Xander Avant's back in town. Who needs a refresher? (Bold and the Beautiful spoilers Dec. 25-29)

With our Christmas miracle behind us, The Bold and the Beautiful will be throwing us right back into mess as we head to the new year. Here's a quick look at the spoilers:

• Monday, Dec. 25: Preemption due to the Raiders vs. Chiefs game
• Tuesday, Dec. 26: Brooke and Ridge are concerned about Eric's future. Steffy wants Hope to admit whether she truly loves Thomas or not.
• Wednesday, Dec. 27: Steffy warns Hope that there will be consequences if she's playing with Thomas' heart. Finn assures Ridge that he's happy with Eric's progress.
• Thursday, Dec. 28: Finn sticks up for Steffy when Thomas pushes the issue. Xander Avant is surprised to learn his doctor has a tie to the Forresters.
• Friday, Dec. 29: A rerun of Liam catching Thope's kiss and then kissing Steffy in Rome will air.

The soap gave us a break from the family arguing about whether or not Thope's relationship is a good idea but now that Eric is beginning to recover we're back at it. Steffy is once again voicing her concerns but I'm not really sure what more she can do. Thomas and Hope have Eric's blessing which carries a lot of weight with the family and Brooke and Ridge have accepted that they're together whether they like it or not.

Still, I'm happy Steffy's looking out for her brother. With Taylor off-screen and not making a return anytime soon, someone has to be in his corner. He may not be able to see how this could go bad for him but his sister can and it's good that she's making it clear to Hope what's at stake. The reminder of that is going to be making an appearance on Dec. 28 in Xander Avant. The last time we saw Maya Avant's cousin, played by Aidan Bradley, was in August 2019.

Xander was involved in the storyline where Thomas was hiding the fact that Hope and Liam's daughter Beth wasn't dead and instead had been adopted by Steffy who had no clue her child, Phoebe, was theirs. Thomas threatened Xander, Zoe, and Flo into staying quiet instead of coming forward with the truth. Zoe wrestled with saying nothing because her father was the one who essentially sold Beth in order to pay off his bookies and keep them from harming her.

Thomas was also responsible for Emma's death. The niece of Justin Barber, and Xander's ex, had been working at Forrester Creations and had grown close to Hope. Thomas ran her off the road when she was racing to the cabin on the Logan Estate to let her know. She died on impact and Ridge covered up what happened.

While Thomas has become a different person in the four years since that tragedy, that's not going to change who he was to Xander. Considering their past, when Xander realizes his doctor (likely Finn) is connected to the Forresters, that's liable to come up. I wouldn't be surprised if he's here to throw a wrench into Hope and Thomas' romantic progress.

As for Friday's episode, it's a rerun but I can't help but wonder if it's foreshadowing a return to the drama that is Liam pursuing Steffy when she's happily married to Finn. The doctor just saved her grandfather so they're tighter than ever but that doesn't mean Liam won't try. Part of me is ready to break out the popcorn but the other part wants Liam to take several seats and just adjust to being single. We'll see where we land come the new year.

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