Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg are ringing in the season with a holiday surprise hotter than a Palm Springs heatwave, and fans cannot get enough. The longtime couple, who remain one of Hollywood’s favorite blended-family love stories, just unveiled their annual Christmas card, and it’s already firing up social media. McCarthy and Wahlberg first met in 2012 when she interviewed him on “The Jenny McCarthy Show,” but sparks didn’t fly until they reconnected a year later backstage at “Watch What Happens Live.” Their chemistry was instant and undeniable, leading to a whirlwind romance that fans watched blossom in real time. By 2014, the power couple tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony near Chicago, a celebration that sealed their place as one of entertainment’s most charming (and fun-loving) duos.

This year’s holiday card might just be their boldest yet. Styled like a retro toy-box action-figure set, the artwork features McCarthy and Wahlberg as “posable” collector’s items, complete with glossy bodies, exaggerated poses, and a bright Palm Springs backdrop. McCarthy stuns in a red bikini, Santa hat, and white sunglasses, channeling vintage bombshell energy with a holiday twist. Wahlberg stands beside her in candy-cane-themed swim trunks, flexing like a beach-ready Ken doll.

Fans immediately flooded the comments with everything from heart-eyed admiration to playful shock. One follower gushed, “Oh my, my, my… seeing this keeps me warm,” while another called the couple a full-blown “hot couple alert” and admitted the sizzling snap “warmed my heart and soul.” But the comment that stole the show came from a fan who confessed, “Whoa… we knewwww but… A warning would’ve been nice.”

While McCarthy and Wahlberg are spreading holiday cheer with their playful Palm Springs–themed Christmas card, the TV personality is also reflecting on a far more serious personal battle she’s been fighting behind the scenes. In a new interview, McCarthy revealed she’s spent most of the year enduring a terrifying string of medical complications, ones so severe she feels grateful just to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner again.

“I’ve had nine surgeries this year, on my mouth,” she told PEOPLE, explaining that what began as a routine dental implant turned into a nightmare. A failed ceramic implant spiraled into infection after infection, leaving her teeth and implants literally falling out. “They finally had to dig into my jawbone and chipped away, and found I had a deep bone infection,” she said, noting she’s been on antibiotics for an entire year and restricted to soft foods.

The ordeal didn’t stop there. Even after the bone infection was discovered, she endured additional procedures and waves of pain. “I had two more mouth surgeries even after that photo was taken,” she shared. “I’ve been pretty unlucky.” At one point, every time she thought she was recovering, the infection returned, swelling her jaw, triggering intense pain, and even causing alarming growths to appear on her eyeballs.

“As of now, I’m able to chew again,” McCarthy said, though she admits she’s still recovering physically and emotionally. With a little bit of humor, she added, “People should actually feel a little sorry for me!”

Despite the harrowing year, McCarthy is determined to focus on gratitude, healing, and a much brighter holiday season ahead.

Despite the grueling year she’s endured, McCarthy is choosing to embrace joy wherever she can, and fans are doing the same. As the holidays approach, many have been reminiscing about her iconic earlier eras, including one unforgettable throwback that recently resurfaced online.

The vintage bikini snap, a quintessential 90s McCarthy moment, shows the star in her prime modeling days. Posing against bold red-and-white stripes in a tiny white string bikini, a tousled blonde updo, and her electric-blue stare, McCarthy embodied the magnetic bombshell energy that helped launch her into superstardom.

From celebrating the holidays with a bold, tongue-in-cheek Christmas card to bravely opening up about a year of painful surgeries and unexpected health battles, McCarthy continues to show fans every side of her life. Through health scares, career highs, and decades of iconic moments, McCarthy remains as resilient, charismatic, and unfiltered as ever, giving fans plenty to admire as she steps into a much-deserved, brighter, healthier season ahead.