It was a blue Christmas for Brad Pitt. He was once again sidelined by Angelina Jolie when it came to spending the day with children Maddox, 16, Pax, 14, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 11, and twins Vivienne, 9, and Knox, 9. Poor guy!

“He was hoping to get some true quality time with the kids over the holiday, but it never quite materialized,” an insider told In Touch exclusively. “While he planned on having at least part of Christmas Day with the children, they ended up going with their mom to see the 3D action adventure Jumanji at the ArcLight theater in Hollywood.”

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The saddest part is that this year should have been easier. In 2016, Brad was still under investigation by the Department of Child Services and was only allowed supervised visits with his kids. Angie used the case to make it very difficult for Brad to see them. However, the couple is still in the midst of a bitter divorce battle, and Angie doesn’t seem to want to share the children at all.

“Angie and Brad are still playing tug-of-war with their kids,” a source told In Touch on Dec. 20. “Because they’re not officially divorced yet, Angie’s in the driver’s seat when it comes to getting the children for the holidays, and she’s taking full advantage of that.” At the time, Brad was “chomping at the bit to get more custody. His Christmas wish is to have equal custody.” Unfortunately, it looks like his wish didn’t come true.

During this difficult time, Brad has turned to ex-wife Jennifer Aniston for comfort. The two have been getting closer and closer, and that’s only made the situation with Angie worse. Now, she’s even more salty and desperate to keep the kids away. No wonder a source told In Touch that Brad regrets leaving Jen for her!

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