Suzanne Rogers Previews DAYS Christmas Tradition (Exclusive)

For decades, the Horton family and friends, which includes Suzanne Rogers and her character Maggie, have gathered to hang treasured ornaments on the family Christmas tree on Days of our Lives. Soap Hub chatted with Rogers about this year’s episode, which drops tomorrow on Peacock.

Suzanne Rogers: A Merry Horton Christmas

Maggie moved forward with her life after her beloved Mickey (John Clarke) passed away by marrying Victor (John Aniston). However, she’s always remained a member of the Horton clan, as evidenced by her presence at Tom and Alice’s home on Christmas Eve for the family gathering. This year is no exception.

“It was nostalgic,” Rogers tells Soap Hub of getting together earlier this year to shoot the Horton family gathering, where ornaments that display the names of past and present loved ones are brought out. “You see the names of people who are no longer with us. It brings back a lot of memories. In real life, you may look at pictures, but on DAYS, we reflect by looking at the ornaments with names on them — and through pictures.”

The show established a while ago that although Maggie may have a new last name, she’ll always be considered a Horton. “That was a question in my mind,” Rogers says about Maggie still having a place in Salem’s first family. “It would be so easy for that to happen. I’m glad that The Powers That Be keep me viable!”

Earlier this year, Rogers celebrated 50 years as Maggie Simmons Horton Kiriakis on DAYS. (Check out what she had to say about that here.) One reason that the Hortons are so dear to Maggie is that they were, in a way, her first family, as Maggie’s parents had died when she was so young. “She didn’t have a family,” Rogers points out. “Yes, she gained another family [when she married Victor], but she didn’t want to lose her first family. The Hortons stuck by Maggie throughout [her travails]. They mean a lot to Maggie. They always will.”

Some soaps tape holiday episodes in November, but because of DAYS’ production schedule, the Peacock series shoots Christmas episodes sometimes six months earlier. “In my mind, I just say I’m celebrating it twice,” Rogers says with a smile. “I love Christmas.”