Jill Duggar Dillard and Husband Seen Mingling with Her Estranged Dad Jim Bob in Brother James’ Christmas Photos

Jill Duggar Dillard and her estranged father, Jim Bob Duggar, appeared to spend some rare time together during the Christmas season.

In an Instagram carousel shared by brother James Duggar on Christmas Day, Jill, 33, and husband Derick, 35, are seen chatting with the Duggar patriarch, 59, on a brown couch as fellow family members opened gifts.

"The best time of the year!!!" James captioned the festive post, which also included snaps of Jessa Duggar and husband Ben Seewald, John Duggar and wife Abbie's son Charlie, Jason Duggar and Jeremiah Duggar.

Related: Jill Duggar Dillard Posts BTS of Brother Jason's Wedding, from Cake Cutting to Dancing and the Bouquet Toss

Over the years, Jill — one of Jim Bob and Michelle's 19 children — has been open about her disdain for her upbringing and her parents’ involvement in the religious organization Institute in Basic Life Principles.

The reality TV alum told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview timed to the September 2023 release of her book Counting the Cost that she considers the organization, founded by minister Bill Gothard, to be a "cult."

"My dad even said somewhat recently on a family group text, he was like, 'You owe your life to Mr. Gothard,' " she told PEOPLE. "I'm like, 'No,' I think that you just have to not look at the sugarcoating, or whatever. They try and gloss it up and repackage it. But you have to look at the long haul, how it really flushed out. What do these principles look like."

Related: A Guide to Everyone in the Duggar Family

Jill also shared that filming her family's reality shows — 19 Kids and Counting and its spinoff Counting On — took a toll on her relationship with Derick as she struggled to say "no" to her father and the filming demands.

"It definitely got between us," she said of how she and Derick began fighting over the show. "No matter your age, you are to obey your parents’ wishes and you even have to ask them for their blessing for any major moment in your life. That could be buying a house, moving to a different state, where to go to school. We were dealing with this a lot when we were trying to make decisions for our family, and we were really wrestling back and forth with it."

Derick added that Jim Bob would "weaponize the relationship and say, 'Is this you, Jill, or is this you, Derick? Are you leading your wife astray and doing things that are not supportive of marriage?' "

Jill and Derick got married in 2014 and share three children: Israel David, Samuel Scott and Frederick Michael.

Related: Jill Duggar Dillard Makes an Unusual First Stop on Family Road Trip to Tennessee

In January 2024, Jill said on the Unplanned Podcast that she couldn’t remember the last time she saw her parents, although they have spoken since the release of her 2023 tell-all book.

When asked if they’ve read it, she said, "I’ve heard that they did … They, like, listened to it on an audiobook or something."

"They're my parents. I'm gonna tread lightly. I also don't want to create more controversy," she added. "It's kind of like when you get together on the holidays, and there are certain things that you don't want to just bring up. It's probably a sore subject."

Jill and Derick tried to remember when they last saw Jim Bob and Michelle in person.

The daughter insisted that it was sometime after the birth of their youngest son in July 2022.

"We saw them at a birthday party … Joy and Austin's like, one of their kid’s birthday thing or something. Or a baby announcement or something, I don't know, some kind of family function."

Read the original article on People