Even though Christmas was days ago, Duggar followers can’t get over the missing siblings from the big family gathering.
Aside from the maskless event, the biggest complaint seems to be Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard not attending the Duggar Christmas at the Duggar compound.
Why weren’t Jill and Derick there?
Jessa Duggar responds to critics
During the Christmas gathering, Jessa Duggar filmed some of the happenings. From the drive to the Duggar compound to opening presents and video chats, there was a lot going on.
Once Jessa shared her video on YouTube, the comments started. Many were filled with kind words, but plenty were questioning her about why no one was wearing a mask, and one even went so far as to ask specifically about the absence of Jill and Derick.
They wrote, “How is that a Duggar family Christmas, when your sister and your brother-in-law are not there because your family jas [sic] ostracized them?”
She didn’t respond immediately, but Jessa did reply and said, “Nobody is ostracized. The Dillard [sic] were invited, but chose to celebrate the holiday with Derick’s family.”
This was conflicting information based on what Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard revealed in their latest Q&A on YouTube. They revealed that they would be spending Christmas morning at home and would typically have a lunch or dinner with family or friends.
It was revealed they would be seeing Derick’s family in the days following Christmas, so Jessa’s response that they chose not to come in lieu of spending time with the Dillard family didn’t sit well with some followers.
Jill’s son was on video chat
Throughout the over 20 minute video, Jessa Duggar caught various interactions between family members.
At one point, Jeremy Vuolo was on video chat with Ben Seewald. There weren’t any signs of Jinger Duggar or her daughters, Felicity and Evangeline Jo, but they likely were on the chat at some point.
Also, Jill Duggar’s son was on video chat when he was presumably opening up gifts. Last year, they took part in the gift exchange so it is likely they did this year as well. Still, not seeing Jill or Derick present in the video was sad for some followers.
The rift between Jill Duggar and her parents was confirmed a while back with a statement Jim Bob and Michelle issued. Up until then, things were hinted at, but never officially confirmed.
Now, Jessa Duggar may have been attempting to smooth things over, but it didn’t help, especially because Jill and Derick had just shared a video about their Christmas plans.
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