I always loved watching Jerry ver Dorn say those words on Guiding Light, in the good old days.

OMG - everyone who thinks Amelia Heinle was HIDEOUS hair on Y&R take a look here guys… It's mind blowing. LOL!

ROTFL! I thought the same thing!

Did newer soaps (PASSIONS, SUNSET BEACH, etc.) ever acknowledge the Holiday season this way?

I can't remember OLTL ever doing that lovely AMC Christmas montage thing in the 2000s - ever. I always loved that, when they'd do the family scenes or even just the long credit run with music. I used to pray they'd do it in Llanview each year, and to my knowledge, though it's foggy at this point, they never did. It grew increasingly incongruous too, the way they'd use peppy Christmas songs - often modern holiday pop stuff - over the long credits after another dismal episode of another grim year in the Higley days, or when Mitch was back in the RC era or whatever. I wish they'd done it more often.

My first thoughts also went to Douglass Watson. He did for many years. I might be wrong but i think he also did it at Thanksgiving too.

I think it's called "breaking the fourth wall." I don't think One Life to Live or GH ever did it.

I think Mcdonald Carrey from Days did it occasionally but i'm not sure. It could have been Francis Reed or both.

Suzanne Rogers did it this year - forward to 4:00:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1JUNfyvK-o

Yes, Suzanne Rogers' moment was great.

Did newer soaps (PASSIONS, SUNSET BEACH, etc.) ever acknowledge the Holiday season this way?

No. Not on Sunset Beach, anyway. I guess it's something associated with tradition, so may be not something newer soaps would adopt.

It's a very American thing, international soaps don't do this type of stuff (well, not the UK or Oz soaps - the latter not airing of course).

That being said, don't the UK soaps have special episodes specifically for Christmas? What are they like?

We have episodes that air on Christmas Day, but they aren't special in the aspect of producing something different. They are used to big up the climax to a major story, set something on fire, kill off a major character, etc. So, nothing that doesn't happen throughout the year. It's all a ratings game these days. In years past, the Christmas Day episodes would be awesome, b/c they would contain something that hasn't happened for a while, some would be filled with warmth and a celebratory feel, but these days big stunts and shock twists happen every other week, and have now been over taken by misery. They've lost their "special" aspect, to point where they are just another regular episode.

FYI: Hollyoaks is the only soap that doesn't air on Christmas Day or New Year's Day. Some years it also doesn't air on Christmas Eve or NYE.