Festive Family Takes 50 Years of Santa Photos for Their Mom

— -- One family in Mesa, Arizona, isn’t messing around when it comes to festive photo-taking.

For the past 50 years, the Sedlak siblings have been reuniting on Christmas Eve to say “cheese!” with Santa. It’s a tradition they keep carrying on because it’s the best gift they could ever give their Christmas-obsessed mom, Carolyn Sedlak.

“This is absolutely done for my mom because it makes her so happy,” Frank Sedlak, the eldest of the three siblings, told ABC News. “It’s just the simple, little things in life. It’s not something grandiose or anything like that. It’s not like we go to a studio or anything. The last few years we’ve been going to Bass Pro Shop because it’s free. It’s not a monetary thing, it’s just something that special to my mom.”

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The first holiday photo was taken in 1966 when Frank was about to turn one year old.

“It was our first child and I love Christmas so of course taking him to see Santa was just normal,” Carolyn, 74, explained.

A few years later, Frank was joined by sisters Lisa and Kari.

“Never did I expect it to end up like this,” Carolyn added. “This year will be the 50th picture. It really is special.”

The family takes it so seriously that one year Kari flew home just for the photo before flying back out less than 24 hours later.

“The one year my husband picked up Kari at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve,” Carolyn recalled. “The other two were waiting at the mall. They were standing in line to take pictures with Santa and she went straight there to meet them, and then she was back on a plane at 9 a.m. the next morning. She had to go work.”

And the photos are not just for seasonal enjoyment. Carolyn keeps the cards hung up all year round.

“Putting these on the wall, you see 50 pictures of a progression of the family from year to year to year of how they’ve grown, how they’ve changed, expressions, hair,” she explained. “It didn’t start out like his. But then it kept going and it was like, ‘Oh we need to do this again,’ and then it got the point where it was, ‘Oh, we have to do it his again,’ still never thinking it would end up where it’s at.”

There are rules, however. No spouses and no grandchildren are allowed.

“It was always about the three kids, so that’s just how it stayed,” said Carolyn. “The grandchildren are the lights of our lives but again, it’s just about the three kids.”

“We always get an additional picture done that will have the other people in it, but as far as what we have to do for our mom, it’s just the three of us that go up on the wall,” Frank added.

The siblings don’t mind it, though. They all live locally and it gives them a good excuse to get together.

“It’s because of her,” said Frank. “We’re fortunate to be close with our parents. My dad is my best friend. He was the best man when I got married 20 years ago. We do family stuff together and unfortunately right now in this day and age, people aren’t like that, and we are. And this means so much to her. What is it to take two hours of your day to do something special for your mom? How can you not do that?”