It’s onward and upward for Jennifer Lopez, who says she’s excited about the upcoming holiday season after filing for divorce from Ben Affleck in August.
“It was a pretty intense year for me, and I’m most looking forward to spending time with my kids and my family coming out from the East Coast,” Lopez, 55, told People in an interview published Wednesday.
“The holidays are such a special time for us, and they’ve always been since I was a little girl,” she continued. “And I really look forward to those moments when I can be with my sisters and just relax and have fun and create new memories.”
The multi-hyphenate co-parents 16-year-old twins Max and Emme with her ex-husband Marc Anthony. Her two sisters are Leslie Lopez, 56, and Lynda Lopez, 53.
Jennifer, who is busier than ever, described the holidays as a time to “slow down” and “enjoy” being with her loved ones.
“We don’t get to see each other all year, so we kind of catch up on what everybody’s doing and how life is,” she gushed to the outlet. “It’s just a beautiful time. I really enjoy it.”
The self-proclaimed “sucker for the holidays” admittedly goes all out during that time of year.
“I love all of the decorations and the hot chocolate and the music and the food, and I’m one of those people who really tries to make it out of a storybook for my kids with all of those things,” she shared.
As the new year approaches, the singer explained that she’s hoping for “a deeper connection to [herself] and to God,” which she plans to achieve by making sure she’s “checking” in with herself so she can be “great for everybody” around her.
After canceling her “This Is Me… Live” concert tour in May in order to focus on her personal life, Jennifer revealed that she’s also “setting [her] sights on pushing [her] boundaries creatively and seeing where that takes [her] — whether that’s through acting or music or producing or expanding JLo Beauty.”
She elaborated, “I want to continue challenging myself to evolve and to try new things while all the while being true to who I am and those that I love.”
The actress filed for divorce from Affleck, 52, on the second anniversary of the pair’s lavish Georgia wedding ceremony, which they held after eloping in Las Vegas in July 2022.
She listed the duo’s date of separation as April 26.
Jennifer and the actor-turned-director rekindled their romance in 2021 — nearly 20 years after they called off their first engagement and went on to marry and have children with other people.
Affleck shares Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, with his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner.
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