Former First Lady Michelle Obama looked radiant and remarkably svelte in a loved-up festive snap shared with her husband, Barack Obama.
In the warmly lit photograph, Michelle stunned in a sleek black, long-sleeved dress featuring a plunging neckline and intricate lace detailing across the bodice, subtly revealing a sheer panel that adds a touch of modern glamour.
The figure-skimming silhouette highlighted her toned frame, while her braided hair was worn down and softly styled, framing her face as she smiled confidently at the camera.
Barack stood closely beside her with an arm wrapped affectionately around her waist, dressed in a relaxed yet polished look comprising a black top layered under a light tan jacket.
The couple appeared completely at ease, leaning into one another and radiating closeness.
The setting enhances the festive mood: soft golden fairy lights twinkle around them, with elegant greenery and illuminated branches creating an intimate, Christmas-ready atmosphere. "Merry Christmas! Barack and I send you our heartfelt wishes for a blessed holiday and joyful start to the new year," Michelle wrote.
"Merry Christmas and also you’re STUNNING!" raved one fan.
Yet what gives the image its emotional pull is not just how they look, but what they represent. More than a decade after leaving the White House, Michelle and Barack remain one of the world’s most admired couples, known for the way they present their marriage as a partnership built on mutual respect, humour and shared purpose.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Michelle admitted the staggering amount of Christmas cards she sends: "You know, we checked—it’s over 100,000," she said. "But that incorporates friends, family, business people, [and] foundation people, so it’s a lot of folks that we want to thank," she added.
She also revealed that she's the main driver behind the Obama gift-giving process: "Everybody gets a gift, [but] I’m generally the one who is orchestrating it."
The festive photo comes after The Obama family celebrated Thanksgiving in style with a sweet photo shared to social media of Barack, Michelle, Malia and Sasha on the special holiday.
The girls looked all grown up in the snap, with Malia, a budding filmmaker, sporting long red tresses and a distressed yellow dress, while Sasha, a college student, opted for a boho-style white skirt, orange wrap shirt, denim jacket and large pendant necklace.
Michelle beamed as she wrapped her arms around Malia's waist, while wearing cream pants and a patterned white shirt with a green cardigan thrown over the top. Next to her stood Barack, sporting beige trousers and a white button-down shirt.
"During this season of giving, let's do what we can to give back to the communities that have given us so much," the couple wrote in the caption. "From our family to yours, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!"
Fans of the former First Family took to the comment section to share the love, with one writing: "This made me smile," while another added: "This is a family to aspire to be like."
A third chimed in: "The best first family ever!!!!" while another said: "Simply beautiful!" During their eight years in the White House, the Obamas would often celebrate Thanksgiving with the famous Turkey Presentation, in which the president ceremonially "pardoned" a turkey from ending up on a dinner plate.
For many supporters, these glimpses of family life reinforce what made the Obamas so relatable during their presidency: the effort to balance extraordinary public roles with ordinary moments of parenting and togetherness.
Malia and Sasha would often attend the event, which Barack applauded at the 2015 ceremony. "I am going to publicly thank Malia and Sasha for once again standing here with me," he told the crowd.
"They do this solely because it makes me feel good, not because they actually think that this is something I should be doing, and, you know, as you get older, you appreciate when your kids just indulge you like this, so I'm very grateful."
Malia and Sasha were just 10 and seven, respectively, when they moved into the White House following their dad's successful presidential campaign in 2008. Michelle shared on the Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa podcast that it was important to give the girls a relatively normal life despite their situation.
"It took a lot of intentionality," she explained. "Mothering my children...that was really my first priority, especially when we first moved in…I'm gonna focus on making sure that they get settled. I'm gonna spend a lot of time making sure that their lives are normal."