Melinda French Gates Makes Christmas Ornaments with Daughter Jennifer — and Shares Her 'Greatest Joy of 2023'

Mar. 15, 2025

Melinda French Gates and Jennifer Gates.Photo:Melinda French Gates/Instagram

Melinda French Gates/Instagram

Melinda French GatesandJennifer Gatesare preparing for a very specialChristmas!

The philanthropist and her eldest daughter, 27, both made their own ornaments while sharing their holiday memories in a sweet video call thatFrench Gates posted on InstagramThursday.

“@jenngatesnassar and I may not be the most artistic, but we make up for it with our holiday cheer 😉🎄” the mother of three — and grandmother of one — wrote alongside the clip.

In the video, Jennifer —who announced the birth of her first child in Marchwith husbandNayel Nassar— reminisced about her own childhood holiday memories.

“We always left out milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer,” said Jennifer, who graduated from Columbia University with her master’s degree in public health earlier this year.

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Jennifer Gates, Melinda French Gates, Karlie Kloss and Jennifer Gates at this year’s Goalkeepers 2023 event.Paula Lobo/Getty

Paula Lobo/Getty

As for something she hopes to always continue, the new mom said she loves singing Christmas carols.

“How good are we?” French Gates, 59, asked her daughter, who quipped: “We are amazing, we were meant to go into the music industry and we ended up somewhere else.”

As the video continued, French Gates shared that her favorite thing about being a grandmother is “just being able to delight in every little thing” that Leila does.

As the two put the finishing touches on their ornaments, Jennifer added that being a mom has brought life full-circle. “It’s so incredible to see her grow and so fun to be able to experience it with you too,” Jennifer said.

Agreeing, French Gates called it the “greatest joy of the year for sure.”

source: people.com