Days of Our Lives Round Table: Whose Ornaments Were Missing?

Abigail divorced Stefan, Chad found out Charlotte was his daughter, Gabi got caught and Salem celebrated the Christmas holiday on Days of Our Lives.

Our TV Fanatics, Jack Ori and Christine Orlando, are joined by Sportsgirl from MyHourglass a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate the missing tree ornaments, if Abigail should forgive Chad, Jennifer playing the blame game, and if JJ’s doing the right thing by hiding Haley’s secret.

There were several Christmas ornaments missing this year? Whose did you miss most?

Jack: I didn't notice whose was missing because the ornament ceremony itself was so lacking, and I was annoyed that JJ was missing from the party.

Bo and Zack's ornaments were shown in a blink-and-you-miss-it moment and Ciara should have hung her father's. There should have been an ornament made for Charlotte and for Holly. Giving of new ornaments is the best part and the only one we got was in memory of David Abraham.

Sportsgirl: It was such a short rushed episode, but I think I missed Bo. I think I saw Hope & Rafe. I am not even sure I did see Zack also or not. Disappointing for sure.

Christine: If Bo’s and Zack’s were there then I completely missed them. It seemed strange not to see Ciara hang her father’s ornament. Doesn’t Daniel have an ornament and shouldn’t Holly have one?

Fans look forward to this event all year but if you blinked you may have missed it all.

Did Jennifer lose Eric because she lied or because she never really had his heart to begin with?

Jack: She never had his heart. I'm tired of hearing Jennifer blame herself when Eric was a total ass. He told her a billion times that Nicole was his past, then turns around and dumped Jen without a word the second he heard Nicole might still be into him.

Jennifer deserves better, and I won't be surprised if Sarah suffers the same fate should Nicole turn out to be alive.

Sportsgirl: She never really had his heart to begin with. Eric loved her but was not in love with her. He used her delay in telling him the truth as an excuse and left her blaming it on herself.

Christine: Eric clearly never got over Nicole and Jennifer wasn’t much more than a band-aid for that loss. Sarah and Holly are quickly falling into the same category. I’m tired of Jennifer playing the martyr in a romance that never had much romance to begin with.

What kind of punishment does Gabi deserve?

Jack: Mandatory counseling, for one thing. I'm also in favor of house arrest. Confine her to an apartment with Ari so that she can still take care of her daughter but loses the ability to wander around town causing trouble.

She'll have to suffer the humiliation of explaining why Mommy can't go with her to events outside the house. That might be more effective than another prison term, which will just make her more angry and vengeful.

Sportsgirl: Even though it is nice she is in jail right now, what she really needs is counseling to deal with all of the issues she’s had to encounter. She also needs for Kayla to repeat what she told her. Kayla said she may have trouble conceiving a child, not that she could never get pregnant.

Christine: Gabi needed help the moment she was released from prison but never got it. That doesn’t excuse her horrible behavior since, but locking her in prison will only make things worse. Perhaps a judge will give her time served for her prior imprisonment and then mandatory psychological treatment.

If Abigail can walk around free after murdering Andre, then Gabi deserves some leniency too.

Should Abigail forgive Chad for all that’s happened? Why or why not?

Jack: I think Abby needs to make peace for Charlotte's sake but for Chad to reject her and the baby because he couldn't consistently remember that Abby was raped and then act as if Gabi was the one he loved and trusted and Abby was some interloper was beyond hurtful. I don't think Abby should reconcile with him any time soon.

Sportsgirl: Abigail should forgive Chad but not too quickly. What he did was so wrong, so cruel, but in the end, he did it out of love. He could also explain the moving in with Gabi was not because he was falling in love with her. It was for the kids.

Christine: These two need couples counseling asap! Chad believed Gabi’s machinations because he doesn’t trust Abigail, and now Abigail ha no reason to trust Chad. That said, they share two young children and there’s still love between them. I don’t mind them eventually getting back together but they need to work for it.

Is JJ doing the right thing by hiding Haley’s suicide attempt?

Jack: Absolutely not. He's probably violating the law (are EMTs mandatory reporters, like doctors are?) as well as putting Haley's life at more risk. He should at least be involving Marlena.

If Daniel were still alive, he'd have shared this secret with him and even though Daniel's not a psychiatrist, at least someone would be involved who could actually do something.

Sportsgirl: JJ needs to talk with Marlena (not Eric!!) and ask for her advice on this. Suicide is not something to take so lightly.

Christine: No! He’s an EMT hiding someone’s suicide attempt a secret. And not just anyone, but a nurse who took pills at the hospital. This is wrong on so many levels and I don’t believe that Saint Eric is qualified to handle it. JJ will be darn lucky if this doesn’t blow up in his face.

What, if anything, disappointed you the most this week in Salem?

Jack: The lackluster Christmas was incredibly disappointing. Almost no Christmas spirit whatsoever. Abby's rant at Jen upstaged Julie's return from the hospital, which should have been a focal point, and the ornament hanging was treated as the least important part of the show, lasting only a few seconds.

There were no inspirational speeches, either, and the next day we had obnoxious Leo ruining the Christmas story for the kids.

Beyond that, I'm disappointed that now that JJ finally has a story it's written so awfully. This could be a powerful story if written properly.

If JJ's own suicide attempt had been treated seriously instead of being cured off-screen, if Marlena was involved, if this was a vehicle for JJ to realize he's fighting hard to save Haley because he's never dealt with Paige's death and that even though he's put suicide behind him he's still got a ways to go... but no.

It’s a "love story" in which JJ refuses to give a suicidal woman any space and she continually tells him to leave her alone then accepts a date with him for no apparent reason.

And JJ should have been informed of Abby's situation, not left to overhear it from Lani of all people.

Sportsgirl: The whole Horton Christmas Tree scene was so disappointing. I miss the old day where most of the episode was spent on this. Most of the characters were there to hang the appropriate balls on the tree.

Christine: Julie’s homecoming should have been the focus of Christmas. I miss the days when the ornaments took up the entire episode and there were touching moments and flashback scenes.

Then Leo ruined the reading of the Christmas story at the hospital on Christmas day. Overall, it was a very disappointing holiday.

What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline this week on Days of Our Lives?

Jack: All things Julie this week. I loved her coming home, her remembering what happened in Gabi's room, and her advice to Jennifer.

Sportsgirl: As a Broe fan, I am enjoying the friendship between Brady & Chloe, especially the New Years Eve kiss. I am hoping they put these two back together. The double bonus, if Chloe gets custody of Holly then Brady can be like a father to her & drive Eric nuts! BWAH!

Christine: I’m really enjoying Chloe being the calm, rational voice who is in control during this silly custody story. I love seeing her as the strong, independent woman we all know she is.

I also liked how honest Justin was with Eric. The man really needs to move on and get a life!

Need to chat more about the happenings in Salem? Then check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives review right here at TV Fanatic.