Comparing the altered panels and their changes, it seems that whenever a facial expression was considered too negative, it was changed to a positive - or at least neutral - expression. Panel 2.8 could have had an angrier looking Donald; 5.8 could have shown a blushing Donald with shaded lines on his face like in panel 8.5 (if so, the lines can still be seen on his neck); 6.4 and 6.6 could have shown meaner faces instead of the forced smiles they now have; and in 6.8 the nephews also could have had angrier faces (most noticeably the nephew on the right). Though it's a guess if panel 2.4 also was changed, Donald's beak looks like it originally could have had his teeth shown (like in the next panel).
Undoubtedly the changes where made because of the Christmas theme. Apparently the editors didn't want to risk any complaint (from Firestone or the readers?) and so they changed any too negative face which could be considered being in contradiction with the Christmas spirit. If this is true, it's a mercy that the expressive Donald-face in panel 4.7 remained untouched.
The original version is most likely lost. Probably, the editor did the altering on the original art itself. In the reprint of "The Carl Barks Library of 1940s Donald Duck Christmas Giveaways in Color No. 1", the unBarksian changes where retouched by Gladstone editor Gary Leach to make the expressions of the altered ducks match better with Barks' art.
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