Here's a quick plot summary I've written for 21 December 2015 to 1 January 2016 after reading the latest soap magazines and seeing scene pictures and other reliable stuff around the web.
Aaron and Ross
Ross and Aaron decide to take part in a robbery to get cash before Christmas (for Ross to buy presents for Debbie and her kids, for Aaron to give to Chas to buy Diane's half of the pub). It isn't well-thought-out in plan though but is well-dodgy in action. Ross gives Aaron cash to be his lookout at a warehouse whilst Ross goes around looking like an employee (order picker?) to get as much money and goods as he can. Unluckily, Aaron is challenged by a real warehouse worker who doesn't recognise him as a fellow employee, leading to violence and the worker with a bloody mouth laying on his back and apparently unconscious on the floor. Aaron and Ross get away but have been seen and recorded on CCTV. The local newspaper soon runs an article showing an e-fit picture similar to Aaron's face as the wanted suspect and the police soon get tipped off and show up at Emmerdale Village where they are not happy with Aaron's alibi (given to him earlier by Gordon) for the time of the robbery. Ross is also questioned but is then told that evidence has been found that links him to Robert's shooting in September behind the Woolpack. [TW: I suspect the police have linked the gun found at Aaron's scrapyard to the one that Ross got from someone to shoot Pete with?] Ross denies everything to the police and Debbie. In the meantime, Andy has told Robert details about the shooting. Later, Robert is hiding in Ross's front room. When Ross comes in, Robert steps out holding his pistol in his hand for a face-to-face encounter, with Ross now shaking and looking down the gunbarrel. However, some sort of standoff and deal-making seems to happen between them, as afterwards Ross is shown running behind Debbie's car as she drives out of the village with her two kids in her car. Moses is shown being held by Moira and about to taken held by Charity outside Debbie's house. [TW: Radio Times says Ross does get arrested on suspicion of shooting Robert in September 2015, the only question remaining is whether the arrest is before/on/after New Year's Day (I think it could be 30th Dec but he seems to get released pending further enquiries, or does Robert's deal force Ross to admit to police after New Year's Day that he shot Robert in September?).]
Gordon
Gordon is presently suffering from Hodgkin's lymphoma and is receiving chemotherapy at the same hospital which is treating Diane for her stomach cancer. Diane tells Gordon that she wants to sell the pub and move out to the countryside to help get over her health problems. He has been re-evaluating his life and decides to return to Emmerdale Village on Tuesday 24th December to try to make up for his past actions with Chas and Aaron. In 2005, Aaron was caught being a drugs mule for a criminal gang so Gordon threw Aaron out of his house telling him to stay with his mother Chas. Gordon claimed that he threw Aaron out because Aaron hit wife Sandra, however. Since then, Gordon and Aaron have not seen each other and Aaron is surprised, upset and angry to see Gordon again. Aaron is even more angry when Gordon offers to give him the money to buy Diane's share of the pub but Aaron refuses this, deciding later to take part in a warehouse robbery with Ross. In the meantime, Diane tells Chas that Gordon is back and Chas agrees to secretly meet Gordon with the idea of maybe getting back together with him. During their meeting, they kiss, so the signs are there for the restart of their friendship/relationship.
Vanessa
Vanessa finally brings baby Johnny home to the village but is still struggling to bond properly with him, but she's trying to. During a nappy change, she is terrified to find a spotmark near the base of Johnny's back and is worried that someone might think she hasn't looked after the baby properly. When she asks the the midwife to come and check the baby, she tells Vanessa that it's nothing to be worried about but then says something about what the mark usually shows [TW: sounds like a Mongolian Spot which is very common for children up to about 3-5yo who have at least one Asian parent (see wikipedia info below).], leaving Vanessa wondering about Johnny's real father...
Paddy and Rhona
Tess gives Paddy a Christmas gift, so he looks online for a nice bracelet for her but gets seen doing this by Bernice. Paddy later meets up with Tess whilst Bernice tells Rhona how Paddy is such a nice and thoughtful guy. Rhona's happiness about her apparently improving relationship with Paddy and the chances of adoption are short-lived, however, when she finds something surprising in Paddy's wallet...
Laurel and Ashley
Ashley tells Laurel about his early-onset dementia to explain his recent memory problems. Laurel is shocked and tells Doug. Ashley realises that, however much he wanted to, he cannot deal with his illness by himself so he and Laurel decide to get together and be family again with Arthur and Gabby. Before they get a chance to tell the children about Ashley's illness though, Arthur overhears someone at the village hall nativity play saying something he wasn't supposed to hear. However, Laurel and Ashley do deal with Ashley's illness together from then on [TW: \"Laurel’s going to nurse Ashley to the last few days\", SoapSquawk, 28/11/15. John Middleton's contract as Ashley ends around end of 2016, meaning his exit scenes would air in early 2017.].
Zak and Joanie
Zak hears Joanie sing in her new job at a local club and is delighted, but when Joanie isn't fully paid for her routine though, Zak takes the missing money from the club for her. Back at the Dingle's farm, Joanie kisses Zak to thank him but they get seen by Belle, who runs away and tells Lachlan. Belle decides to take revenge on Joanie. During the Christmas Day meal at the farm, Belle is unable to hold back her anger anymore and makes her move, but what does she do?
Eric
Still missing Val's stolen engagement ring, Eric remains alone behind his boarded-up house. David has previously placed an advert on the internet offering to pay £500 as cash reward for the safe return of the ring. Lachlan texts David a photo of the ring and David texts back saying the money will be in the village hall in exchange for the ring with no questions asked or anyone there. Although Nikhil and Leyla keep watch anyway, the money disappears but the ring isn't left. Later, Bernice finds texts on Lachlan's phone which tell her that he is the one who has the ring, so Lachlan has questions to answer on this. Meanwhile, Eric's dog Cheryl runs out from Eric's house with Val's shoe, leading to Eric coming outside in his dressing-gown on Christmas Day and him seeing some of the other villagers who make Eric face his past, present and possible future and allow him to move forward in his life.
\"Mongolian spot\", wikipedia
>
A Mongolian spot, also known as Mongolian blue spot is a benign, flat, congenital birthmark with wavy borders and irregular shape. In 1883 it was described and named after Mongolians by Erwin Bälz, a German anthropologist based in Japan. It normally disappears three to five years after birth and almost always by puberty. The most common color is blue, although they can be blue-gray, blue-black or deep brown.
Infants may be born with one or more Mongolian spots ranging from small area on the buttocks to a larger area on the back.
The spot is prevalent among East, Southeast, North, and Central Asian peoples, Malay archipelago islanders, Indigenous Oceanians (chiefly Micronesians and Polynesians), Africans, Amerindians, East Africans, Latin Americans and Caribbeans of mixed-race descent, and Turkish people. They occur in about 90-95% of Asian and 80-85% Native American infants.
>
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_spot