Christmas has officially arrived on The Young and the Restless. However, it might not be such a jolly season for many Genoa City residents. Given the bad things that some characters did in 2025, they might find themselves on the naughty list instead of the nice list.
Key Takeaways
- Victor once again caused drama at home and at work.
- Phyllis proved she’s never going to change.
- Cane is trying to make amends for his actions.
- Traci deserves some much-needed holiday happiness.
Naughty, Naughty, Naughty
Victor (Eric Braeden) finds himself at the top of Santa’s naughty list. The Moustache spent the early part of 2025 trying to break up Claire (Hayley Erin) and Kyle (Michael Mealor). But when his plot failed, he turned his attention to his long-time nemesis, Jack (Peter Bergman).
Victor’s quest to take down Jabot had him doing many terrible things, including stealing Cane’s (Billy Flynn) AI software. Although Victor didn’t use the software, he did hurt Jabot’s reputation by making their shutdown public. While Victor might get his wish of seeing Jabot’s downfall, it’ll cost him something much more precious: his family.
2025 was a rough year for Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) because of her kidnapping ordeal. One would assume the ordeal would’ve made Phyllis humbler, however, the redhead proved there’s no changing her. Between picking fights with Lily (Christel Khalil) and Christine (Lauralee Bell) and stealing Cane’s AI program, Phyllis showed her naughty side in many ways.
Instead of being back on top in the business world, Audra (Zuleyka Silver) suffered a downfall. Her deal with Victor to break up Claire and Kyle failed and resulted in Audra losing funding for Vibrante. But that wasn’t all that she lost. Nate (Sean Dominic) walked away after he learned of Audra and Victor’s scheme. With no job and no boyfriend, Audra’s holiday is looking like it won’t be so jolly.
Oh, So Nice
Traci (Beth Maitland) is Genoa City’s sweetheart. This year, she thought she’d finally found happiness with her fiancé, Alan (Christopher Cousins). But she was doomed for more heartache after it was revealed that Alan was actually his evil twin Martin.
Traci handled her latest heartbreak with strength and grace. As someone who always shows kindness and compassion to others, there’s no doubt that Traci has earned another spot on the nice list.
Speaking of The Abbotts, Billy (Jason Thompson) acted a tad naughty when his reckless behavior almost destroyed Abbott Communications. Luckily, Billy’s girlfriend Sally (Courtney Hope) stuck by his side and gave him a dose of tough love. Thanks to Sally’s support, Billy was able to stop himself from making a huge mistake. To show his gratitude to Sally, Billy might want to get her a special gift for Christmas.
Cane has become Genoa City’s pariah since his return. His charade as Aristotle Dumas left everyone fuming and led to the tragic deaths of Damian (Jermaine Rivers) and Chance (Conner Floyd). Cane feels remorse for his actions and has tried to set things right. He’s seemingly given up his plot to take over Genoa City’s business district and instead is focusing on family.
Cane is trying hard to repair his strained relationships with his kids and his ex-wife, Lily (Christel Khalil), to no avail. While nobody else is willing to give Cane the time of day, it’d be a sweet Christmas present if his family showed him some love.
