Summer of Sunshine: Shiny Happy People

C'mon, get happy! Join DAYS Two Scoopers, Laurisa and Tony, as they kick off their annual Summer Series ac-cent-tchu-ating the positive as they share their thoughts on some of their favorite Salemites! Slather on some sunscreen for this year's DAYS Two Scoops Summer of Sunshine Series!

With real world woes and the past few years of DAYS being, well, rather depressing, your faithful Two Scoopers needed a vacation from the bleak! And to be honest, since around the time of the fiftieth anniversary, we've spent a lot of money on comforting ice cream binges, drowning our sorrows at Club TBD, and nearly going broke shelling out the dough for cases upon cases of tissues. There might even have been a budget for new remotes as some may have accidentally broken, you know, after we threw them at the TV, but we digress...

Yes, summer is here! Don't worry. The good kind. Not the "The Bummer" variety. We also have a new DAYS revamp to look forward to, but while we wait for that to fully begin, we're going to spend our summer, looking back at the sunny, bright people, places, and things that make our DAYS hearts fill with comfort and smiles even during the bleakest hours of the past few years. After all, we love the show and just want it to be its best self.

To kick off the "Summer of Sunshine," we're focusing on some of the characters that simply brought a smile to our faces. These special Salemites or duos made us believe it will get better. So, enjoy the Shiny Happy People and be sure to feedback, tweet, or message board about those Salemites who got you through the past few years.

Hope and Jen "Cuz" ScenesWith so many soap friendships fizzling out (remember when Nicole and Rafe were friends?) and family ties difficult to remember (seriously, Kate has two children named Rex and Cassie), it's so very nice to see these two cousins have each other's back consistently. Their scenes are like a slice of comfort food. And we've been lucky enough to get at least one scene every few weeks. We always look forward to the next.

Xander CookePaul Telfer is one tremendously talented guy. He quickly made Xander someone we loved to hate, yet kind of loved at times, too. Though Deimos stole some of Xander's "Kiriakis black sheep" spotlight, you could always feel Xander's pain over the rejection by the family. That gave the character layers -- and motives to do his dastardly deeds. But from snarky quips to sinister sneering to teary-eyed outcast begging to belong, Paul created an intriguing multilayered soap villain, and we want more!

Arianna's Modern FamilyWhen you look at it, Sonny and Gabi deserve all the credit in the world for putting Arianna first. It would be easy for her to be bitter over him "stealing her man" (soap grudges have been held over much sillier things). And he could easily dismiss Ari after Will's death as something too painful to be around or a plot point too inconvenient for him to keep up with. Yet, DAYS consistently has Gabi refer to Sonny as Arianna's dad. Sonny keeps up his end of the deal with play dates with her. It even extends to Adrienne and even Victor treating baby Ari like Sonny's biological daughter. This example of how we should treat others is both heartwarming and very important right now.

Claire BradyOkay, so Claire doesn't always make the brightest decisions, but who did at her age? What Claire lacks in solid strategy or self-awareness at times (hello, put down your damn phone, girl), she makes up for in spunk and tenacity. Go on. Make trouble for someone she loves, and we'll gladly watch the show as she fiercely defends them. Team Claire Bare? Yes we are!

Bonus reason that having Claire in Salem makes it sunnier? Sure! It keeps the talents of Brandon Beemer and Martha Madison coming back for visits as Shawn Douglas and Belle (you know, until the new writers realize that they should be a permanent fixture in Salem, too). In any event, more, please!

Funny Sunnies! Comedy relief like Maxine, Anne, Calliope, and Susan BanksSure, soaps are for drama, but we're never opposed to a little relief coming our way. Starting back with zany Calliope and Susan Banks, through the sassy nurse Maxie, to today's sarcastic Anne, we love these ambassadors of laugh. In fact, we'll split a plate of fries with Anne tomorrow! Let's have her on!

Chad and Sonny's BromanceWhile Chad and Andre's special brand of snarky brotherly love certainly added levity to dreary days, the bromance between Chad and Sonny was nothing short of spectacular. Billy Flynn and Freddie Smith's charming chemistry was always a welcome addition to any storyline. Be it banter over beers in the Salem Inn hallway, or coming up with a way to hold onto their friendship amidst their family rivalries, Chad and Sonny were certainly made of win together.

Eve LarsonKassie DePaiva can really do no wrong in our book. She's a pure class act who is one of the most gifted actors around. It's no wonder that Eve was too fabulous for Salem and had to tackle the Big Apple. Still, we missed her dearly, and that made it even more magical when she visited Salem. Plus, with Eve around, you know Jennifer gets a lot spunkier, and there's that little something-something brewing between Eve and Justin. And that keeps talented Wally Kurth around with his delightful dimples and twinkling eyes -- which could easily be another spot on this list! Those aren't bad things at all. Thankfully, the forecast is pure sunshine as Kassie is set to return as Eve this fall!

Steve and KaylaThey're the go-to dependable couple on DAYS right now. Sure, their kids' lives may be screwy. And, yes, his son thinks she killed his mom. But the relationship between these two has never been stronger. From flirty lunch dates to dozens of flowers (pretty sure Kayla owns all the bouquets in Salem), these two are kicking that assumption that "supercouples are a thing of the past" right in the hourglass.

Maggie Kiriakis When DAYS goes dark, Maggie goes light. She's a consummate bright spot on the canvas, played by the luminous Suzanne Rogers. When Maggie rallies a down-in-the-dumps Salemite, it's hard not to get inspired by her wisdom and compassion -- by the end of a scene, you believe things will get better! Sure, Maggie's been handed some super wonky storylines over the past few years, but she still seems to make lemonade lemon bars out of sour lemons, and we couldn't adore her more if we tried.

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Sami Brady and Kirsten DiMera are back!Hold onto your seats! Salem is about to get a much-needed shot of adrenaline. These two fantastically flawed ladies are coming back to Salem to unleash some excitement. We can only speculate on what is bringing them back. But if you think about where they overlap and if their returns could somehow be connected, the fan theories get all the more fun! It's enough to keep us smiling all summer!

Who are your all-time favorite Days of our Lives characters? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.

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