It came without packages, boxes, or bags

Did Sage secretly desire Adam, who came facially packaged as Gabriel? Or did she see beyond the brightly colored wrapping to the man Adam really was underneath? Dr. Anderson warned a not-so-jolly Nick to keep Sage away from Sharon's baby. But was Sandy's headfirst dive into Nick's life destined to leave him in misery? Sip some eggnog as you jingle through Two Scoops.

I love the Grinch! While there are many treasures and pleasures during this time of year, the Grinch stands out as being one of the highlights. It's not because he was sly and stingy, although that, in itself, was a treat. Once Grinchy Claus learned the true meaning of the Christmas spirit, he was then able to see past all of the pretty packages covered with colorful bows and ribbons to witness the kinship shared by the entire community. But shouldn't we say the same thing about true love? A real, honest love should stick with a couple beyond the good and happy times to help them get through the hardships together. A festive wrapping should not be able to cover a false love, no matter how attractive the decoration.

"It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags." Dr. Seuss sure had a way with words. Those three sentences from How a Grinch Stole Christmas simply state for one to look past the outside appearance to find the beauty beneath. Gorgeous facial features and a well-sculpted body can be mere window dressing to hide the true essence of the person inside. (Although good looks and a great bod are nice too.) This reminds me of Sage in regard to Adam. Does she really view Adam as a charming, confident, intelligent yet vulnerable guy, as she claimed? Or does she see the man who was so near and dear to her heart -- Gabriel Bingham?

Sage and Adam remind me of the elephant game, played at many office Christmas parties. When playing the game, do you select the biggest box or pick out the gift decked out with the most vibrant paper and the shiniest bows? The present with the prettiest decoration does not always contain the best prize inside. Does Sage see Adam as the person he really is or as just another, more cunning version of Gabe? Sage claimed to have fallen in love with Adam, but it seemed she just fell in love with the only Gabe she had left. Does she even know the "real" Adam?

Sure, Sage quickly explained that she had meant to say she had fallen in love with the man Adam pretended to be, but she seemed to backtrack a little too quickly. Despite herself, Sage may have fallen in love with Adam, even if a good part of the reason was because he does resemble Gabriel. Maybe she didn't realize it, or she could be trying not to admit it. There has always been a pull between Adam and Sage, and I don't believe it's all due to his resemblance to Mr. Bingham. Sage has turned to Adam for comfort and understanding time and time again, and that would have nothing to do with his external pretty wrapping.

Chelsea's probably not too worried yet about Sage and Adam's "friendship," but if she knew the entire truth about the two, she would be. Adam has always been connected to Sage, especially since she was the one who saved his life. But Christian made their bond even stronger, even if Sage didn't know Adam was the child's biological father. Or did she? Sage has constantly turned to Adam ever since Christian supposedly died. It's almost as if she knew he would know how she felt, so they could grieve together. If the entire truth about Christian came out, it could strengthen their tie to each other that much more. At least, Chelsea has Connor to fight back with, so to speak.

I have to admit that Sage and Adam make for a much more interesting couple than Sage and Nick. But you could pair Adam up with almost anyone and it would make for a dynamic duo. It was funny how quickly Sage saw Nick's love as just pity. Maybe that's the way she felt about it all along. It's possible Sage has always felt Nick settled for her after he learned she was pregnant. If their marriage was in trouble during the tough times, there's a pretty good chance Nick and Sage never felt a true, honest love after all. Their relationship had all just been covered with pretty ribbons and bows.

To me, Nick and Sage are still pretty snoozy. Sage probably believes she's still in love with Nick. I think she loves Nick but not in that passionate way we all desire and long for. Isn't it ironic that Nick is now going through the same kind of pain of being alone in grief that he let Sharon face on her own after Cassie died? The shoe was on the other foot, but I have to give Nick credit for realizing it. Strangely, the sorrow he felt showed him just how wrong he had been to desert Sharon in her time of need. At least, Nick finally learned his lesson, although it was way too late. Better late than never, I guess. I am sure Sharon has forgiven him by now anyway.

After seeing Dr. Anderson express her joy over Dylan and Sharon's new arrival, the bad doctor's aim seemed to be focused on Sage and Nick. But then, after seeing Dr. A. read the article about the Newman Golden Boy, the bull's-eye on her target clearly holds a picture of Nick's face. Wow, what did Nick do to have the counselor want to bring so much pain to Nick and to those he loved? I remember he was the cause for a young girl's diving accident due to a drunken bet at the Newman pool, when he was in high school. Could Dr. Anderson have something to do with that girl?

Oh, excuse me, that's right. The doctor's name is Sandy. I can almost hear a John Travolta-like Nick singing to her. "Sandy, can't you see? I'm in misery." Only, Dr. Sandy Anderson is nothing at all like Olivia Newton-John's Sandy Olsen in Grease. Shoot, those two ladies couldn't be any farther apart in temperament and morals. Does Dr. Anderson even have any scruples? I still want to know why. Why did she take Sage's baby from her to give to Sharon? If Sharon's baby is Christian, that is, which we suspect he is. Oh, wait, the young girl's name was Sandra Allen. Is this Sandy the young girl, Sandra, who broke her neck in the diving accident? What kind of payback could she have in mind?

Sandy told Nick about the one love in her life who had been very much like Nick -- funny, handsome, down-to-earth, and with a dazzling smile. Okay, Nick was the one who added that last part. Sandy said since the guy had refused to take any responsibility for her broken heart, she adopted the saying of "physician heal thyself." The scary thing was Sandy declared she was ready to try again. Why do I have a funny feeling Nick is the one she has decided to try again with? Maybe she doesn't have a need for revenge, only a desire to rekindle her unrequited crush. This cannot be healthy. Just look at all the damage Sandy has done to Nick to accomplish her goal. Sandy doesn't understand that a selfish love is not a true love. No amount of dazzling lights or vividly painted ornaments can camouflage that.

It's possible Sage does still very much love her husband, but Nick is just too much of a reminder of the son they lost, just as Nick's house is. If Dr. Anderson's goal was to split up Nick and Sage, mission accomplished. Sage thinks she's better off alone to heal, and that may be true, but she had better be very wary of the doctor's counseling. Dr. Anderson has her own agenda, however, I have to admit some of her advice was pretty sound.

Sage wanted to do what's best for both her and for the baby's father, and with Nick, Sage could only see misery and pain in the future. Shoot, it looks like misery will be Nick's destiny, no matter which way he turns. Sandy will see to that. But Sage can relax and be herself around Adam and Chelsea, which was just what she needed. Adam could actually make Sage laugh, and that's the best therapy. Sage could escape the ache she felt was so dark and so deep, she could get lost in it, and what better place to do that than in the light and cheery atmosphere at Adam's.

It's so heartbreaking to see how happy Dylan is when we know the walls of his world will eventually come crashing down all around him. How many babies does one guy have to lose? At least Dylan will be able to commiserate with Nick, once Nick learns the baby is not biologically his either. Ha, Adam will definitely have the last laugh on those two. But somehow, I don't think Adam will feel much like chuckling. Adam probably would have been fine with having Nick being Christian's father, as long as he could keep his life with Chelsea. But since Adam and Chelsea always seem to walk on shaky ground, Adam's resolve to let Nick father his baby probably wouldn't have lasted long anyway.

Dylan had better enjoy his happy life while he can. The marriage proposal was so sweet, and Santa Paul looked so very jolly when he brought in the gifts. It was refreshing to be able to smile during a soap's scenes for a change. Dylan looked alarmed when Nick invited Faith to stay with him. It was cute to see the different ways Dylan thought of to try to keep her there. And the impromptu wedding ceremony hosted by Santa Paul was fun. Laughter and gaiety was shared by all, even Nick. Hopefully, Dylan, Sharon, and Faith can have a merry Christmas before it all comes tumbling down. Someone should have a reason to celebrate during the holiday season.

That someone may not be Lily or Cane, since their plan to trick Joe Clark into confessing backfired. Lily was such a bad liar. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. She couldn't successfully fake her true feelings for Joe in the cabin, even if it meant clearing her husband's name as Devon's extortionist.

But once Cane and Devon rode in to her rescue, Joe slipped up and only wished he had framed Cane sooner. However, all was still not well in the Ashby household due to Lily's past actions. Cane refused to forgive her, and I can't say I blame him. If she had only cheated one time with Joe...but she cheated on Cane with Joe twice. That would be pretty hard to forgive, especially forget, since he caught her still in Joe's bed during the second round. But if Lily is sincere and truly loves Cane, she will continue to try to repair the damage she has caused. Cane appeared to regret not being able to forgive her, but sometimes these things take time.

Okay, so let's see...Jack was upset with Billy and Phyllis for taking matters into their own hands and getting the revenge on Victor they believed he so richly deserved? Jack can heap the whole mess onto his own shoulders for that. If he had found his own more subtle way of paying Victor back for arranging to have another man, in a sense, rape his wife, Billy and Phyllis wouldn't have needed to resort to such extreme tactics. I applaud Phyllis for not allowing Victor to get away with what he did, and I enjoyed watching her be her normally bold and sassy self. Jack only has himself to blame. He used one feeble excuse after another to not retaliate against his long-time nemesis. You would think Victor would be knocking on death's door in boredom, having Jack as his archenemy.

Really, shouldn't Victor want more of a challenge from an opponent? At least, Victor had his battle cry prepared. "When you try to kill a king, you'd better not miss." First, Jack would have to want to kill the king, and I don't see that happening. And even if he did, Victor would just strong-arm him out of taking any potshots anyway. Phyllis would be the better adversary. It would certainly not be Billy, who was having enough trouble climbing out of the bottle. However, if Nikki ever relapses (again), she will have another drinking buddy to hang out with.

It will be interesting to see Jason Thompson's spin on our beloved Billy Boy Abbott, once he takes on the role. Billy is certainly a far cry from the honorable Dr. Patrick Drake on General Hospital. Billy became an extremely complicated character when he returned in the form of Billy Miller, and Billy Abbott has tended to still be his own worst enemy since. It will be intriguing to watch Jason Thompson in a whole new light. Say goodbye to steadfast Patrick and hello to internally tortured Billy. That's rather a drastic change. Will Jason keep his natural dark locks, or will he dye his hair to a lighter shade to fit in more with the Abbotts? Oh, the suspense!

Victor has decided to get his revenge the old-fashioned way -- by suing Jabot! That was the thanks Jack got for lending Newman Enterprises the floor of his building. Victor decided his next recourse should be legal, and he had Adam to help get the ball rolling. Who is this mustachioed dude, and what has he done with our Victor? Dear Vic must have run out of illegal options if he had to resort to doing it the legal way. How unheard of!

But for Jack, legal or illegal, it did not matter. He was furious with Billy for reigniting the Newman/Abbott feud. Jack was right that getting down in the gutter with Victor was a losing proposition; however, Phyllis had the better point that they couldn't let Victor walk all over them. Either way, the Abbotts were going to get dirty, and wouldn't it be better if they came out as filthy winners rather than as stinky losers? Adam and Billy both had the same solution to the latest Victor-wants-vengeance scheme -- to cut Billy loose. Only Adam's version had a part two, which was to let Billy take the fall. Well, it appears Victor's plot became more about Adam's revenge on Billy than about Victor's on Jack. Leave it to Adam to take advantage of a golden opportunity.

Ha! I had to laugh at how considerate Adam thought he was being, when he pointed out that his idea to let Billy sink or swim on his own was for his own good. And Chelsea bought it! What?! Yes, Adam was sure this would be Billy's last chance of winning his family back. I am not really sure what good that would do Billy, if he were languishing away in a prison for years. How noble of Adam to come up with this idea. Adam made a pact with the devil, his own father, to get out of jail, but he thinks this would be a good career choice for Billy?

Luckily for Billy, Jack refused to sacrifice his brother to avoid another war with Victor. So, get ready, folks. It's going to be round nine hundred and ninety nine of a rock 'em, sock 'em, duel-to-the-death war that Jack will eventually lose, like he always does, because he won't fight dirty, which is Victor's best weapon of choice. If Victor didn't sling mud, he wouldn't know how to battle. Fair and square is not a phrase Victor is familiar with. I can't believe Jack thought he could reason with Victor. Doesn't he know "the Mustache" by now?

I loved it when Victor declared, "I relish a war." Probably covered with chili, cheese, and onions too. But, come on, you have to know that's true. When Victor put his nose in the air and scoffed at Ashley's offer of 50 million dollars, he was already preparing for battle. Mr. Victor Newman wanted the war with Jack more than he wanted the money. There's no denying that. Victor must be bored. He knew Jack would never let Billy take the fall. Every move Victor made was to push Jack to the breaking point. Jack has no chance of victory, unless he was sincere about being willing to go to jail to stop Victor from ruining his business and family. That's always been Jack's downfall. Jack would rather back down, which can make him appear cowardly. But sometimes, you just have to fight.

What will Billy do with the brilliant brainstorm of Kevin and his Geneva lass, Natalie, to develop hack-proof software to give computers complete privacy? It seems Kevin may need a new strategy, as well, once Victor learns Billy paid Kevin to help him learn about the Paragon Project. Kevin may end up in Victor's sights as well.

So, Marisa and Luca zipped down to Majorca, Spain, to find their daughter, Ava. But Kevin discovered Ava's location through his trusty computer. Gee, if Marisa had really cared about her daughter for those five years, she could have easily located her through the Internet. I guess she had other priorities at the time -- like Marco. So, she saw the little girl she believed to be hers and walked right up to her, and no adult there was the least bit concerned? Didn't anyone tell the child not to talk to strangers? I almost expected Marisa to blurt out she was the girl's mother, once she saw the teddy bear Marisa had given Ava when she was a baby. That would have been incredibly selfish.

But Marisa did something absolutely shocking. After she learned the girl was very happy and was loved by her adoptive family, who were not the least bit poor or abusive, Marisa let her daughter stay with them. So, the point of this whole story was what? To whitewash Marisa's character, who had been somewhat of a bad girl in the past? Does she have to be squeaky clean and almost virginal to deserve Noah's love? How do we really know what Marisa's motives were? Maybe she saw that the pretty little girl would be more of an inconvenience than anything else. However, Noah would never see her in that light. Like Luca, Noah will choose to believe she was "selfless."

Noah proved to be not quite the sharpest tool in the shed, though, when he decided it would be a good idea to stop Victor from bringing the arms-dealing Santori clan more into the Newman family business. Noah already seemed like a puppy who was in way over his head when it came to Marisa. How does he think it's going to go when he tackles his snarling bulldog of a grandfather? That pup is still not mature enough to take that giant leap off the porch -- and facing Victor won't help his growth. Perhaps Noah should quit yapping and challenge Victor in a game of tiddlywinks first. That would be more his speed.

Just who is Natalie from Geneva and just how involved was Kevin with the "Swiss Miss"? Mariah and I want to know.

When Mariah was attempting to get information about the concept developed by the "yodel-hacking girl in the Alps," she questioned Kevin, "Is it a human mute button? You know, it would kind of be like ergo-control, but for humans, in that if they're talking too much or annoying you, you turn it down to get them to shut up." Kevin replied, "It's not that, although that is so appealing to me right now." I still love their camaraderie.

I couldn't help but notice the beautiful Tiffany-style lamp in Sharon's bedroom. It has to be a Tiffany-style lamp. If it were an authentic Tiffany lamp, it could cost into the tens of thousands of dollars. I doubt if the Y&R budget could handle that.

Paul referred to Joe as a "Chatty Cathy," and I remember those dolls. You pulled the string, and she would talk. My sisters and I each got a Chatty Cathy doll one Christmas when we were kids. That was a special holiday.

Please be happy and joyful during this glorious holiday season. Until next time, please stay tuned.Teddi

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