Soap Christmas memories

[BKuzak]

One of the things i look forward to at Christmas every year is my soap Christmas episodes. I remember on All My Children when Natalie's ghost came to her son Timmy. and all the happy One Life to Live Christmases with the Buchanan's. and of course Alice Horton from Days and her ornaments. and the General Hospital Christmas parties when Steve Hardy and then Alan Quartermaine read the christmas story. I even saw a few Guiding Light Christmases.

Does anybody remember when CBS used to rerun old episodes of Young and Restless and Bold and Beautiful Christmases. They did like 10 years into the past so like in 2000, they would run the 1990 christmas episode. They did it for several years. I don't think they still do it.

What are your favorite Christmas memories from all the decades of soaps.

[Bright Eyes]

Max and Stacey's affair revealed!

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[SeanM]

I always loved Christmas in Santa Barbara. Something magical happend, most of the time with Mason/Julia or Eden / Cruz.

Y&R had great Christmases too. And on GH we had the whole cast at GH for the Hospital Christmas Party. All that does not exist anymore.

I just wish Ron could pause his plots for a few episodes to have some real Holiday shows.

[NothinButAttitude]

Christmas makes me miss the P&G soaps [ATWT, AW, and GL] the most. When done correctly, no one could touch these three soaps during the holidays. IDK why but with P&G soaps and holidays, there was always some warmth with them that I didn't get from the other soaps.

The 2000 X-Mas episode of ATWT will always stick out to me because it was one of the best and final X-Mas episodes that soaps produced. Seeing all the generations of Hughes at one table was heart-warming. It would've been slightly better had they brought back Don too, but they brought back Penny, which was enough. We also saw the return of Lyla which was good and necessary. I just wish she stuck around a bit longer to kick Katie and Craig back into shape.

[slick jones]

My favorite Xmas soap memories include:

Jo singing on SfT, even if it sounds hokey.

Linc and Kelly and Chuck returning to see Phoebe every year.

The Christmas story and parade through the hospital on GH [Dan Rooney and Steve Hardy...later Tony Jones and Alan Quartermaine]

Hanging the ornaments with the Hortons.

Santa Barbara's holiday miracles.

Nick on Guiding Light saving the day.

Another World's Cory Christmas...[Mac's Annual toasts:{]

Llanfair and La Boulaie Christmas.

The Hughes and Walsh family traditions...as well as the Snyder's[the Hubbard Squash on Turkey Day].

Y&R Christmas at the Abbotts and Newman's [before they did and re-did It's A Wonderful Life].

Ryan's Bar singing carols.

The Alden's and Rescotts.

Christmas at the Whitney Mansion.

ABC's annual Christmas Crawls at the ends of the episodes which respected all contract actors, former contract actors and principal recurrings from the year.

[P.J.]

Yeah, I always thought ATWT/GL did the best holiday episodes. You could always count on them to make an effort to connect family at those times, even if they were strained affairs because of whatever was going on, story-wise.

I loved St.Nick's visits to GL. I don't remember specific details so well, except the Christmas when Maureen befriended Roger, and the one where Mallet stood up (or walked, or felt his legs). There was just always a warm family vibe. And then for years they ran the credits over shots of the entire cast and crew gathered and singing (I think).

I loved ATWT at holiday time too. I loved the Snyder traditions in Emma's kitchen (HUBBARD SQUASH! Snyder Cider!) and Hughes clan gatherings in their heyday. I've even grown fond of the Dollhouse Christmas episode I pretty much loathed when it first aired.

[soapfan770]

In spite of the sometimes inane storytelling throughout the year, somehow Days always offered the best Christmas episodes--RoJohn and Marlena's wedding, Jack plummeting down the chimney chute dressed as Santa to propose to Jennifer, "Brady's" bracelet to Marlena, Marlena being reunited with Belle with Billie singing, Christmas in an Aremid jail, Christmas honoring 9/11 firefighters, Bonnie's toppling orament, Hope forgiving Chelsea as they hung Zack's orament together, Chloe's ornament shattering etc. The list could go on.

The best B&B Christmas memory I have is James bringing baby Mary to see Sheila on Christmas for the first time since her suicide attempt while the Forresters celebrated the return of Eric and Lauren being alive and well.

GL's Christmas 1993 and 1997 still stand out to me with Holly finding Roger still alive in her basement in the former with the latter stuck between the Lewis search for a new home, Buzz's amnesia and unrest at the Bauer's. Christmas 1992 and 1995 are also up there. The Christmas 1987 ep I've seen was too sappy as it surrounded Johnny Bauer's cancer story, the only parts I recall actually liking was where the Alan&Reva scenes.

Nothing fits the mood better than the Christmas Eve 1992 ep of ATWT(not Andy and Courtney's wedding!) but I did enjoy the '83, '85 and '86 Christmas eps I've seen before. Worst had to be either 2003 or 2007, the latter of which I believe made the DVD set with that dollhouse tale.

Of course nothing matches Brad in a cage calling Traci on Christmas Eve("Was IT worth it Brad?!") on Y&R, but Gina's reunion with Rex at church coupled with Nina's threat Jill the year before matches it. Of course the Newman's calling Nick in jail on Christmas was memorable too, as was Jill's decision to abandon her plans with John Silva to see Billy.

[BKuzak]

I forgot about Mac Cory. I have a few of those from the 80's on video tape from a Mac and Rachel thing someone was selling. Those Christmases were fun to watch with Mac and Ada. I love how he looked right into the camera to wish everyone well. I think only Days of our lives does that now. Last year it was Maggie.

I don't know why GH doesn't do the Christmas story anymore. Days of our lives started probably around the same time GH started and they are still doing it. On days it's a much smaller thing but it's still someone reading the christmas story and sometimes there's a santa around and they all end up singing. They could have easily had Patrick Drake take over where Alan left off. or even Monica. Sad that a tradition that lasted over two decades had to end after killing off Alan because some writer decided it wasn't worth the trouble.

[All My Shadows]

AMC's 2003 Christmas episode was possibly the high point of McT's final stint, IMO. It was a great, classic AMC holiday episode.

[ellabelle]

What, AMS, you didn't love Father Clarence, the Angel of Death, killing off Kathy's parents so Tad could get his daughter back?

[BKuzak]

Of course my favorite christmas memories are One Life to Live in Llanfair. Back in the 1990's, they also went to church and sometimes there was a church show with all the little kids. Jessica did it one year. For many years Viki had parties at Llanfair and invited the family over. happy times.

[YRBB]

That is a really good one. It's usually the first one to come to mind. (I always try to block Christine getting gifts. It's too painful).

Another standout for me is Christmas 1999: Mac had just argued with Raul and was in a bad mood. She returned downstairs and Brock was there but they didn't say a word. They just decorated the Christmas tree together in silence. So touching. Followed by Cassie asking to call Alice and Millie, during which call she thanked them for giving her family back. Clatterbuck and Mercer killed me in that scene.

Of course, there's a lot more to mention. Cole and Victoria talking about Eve. Or Victor's reaction (by then, a rare moment of tenderness) when an estranged Victoria unexpectedly visited and the whole family was under one roof. Gah! I'm gonna cry.

What I really loved on Y&R and B&B is that, for that one episode, characters would often make an act of kindness. It was sometimes a little cheesy but always got me. I should rewatch all of these soon. In fact, this thread reminded me of my plan to celebrate Christmas Eve or Christmas Day with a Y&R Christmas episode marathon. It sounds so perfect to me.

[DeeeDee]

What made that scene awesome was the liberal use of silence (except for background Christmas music) leaving the scene to be carried solely on AshBash's & Beau Kayser's fantastic chemistry.

The Sharon/Cassie/Alice/Millie scene was second only to the previous Christmas when Cassie & Sharon bid a heartfelt goodbye to Nick Scotti's (who was leaving the show) Tony with a big hug (Cassie) & a kiss (Sharon).

[BKuzak]

I wonder why Y&R Katherine wasn't in too many of the last Christmases. I have them going back to at least 2003 and i think she was only in one or two of them. It's sad because even Days ALice was in almost every one of her final few years. they just propped her up in a chair and she'd say something at the very end. Jeanne wasn't that bad physcially until maybe the last year. Maybe she went away for Christmas or something.

I liked the one where everyone (includding her) had thought she was Marge for months and she was with Murphy and ended up falling on ice or something. Then Murphy brought her back to his trailer so she could take a nap and she dreamed of Philip Jr., Rex and Jill all saying "Oh Katherine!" from back in the 80's. Then she woke up and declared "I'm Katherine Chancellor!" Of course we know it took quite a long while later for everyone to beleive she was Katherine again.

[SFK]

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