Heartstrings were properly tugged in the Wednesday, February 21 episode of Days of our Lives. Family and friends joined Doug, Julie, and Maggie as they sifted through the charred remnants of the Horton house. Last week, a mysterious henchman burned the iconic home down. This week, it was clear that a fire wasn’t about to stop the Horton legacy from continuing. Especially when a Christmas-related miracle lifted everyone’s spirits.
Legacy of Love
Leo Stark (Greg Rikaart) plus newer viewers received a Horton History 101 lesson. Two types of flashbacks helped tell the story. A newly recreated series of them featured a young Tom (Zach Chyz) and Alice (Sydney K. Smith) in various stages of their legendary love story. Ultimately, it led to Tom buying and surprising Alice with the home that would become the center of the Salem universe for decades.
The other set of flashbacks focused on the characters who, in the present, sifted through the ashes of the devastating fire. Joining Doug (the late Bill Hayes), Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes), and Maggie (Suzanne Rogers) were friends and family. They included John (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena (Deidre Hall) as well as Roman (Josh Taylor), Kate (Lauren Koslow), and Lucas (Bryan Dattilo). Together they reminisced about everything from Julie talking to Alice about how much of a troublemaker she used to be; to Lucas calling Alice “grandma”; to the first time Marlena stepped foot in the Horton house.
Perhaps the most emotional memory had to do with Doug and Julie singing Tom (Macdonald Carey) and Alice’s (Frances Reid) theme song, Irving Berlin’s “I’ll Be Loving You Always.” The touching moment started in the present and then continued in the flashback. Also, the entire episode ended with a dedication to the late great Bill Hayes, who played Doug Williams for over 50 years. Hayes, who was married to co-star Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie Horton), died last month at the age of 98.
A True Horton Christmas Miracle
In addition to the flashbacks and the tear-inducing montage at the end of the episode, there were a couple heartwarming discoveries. While the sofa was totally destroyed, they found Tom and Alice’s iconic chair and it was pristine, in good condition.
Later, John and Marlena brought up boxes that contained a Christmas miracle. In the basement, they found the ornaments at the heart of the Hortons most famous family tradition. Each year, they place those Christmas ornaments that feature each family member’s name on it — up on the Christmas tree. All of them were safe and sound and in one piece…from the very first five ornaments ever created, to the latest, belonging to Sarah (Linsey Godfrey) and Xander’s (Paul Telfer) daughter, Victoria.
The Future of the Hortons
So what does this mean for the future of the Horton family in Salem? After all, they’re a group with roots going back to the beginning of DAYS. Chanel’s Sweet Bits Bakery has even featured Alice’s doughnuts (the ones made with love as a main ingredient). However, these days they are a family whose numbers have dwindled in Salem.
Does this magical trip down Memory Lane mean DAYS is about to renew its focus on the Hortons? Maybe it’s time to populate the town with Hortons near and far once again.
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