Episode#280: Christmas Eve

-Many days have passed since the chaos at St.Luke’s, and all of Salem is preparing for Christmas Eve. The Hortons are all at the Horton House starting the traditional Ornament Hanging, many of Marlena’s children/step-children are gathered at Chez Rouge to honor her memory, and others are going to Midnight Mass…which is outside due to Elvis’s explosion inside St.Luke’s.

-Down in the Secret Room, Nicole and Jan are having a very lonely Christmas Eve. Jan continues to express how she wants to get back to Lucas and is going to kill Greta, and Nicole tells her she knows, she knows. Nicole snaps that she has people to get back to, Nicole has no one. Jan tells Nicole that’s because she’s a cold hearted bitch, and her mother is at least still alive. Nicole argues that after her little scheme, she wouldn’t be surprised if Faye and Brandon don’t even care where she ran off to. Nicole says she might as well just stay in here, all of Salem probably reviles her.

-At Chez Rouge, Carrie, Belle, Eric, Rex, and Cassie are all there…as they talk Belle comments that it was nice for Maggie to let them have the place to themselves in honor of Marlena’s memory. Carrie agrees and says that she just hopes they can have a good time, because they are family. Rex agrees, and Belle whispers that she hopes Eric is alright, and he’s been so quiet since Marlena’s death. Everyone however turns when Sami enters!

-At the Horton House, Maggie, Laura, Mike, Jeremy, Nick, Abby, Lucas, Will, Pamela, Addie, Destiny, Abe, and Robin are all there, starting the ornament hanging. Maggie says how she wishes Julie and Hope could be here, but she is still glad that Bo let her pick up Pamela and Addie. As the Hortons converse, Jeremy avoids Mike, and Destiny tells Will she has a big Christmas miracle for him!

*Life in Salem Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo2A7rZhZGA *

-Hope and Julie are in their jail cell, and Hope says that this is the first Christmas that she’s spending without her family…right now they’d be at the Horton House if it wasn’t for her stupid moves. Julie comforts her and tells her not to think that, and she tells her that she’s going to make sure they have a good Christmas, even in jail!

-Jan tells Nicole fine, when she gets out, Nicole can just stay in here and rot…she’d have no problem with the person who took her rightful place for almost all of 2008 rot inside her own little dungeon. Jan says to Nicole that she’s so sad, she can never hold onto a man, and is just a pathetic gold digger. Nicole brushes Jan’s comments off, and Jan groans, and tells Nicole that’s all she’s ever going to be: A gold digger. Nicole angrily turns around and tackles Jan!

-Cassie mutters that the murderous herself is here in the flesh, and Carrie elbows her in the stomach. Sami nervously approaches everyone and greets them, and much to Sami’s surprise, Carrie hugs her! Sami hesitantly thanks Carrie, and Eric just stays away from most of them, while Belle does greet her sister. They all soon gather, and Carrie gives a toast to Marlena!

-Back at the Horton House, Destiny excitedly tells Will that she’s got such a big surprise for him. Meanwhile, Maggie pulls out the box of of Ornaments, and tells Abe and Laura that they have a new addition to the ornaments this year. Laura raises an eyebrow and asks who, and Maggie smiles at Abe and pulls out an ornament with his name on it!

-Hope asks how…and Julie tells her to watch, and she walks over to the bars of the jail cell, and yells to the guard that she wants to make a phone call!

-Jan and Nicole get into an intense catfight, each of them pulling on each other’s hair, kicking each other, or slapping each other. They begin to knock things over as they struggle all over the Secret Room, but finally Nicole pushes Jan into the wall and says this is ridiculous! She says she’s attacking someone because of some petty insult, and its Christmas Eve! Jan scowls at Nicole, and Nicole tells her it’s the holidays, just this once they need to get along. Jan thinks for a moment, but soon nods in agreement.

-Everyone toasts to Marlena, and Carrie tells them she’s glad that at least on Christmas Eve, they can band together as a family like this…they begin to eat some dinner, and just tries to have some fun as the children/step-children of Marlena…

-Laura and Abe look in shock at Abe’s new ornament, and Abe laughs and asks why he’s getting an ornament. Maggie tells him because he’s a part of the family now, and she knows he will be for a long time. Maggie leans down and kisses him as Laura smiles, and then the doorbell rings! Destiny claps and says that her surprise for Will, and the entire family, is here! She runs to open it to reveal Will’s lawyer holding…ARIANNA! Will is stunned as he sees what Destiny’s done, and tears begin running down his face as he holds his daughter for the first time in weeks! Destiny tells Will that she was able to convince child services see his daughter at least for Christmas, and Will is so happy that he kisses Destiny, as the entire family gathers around to see Arianna…

-Later in the evening, it is finally time to hang the ornaments, The Hortons all sit in the living room, and suddenly the phone rings, and Maggie answers it to hear JULIE! She gasps in shock and asks Julie how she was able to make a phone call, and she says she was able to convince the guard to let her and Hope all the Horton House…the family wishes them a Merry Christmas, and Hope finally gets to speak to her daughters! Afterwards, they all hang the ornaments like tradition, and Maggie hangs Abe’s as Will and Destiny hang Arianna’s, which they made themselves, and they also hang Bentley’s, as well as all the others, and the strong family spends a wonderful Christmas Eve together…