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That doesn’t sound too bizarre, until you realize that this is a tradition the “children” of the Wilson family have been doing since 1955. That’s right, all four grown siblings, three brothers and one sister, pose with Santa every year.
According to the second oldest, Steve, it is a tradition that never got old. Their parents would even pull them out of school, just for the photo. When the kids finally reached an age many would deem too old for Santa, they elected not to care.
“We would plan it as a family, the four of us. Time flies and you don’t even realize it,” he explains. In fact, there was only one year when all four weren’t present: 1978. Since then, the tradition has continued.
Even spouses have joined the fun as the years have passed. In 1990, so did the parents. 2012 marked the Wilson’s 58th photo with Santa. It was also their father’s last. Woody Wilson passed away a month later, after celebrating his 94th birthday.
The following Christmas, when the rest of the family gathered for the photo, Steve was wearing one of his father’s vintage jackets.
“So in that way, he’s in the picture,” Steve explains. On December 6th, 2014, the family gathered for their 60th photo with Santa.
“It’s the history of our family. It just happens to be with Santa Claus,” says Steve.
