Friday morning, people around the country celebrated Christmas day, unwrapping presents and enjoying a unique holiday defined by the lack of large groups. Vanessa Bryant, however, had a bittersweet holiday. She took part in a time-honored tradition but also posted a tearful tribute to her late husband Kobe Bryant and their daughter, Gianna, who died in a Jan. 26 helicopter crash.
Vanessa posted two black and white photos on Instagram in celebration of the holiday. One showed her sitting on a couch with Natalia, Bianka and Capri. The other showed the entire family, complete with Bryant and Gianna. “Always Together, Never Apart Together Forever In Our Hearts. [heart emoji] Kobe, Vanessa, Natalia, Gianna, Bianka and Capri,” she wrote in the caption of the Instagram post. Natalia posted the same set of photos on her own Instagram profile, writing “Merry Christmas” to her followers.
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The fans saw the tribute and responded with a variety of comments. Some wished the Bryant family well while others talked about how they were crying after reading the post. “[Heart emoji] sending so much love and light to you all,” one person wrote in response to the heartfelt tribute.
In addition to the Christmas tribute, Vanessa posted several portraits of her daughters on social media in celebration of the holiday season. These photos showed Natalia, Bianka and Capri smiling for the camera. Vanessa also posted a black and white photo of Gianna posing for the camera.
Prior to Christmas day, Vanessa revealed that she was not the only person making tributes to Bryant and Gianna. Khloe Kardashian also took part. She sent a special gingerbread house to Vanessa that included tributes to the late Los Angeles Lakers star and his daughter. Their names were on the roof of the gingerbread house, along with her other daughters.
“Khloe, thank you so much, it’s beautiful,” Bryant said in the video. “I love it.” The clip showed her and Bianka looking at the house and examining the names on the building. Some fans noticed that angel’s wings were next to two of the names.
Vanessa also used her Instagram account to show off how she spent Christmas Eve. She and Natalia enjoyed some cookies, as well as a movie. Vanessa posted a photo that showed the title screen of Home Alone. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals,” she wrote in the caption of the photo on Instagram Stories.
