Kim Kardashian’s annual holiday photo tradition stirred major buzz this year—but not for the usual glamorous reasons. The reality star’s eldest daughter, North West, was noticeably missing from the Kardashian-Jenner family’s festive Christmas shoot, and fans were quick to point it out.
Kim shared a carousel of cozy holiday photos on Instagram on Wednesday, featuring herself and three of her children—Saint (10), Chicago (7), and Psalm (6)—all dressed in matching Christmas-themed pajama sets from her Skims clothing line. Also included in the heartwarming shoot were Khloé Kardashian’s son Tatum (3) and Rob Kardashian’s daughter Dream (9). Captioning the post, Kim wrote, “’Twas the night before Christmas…”
While the photos were undeniably adorable, fans quickly zeroed in on one glaring detail: North West, 12, was nowhere to be seen. The comments section filled up with speculation and jokes about the preteen’s absence. “Northie said not today—gotta love teenagers!” one fan joked, while another quipped, “You gotta start paying Northie, she’s not doing photos for free anymore.”
Many followers weren’t entirely surprised. Just days earlier, Kim admitted she had struggled to get all four of her kids to cooperate for a family holiday picture. Sharing a chaotic behind-the-scenes carousel, she confessed, “I really tried,” as North was seen walking out of frame and skipping the first few shots entirely.
This isn’t the first time North has resisted holiday photo ops. Back in 2022, Kim revealed that many of her Christmas photos were unusable because North was “sticking out her middle finger.” On her Hulu show, Kim has openly described family photo shoots as the “most stressful time” of her life, explaining that the kids often cry and clash during shoots.
Kim shares her children with ex-husband Kanye West, whom she divorced in 2021. Despite North’s reluctance to pose for family photos, the preteen recently stepped into the spotlight by making her Instagram debut—a move that surprised fans, especially given Kanye’s past objections to her presence on social media.
North’s decision to skip the holiday shoot may be classic preteen behavior, but it once again proves that when it comes to the Kardashians, even a missing face can steal the entire show.