room, so...

REGAN: No, no, I think my kids are really counting on a big Christmas, as so many kids really do. It's a special time of year.

And it's tricky, because there's a commercial element to all of this, and the retailers are there. And they know how to play to all of our heartstrings in that sense, and our pocketbook strings. But resist. That's my advice.

(LAUGHTER)

SHIMKUS: That's right.

REGAN: Right?

Can you, Cabot? Last word to you.

PHILLIPS: Well, if my family is watching this, I do still expect to get gifts from all of you this year.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: So don't think that I'm letting you guys out of the clear.

But I do agree. I think experience is the best thing to give. Take your mom to a concert, take your dad to a play, go hiking with your siblings. Plan experiences. We don't need more stuff in our lives.

I think that spending time is truly the most important gift you can give.

REGAN: Love it.

All right, thanks so much, guys. Merry Christmas.

SHIMKUS: Merry Christmas.

PARTSINEVELOS: Merry Christmas.

PHILLIPS: Merry Christmas.

REGAN: The gift that keeps on giving, speaking of gifts, for 22 years and counting, and it's making news.

Neil Cavuto's been on it -- a look back at this show's very best. What a gift.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

REGAN: Twenty-two years ago, FOX News launched, and Neil Cavuto has been there from the very beginning, covering the biggest stories, with the biggest names, and not without a few surprises in between.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five, four, three, two, and run profile track.

NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Welcome, everybody. I'm Neil Cavuto, and this is "The Cavuto Business Report," a jampacked show.

Robert Rubin, the treasury secretary of the United States, joins us from Washington.

It's the man that has Wall Street buzzing, Jamie Dimon, the chairman and CEO of Smith Barney, who's about my age. And I personally resent him for that.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: Is this is a labor of love, or is it just your mission statement now to get Apple back on track?

STEVE JOBS, CO-FOUNDER, APPLE: I think Apple started in my parents' garage. And Steve Wozniak and I put a lot of years into it. And I think Apple has a lot to contribute still.

CAVUTO: Do you use your site to shop...

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

JEFF BEZOS, CEO, AMAZON.COM: In fact, some people would accuse me of having kind of an addiction. So, yes, I have got boxes coming every day.

Do you see yourself 20 years from now still in this job?

JEFFREY IMMELT, FORMER CEO, GENERAL ELECTRIC: You know, I think longevity for a CEO is based on performance and the ability to change. And I think that's what Jack's driven. That's clearly my intent.

CAVUTO: Are you worried that the environment just isn't very good now?

BILL GATES, FOUNDER, MICROSOFT: Well, actually, the economic conditions we see look -- look good to us.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT: We have got a record number of new small businesses to start every year. We have done a lot to reduce the regulatory burdens and specific tax burdens on small businesses, to give businesses incentives to hire people that were difficult to place and a whole range of things we have done that we have been asked to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our heroes will now open the marketplace. The green button.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CAVUTO: You have got to be a little surprised that, even in the face of uncertainty and a multiyear campaign, as the White House says this could be, that the market still advanced. What do you make of that?

RICHARD GRASSO, FORMER CEO, NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE: Well, I think the market, as you know, worked very well, Neil. The market is a great barometer of what's to come.

CAVUTO: Afghanistan, it's looking to pass out a pretty big tin cup. It's looking for $45 billion over the next 10 years. I mean, how doable is that? And how much would the U.S. pay?

COLIN POWELL, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, we're all going to have to contribute to Afghanistan's, not even reconstruction, construction in the first instance. This is a very broken country.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT: We have got a press corps that's constantly asking tough questions about prisoner treatment, for example. You just asked one. And that's what open societies, they answer the questions by saying...

CAVUTO: Now, President Carter has said, sir, shut it down. Joe Biden said shut it down.

G. BUSH: Yes.

CAVUTO: Do you think it should be shut down?

G. BUSH: Well, we're exploring all alternatives as to how best to do the main objective, which is to protect America.

REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CALIF., HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: After all is said and done, we just want to prevent another tragedy from happening in our country or to our interests, anyone, anywhere in the world.

CAVUTO: Do you feel, Congresswoman, that there's enough blame to go around, that there were mistakes made in the Clinton administration, mistakes maybe made in this administration, that these commission hearings are effectively a moot point?

PELOSI: No, I think it was very important for us to have the commission hearing. I was the first person to introduce the idea of a 9/11 Commission.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have got the flag up now.

CAVUTO: Do you get annoyed -- I know you're all being congratulated at the White House today -- with the hero label?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess we don't -- we don't think of it that way. We just think, as people, we're given extraordinary opportunities in extraordinary times, and we're very grateful to have had that.

CAVUTO: This is a Fox News Alert.

Two of the big boys of the big '90s are going down for a big, big, long time. Former Tyco boss Dennis Kozlowski and his former chief financial wizard, Mark Swartz, likely facing decades in prison.

I covered you in so many venues, at so many meetings. This is a little weird.

DENNIS KOZLOWSKI, FORMER TYCO CEO: This is. This is weird for me too. Even though I have been -- I have been here for some 26 months now, it still seems surreal.

CAVUTO: Martha Stewart is going to jail. The only question is, how long will it ultimately be?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, Neil, she is coming down the steps with her security detail. People are applauding and cheering Martha Stewart getting some horrible news for her today.

MARTHA STEWART, FOUNDER, MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA: My problem had nothing to do with my company and nothing to do with the people who work there, so that it was very -- I think it was just unfair, an unfair result, of my particular problem that my company and my employees had to suffer.

CAVUTO: Then let me ask you this -- 35 percent tax rate...

(CROSSTALK)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, D-N.Y., MINORITY LEADER: Let me finish my point.

CAVUTO: Now, Senator, I can't let you filibuster.

SCHUMER: I'm not filibustering.

CAVUTO: We got a 35 percent tax rate now. Do you want it to return to 39 percent-plus, yes or no?

SCHUMER: No.

CAVUTO: But this is your defining issue for the remaining months?

G. BUSH: No, fiscal conservatism is one of my defining issues for the remaining months.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Epic, monumental, historic, chaotic.

CAVUTO: The drama virtually unprecedented in American history.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lehman Brothers filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Here, the worries at Lehman Brothers headquarters in Midtown Manhattan are more personal, worries about this company, people's futures, their jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just lost my job pretty much, right, so -- or I will soon. So I think it's devastating.

CARLY FIORINA, FORMER HEWLETT-PACKARD CEO: Greed took over common sense.

CAVUTO: Donald Trump, from his New York offices now, with an update on something he told me almost a year ago.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Maybe they should suffer, maybe that banks should go under, maybe that banks should be taken over.

I don't see how the government can help.

CAVUTO: What do you make of this now, that finally the government says what you said in that interview, the spigot stops? But the spigot had been running for a while.

TRUMP: Well, I think the government is doing the right thing. I mean, they really have worked hard. They have worked long. It's a mess.

CAVUTO: A day after the rescue, the rumble.

I'm saying when you...

(CROSSTALK)

JACK KEMP, FORMER HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY: It's not a hissy fit. This is a serious...

(CROSSTALK)

KEMP: Wait a minute, Neil. I'm not yelling.

CAVUTO: Wait. I'm saying, when you kowtow to the markets, Jack, is that a mistake?

KEMP: This is a market.

CAVUTO: You, Mr. Free Market Capitalist, probably one of the best CEOs of the last century, are signing on to what is essentially a fiscal Hail Mary pass.

JACK WELCH, CEO, GENERAL ELECTRIC: No, I think it's another step in trying to resolve the crisis that we have.

CAVUTO: You don't buy this. Jack, Jack, you -- I know you don't buy this. You must -- you must confess to the nation you don't buy this.

WELCH: Neil, I love you, but -- I love you, but, sometimes, we need intervention to bridge the gap from some crises that we're in.

CAVUTO: Mark, you could solve this problem here, if you would just write a check. But I guess you're not apt to do that.

MARK CUBAN, CO-FOUNDER, HDNET: Even I can't write a check that big.

BARNEY FRANK, D-MASS., FORMER MASSACHUSETTS CONGRESSMAN: When you talk about, oh, we are just bailing out, bailing out, my answer to you is, in the first place, that this is not just -- you're coming in at the end of the movie. What we have got to do...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: It looks like quite a few sequels. It looks like quite a few sequels.

FRANK: Excuse me, but the interruptions really interfere...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Answer my question. Are there going to be sequels?

FRANK: We are going to try to put into place regulation of the sort that will say, no, there won't be sequels.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm worried. And so is the whole America right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we have to worry. If Lehman Brothers can go bankrupt, can a bank as big as Citibank go bankrupt or any other bank?

CAVUTO: The 44th president of the United States.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT: I have got to use 10 pens here.

CAVUTO: First the signing, now the sell-off. The president's rush to stimulate failing to stimulate stocks today.

Medicare didn't change. Medicare didn't change. There are some who argue that you have put new pressures on it, but that lady in that bed behind you that your staffer is holding up -- Congresswoman, I'm just saying your staffer holding up that picture is holding up the wrong picture.

I'm a financial superhero, looking after evil spenders in Washington.

A lot of people who, ever since the first big financial rescue and then the auto bailout, which was done under a prior administration, they're essentially adding up the numbers, and they're saying, enough is enough.

SEN. RAND PAUL, R-KY.: I am here today on the Neil Cavuto show and happy to announce that I'm formally announcing my candidacy for the U.S. Senate from Kentucky.

CAVUTO: Are you getting nervous?

RICHARD TRUMKA, PRESIDENT, AFL-CIO: Am I getting nervous?

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMKA: No, Neil. We're getting excited now.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO, R-FLA.: If people want their next U.S. senator to be someone that will go to Washington and stand up to the agenda that's coming from there and offer a clear alternative, then I'm going to win.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

RICK PERRY, R-TX, FORMER TEXAS GOVERNOR: Welcome to the rock 'n' roll Republican National Convention.

CAVUTO: Oh, man, do you like the music choices here? I love the music.

PERRY: It's great.

CAVUTO: Congressman, how did it go out there? How did it go? You got a good feel for things?

REP. PAUL RYAN, R-WIS., SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Feel great.

CAVUTO: You ready for tonight? How long will the speech be?

Obviously, you could see there the young -- the bonding and the respect the congressman has for me. Stops everything for me.

JEB BUSH, R-FLA., FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: You would have to say this is by far and away the most tepid recovery in modern times. So it's the policies that are the problem.

I don't begrudge Barack Obama anything. I think he seems like a pretty nice guy, but his policies have failed.

CAVUTO: Getting started here at the Democratic National Convention, but one thing you immediately notice from the elaborate setup here is, there no debt clock. And that was a major part of the Republican Convention in Tampa.

REP. EMANUEL CLEAVER, D-MO.: Mr. President, hop on! Hop on!

CAVUTO: Boy, oh, boy. Did you have a lot of Red Bull going into that or what?

(LAUGHTER)

CLEAVER: We had a good time.

TRUMKA: And we have done well and we will come back again.

CAVUTO: I had no idea until I saw the button that you were for Barack Obama. I would never know.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: Fox News is now projecting Barack Obama has been reelected president of the United States.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CAVUTO: Are you still keen on running for president?

J. BUSH: Well, I have got a decision I'm going to make in relatively short order.

CAVUTO: What could dissuade you? What could prevent you?

J. BUSH: I don't know. Not much.

CAVUTO: Welcome to the Republican presidential debate here on the Fox Business Network.

TRUMP: You did a really elegant job, the three of you. Great job.

STUART VARNEY, HOST: The GOP Convention is on. Neil is out recovering from heart surgery. He is doing well.

TRUMP: We will make America proud again, and we will make America great again.

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Let's build a better tomorrow for our beloved children and our beloved country. And when we do, America will be greater than ever.

TRUMP: I said in an interview with Neil Cavuto, to whom I offer my best wishes for a speedy recovery.

(MUSIC)

CAVUTO: Well, thank you, Adele. I'm Neil Cavuto. And this is "Your World."

And it feels weird after a few months.

SEN. MARK WARNER, D-VA., VIRGINIA: I have had a lot of Democrats over the years said, you know, that Neil Cavuto, he doesn't even have a heart.

(LAUGHTER)

WARNER: After this surgery, I have got proof now that you have got a heart, so...

CAVUTO: All right.

It is hard to believe 18 months ago, when he first entered this race for the presidency, no one gave Donald Trump much of a chance.

TRUMP: I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear.

CAVUTO: But he took out 16 incredible contenders, the cream of the GOP crop.

Got a good view there. We're getting a good view here. It's the third time he has left the presidential limousine.

Are you in a mood to spend? Well, good thing, because the president just signed a document to make sure that you will, and soon.

Welcome, everybody. I'm Neil Cavuto. And you are watching "Your World" and a whole different world with a whole new tax bill that is officially the law of the land.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, R-KY., MAJORITY LEADER: Well, 80 to 90 percent of the American people get tax relief out of this bill. It's a good idea for us to let them keep more of their hard-earned money.

CAVUTO: This is the seventh time in little more than a year that we have done this. And since Donald Trump as president for most of that time, little wonder he would crow about this.

TRUMP: We did, in fact, break 25000, very substantially break it, very easily.

CAVUTO: There are many in your party who are salivating at their prospects in the midterms, talk of a blue wave. Many of them are mentioning the I- word, impeachment, if they get control of the House.

What do you think about it?

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not me. I don't talk about impeachment. I think that's the wrong thing for Democrats to do.

CAVUTO: You're seriously considering a run for president. Are you?

REP. ERIC SWALWELL, D-CALIF.: Absolutely I'm looking at it. And I'm going to talk with my family over the holiday. But I do think, Neil, that one lesson I have taken away from the midterm results, when you look at 25 people elected to help win the House in their 40s or under, is that the country is embracing new ideas, new energy and new leadership.

RICHARD SIMMONS, FOUNDER, RICHARD SIMMONS INC.: Let me entertain you.

CAVUTO: OK.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: So, I have to win kids over?

JOHN CENA, ACTOR: No, you got to make a music video.

CAVUTO: Really?

CENA: Some type of song. We will make it high-class. Have them wearing a sport coat made of prosciutto or something like that.

CAVUTO: That's nice.

Many have said that you pushed this comeback thing once too often. Are you done? Is that it? Are you finished?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I'm not.

CAVUTO: What do you want to do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to be the heavyweight champ of the world one more time.

EARVIN "MAGIC" JOHNSON, FORMER NBA PLAYER: Be on top of the Earth.

CAVUTO: All right. All right, I still want to see you smiling when your taxes go up.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: It's great...

JOHNSON: And yours too.

Is the key to the gym thing for you, that these are not easy workouts? You have a really have to do the whole grueling thing.

DEREK JETER, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER: When you work out, you want to do it every day. In the off-season, I think I took about two or three weeks off before I got back at it.

CAVUTO: Every day? It's can't be every other month?

JETER: Well, it takes...

(LAUGHTER)

JETER: Take the weekends off.

CAVUTO: Do you talk much about politics with anyone these days?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Well, not in Hollywood very much.

CAVUTO: How about here? Do you like the president?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do I like the president? Well, he's certainly an attractive and likable person.

CAVUTO: Do you like Mitt Romney?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, I am -- oh, boy. You're trying to get me.

CAVUTO: Everyone wants to shake your hand. Everyone wants to be with you. I thought it was because I was here. But, apparently, that's not the case.

JON VOIGHT, ACTOR: They -- they do. When they wave at me, they say, do you know Neil?

CAVUTO: Do you know Neil?

VOIGHT: And I say, yes, I do.

CAVUTO: You got the memo.

VOIGHT: Can we have your picture?

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES (singing): We love Neil Cavuto.

CAVUTO: "You're a mess to look at and an even bigger mess to hear. You remind me of that character Fat Bastard in 'Austin Powers.' But he was funny. You're just gross."

Well, Omar, then get in my belly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

REGAN: Good stuff, huh?

We hope you're having a really wonderful Christmas Day. And I hope you're having a terrific holiday season overall. Thank you so much for joining us today. Merry Christmas.

I will see you tomorrow night, 8:00 p.m., "Trish Regan Primetime," on the Fox Business Network.

Merry Christmas.

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