"Pre-Christmas festivities took place all over Pine Valley. From the Dillon home, to Wildwind, to the Martin house, seemingly everyone was enjoying the holiday spirit---well, almost everyone. Amanda peered out the front window hoping to see a sign of the little dog that had alerted her to the fire raging in the basement. Tim explained that the dog had probably been frightened off by the smoke. Amanda informed her brother that the dog couldn't have been frightened because the dog had gotten into the house and warned her about the fire. Janet entered the room and tried her best to put a positive spin on the situation---but it did little good. Trevor returned home from some last minute shopping and found his family down in the dumps. One of the purposes of Trevor's shopping trip was to locate a "Harold ornament" for the tree. As hard as he look, he couldn't find an ornament that shared any resemblance to the late family pet. Janet had similar luck and while Tim found a dog ornament, it looked nothing like Harold. The doorbell rang and Amanda's ears perked up. Unfortunately, the pup had not returned. A solemn Derek entered the house to follow up on an urgent call placed earlier in the night by Amanda. Trevor was somewhat embarrassed when Derek explained that Amanda had asked him to put out an APB on the missing dog. Derek assured Trevor that it was okay because things were slow down at the station. Derek had nothing to report and told Amanda that the police were on the lookout for the dog. Amanda decided that there was only one way to get the dog, which she'd named Smokey, back to their home: an urgent Email to Santa Claus. Amanda was certain that Santa could deliver Smokey under the Christmas tree. She rattled off a quick electronic message and zapped it off to the North Pole. With a slight smile, Tim reminded Amanda that she didn't like "Smokey." Amanda shook her head and called Smokey a hero. In the background, Trevor and Janet exchanged content smiles. Suddenly, a distinct bark and faint scratching sounded from outside. Amanda and Tim both scurried to the door and found Smokey waiting outside the door. They let the little dog into the house and the dog was instantly showered with love and affection. Mysteriously, a new ornament had appeared on the tree: a wooden carving that look exactly like Harold. Janet looked at a picture of Natalie and smiled broadly.
At Myrtle's, Gillian lit about a dozen candles and scattered them about the room she shared with Ryan. She turned off the lights and awaited her husband's return. Sure enough Ryan did return, but his entrance was not what Gillian had anticipated. In the dark, Ryan stumbled into the room, tripped over a Christmas tree Gillian had set up, and crashed to the floor. Gillian flipped on the lights and rushed to Ryan's side. She began coddling him to make sure that he was okay. Ryan suffered no injuries in the fall, but the incident did further bolster his disdain for Christmas. Gillian was shocked that someone could actually hate Christmas. After hearing Ryan's explanation, however, she understood fully. Ryan explained that nearly every Christmas while he lived at home was marred by his parents getting drunk and fighting. One Christmas in particular stood out in his mind. He had landed a part in a Christmas pageant as a shepherd. Before he could get to the play, he tried to break up a fight between his mother and father. He stepped between his parents and ended up taking a punch dished out by his father. Gillian was heartbroken and apologized for her holiday decoration. Ryan lowered his head and told Gillian that she had done nothing wrong. He picked up a bouquet of mistletoe from the floor and asked Gillian if she knew what it was. Gillian shrugged and said she'd surmised that it was some type of symbol of good luck. Ryan grinned and gave Gillian the true story about the plant after which he held the bouquet over Gillian's head. He then leaned over and gave Gillian a soft, tender, and very passionate kiss.
Another unhappy Christmas camper was little Max. He hadn't been sleeping or eating well since moving to Wildwind. Hayley insisted that the boy was still getting acclimated to his new surroundings, but Mateo didn't think that that was the case. He hinted that his son would never get used to Wildwind as long as he was without his mother. Hayley let out a deep sigh and warned Matt that it would be unwise to revisit the idea of having Raquel move into the castle with them. Matt offered to let Max open one gift early, but the seemingly innocent gesture caused some problems. Max informed his dad that he usually waits until Santa brings the gifts before he opens them. Both Hayley and Mateo closed their eyes as they realized that they had completely forgotten about the Santa Claus aspect of the holiday. Dimitri happened to be hovering near the front entrance when the doorbell rang. He let Raquel into the house and thanked her for coming. It could not be determined if Raquel's visit had been prearranged or if Dimitri or someone else had stepped in at the last moment to make it possible. Max lit up when he saw his mother and begged her not to leave him alone at Wildwind. Hayley told Matt that she had to deliver a few presents to her loved ones. She had hoped that Mateo would go along with her, but Mateo wasn't about to leave. Again the doorbell rang. This time when Dimitri answered the door he received a less than happy surprise. Kit forced a smile and told Dimitri that she wanted to drop off a few gifts for Edmund and the kids. Dimitri was civil, but that was a long way from being nice. Edmund wandered down the steps and invited Kit into his home. She initially rejected the invitation, but Edmund noted that Kit had nowhere else to be and she finally agreed to stay a while. Hayley returned home from her special deliveries and had a present of her own. Seeing Max cuddled up next to Raquel on the sofa prompted her to want to give the boy a pre-Christmas present. She asked the boy how he'd like it if his mommy moved into Wildwind with them.
Stuart and Marian were all decked out in holiday garb---from the antlers on their heads to the red Rudolph noses smack-dab in the middle of their faces. Junior and Dixie were joking around when the boy wondered if they might not have more fun if "Jamie and his dad" were to stop by. Meanwhile at The Martins, Jamie was just about to ask Tad a similar question. Jamie asked if Dixie and Junior might be stopping by. Tad shook his head slightly and told his son not to count on it. Liza paced nervously around the house. She informed Tad that Dr. Clader had promised to call her with the results of the amnio. Tad took his friend's hand and told her that he was confident that everything was going to be fine. Adrian and Belinda arrived at the party, but Belinda wouldn't be sticking around long. Brooke made an announcement inviting everyone to her home for an "open house" on New Year's. Nearly everyone accepted the invite on the spot---except Adrian. He announced that he wasn't sure if he'd still be in town by then. Opal bowed her head and walked across the room. Belinda chased after her and asked her if she was going to be okay. Opal nodded meekly and said that she had hoped that Belinda had been able to talk Adrian out of leaving town. Adrian walked over to the two ladies and asked Belinda if he could have a moment of her time. The young couple strolled across the house and Adrian told Belinda that they had a date at a telephone booth across town. Belinda smiled deviously and wondered if Adrian had some sort of outdoor romance session in store. Adrian returned the grin and told her that someone would be calling her. Adrian's face lit up. She knew that Noah and her mother would be calling. She thanked Adrian for the present and dashed out of the house. The topic of the conversation turned to "Birdzilla," the huge turkey Tad had purchased for Thanksgiving dinner. Phoebe and Myrtle both mused that Tad had to use a chainsaw to carve the turkey because it was frozen even after being in the oven for hours! Joe offered to make dinner for everyone, but again the chainsaw worked its way back into the conversation. The front door swung open and Ruth (the role has now been reprised by Mary Fickett, the original Ruth Martin) appeared in the doorway, her finger waving in the air. "Not in my kitchen," she barked. Everyone rushed the door to give Ruth a hug. Ruth told everyone that she missed them dearly and that after a few more weeks in Mexico, she'd be back in Pine Valley to stay.
Back at the gatehouse, Dixie and Braden were engaged in some holiday chatter when "Scrooge" arrived. Adam puckered his lips upon hearing Dixie's new name for him. He took one look at the foam antlers on her head and fired back with a zinger of his own. "Better lose the antlers before Rudolph answers your mating call," he chuckled. Adam cast a frigid glance in Braden's direction prompting Braden to make the observation that Adam must not like him. Adam claimed that Braden was "right up there with fruit cake and figgy pudding" on his list of likes. He then whispered to Dixie that her new boyfriend was actually making him "long for Tad Martin." Braden left the room to escape the tongue-lashing. Adam told Dixie that he'd bought Junior a telescope for Christmas-and he hoped that that was a smart buy. Dixie smiled and told her former husband that Junior loved everything he bought for him. Dixie asked Adam why he'd spent the previous night away from Chandler Mansion. Adam explained that he'd stayed with Liza because she had to remain immobile for twenty-four hours. Dixie was somewhat surprised by the way Adam and Liza were getting close again. Dixie answered a knock on the door and, speak-of-the-devil, found looking back at her from the outside. "Ho!" Dixie bellowed. She followed it up quickly with two additional "hoes." Liza wandered over to Braden and looked him up from tip to bottom. She had heard Tad speak of Braden, but this was the first time that she'd see him face to face. Liza's cell phone began to chirp. She knew that Dr. Clader was probably calling her, but she was too nervous to answer the phone. She ultimately did answered the phone. When she received the doctor's news, she fell into Adam's arms and began sobbing. After several minutes of crying, Liza looked up and told Adam that the test showed that her baby was fine. Marian return and was briefed on the good news. She sensed that Liza was holding back on something---and sure enough she was. The doctor had also informed Liza that her baby was going to be a girl.
Outside, Dixie looked up at the stars and looked for "the Christmas star," the same star she had wished upon several years earlier for Tad to come back to her. Now, she was about to ask the star for yet another favor. This time Dixie wanted to have her heart problem completely cured so that she and Tad could get back together. Across town, Tad was outside on his parents' porch also wishing on the star---and also hoping that somehow he and Dixie might find their way back to one another."
- Soap Central