The Horton family Christmas is a warm Salem tradition that reminds viewers of the importance of family.
Long-time fans love the yearly Christmas episodes, which often feature everyone hanging their ornament on the Horton tree and friends and family spending time together. Sometimes, Christmas offers a break from the high drama and heartbreak, and sad characters may get a special gift that cheers them up.
In recent years, Christmas has often lacked that “magic of the season” element. But Days of Our Lives spoilers for the week of 12-19-22 suggest this year might be different.
The spoiler video promises several returns: Eli, Jennifer, and Will. Last we heard, Will was staying in LA, but will he make a surprise trip to Salem to cheer up Sonny?
If he does, it might not be the Christmas miracle he’s hoping for, as he’ll walk in on Sonny with a shirtless Leo.
Most likely, this is a misunderstanding. Sonny is a generally stand-up guy who doesn’t cheat; Will’s the one who tends to stray. And Leo isn’t above taking off his shirt in an attempt to impress, whether or not it’s asked for.
That doesn’t mean this won’t lead to the (hopefully, temporary!) implosion of Will and Sonny’s marriage. These two need to have a fight and clear the air. Will disappeared for months, leaving Sonny in limbo, and Sonny kept his tears to himself whenever they talked.
Arguing about Leo would be better than Will slinking away and stewing over what he thinks he saw, especially if Sonny never knows he was there.
Jennifer and Eli’s returns should be far happier than this drama.
Jennifer returns from rehab in time to hang her ornament while Eli brings the twins to Salem for a Christmas visit!
It’s too bad JJ isn’t returning, too, so the Horton/Deveraux family can have a full house. And please, soap gods, don’t let Gwen and Xander receive ornaments to hang on the tree this year!
Jennifer’s return will be more bittersweet than Eli’s. She and Chad are supposed to visit Abigail’s grave before the big event, where Chad will have a ghostly visit with his late wife. But after that, they will return to the Horton house for the party, which will also feature Doug singing!
Christmas will be sad for another reason this year: The late John Aniston‘s final appearance occurs during the holiday. Days of Our Lives has promised a special tribute that includes flashbacks of his appearances over the years, so be sure to stock up on tissues!
Please scroll down to check out the entire Days of Our Lives spoilers list as we head toward the holidays.
Brady confides in Eric about Kristen’s hold over him.
Shockingly, Eric got Brady to admit the truth even after Stefan’s unwelcome interruption. What will the brothers do now that they both know?
Further spoilers say that Eric has a surprising suggestion. Could he involve Sloan somehow, or is his proposal darker than that?
Brady and Eric scheming will be far more compelling than the brothers fighting over Nicole or another woman, even if Eric comes up with a ridiculous idea.
John tries to get Kristen to confess.
Kristen shouldn’t fall too easily for John’s sudden change of heart about her. Will she try to out-scheme him?
This battle of wits could be interesting, but it’s probably not going to get anywhere.
With Marlena caught in the blast at the church, John will have to take off for the hospital sooner rather than later, most likely as Kristen is about to confess all.
Xander’s recent past comes back to haunt him.
Xander needs to learn that he can’t outrun — or out-scheme — his past.
The latest stunt he and Gwen pulled only dug him into a deeper hole. Sooner or later, everyone will find out that he was behind Bonnie’s kidnapping, which will be the end of his relationship with Sarah. (It should also land him in jail, but this is Salem!)
In the meantime, he’ll be paranoid about getting caught, which is a whole other type of imprisonment he can’t escape.
EJ and Nicole share a fraught moment.
Who didn’t see this coming?
As much as viewers wish that Days of Our Lives would demonstrate that men and women can be friends without sex getting involved, it seldom happens. Nicole and Daniel had a good run once upon a time, but even they got romantic shortly before Daniel’s untimely death.
This time, Nicole and EJ will probably be so relieved to survive the bombing that they’ll kiss. But will they think it means something, or will they attribute it to their near-death experience and try to forget it happened?
Paulina receives a Christmas miracle.
Yay! Paulina’s coming home. There was no need for her to be in jail.
Stepping down as governor was stupid, especially if she was going to get out a mere week later. What’s she going to do with herself now?
In any case, she’ll be able to celebrate with Abe and Chanel. Let the party begin!
Julie is overjoyed when Eli comes home for the holidays!
It’s too bad Eli can’t return to Salem permanently. He’s a more level-headed and ethical cop than anyone else, and Rafe could use his friendship right now.
But since Lamon Archey isn’t available for a full-time return, we’ll take what we can get!
Eli’s bringing his adorable twins with him for a Christmas visit, and spoilers say he and Chad will bond over being single fathers. These should be some heartwarming scenes!
Jennifer returns to Salem to hang her ornament with the rest of the Hortons.
Is Jennifer magically healed from her pain pill addiction? Last we heard, she was watching the kids in New York, so that storyline might have been forgotten.
If there’s any time family should return, it’s Christmas. Jennifer’s return makes sense, even if it wouldn’t work this way in real life.
Before leaving town, Jennifer ran over Gwen while high. Gwen forgave her for it but is now involved in this silly Xander scheme. What will happen between Jennifer and Gwen now that they’re both in Salem again?
Victor makes his final appearance.
Coincidentally, John Aniston’s final appearance as Victor occurs during Christmas.
From the spoiler clip, it seems his mind was as sharp as ever, which makes the loss of this outstanding actor and character twice as sad.
Days of Our Lives will offer a tribute to Victor on December 26, including flashbacks from Aniston’s 37 years on the soap. But first, Victor will get one last dig in, this time expressing his annoyance at Leo in his traditionally snarky fashion.
Are you looking forward to this year’s Salem Christmas? Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know!
If you’d like to chat about already-aired episodes of Days of Our Lives, check out the latest Days of Our Lives reviews and Days of Our Lives Round Table discussions.
Days of Our Lives streams exclusively on Peacock. New episodes drop on weekdays at 6 AM EST / PST.
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Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.
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