As Taylor and Ridge Celebrate the Holidays, Brooke Vows to Win Him Back By Next Christmas!
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Holiday or not, Ridge is not about to put on a happy face. Instead, he grouses to Eric that Brooke sided with Hope and stole the company out from under the Forrester clan. Slowly, guests begin to arrive — first Taylor, then Zende — and talk turns to secret Santa gifts and the fact that Pam brought five different casseroles. Steffy and Finn enter to tell everyone the kids are emailing Santa their last-minute gift requests. (Apparently not invited? RJ, who isn’t even mentioned!)
Taylor reaches into the Forrester Christmas tree and magically extracts a box. She presents it to Ridge, saying she’s his Secret Santa. (Do you not understand how this works, woman?) She presents him with the pen she gave him on their first Christmas together, adding that he wrote her many romantic notes with it… and maybe he’ll be inspired to do so again!
At Brooke’s place, the holidays are anything but happy as she sadly talks to Katie about her woes with Ridge. Brooke wishes she could have explained to Ridge that she only accepted Carter’s offer of the CEO position in order to return the company back to the Forrester. Brooke then says “the last thing” she expected was that in the wake of her perceived betrayal, Ridge would “turn immediately to Taylor.” (Yes, if only there were some past evidence to indicate this is exactly what would happen… )
Bridget arrives, having flown in from Vienna. As she’s getting caught up on the latest gossip, Hope and Carter arrive. Hope apologies the fact that her mom’s relationship got caught up in the coup-related drama. Carter helps break up the tension by breaking out bottles of booze and asking Hope to join him in a taste test. While that’s going on, Brooke says to Katie she didn’t have a chance to tell Ridge her plan. “But I’m not going to give up on him,” she insists.
Pam presents Donna with not only a secret Santa gift but, knowing Eric’s wife wouldn’t get her anything, something she bought herself “from” Donna! It turns out to be matching pajamas. Pam explains that she and Stephanie always used to buy one another matching PJ’s and, since her sister is no longer with them, she bought them for Donna. Pam reluctantly admits she thinks of Donna as a sister.
Zende admits to Eric and Ridge that it feels weird being at Forrester without them, but Eric says it’s good that he’s there to represent the family. Finn interrupts, hoping they can help convince Taylor to lead everyone in singing the 12 Days of Christmas. “This isn’t the right time to be silly,” Taylor insists, but Ridge disagrees. This is the perfect time, they need a little silly. They can deal with everything else tomorrow, but tonight is for fun.
In a corner of the living room, Hope and Carter canoodle happily. They talk about how crazy it is that they found one another after so many years of knowing one another. “What a wild ride it’s been,” declares Hope. Carter says it’s the first of many holidays they’ll spend together, and they share a kiss… which stuns Bridget, who clearly hasn’t been reading the family newsletter! “This is starting to make a whole lot more sense,” Bridget says of the takeover. Brooke says she believes in miracles, having had many in her life, and that she believes there’s another yet to come.
Steffy and Finn are also canoodling, with her saying how fortunate she is to be married to a wonderful man like him. Across the room, Ridge tells Taylor he doesn’t want to think about the bad stuff. He just wants to be with his family… which is Steffy’s cue to approach, thrilled to see her parents together. “I’ve been saying it for years,” she msues. “You two are so good together.”
As the episode draws to a close, the Logan sisters and Carter are singing “Deck the Halls,” but Brooke sneaks away to send Ridge a text. “Thinking of you and wishing you a Merry Christmas,” it reads, signed with “XO.” At that moment, Steffy is making a toast to the gathered Forresters. “I know grandmother is smiling down on us right now,” she says. “I can really feel her presence in the room, in this house that brought us together for weddings and birthdays and holidays. But it feels as if there’s extra magic in the air. It really brings out the love for one another.” She lists the things she’s grateful for, including hubby Finn and the fact that Taylor is back with them. “There is nothing like the power of Christmas,” she concludes. At that very moment, Ridge gets Brooke’s text. He looks out the window of the Forrester mansion even as Brooke is looking out the window of her home. “I’m going to make this right, Ridge,” she tells herself. “By Christmas next year, we will be together.” She flashes back to last year, when she and Ridge shared a kiss beneath the mistletoe.
Zende makes a quick speech, thanking Pam for her cooking and reminding everyone that the night is about the birth of Jesus. Taylor speaks about how important it is to be kind and compassionate toward others, and how important they all are to one another. Finally, Eric stands, reminding everyone in the room that they are more than a family. “We’re Forresters. And I want us to carry that forward into the new year. This new year is going to be full of promise and challenge. As long as we trust and love one another, there’s nothing we can’t do.”
After kissing Donna, Eric sits at the piano to lead everyone in the traditional singing of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” And that sentiment goes double for all of us here at Soaps.com, who hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season.
