Anna Duggar Pays Tribute to Late Grandma Mary in First Family Christmas Photo Since Her Death

The Duggar family is still reeling from the loss of one of their own. This year marks the first without Mary Duggar, who tragically passed back in June. To honor Mary, Josh Duggar‘s wife Anna Duggar recently made a tribute to the late matriarch on Instagram. On Dec. 3, Anna showcased the Duggar family’s 2nd annual Ugly Sweater Party with a slew of fun photos. Of course, as previously mentioned, it also was the first Christmas celebration without Mary, and Anna made sure to keep her spirit alive in her lovely IG post.

“We reflected on last year when Great-Grandma Mary Duggar was here with us and all the precious memories we made then,” Anna wrote. “A great reminder that we don’t always know what a year may hold…so cherish every moment this CHRISTmas season!”

She continued to write that the couple’s newborn daughter, Maryella, who is named after Mary, enjoyed the celebration, as well. Anna continued, “Little Maryella Hope made her debut (at 5 days old) for her first #familynight with the big family…and she seemed to enjoy it so much!”

Anna ended her post by giving a shoutout to her family members who helped make the night so special, “Our kiddos had a blast getting dressed up and spending time together with everyone while enjoying good fellowship, food and fun! Thanks to [Duggar Family] [Jessa Seewald] and [Jana] for making this so much fun tonight!”

The Counting On star’s moving post comes about a week after she welcomed her sixth child with Josh, a daughter named Maryella Hope Duggar. Days after the little one was born, Anna revealed the meaning behind her child’s name. As previously detailed, Maryella was named with her great-grandma in mind.

“When Josh’s grandma passed away we considered the name Mary, but we were hesitant because Grandma (Mary Duggar) was such a special lady and we wanted our daughter’s name to be a reminder of how special Grandma was and carry on her legacy, but without feeling like we were trying to replace her,” Anna wrote on Instagram. “Soon, our baby name list that we had narrowed down to 3 names had grown to a list of about dozen Mary-hyphenated names.”

Ultimately, the couple went with Maryella, a beautiful name with ties back to Mary Duggar. Anna concluded her post with, “Maryella Hope Duggar is such a blessing and we are so grateful for her!”