What happened on Days of Our Lives today? Recap for December 26, 2025

The December 26, 2025, episode of Days of Our Lives had emotional family reunions and big changes in legal fights. The Horton family traditions and the ongoing issues with Chad Dimera's children were the main focus of the day. JJ Deveraux went back to Salem to help his family, and he made it clear to Chad that he was not involved in the custody fight. At the same time, Xander Cook tried to patch things up with Maggie Kiriakis by giving her a meaningful gift in honor of the late Victor Kiriakis. 

In tonight's episode, the action took place at the Horton house because many family members got together for the yearly tree-trimming ceremony. Things got really bad between Chad and his in-laws, Jack and Jennifer, when the custody issue came up. Sarah and Brady ran into each other in the town square, which was in a different part of town. They were thinking about how hard their current relationships were with their ex-partners.

Days of Our Lives: Everything to know about what happened in the episode (December 26, 2025)

JJ and Chad Reconnect at the Hospital

JJ went to the hospital to see Chad and clear the air at the start of the episode. JJ said that he had just arrived in the city by plane so that he could go with Jack and Jennifer. He told Chad that the kids were on their way back with their grandparents. JJ wanted to make sure that Chad didn't hate him. He clearly said he was only going with them to protect the kids and that he didn't care who won the custody battle. Chad agreed with this reason, but JJ said that he was worried that Theo might still be angry with him. Before the bigger family get-together in the afternoon, this interaction made the two men feel like they could trust each other.

Xander’s Emotional Peace Offering to Maggie

Maggie and Sarah talked about the holiday plans and the drama with Xander at the Kiriakis mansion. Xander got to see Maggie after Sarah went to the square. He brought a big, wrapped present, and at first, Maggie was very suspicious of it. She told Xander that the only reason she put up with him was because of work. Xander didn't care that she wasn't happy to see him and told her to open the gift. The old, ruined picture of Victor Kiriakis was replaced with a new one. Maggie's willpower was broken by this kind thing. She was very emotional and thanked him crying. In this rare moment of connection and forgiveness, Maggie disclosed that Victor really loved Xander, and Xander forgave him.

A mistletoe moment for Brady and Sarah

Sarah ran into Brady when she was pushing Victoria's stroller in the town square. The two of them spent time catching up on their family problems. Brady said that Kristen was trying to be better for Rachel, and Sarah agreed that Xander was doing the same for Victoria. Their exes had been making things a little easier lately, and that was a fact they both agreed on. As they were about to leave to go to their holiday parties, they saw that they were right under a lot of mistletoe. According to Salem's unofficial "law," the two kissed at Christmas. As co-parents and friends during the holidays, they went through a lot together, and this moment showed how their relationship was growing.

The Horton Family Tradition Begins

In the next scene, Julie and Jeremy are at the Horton house, where they are trying to organize the Christmas decorations. Julie was very careful about where each piece of family history was put. Hope called the family from Hawaii during the Christmas preparations to wish them a Merry Christmas. Jack and Jennifer showed up with the kids not long after. Chad and JJ closely followed them. The reunion was very emotional — Charlotte and Thomas both ran to Chad and hugged him. JJ and Jeremy made the choice to let the adults have some space to talk. They took Julie and the kids to another room to play video games. This left Jack, Jennifer, and Chad alone to talk about the important issue they were all thinking about.

Negotiation Instead of Litigation

Jack and Jennifer tried to explain what they had been doing with the kids lately. After Chad went missing, they said they were very worried about the kids' well-being. The in-laws suggested mediation instead of a nasty fight in court. They thought this would be better for Thomas and Charlotte, so they wouldn't have to deal with as much trauma. But Chad didn't respond with the thanks they were expecting. He stood firm on his father's rights and would not give up his kids or look for a middle ground. Eli, Lani, JJ, and Jeremy's return stopped the conversation, which meant the legal disagreement couldn't get any worse for the time being.

A Night of Carols and Reflection

In the last moments of the Days of Our Lives episode, the whole group came together around the Christmas tree. Lani and JJ had a quiet moment together in which Lani told him that she understood how complicated he was feeling. Eli thanked Jeremy for taking care of Julie over the past few months. When the start of the ornament hanging tradition was announced, Lucas, Maggie, and other residents joined the group. As the Hortons sang "Silent Night" together, the scene changed to the Kiriakis mansion. Xander was shown by himself putting up the new picture of Victor over the fireplace. He looked at the picture of Sarah and Victoria with a sad face. 

Days of Our Lives episodes are available to stream on Peacock.