Since the holidays are upon us, I figured it'd be fun to go back and look at some of our favorite soap holiday moments from the past... here are my favorites.

All from Days:

I loved the special 2001 Christmas episode where the actors played themselves rather than the characters and they all re-lived moments of Christmas past through TONS and TONS of flashbacks (almost like an anniversary show!) and then hung ornaments on the tree with names of people who died in the twin towers on 9/11. It was a very heartfelt, emotional, sinfully sweet episode with tons of flashbacks to Christmases past... all the way back to the first Christmas in 1965! It was brilliant, and when the episode opened, it even started by showing the ORIGINAL HOURGLASS and the original music and opening dialogue by Macdonald Carey that was used in 1965. It was so sweet.

I also loved the Christmas when John brought baby Belle back to Marlena at St. Luke's church at midnight mass. Billie was at the front of the church, singing "Silent Night," and just as they get to the words "fall on your knees," Marlena turns to see John standing at the back of the church with Belle in his hands. Tears fill Marlena's eyes, she stands up and rushes to Belle as the song continues playing... it was SO dramatic and so wrenching.

I loved Christmas of 1999 whenever Hope was being held captive at the castle overseas, and Princess Gina had taken over Hope's life in Salem. As we saw all of the Hortons hanging their ornaments on the tree, we also saw Hope finding a box of ornaments at the castle and writing the names of all her family members on the ornaments as a way of feeling close to them, because she knew that's exactly what they were doing at that very moment back home. It was so simple, and so tearjerking. I loved it! It even brought a tear to Stefano's eye, who was being held captive with Hope.

Christmas 1994 was also awesome. All of Salem was gathered together at midnight mass inside St. Luke's church as John led everyone in a prayer. As they began singing, we saw Marlena inside her dark bedroom... the bed was shaking all around, and Marlena was terrified, crying out for John on her bed. Suddenly, the rocking of the bed stopped, and Marlena sobbed silently to herself. We go back to the church, and now they're all singing "Silent Night" together. The song continued playing in the background as we fade back to Marlena's bedroom... where she's now sleeping peacefully. Then suddenly, we see her body begin to levitate... she rises stiff straight up into the air, still asleep, as if nothing is happening... and "Silent Night" continued to play. SO CREEPY! So chilling. I loved it.

And finally, this wasn't a "Christmas" episode, but it happened around Christmastime. Kate and Lucas had framed Sami for Franco's murder, but Sami wasn't about to go down without a fight, so she barges into the Kiriakis mansion -- the ORIGINAL Kiriakis Mansion, the one that actually looked rich -- which was decked to the nines with bold, gorgeous Christmas decor, then she whips out the gun and starts shooting up the place, threatening to kill Kate and Lucas both on the spot if they didn't confess to their crimes. I loved it! Reminded me of the time that Kate almost choked Sami to death in the same room... grabbing her by the hair, whipping her around, then proceeding to wrap her hands around Sami's throat and choking her for an ENTIRE EPISODE! LoL It was great, but that's veering off topic.

What are your favorite holiday moments of soapy years gone past?

For me almost every DAYS christmas is a "favorite moment". Just the feeling I get from seeing all the ornaments with the names on them and the Horton House living room and the reading of the Christmas Story at University Hospital. It all is just so nostalgic and warm and real!

The funny thing is, that my own family has the exact same tradition, only slightly different. There are 22 grand kids (including myself) and each of us was given an ornament with our names and date of birth marked on it which were made on all our 1st christmas'...all made by my grandmother (until her death). Every Christmas Eve we all gather together and hang them on the tree, each family at a time. Then we sing christmas carols, get drunk and go to midnight mass.

The only difference in our tradition is that only the grandchildren and now great-grandchildren get ornaments.

Although I will never truly know for sure...somehow I suspect my grandmother was a DAYS fan

ATWT has never had a Christmas episode that I really loved.

But DAYS is always really good about Christmas-y episodes.

Guiding Light

Gus and Harley kiss for Christmas 2004.

I enjoyed the Christmas 2002 episode all around.

I think it was 2001 when the show had written in the whole cast singing. Edmund, Olivia, and Gus were viewed as outsiders during the special episode.

EastEnders always has the best Christmas episodes out of all the soaps I know

1986-Den serves Angie the divorce paper (the best watched episode of EE ever!)

1988-Den and Nick are in prison together

1995-Frank Butcher returns

1999-Terry discovers Irene's affair with Troy (my personal favourite)

2002-Jamie Mitchell dies

2003-Phil and Den have a fight at Angie's Den

2004-Den cancels Christmas

2005-Kat and Alfie leave (good riddance!)

2006-?

One of the best Christmas' ever was Miracles Happen on Port Charles with Kevin/Lucy's surprise wedding, her being reunited with Christina and Chris being temporarily reunited with Julie

1992 - The bracelet/watch scene. John gives Marlena her charm bracelet, with charms that represent the things that are important to her. Her children, her job, her family. And she gives him a gold watch with the inscription To JB. Thanks for giving me time. M. Those scenes to me, show that romance doesn't mean a couple have to be together. They were 100% romantic and not too sappy because they were still dealing with issues after being held captive, and all those feelings bubbling faster and faster under the surface. She spent time with Brady (who'd just lost his birth mother), and let John know that he was still a huge part of her life.

Christmas 1993 - when Belle is returned to Marlena. The whole build up, and Deidre playing that so phenomenally (Marlena was so exhausted, she felt so guilty and was in so much pain, she juggled that perfectly)... then that moment when Billie starts singing and you see Marlena just so gone. Then the hand on the shoulder from Tony, and almost slow motion to seeing John holding her (their) daughter... amazing performances from Deidre, Wayne and Drake in that scene... It also showed so much what John is to Marlena. He's the guy who after a stormy affair, a painful breakup, being threatened away from the woman and children he loves by their husband/father would still go to the ends of the earth for her the same way she would him.

Christmas 2000, or as I like to call it, ANGSTMAS. Heckuva lot of angst in that one. Another year that DH was robbed of the Emmy. Marlena was dealing with all the pain, the lies and the manipulation from Brady... John comes up behind her and kisses her, and she actually has hope. Then all the bad stuff comes back, and she has to go to Bo and Hope's wedding. Having to see John in pain, dealing with Bo and Hope (both lying to each other) playing happy family with his son, being ripped to shreds by Bo for something she didn't do, and then that moment where you realize just how far Marlena's fallen and how hurt she is, which is in the car on the way home to an empty hotel room (having been forced out of her own house) when she says; "Now I know what people mean when they say they need a drink."

I absolutely loved that Christmas episode on Passions where Luis and Sheridan said I love you. Absolutely loved that!

AMC usually always has a great Christmas episode. The best recent Christmas would be when Erica brought Miranda to Bianca...bringing Bianca out of her coma.

DOOL Christmas 2002:

The Dimera christmas was one of the best scenes in the last few years. Tony, Cassie and Rex being a family. Bart getting a christmas-bonus. Cassie and Rex should have been Tony's kids instead of KAMAN's kids

GH Christmas 2003:

The Return Of Stavros. I loved this return. Stavros in the role of Jacob Marley and Luke as Scrooge. Robert Kelker-Kelly and Anthony Geary always had great hate-chemistry

Christmas 86...Kayla sees Steve acting as Patchyclaus on the pier. Steve gives her Kayla mother's necklace (which held great sentimental value for Steve, and was also, probably the only valuable thing he owned). Kayla gives him a cookbook (an "open invitation" to cook dinner at her place), with the lyrics of "The Rose" written inside the cover. Steve's face when he read that was just....sigh. Beautiful. Kayla melted too. This was a major step for them...they had only just begun

Christmas 89 Steve had kidnapped Kayla , and taken her to a lighthouse, to protect her from Victor. Victor had threatened to kidnap Kayla, because he was desperate to find the key to Loretta's diary, and believed that Steve knew where it is. Kayla didn't like being away from her family on the holidays; she escapes the lighthouse and disguises herself as Santa. Kayla is able to see her family. Steve finds her on the docks, then takes her back to the lighthouse, where they share some 'magical' moments The whole show was really special too, with all the different friends/families looking out the window at the end. Victor's line "snow....terrific" was classic. I have a clip of the S&K stuff as well as the end w/ all the characters): http://www.nicholsevansfans.com/albums/ste...lips/xmas89.wmv

I know the DAYS fans will kill me but I loved Bonnie's first christmas with the Horton's. Her having that huge christmas ornament and then the whole tree falling over was hilarious.

I know the DAYS fans will kill me but I loved Bonnie's first christmas with the Horton's. Her having that huge christmas ornament and then the whole tree falling over was hilarious.

LoL, I actually loved Bonnie's white trash Christmas tree lot filled with trees that were illegally cut down And who can forget her Mrs. Claus outfit?! It was boobtacular.

Y&R Christmas when Joan Van Ark was Gloria...ROCKED.

GH - Stone's early Christmas right before he died, complete with Mannheim Steamroller music

DAYS - Steve is caring for a post-car-crash, presumed-dead Nick Corelli, whom he doesn't recogonize because Nick's face is bandaged, scarred, he's wearing a hood and he's either quiet or speaks in a whisper. Steve puts on a Santa suit to play Santa for the needy kids, which gets Nick laughing so hard he almost chokes. Later, Eve Donovan sings a Christmas carol, which I think Nick hears. Meanwhile, Steve sees Nick's i.d. and realizes who he is. (Years earlier Steve had cared for another bandaged-up mystery man at Christmas who was later revealed to be Roman in the appearance of Drake Hogestyn.)

GL - Edmund singing and playing the piano as several other characters gather around him and they sing "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."