A mum living with both her ex-husband and new fiancé has revealed how they spend Christmas together as a “modern, blended family”.
Linda Fruits, 35, made headlines after revealing she asked her ex, Christopher, to father her new child, shared with her new partner Maddy.
The trio all live under the same roof, alongside Linda and Christopher’s shared children, sons Elliot, five, and Owen, three, and Linda and Maddy’s new addition, 18-month-old Arlo.
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And, despite splitting in 2021 when Linda realised she was a lesbian, they have managed to turn a divorce into a harmonious co-parenting experience.
Now preparing for the holidays as a unit, Linda has lifted the lid on how the full family celebrates together.
“It’s really special for us to be able to celebrate together – especially since we don’t have the traditional divorced parent roles,” the content creator, from Sunrise, Florida, US, told What’s The Jam.
“We don’t have to split our time, and I’m never going to have to miss a holiday with my kids – which I know for some parents is painful and sad to say the least.
“We get to celebrate all holidays as a group.”
Linda is currently in the process of divorcing Christopher, 38, though the two remain friends and will continue to live together while they raise their children.
When she and Maddy, 38, got together, she moved into the joint family home, and they later asked Christopher to be their sperm donor.
Now, he acts as father alongside the two mothers, forming a three-person parenting team under one roof.
When it comes to Christmas, they split responsibilities between them.
Linda explained: “When it comes to duties, we usually decide in advance who’s going to be cooking.
“I usually decorate and I also like cooking because it gives me a break!
“Maddy loves playing with the kids.
“Generally we just check in with each other and see who wants to do what the most.
“We’ll have a low-key kind of day and just be a family.
“One of my favourite parts about Christmas is that there are no expectations and if [extended] family wants to come by, that’s great, but we’re not tied to anything specific for the day.
“The day before Christmas, we typically go to my mum’s house, and we’ll all go over there, have dinner and open gifts – and then Christmas Day is a day for just us.”
Maddy is Jewish, so the family also celebrate other holidays with her.
Meanwhile Christopher is currently single, so doesn’t have a partner joining them for Christmas this year – though they have previously adopted a “the more the merrier” approach.
Linda added: “When we celebrate the holidays it’s truly about being together with family, friends and reflecting on our last and upcoming year.”
