Christmas in Emmerdale has always carried the promise of crackling fires, warm reunions and the occasional festive disaster—but this year, the village shakes under the weight of

secrets waiting to erupt. Across twelve fraught days, lives fracture, loyalties twist, and a single disappearance sends shockwaves through every household. What begins as a season of goodwill soon turns

into Emmerdale’s most dramatic Christmas and New Year saga yet. At the heart of the chaos lies a mystery that wraps itself around the village like a winter fog: Robert Sugden vanishes,

leaving Aaron Dingle fighting panic, fury and the creeping certainty that someone is hunting them. And as Aaron’s world destabilises, the stories of Charity, Ray, Celia, Kim, Lydia, and young April interlock into a holiday nightmare none of them could escape.

DECEMBER 22–23: A STALKER STRIKES

The first signs of danger slither in quietly. Aaron and Robert’s uneasy peace is shattered when Aaron’s car windshield is smashed in broad daylight—a targeted strike that leaves him boiling with anger. Ross Barton becomes the immediate suspect, but the attack feels too calculated, too cold-blooded. When a tree outside Mill Cottage is later set alight, the threat becomes impossible to ignore.

Robert, digging beneath the surface, uncovers a truth so chilling he keeps it from Aaron—an ominous choice that sets the stage for tragedy.

Meanwhile, Lydia Hart spirals in guilt after accidentally revealing her and Sam’s involvement in Kim Tate’s recent accident. When Sam goes to Home Farm to apologise, he finds Kim withdrawing into herself, cancelling Christmas and barricading her emotions. Her eventual collapse—physically and emotionally—leaves her more vulnerable than we’ve seen in years. Lydia refuses to abandon her, and the bond forming between these two unlikely allies becomes one of the holiday’s most moving threads.

Elsewhere, Ray and Celia scheme to flee their criminal empire before it devours them whole. Their son Bear fears being left behind, and Ray’s growing affection for Laurel complicates everything. Bear pushes Ray to seize whatever happiness he can, resulting in an awkward, tender, almost make-believe Christmas lunch—Ray’s glimpse of the life he’s desperate to live.

CHRISTMAS EVE: LINES ARE DRAWN

Ross reels when he hears Robert and Aaron want Seb back in their lives. The thought of losing the boy who has been his emotional anchor ignites resentment that ripples through the village. The tension between the Bartons and the Dingles becomes so thick the locals can practically taste the shift in the air.

Even the lighter moments—Jacob and Sarah’s planning of a gender-reveal party—carry a thin thread of dread. Charity’s lies are ready to explode, and everyone seems to sense it except her.

CHRISTMAS DAY: ONE VANISHES, ANOTHER FALLS APART

Christmas morning begins serenely enough with mulled wine at the Woolpack—until Robert abruptly leaves without explanation. When hours pass without a word, Aaron’s irritation twists into fear. There’s something devastating about this type of Emmerdale tension—the dread creeps in slowly, settling like frost.

Across the village, Kim Tate sits among photographs of loved ones long gone, a queen in an empty castle. Charity finds herself navigating an emotional tightrope with a very drunk Vanessa—two women tangled in love, history and the enormous lie at the centre of Charity’s life. Later, Charity curls up with Mackenzie, blissfully unaware that her secrets are simmering just beneath the surface.

At the cemetery, Claudette and Jimmy share a quiet moment of remembrance, grounding the episode with warmth amid the chaos.

But the darkest cloud forms over April’s home. A threat looms over her family, forcing someone to make a decision that could alter April’s future forever.

BOXING DAY: SECRETS SHARPEN, AND A CHILD BREAKS

Tensions erupt across the village. Jacob’s temper flares, Jai uncovers information far more dangerous than he realises, and one villager inches frighteningly close to disaster.

But it’s April whose heartbreak steals the episode. After a devastating discovery, she realises she has no one left to trust. Her desperate plan to escape feels like the terrified reaction of a child who’s been pushed far beyond her limits. The emotional weight is enormous—and the village’s failure to protect her becomes painfully clear.

Charity, scrambling to contain the fallout of her lies, only succeeds in digging herself deeper. The more she hides, the more the truth threatens to swallow her whole.

NEW YEAR’S EVE: EXPLOSIVE THREATS AND IMPOSSIBLE DECISIONS

New Year’s Eve crackles with danger. While wedding plans begin to flicker to life somewhere in the village, Ray is handed a horrific task from Celia’s criminal organisation—a brutal reminder that he is never truly free.

As fireworks paint the skies over Hotton, someone in Emmerdale walks unknowingly toward death. The village stands at breaking point; the hour of reckoning has arrived.

NEW YEAR’S DAY AND BEYOND: LOVE, DEATH, AND REVELATION

2026 begins with a false sense of hope—one seemingly happy surprise unleashes fresh danger. Ray clings desperately to the possibility of a future with Laurel, even as Celia’s shadow looms larger than ever.

Then comes the moment that will define this festive arc:
a fight to the death, a long-held secret detonated, and a truth that tears through the village like a winter storm.

Robert’s disappearance remains the emotional epicentre—every storyline trembles in its orbit. Aaron’s grief, rage and fear spill over, and the village prepares for a fallout that could reshape Emmerdale.

THE CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL: WHO DROPS TO ONE KNEE?

Amid the chaos, one brave soul stages a public Christmas Day proposal, igniting speculation across the fandom.

The contenders?

Robron (Robert & Aaron)

The obvious favourites. Their renewed commitment, their plans to bring Seb back, and their calmer emotional landscape suggest a proposal could rewrite their painful past. But Robert’s disappearance casts a dark shadow—was he fetching a ring, or was something far worse waiting for him?

Ray & Laurel

A compelling wildcard. Ray’s longing for a normal life, his mounting fear and his growing love for Laurel position him for a desperate, heartfelt proposal—an attempt to choose love over legacy.

Joe Tate & Dawn

Chaotic, passionate, flawed—but deeply connected. Their history is violent and messy, but Emmerdale thrives on couples who survive the unthinkable. A proposal could be their turning point.

Charity’s Love Triangle: Mackenzie or… Vanessa?

Charity is already married to Mack—but her rekindled closeness with Vanessa simmers with unresolved emotion. A drunken Christmas confession, mixed with Charity’s baby lie, could lead to the most unpredictable proposal of all.

THE AFTERMATH

Whoever proposes, one thing is certain:
Emmerdale never gives joy without pairing it with turmoil.

Between Robert’s disappearance, the battle to protect April, Charity’s crumbling lies and Ray’s deadly entanglements, this festive season offers everything fans crave—romance, heartbreak, danger and the promise that nothing in the village will ever be the same again.

This Christmas, Emmerdale doesn’t just raise the stakes.
It lights the fuse—and lets the whole village burn.