Old friends reunite for increasingly elaborate annual Santa photos

Rather than a “partridge in a pear tree," their first photo at Christmas featured friends on a mall Santa’s knee.

“It was an excuse to do something fun in the middle of the school day,” Kierden Buchanan says, before showing me a picture on his phone featuring a trio of teenagers smiling with Santa.

That first picture proved to be such a hit, there was no need for a few “French hens” to entice more of their high school friends to participate in the follow years' photos.

“It (started as) a fun way to celebrate our friend group,” says Causta Habedus-Sorensen with a smile, before showing photos of more than half a dozen guys surrounding Santa. “Then it went from trying to look better, to trying to look more ridiculous.”

Like “calling birds” lead to “geese a-laying” and “swans a-swimming” in the song, the friends' costume collection increased every year.

“In the past we’ve done Hawaiian shirts,” says Kierden, showing a picture of Santa laying across the laps of 10 guys in bright shirts and baby sunglasses.

“We did cowboy themed,” Causta says of the gang dressed in plaid shirts and Stetson hats to impress the “maids a-milking.”

Over the years, the costumes have ranged from all in denim to all in housecoats.

“I wore my gross old bathrobe that I’ve had since I was 10 years old to the mall,” Kierden reveals with a smile.

And who needs “turtle doves” when you’re posing with Santa all wearing turtle-necks, or “five golden rings” when you’ve accessorize those shirts with far more than five golden chains?

“We attempted to get bigger and better every year,” Kierden says.

Last year’s 11th annual photo was the biggest yet. The group set-up a rented green-screen in their old middle school gymnasium to pay tribute to Leonardo Da Vinci’s iconic Last Supper painting. It featured 12 guys in traditional outfits, and Kierden’s grandpa – a professional mall Santa – in the centre seat.

“He’s worked around the world,” Kierden says proudly, pulling out his grandpa’s business card. “He’ll do gigs and appearances whenever you need him.”

While ladies dance, and lords leap, in the “12 Days of Christmas” song, over the years many of Kierden and Causta’s friends have left. But no matter where they attended universities or started careers, they always returned home for the holidays for the picture with Santa.

Except during COVID, when only six people could make it for the picture that was taken outside with the friends wearing full-plastic suits and Santa in a mask.

“We’ve had our challenges and ups and downs,” Causta says of the group. “But if you put in that energy and work through things, over time you can have 12 photos of you with Santa.”

Which brings us to this 12th year of Christmas photos, where instead of “pipers piping” or drummers dancing, the friends are posting as the elderly aging.

“I hope that at some point (in the future) we’re going to have Santa photos with our kids and our grandkids,” Kierden says, before showing me the photo of them with their hair dyed grey, holding canes and sitting in wheelchairs.

And after countless photos at Christmas, this is how these true friends hope they’ll be, still posing with Santa for all to see.