This episode's headline: Striking A Balance; Showdown; Flooding Fears; Still in the Big; Merry Little Christmas. ANCHOR: JIM LEHRER; GUESTS: HARLEY SHAIKEN; RICK BERMAN; NORMAN ORNSTEIN; NEIL LEWIS; CORRESPONDENTS: KWAME HOLMAN; RAY SUAREZ; SPENCER MICHELS; MARGARET WARNER; GWEN IFILL; TERENCE SMITH; KWAME HOLMAN