“Okay, let me tell you something about Christmas,” David Banda, Madonna’s teenage son, said at the start of the video posted to her Instagram on Dec. 6. “It’s the best time of the year.” From there, Madonna, 63, and her boyfriend, Ahlamalik Williams, joined David, 16, and his sisters – Mercy James and twins Stella and Estere – in decorating the tree. Mercy, 15, matched her mother, Ahlamalik, 27, and David, as they all sported “Buddy-from-Elf”-inspired plush onesies. The 9-year-old twins matched each other with festive, red-vested onesies with elf ears on the hoodie.
The video was soundtracked by Wham’s “Last Christmas,” and the whole family danced around to the holiday track. There was even a part when everyone joined in to sing along. It was a heartwarming moment from Madonna’s family, and she reflected on this occasion in the video’s caption. “I’m the awkward-looking Elf,” she wrote. “I think we sprayed too much snow on the tree. But we had fun celebrating the last day of Hanukkah by decorating the X-mas tree.”
From there, Madonna dipped into a bit of theological discussion – “Here is the thing. Jesus was a Jew, and decorating the tree is a Pagan ritual and does anyone really know when Jesus was born????!!” – before quoting the opening line to her song “Like a Prayers” (“Life is a mystery”) At the end of the message, the “Lucky Star” singer encouraged all her followers to come together in a moment of peace and inclusion. “Let’s embrace all faiths and rituals as long as they make us happy, and we are focused more on giving than receiving!” She also dedicated the message to the late George Michael.
Missing from this Christmas scene were Madonna’s other children – Rocco Richie and Lourdes Leon. Lourdes, 25, wasn’t there to decorate the tree, but she did join her family for Thanksgiving in November. Madonna shared a clip of her children preparing the dinner. David and Mercy also showed they were taking after their mother. David busted out a guitar while Mercy played along on a piano. “It’s a family affair,” Madonna captioned the video, referencing not just the full house but also the song she used (“Family Affair” by Sly & The Family Stone) to soundtrack this clip.