Earlier this month, Tori Spelling hinted that she might be back with Dean McDermott.

Last year, the longtime couple’s marital problems proved impossible to ignore.

Especially when Dean was missing from the family vacation card. Ouch!

This year, however, the card has a remarkable new difference.

“It’s my favorite time of year!” Tori Spelling said on Monday, November 21 in an Instagram post.

“And like every year,” she added, “SimplytoImpress.com has done it again.”

Tori continued, “And delivered my favorite family tradition – personalized holiday cards.”

“And this year is very special,” Tori wrote.

She explained that the 2022 card is doubly blessed because “We are ALL together!”

Tori continued with the obligatory take: “Selecting this year’s fabulous design was quick and easy, and the selection was better than ever.” Etc. Obviously, this was some sort of promotional offer for the custom map service.

Sure enough, the photo showed Tori and Dean, along with their five common children.

This means Liam, 15, Stella, 14, Hattie, 11, Finn, 10 and Beau, 5.

And Dean’s 24-year-old son Jack Montgomery McDermott (son of Mary Jo Eustace) joined the family photo. Sweet!

Meanwhile, the 2021 card had a decidedly different vibe.

We wouldn’t say there was a “big divorced energy”. It’s not Elon Musk. But the map definitely made Tori and Dean’s issues impossible to ignore.

Cropping your husband in a photo is somehow less obvious than taking photos and printing cards without him. And yet, Tori opted for the latter. Wow!

And Tori went even further at the end of 2021. This photo shows her with her children on vacation.

Their annual holiday season getaway didn’t feature Dean more than the card.

As much as she and Dean had avoided announcing the details of their struggles to the world, they weren’t going to hide it too much either.

In the spring of 2021, Tori admitted in an interview that she and Dean no longer shared a bed.

Some married couples are happier this way. Tori cited their children and pets as the reason.

But when the public started to spot her and Dean, without their wedding rings…well, that’s harder to explain.

The reports attempted to shed light on marital issues. We’ve heard claims that finances are once again weighing on their marriage.

Apparently, family pets and the associated costs were a sticking point. Perhaps a straw that helped overload the proverbial camel.

Tori and Dean had been putting on a show for the kids for a while, according to reports. But why didn’t they just divorce?

Apparently they didn’t really have the funds to divorce.

First, breaking up would have meant that one of them – presumably Dean – would have found a new home. It wouldn’t be cheap. Especially if he wanted to have room for all the children to visit at the same time.

And second, California has a six-month waiting period to finalize a divorce. Weird that the state imposes such long waiting times for divorce but not for marriage. The thing is, they couldn’t rush the process even if they had the means.

During this increasingly visible period of turmoil, perhaps Tori and Dean have had time to process their feelings.

Maybe they decided to give things another shot. It sure looks like it. Either that or they fake it until they do.

It’s probably only a matter of time before they hit another rough patch. Not all marriages are easy.