"It was year after year. Our father kept pushing us to go. It never seemed like a big deal. It just kind of happened. And then after a certain point, it was like we've been doing this for two decades now and we're just going to keep going. At that point, you can't miss one. Because, you know, I just feel guilty about not going," Michael and Martin Gray said.
34 pictures and counting, some stand out.
1985 - Martin is in tears.
1995 - Michael, a Massachusetts resident by the way, holding up a Yankee hat.
1998 - The brothers now too big to sit on Santa's lap.
2003 - Martin now a college sophomore, and Michael a recent graduate.
And then there's the one in 2010 with matching sweaters!
"We actually picked those [sweaters] up at the mall that we got the pictures at. It was kind of a last minute thing and we are trying to outdo ourselves each year," Martin Gray said.
And then one year after that sweater picture, something special happened.
Michael had his first child, and a new tradition was born. One that takes us right up to this year, and one that will continue indefinitely.
"I have two kids and Martin has one. And I guess we are going to continue with it," Michael Gray said.
"Probably once they are teenagers and hate us for it is my guess," Martin Gray said.
"When they start to despise us for it. That is the teachable moment and we'll continue with it," Michael Gray said.
