Days Of Our Lives
What Soap Opera Christmas Episode Did You Enjoy the Most?
In case you missed any of the action on Friday’s episodes of your favorite soaps each delivered a Christmas episode in their own way. But which was the best? We want to know your thoughts. Here is the rundown with some of our personal favorite moments to jog your memory.
Courtesy/ABC
On One Life to Live, in what was their final Christmas episode on network television, fans were treated to an amazing episode complete with the reveal of what happened the night Gigi-er-Stacy died, and Rex finally being reunited with his beloved, Gigi! The performance of the day (and in that episode) had to be John-Paul Lavoisier’s Rex, who made us reach for the hankies with the revelation that he was standing in front of the woman he loved after months of grieving. Plus, in another emotional moment Tea and Dani received Christmas gifts from Victor Jr. from the grave. There were also many gems along the way; Viki and Clint reconciled, Little Sam waited for Santa, Jack got arrested, Shane finally getting justice for his mom, (in another moving performance by Austin Williams) and Natalie and John almost had “the talk”, and so much more!
Courtesy/ABC
On General Hospital it was the wedding day of Dante and Lulu, with Dante’s mom Olivia in tow! The sweet and intimate vows were off-set by the final moment where we learned Olivia secretly snuck in the entire Falconeri clan to the festivities! Again, got to give it to the men here … Dominic Zamprogna (Dante) proved again why he is such a sensitive and dynamic actor. Lisa LoCicero (Olivia) was delightful as Dante’s over-excited and emotional proud mom. However, you can’t also beat Scrubs! And in what looks to be Robin’s final Christmas with her loved ones, Kimberly McCullough (Robin) in the moment where Patrick hands Robin her present – a deed to some land to build their dream house on – broke our hearts with her stream of tears as Robin knows she may not be around to live there with her family.
Courtesy/CBS
On The Young and the Restless, it was Melody Thomas Scott’s standalone episode as a drunken Nikki, who is taking under the wing of a guardian angel to show her how much her family and friends love and need her, even though Nikki feels like her existence and life is worthless. With lots of vintage clips to tantalize the most avid of Y&R fans, as viewers took a walk down memory lane, one couldn’t help but realize the immense self-loathing that Nikki has had for herself all these years, as much as she has tried to rise above it. The most poignant moment happened at the end of the episode when it is revealed that the guardian angel is really Nikki’s deceased mother, who died at a very young age. It was at that point that Melody broke our hearts calling for her “mother” when the angel said she had to go now and within a millisecond was gone, leaving Nikki reeling.
Photo Credit: Adam Campbell
On Days of our Lives as Sami and Rafe prepared for their shotgun recommitment ceremony, Will was giving hell to his mom, and he came very close to revealing to her that he saw her with EJ having sex, and prior to that almost telling his grandmother, Marlena, that he is gay! These two near misses and the high-emotional stakes, showed us that Chandler Massey (Will) is an actor to keep your eye on throughout the storyline – good stuff! Also, Bo lavished gifts on Hope commemorating Christmas, her birthday and their wedding anniversary, while John was reunited with Marlena, and the Horton Clan gathered at Tom and Alice’s for a Christmas toast.
Courtesy/CBS
On The Bold and the Beautiful the Logan sisters ruined Christmas dinner, Hope and Thomas went to Farmer’s Market to hang out and do Christmas things, while Hope and Liam still look at each other with love in their eyes, (even if they don’t know it) and at the end of the episode Stephanie, played by Susan Flannery had a few poignant moments with Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) and some one-line zingers with her on-screen sparring partner earlier in the episode.
So now that we have gone around the horn, let us know which was your favorite Christmas episode from Friday’s airshows and what performance did you enjoy the most?
Days Of Our Lives
DAYS OF OUR LIVES Preview: Kristen Locates an Alive Sophia, How Much Does Rita Know About the Birth of Dominic Marino?
Next week, expected surprises and schemes on Days of our Lives. In official spoilers for episodes streaming on Peacock from October 5-9, it looks like Kristen (Stacy Haiduk) has hunted down a very much alive Sophia Choi (Rachel Boyd), while Marlena (Deidre Hall) admits a deeply concerning confession to her daughter Belle (Martha Madison), and more.
As previously reported, Tajh Bellow (ex-TJ Ashford, General Hospital) is stepping in for one day for Tyler Joseph Andrews in the role of Theo Carver and will share scenes with Gabi (Cherie Jimenez), where Theo finally agrees to go along with Gabi’s plan, after she offered him a job.
Meanwhile, Gabi may have her hands full with Philip (John-Paul Lavoisier) whose big win in Monte Carlo may have sparked his gambling addiction … all over again, but Philip reveals her has a plan.
Photo: Corday Productions
Sydney (Sydney Malekeh) is in for a shock when Dante (Franco LoPresti) arrives in Salem. Why is he in Salem? Is he part of the unraveling of the Dominic Marino mystery, since we know he seemed like he was talking to the man in Monte Carlo?
Will Marlena ever figure out what Rita (Maggie Carney) is hiding about the mystery of Dominic, and if Marlena is truly his birth mother or did something more suspicious go on and how deeply involved is Rita in this whole story?
EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) finally demands answers of his own from Rita after overhearing on today’s Cliffhanger Friday her conversation with Marlena. Will Rita cop to anything?
Then as noted, while everyone thinks Sophia took her own life, after Kristen “murdered” her, Kristen is infuriated to find she is somehow alive working as waitress in a diner in Kentucky. Will Kristen try to kill Sophia yet again?
Take a look at some of the additional spoilers for next week’s action on DAYS below.
Monday, October 5
Joy worries about her future.
Alex surprises Stephanie.
Chanel supports Johnny through a difficult decision.
Tuesday, October 6
Rachel gives Brady cause for concern.
Roman surprises Kate.
Wednesday, October 7
Leo’s good day takes an unexpected turn.
Brady is forced to make a difficult call.
Thursday, October 8
Paulina refuses to give up on Lani.
Chanel asks Johnny for a promise.
Friday, October 9
Stephanie and Alex steal a private moment.
Steve gets troubling news from Johnny.
So, what do you think will happen when Kristen finds that the woman she thought she murdered and framed (making it looking like a suicide) is alive and well and working in a diner far away from Salem? Was Rita more involved with Stefano DiMera than we even know? Who is the birth mother of Dominic? Is it really Marlena or did someone else carrying her child? And what of Dante? Why is he back in Salem? To get at Philip, or something else? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
Days Of Our Lives
‘General Hospital’ Alum Tajh Bellow Fills In for ‘Days of our Lives’ Tyler Joseph Andrews in the Role of Theo Carver
After an earlier post on Thursday, October 1 about General Hospital alumni Tajh Bellow’s (ex-TJ Ashford) upcoming project from Issa Rae’s HOOPAE Digital, comes word that Bellow is temporarily stepping into the role of Days of our Lives Theo Carver to fill in for Tyler Joseph Andrews on the Peacock streaming soap opera.
According to TV Insider, Bellow will be making a one-day appearance next week on the October 6 episode of DAYS as Andrews was unable to make the tape date that was shot 10 months ago on a day last December. Andrews (pictured below) took over the role of Theo in September of 2025.
In Bellow’s upcoming episode as Theo, he will share scenes with Cherie Jimenez (Gabi Hernandez). A DAYS spokesperson tells the outlet that Bellow “stepped seamlessly into the role, and the cast and crew were grateful for his professionalism and commitment, albeit for only one episode.”
Photo: JPI
TAJH WILL BE SEEN IN MULTIPLE PROJECTS IN OCTOBER
As General Hospital fans know, Tajh played the role of TJ Ashford from 2018 to his last appearance in December of 2024. Along the way, he received two Daytime Emmy nominations for his performances as TJ, the last being in 2025 in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series category.
In addition, bellow along with Y&R alum Loren Lott will be seen starting on October 14 in the new Love Island spoof series, The Compatibility Experiment. The show will drop exclusively on TikTok and the PineDrama platform.
The Compatibility Experiment gives a satirical look at reality dating shows, think Love Island! The story centers around Kelvin (Bellow) and Camila (Lott), whose relationship is put to the test when they join a reality show to try to win a the million dollar prize.
So, what do you think of Tajh stepping in for Tyler Joseph Andrews as Theo on DAYS? Perhaps, the soap opera liked his work that he might be considered for another role in the future bringing Bellow back to the soaps? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.
Four cast members are officially on contract at Days of our Lives, according to the soap opera’s closing credits on Peacock and longtime Days expert and historian Jason 47.
Lauren Koslow (Kate), Sydney Malakeh (Sydney), Sal Stowers (Lani) and Jacob Martinez (Javi) are the names that appear in the closing credits in the contracted cast members section. Days of our Lives fans also note that the series tapes ten months in advance of streaming episodes.
As Days of our Lives fans know, Lauren Koslow has played Kate Roberts since 1996, and recently filled-in for Jess Walton in the role of Jill Abbott on The Young and the Restless when Walton was unable to travel from Oregon to Los Angeles during the specific tape dates. But now, Koslow has been re-upped to contract status as of the September 8 episode.
Photo: JPI
SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED
Sydney Malakeh is the newest member of the contract players when she debuted on contract status on the September 10th episode. Days fans first met Sami (Alison Sweeney) and EJ’s (Dan Feuerriegel) daughter in scenes in Monte Carlo around a gambling table.
As for Sal Stowers, the actress had been on contract from 2015-2022, then on recurring status with the soap, and would make appearances and limited runs since 2023. Soap fans first saw Sal as Cassandra Foster on Prospect Park’s revival of All My Children in 2013. Sal’s first new contracted episode was noted to be September 16.
Jacob Martinez, debuted on June 30 of this year as the successor to Al Calderon in the role of Javi Hernandez, and has now been bumped up to series regular as of the September 10 episode.
Photo: JPI
CREDITS
According to the referenced posting from Days of our Lives expert and historian Jason 47, he shared, “It took me four weeks to realize, but the same week that Sydney Malakeh (Sydney) debuted (9/7-9/11), “Days” also put Lauren Koslow (Kate), Jacob Richard Martinez (Javi) and Sal Stowers (Lani) on contract.”
Jason47 added, “This confirms the “errors” of Lani being listed in the credits the week of 9/7 but not appearing, and Kate and Javi appearing in the credits the week of 9/14 but not appearing. It also now makes sense why Javi and Sydney are being listed before Rafe and Philip in the credits.”
He also shared, “For the record, Lauren Koslow’s first date back on contract was 9/8, Jacob Richard Martinez was upped to contract on 9/10, Sydney Malakeh debuted on contract 9/10 and Sal Stowers’ first date back on contract was 9/16. The records will be fixed on the website in the coming days.”
So, glad to hear Lauren, Sydney, Sal and Jacob appear to be on contract with Days of our Lives (as of these episode airings)? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
Mark Consuelos Celebrates Kelly Ripa’s 56th Birthday on ‘Live,’ But Remember When Wendy Williams Outed the Couple as Married Before Anyone at ‘All My Children’ Knew?
DAYS OF OUR LIVES Preview: Kristen Locates an Alive Sophia, How Much Does Rita Know About the Birth of Dominic Marino?
TUNE-IN: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Banneker Homecoming Episodes, EP Sheila Ducksworth Speaks on Impact HBCUs Have in Real Life
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Sonny Tells Dante, “I Don’t Want a Son Like You,” While Michael Tells Brook Lynn to Bide Her Time Till Chase and Willow Have an Affair
‘General Hospital’ Alum Tajh Bellow Fills In for ‘Days of our Lives’ Tyler Joseph Andrews in the Role of Theo Carver
REPORT: ‘Days of our Lives’ Puts Four Actors On Contract
‘Beyond the Gates’ Honors HBCU Tradition with Banneker University Homecoming Episodes
Alley Mills Returns to ‘General Hospital’ as Heather Webber
Judith Light Joins Cast of ‘Shrinking’ Season 4 in Recurring Role
‘Beyond the Gates’ Marquita Goings Delivers the ‘Power Performance of the Week’
Mark Consuelos Celebrates Kelly Ripa’s 56th Birthday on ‘Live,’ But Remember When Wendy Williams Outed the Couple as Married Before Anyone at ‘All My Children’ Knew?
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Sonny Tells Dante, “I Don’t Want a Son Like You,” While Michael Tells Brook Lynn to Bide Her Time Till Chase and Willow Have an Affair
GH Alum Tajh Bellow and Y&R Alum Loren Lott Star in New Tiktok and Microdrama ‘Love Island’ Spoof
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Ava and Drew Revealed to be Behind Framing Sonny for Sidwell’s Prison Beatdown
DANCING WITH THE STARS: Britt Stewart Visibly Upset After Shocking Elimination with Taylor Hanson
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Days Of Our Lives3 days agoREPORT: ‘Days of our Lives’ Puts Four Actors On Contract
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General Hospital1 week agoAlley Mills Returns to ‘General Hospital’ as Heather Webber
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I actually enjoyed OLTL because hopefully Jack is finally accepting that Todd is his dad and Blair can see that Todd is the love of her life. B&b was hilarious because we see the Logan Girls trying cook a bird on Xmas wow if Stephanie was her snarky self she would say the Logans girls can’t cook but their experiences lie in the bedroom . I hope when Shane sees his mom that means Jack and his cocky self cannot go 2 Prison
OLTL had such an awesome episode! Not only just for Christmas but period! So much happened and you didn’t want to miss a minute because so much was going on! Rex and Gigi learned that she was not Stacy but was Gigi. Then Shayne got Vimal’s sister to give him the proof of Jack’s confession, then Jack getting arrested and then Vimal’s sister feeling bad for what she done (for the first time I felt for her character, she seemed torn about what she did). Vicki and Clint made up and celebrated with their daughters. Tea and Dani found their presents from Victor and are enjoying their Christmas. And then Blair, Todd and their children (and Victor’s son Sam) enjoyed a little bit of good time.
That episode truly blew me away. More proof of how stupid ABC is to get rid of it in a few weeks.
I can’t comment on the others, but I loved the General Hospital Christmas episode. From Dante and Lulu’s wedding, to Robin and Patrick spending time together, to the gifts the Quartermaines received from a mystery person. Just a great episode all around. The type of family oriented show that they don’t do enough of anymore.
OLTL hands down. How long have we waited for Rex and Gigi to be reunited? The others were good but this was exceptional and perfect for Chrismas and we havent even seen Shayne’s reaction.
One Life to Live is must see TV in my house! I am cherishing every single second it is on and especially any scene with Todd Manning and his family!
Y&R ….Nikki and her mother,I cried buckets when she opened the hankie and in it was her mother’s cross.
GH ….Dante and LuLu’s wedding and the scenes with Robin ,Patrick and Emma.
OLTL…. Tea and Dani,Todd as Santa and always little Sam(love that kid).
Jack’s arrest,Rex and Gigi.
GH because I loved Dante & Lulu’s wedding! It was so beautiful, and it made me smile more than the Rex/Gigi reunion on OLTL. I loved Rex & Gigi’s reunion, but Lante’s my fave current soap couple. Gotta give it to them! A wonderful Xmas gift from GH! Also, seeing the Quartermaines was wonderful. Made you realize how much they’ve lost, but the mystery “Santa” was magical. I love magic!
My favorite one was the Y&R Nikki stand-alone X-mas episode!
My fav Christmas episode was the Y&R standalone epi featuring Melody Thomas Scott. It was poignant and beautiful.
OLTL was beautifully done. Storylines wrapping & Miracles happening!
one life to live,it was so good to see clint and viki together ,at least they will be living happily ever after.and seeing gigi get her memory back ,todd spending time with his family,Landview was a happy place,and I was in tears.january 13 will be a very sad day for me .
Totally agree with you. I just watched it & tears were streaming down my face by the end of the show. Every scene was great. Gosh, what will be do without this wonderful place to visit every day? I am heartbroken over it.
I dont know ,And the closer we get to the end the more upset I get, one life to live is my favorite show ,daytime and prime time,if i had to chose one show that I could watch once a day it would be oltl.43 years ,thats a long time to have something then have it taken away.I think abc made a mistake,Who watches the chew? and who will watch the revolution ?I wont watch abc anymore except to support gh,we have to support all soaps,there are only a few left,thats so sad. daytime tv will be full of reality crap tv. I dont want to watch.And on january 13 when one life to live turns its lights off in landview that will be the ending of the best soap opera ever ,agnus nixons best.
I have watched ABC soaps since I was a kid with my mom and now I watch them with my kids. It’s so sad to see such a staple in my life go away. I have grown up with so many of the actors and actresses; they seem like family. The shows they are replacing our beloved soaps with will never generate the following that the soaps have. They will never capture the spans of generations like the soaps have. I miss AMC and I will really miss OLTL also. I put all my support behind GH and hope we can at least save one out of three.
No comparsion MTS and Y&R! I haven’t watched Y&R in 8 months because of the horribly written garbage of MAB and cronies but I wanted to see this because of the flashbacks. It was fabulous and MTS shined brightly in this episode…welcome home and hope I can come back home next year if writing change in the writing staff.
One life to live …the best
DAYS knows how to celebrate Christmas right. It was once again warm and festive, and had throwbacks to beloved characters. A Christmas doesn’t go by where they don’t make mention of those characters who came before them. I love their tradition of having a personalized Christmas ornament because it emphasizes one of DAYS’ most pertinent themes- sense of family and belonging. Though I am not a fan of Safe and didn’t care for the renewal, I was overall satisfied with the episode. LOVED “German” Santa lol.
YR’s was alright. YR OWED a tribute to MTS so if anyone was going to get a character-centered episode with lots of flashbacks, it had to be her. Though it was kind of a yawner until the end. I thought the ending with the reveal of who the spirit guide was was really excellent.
OLTL was pretty decent. I wish there had been more of an emphasis on Christmas and the holiday itself, but I understand them wanting to not waste precious airtime and move story along. I too was happy Jack finally accepted Todd, and that Viki and Clint made up.
GH….ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz…..Gone are the days when I used to recognize this show. Who are these people? I didn’t even enjoy Patrick and Robin’s scenes because once again Robin is withholding from her husband.
And finally BB, didn’t catch it. I saw the preview for it with Donna and Brooke figuring out how to make the turkey and it looked pretty funny.
OLTL was my fave, with Y&R a very close second. Both really moving Christmas episodes, but OLTL more so, probably because it’s the last one (sigh).
Gigi & Rex of course THIS YEAR.
The Young and the Restless’ NIKKI-centric episode was the absolute best show I’ve seen them do in SO long. Watching it, and seeing Melody shine in scene after scene, coupled with the triumphant return of Jeanne Cooper (back just in time) made me realize just how much these two characters are part of the very fabric of what makes it such a wonderful show. I can’t imagine it without these two venerable performers. Melody’s portrayal of the long-suffering Nikki is always so palpable, so raw and so relateable. I can’t imagine there was one dry eye in America as they watched her. The end was so emotional, I had to watch it twice and I cried each time. WONDERFUL!!
Absolutely! When she realized the angel was her mother, I cried right along with her!
Tremendous work!
For a change I actually enjoyed GH more that OLTL. I loved the Lante wedding…it was just wonderful..Scrub scenes were bittersweet and touching….Q’s were funny and magical…Loved seeing Elizabeth possibly moving on…Where as OLTL could have waited for Jack to be arrested on the next show…Gigi and Rex and Vicki and “THIS Clint” have never been my favorites. JVD has never had chemistry with
ES…So I really didn’t care that they were reunited. I did like Victor giving presents from the grave though…and Sam and his Santa.
So for a change I actually preferred GH…
Y&R It showed you how this show could really be great again! MTS did some good work no one cries like the Nikki!
OLTL! I adored the Mannings this year!
I watched them all and enjoyed all. OLTL and GH were the best!
OLTL…..I have been waiting for Rex and Gigi to finally get back together. Also, the gifts for Tea and Dani from Victor made me cry. Todd pretending to be Santa for Sam was really sweet too. I cant believe there is only 13 episodes left! I am crushed.
Me too! What are we gonna do without this show? Such a big mistake to cancel it.
OLTL definitely the best.
I liked OLTL too.
Days of our lives for 23 and 26 was GREAT
love John is free :))
Definitely.
ONE LIFE TO LIVE……..period. No comparison. As 1/13 comes closer, my heart breaks that the end is near for daytime’s true gem.
Do you have to ask… OLTL hands down. Truly the best soap the whole year.
My favorite was GH because Dante and Lulu finally got married. It was a sweet and romantic moment. No explosions or shootings. Just epitomized two people deeply in love making a commitment. Just beautiful.
Hands down, definately Y &R. The BEST Christmas episode of all and I did watch them all. It reminded us of what Christmas is all about. And, they weren’t afraid to say “Merry Christmas”.
Y&R Nikki episode! MTS shined in that stand alone episode!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One LIfe To Live…of course. But I will say that Y&R was surprisingly good too. Liked the time featuring Niki. But OLTL had me in tears….was so happy. And there were so many things going on. Really enjoyed it
Wow I don’t know, there was so much talent to choose from, YAWN!!!.
OLTL & Days had good Christmas Eve/Christmas eps, but my favorite for 2011 was The Bold and the Beautiful!
Mr. Fairman,
That OLTL countdown clock is REALLY depressing. I wish you would take it off your site. We know the show is over on January 13th. No reminder is necessary.
Oh, my fave episode was The Mannings Christmas on OLTL.
GH was my favorite X-Mas episode! I loved Dante & Lulu’s wedding, but I loved, loved Scrubs scenes more! They were so sweet, touching yet sad at the same time. To think this is the last Scrubs X-Mas is well very sad! Just seeing them spend time together & with Emma was great! Scrubs rock! 🙂 🙂
gh because of scrubs and emma scenes and lante wedding
B&B I think. It was funny.
i thought all the soaps did a poor job this year for fhe holidays .it seemed very superficial and no warmth. young and the resless always does a great job leding to the last day but not this year n what is up with the one actor episodes on last day please no more .i heard it was happening this year again featuring nikki and i did not watch.
none.lack of warmth and young and restless very disappointing.lack of lauren and micheal time and would not watch nikki on last day.
I guess you didnt see one life to live ,it was a tear jerker and it was good.Its sad that it will be my last christmas in landview.
Loved the wedding of Rex and Gigi. fans waited a long time for that to happen. Now we need John and Natalie to tie the knot. We need to keep One life to live alive and keep it on the air. I’ve watched it since day one, traveled from Ca. to N.Y. to meet the stars outside the studio. It was the best time of my life. Sad to see it go.