For many, Christmas is a time for reflection and gratitude; a time for holding what you have dear and reminding yourself to be thankful for things you have, not bitter for the things you may not.
As such, it’s hardly a surprise to see the internet – more specifically, social media – littered with heartwarming posts that revolve around family and proudly show off the aspects of people’s lives that they are most pleased with.
I myself love to gather my family around the tree and take an annual photo. If nothing else, it’s a token of a moment for future years, when I can look back and smile at a past that seems to be becoming increasingly difficult for me to recall with clarity.
Unsurprisingly, there were many high-profile figures who offered a glimpse into their holiday celebrations via one social media post or another.
Yet few managed to leave us feeling fuzzy inside quite like Hilary Swank …
The popular actress, 48, is expecting twins, and was in a joyous mood, expressing eternal thanks for the little gifts growing in her belly.
Swank posted a picture to Instagram showing herself – donning festive red and white striped pajamas – and her baby bump beside her Christmas tree.
“We couldn’t wish for a more incredible miracle,” Hilary captioned her photo. “So grateful for these two gifts of a lifetime!! .”
The Million Dollar Baby star went on to wish the world a Merry Christmas.
“Merry Christmas Everyone!! Wishing you all miracles in your own lives in whatever forms they take. #MerryChristmas #Miracles,” she wrote.
Back in October, Swank announced that she was pregnant with twins. Twins reportedly run in both her and her husband Philip Schneider’s family, so that element of her announcement wasn’t too much of a big deal.
What became the focal point, perhaps sadly, was her age. At 48, Swank is older than the age most women can hope to fall pregnant beyond, and the discussion as to the ‘appropriate’ age at which a woman should stop trying to become a mother (ridiculous, we know) is one that seems to rear its ugly head every time a female celebrity conceives in her 40s.
Nevertheless, Swank is rightly ecstatic that she’s expecting. What’s more, her due date falls on her father’s birthday, made all the more poignant by the fact that he passed away a year ago.
Speaking recently on The Drew Barrymore Show, the actress addressed the touching coincidence.
“You just announced that your father passed away one year ago, and this miracle is happening,” Barrymore said at the time.
“Yeah, and they are due on his birthday,” Hilary replied.
Swank also said on Live with Kelly and Ryan: “This is something that I’ve been wanting for a long time, and my next thing is I’m gonna be a mom,” she stated.
As for the subject of her becoming an ‘older’ mom, the 48-year-old told Extra TV that it was simply a matter of timing.
“I was having a career and not having the right relationship until … four years ago, and all the elements needed to come together and be right,” she explained.
She later added: “It’s just something I thought about even as a young girl. It’s something that was on my mind, so it’s nice to be here and just be pregnant.”
Above all else, the Academy Award-winner admitted she’s embracing the fact that the twins are due to arrive on a day that already holds special meaning for her.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “It’s all aligning, and my dad, he was one of my favorite people in the world, so it is kind of like … this tribute of life with them being born on this birthday.”
I don’t know about you, but I am simply so, so happy for Hilary Swank. We wish her all the very best of luck. Enjoy motherhood!
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