Kids Pose With Santa for 23 Years Straight

Dec. 24, 2008 — -- For Merry Swan, it wouldn't be Christmas without a photo of her two daughters on Santa's lap.

And while that tradition typically ends for most families by the time kids stop believing in Santa, that's not been the case for Swan's daughters.

For more than 20 years, Swan's two daughters -- now 23 and 18 years old -- have been dragged by their mother to their local Baton Rouge, La., mall to get their mugs snapped alongside Saint Nick.

"They're not too happy with me," Swan told ABCNews.com of her two daughters, Ashley and Katie, who took this year's photo on Monday.

"But just like anybody else when my first child was born, I wanted her picture taken with Santa," said Swan, "and then I just started doing it every year."

"It's just a tradition," she said. "The girls gripe about it, but that's the only thing I ask."

Swan says that every Dec. 1 she takes out the past Santa photos and displays them in her den.

"I have them all displayed -- all 23 years," said Swan. "This year's picture is actually in my living room where my big tree is."

The Swan daughters used to love getting their pictures taken with Santa. Their mom remembers that when they were little they looked forward to climbing on Santa's lap and whispering in his ear.

But today, the girls' feelings have changed.

"I feel like we're a little bit too old to be taking these pictures," said Katie Swan, who is an 18-year-old high school senior.

"People think my sister and I are just friends and we're joking around by taking a picture with Santa," said Katie. "But then when we tell people the truth they laugh at us."