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

The mother and daughter shared their holiday memories as Jennifer prepared to celebrate her first Christmas as a mom

Melinda French Gates and Jennifer Gates are preparing for a very special Christmas!

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

“@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.

“Had so much fun talking about some of our favorite holiday traditions, and of course my greatest joy of 2023: my sweet granddaughter, Leila," she added, referring to Jennifer's baby girl.

Related: Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates Celebrate Daughter Phoebe's 21st Birthday: 'So Proud'

In the video, Jennifer — who announced the birth of her first child in March with husband Nayel 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.

Another tradition she looked back on fondly is being helping out less fortunate children by dropping off gifts. She then thanked her mom for the values that she and Jennifer’s dad, Bill Gates, instilled in her and her siblings — brother Rory, 24, and sister Phoebe, 21.

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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.”

Related: Melinda French Gates Says Billionaires Can Afford to Give Up Half Their Wealth — and 'We Should'

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."

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