Céline Dion Shows Warm Family Christmas Picture With Her Three Sons

Dec 28, 2020 by apost team

Christmas is a time to be spent with family and that includes celebrities too. Céline Dion may be a bestselling music recording artist but that doesn't mean she doesn't get in the holiday spirit with her family. In an Instagram post shared on Christmas Day 2020, the French-Canadian mom-of-three gave the world a glimpse into what Christmas looks like at the Dion household.

Some families might dress up for Christmas, either in sweaters or onesies, while others have their own traditions—perhaps opening presents early or reading a Christmas story together. Well, it seems that in Céline Dion's household, her family is firmly in the former camp, as a recent Christmas photo has revealed.

Posted to her Instagram page on December 25, 2020, Dion shared an image of herself and her three sons—René-Charles, 19, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 10, sitting in front of their Christmas tree with big, warm smiles on their faces. What's even more adorable than the sight of the family photo is that all four of them are wearing the exact same Christmas onesie pajamas! Opting for a classic design in white with blue stars, the family looks content and festive for the holidays. Dion captioned the gorgeous family photo with a touching message that said:

"May this holiday season bring all of you the gifts of love, peace, good health, and the promise of brighter days in the New Year ahead!"

She included a Christmas tree, stars, and red heart emojis, and then repeated the festive statement in her native French as well.

Dion doesn't share many photos of her children, who she had with her late husband and manager, René Angélil, but in recent years she has given us a glimpse into her family life. In October 2020 she shared a throwback photo of twins Nelson and Eddy for their 10th birthday. In the heartwarming post on Instagram, she highlighted not only how much they've grown-up, but also how proud they make the entire family, including Angélil. The photos showed the boys playing in a beautiful autumn setting, which Dion captioned: 

"Nelson and Eddy, you have been bringing so much joy, love and laughter into our lives every single day for the past 10 years. You make me, your big brother and your Dad, who is for sure watching over you, so very proud. Happy birthday my beautiful boys! We love you so very much... - Mom, RC and Dad xx..."

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Meanwhile, this year's Christmas family photo isn't the first time Dion has gone public with her family's festive plans. Back in 2018, she shared a similar photo of her and her three boys sitting beside their Christmas tree, albeit there was no matching pajamas in sight, only comfy sweats. The family's two beautiful dogs, named Charlie and Bear, also made an appearance. She kept the caption short and simple, once again writing in both English and French:

"May your heart and home be filled with warmth, peace and love. Happy Holidays everyone! 🎄✨ – Céline, RC, Nelson, Eddy, Charlie and Bear xxx…"

It's clear from these images that Céline Dion is quite the doting mother who's absolutely enamored with her kids. What's more, the family resemblance is hard to deny, with her elder son René-Charles bearing his famous mother's piercing eyes and uplifting smile. Dion also posted a celebratory message on Instagram for his birthday in January 2020. Alongside a photo of him as a baby, as well as one of him today with her, Dion wrote:

"My dear René-Charles, I’m so proud of the way you’re conducting yourself in life. You’re a true gentleman, and I want you to know that your father’s guidance continues to support and protect you… as I do. Keep being the best of yourself… strong, passionate, and wise, as you pursue all of your dreams in life—the sky’s the limit!  And above all, have a good time!.... Your happiness, is my happiness. I love you so much, my dear son!  Mom xx…"

Despite the sad loss of the family's patriarch a few years ago, Dion has done a wonderful job raising her three sons René-Charles, Nelson, and Eddy Angélil since René Angélil's death from cancer in 2016. Speaking with Extra in 2017, she said:

"What makes me most proud is to be a mother. I have three magnificent kids, that through them, I see my husband and I have the strength today to keep dressing up...To be honest, they're remarkable."

Dion's decades-long relationship with her late husband was an integral part of her life, not only personally but also professionally, as he was her manager and the man who helped her rise to stardom. But their love wasn't without controversy. To understand René Angélil's influence on Céline Dion's life, it's important to go to the beginning of her story.

Although Dion is known the world over as being an incredible singing diva, her roots are much more humble than one might imagine. Born in Charlemagne, Quebec on March 30, 1968, young Céline was one of 14 children. Her large family wasn't wealthy, in fact, five of them shared a bed, but despite their poverty, they shared warm family time together, much of which revolved around music. By the age of two, the future star was singing on the dining room table for her family, and by the age of five, she performed at her brother Michel's wedding after he'd asked her to. She fondly thought back on the experience and described it in an interview with CNN:

"And I remember singing for my brother, at his wedding. I sang a couple songs. When I started to feel the love and the warmth of the audience it got me. I said to myself, 'Really this is what I want to do all my life. I want to be a singer.'"

When Dion was 12, her mother wrote her a song titled It Was Only A Dream. The demo recording of this song eventually made its way to René Angélil, who was immediately impressed with her voice and set out to become her manager and incidentally her husband.

According to Huffington Post Canada, Dion eventually fell in love with Angélil at around 17-18 years old. Their 26 year age gap, however, would make their love a difficult one to pursue. She revealed to the outlet that her mother was not at all happy with the couple and their emerging relationship, as most mothers would be. Dion eventually came to understand her mother's position, as she told the Huffington Post.

"If I reversed roles—when I had my first son, RC, if I think of him and he comes [to me] with this lady who has kids and she's 45 and she thinks she knows best, [I'd be] like, 'Take your hand off of my son," she admitted.

In the meantime, Dion's career was soaring. After becoming an international sensation in her native Canada, France, and elsewhere, the then-20-year-old sang at the Eurovision Song Contest 1988, which took place in Dublin, Ireland, and won the top prize. It was after this that Angélil began negotiations to secure Dion's first English-language album, with their eyes set on the United States. Her success only continued to grow, as she won an Academy Award and Grammy for her duet from the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, all at the young age of 24. More hits followed, securing her fame in the States.

But unknown to fans at the time was her romantic relationship with Angélil, which the two of them had been keeping secret for five years. So in the liner notes of her 1993 album The Colour of My Love, Dion went public with her relationship. She later told CNN:

"I wrote a note behind my album. René is my love, I can't keep this secret inside of me anymore. It's getting too powerful. Let me paint a truth and show you how I feel. René, you are the color of my love."

The same interview revealed that Mia Dumon, Dion's friend and former publicist, was in charge of planning their wedding. After asking the songstress what she wanted, she was told "I want something I'll remember all my life." So Dumont went ahead and gave Dion and Angélil "a fairy-tale wedding," on December 17th, 1994.

In 2001, they had their first child, René-Charles Angélil. Raising their son made it apparent to the doting parents that they absolutely wanted to have another child. Unfortunately, they were finding it difficult to conceive naturally, so the couple sought help and started receiving IVF treatment in 2007. The couple still struggled, however, with Dion opening up to Oprah in 2010 about her miscarrying while undergoing the treatment. Despite the adversity, they were still determined to have another child. Then finally in 2010, Angélil and Dion announced she was 14 weeks pregnant with their second-born children, twins. 

Later that same year on October 10, Dion gave birth to Eddy and Nelson at St Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Their names have a particularly important meaning for Dion, with Eddy being named after her favorite songwriter, Eddy Marnay, and Nelson being named after Nelson Mandela, according to People. 

Tragically, the boys lost their father at a young age, when he succumbed to a years-long on-and-off battle with cancer. 

“When you see someone who is fighting so hard, it has a big impact on you,” Dion told People in 2015. “You have two choices. You look at your husband who’s very sick and you can’t help, and it kills you. Or you look at your husband that’s sick and you say, ‘I got you. I got it. I’m here. It’s going to be just fine.’"

It was just two days before his 74th birthday when René Angélil passed away in 2016. "Knowing that now he’s in peace and is resting and is always within me. I see him every day through the eyes of my children. He gave me so much strength,” Dion told Hello! at the time. She added:

”To be honest, I think I’m at the best of my life right now and I want to enjoy and embrace every moment of it and really enjoy it. It’s like I’m having a second wind, like I’m having the wind beneath my wings. I’m having a good time.”

Did you know Céline Dion had three sons? What did you think of their adorable coordinated outfits in their Christmas photo? Let us know in the comments, then be sure to pass this on to those you know!