33 ways to say Merry Christmas

Twins Kevin and David McFarland keep a folder of future Christmas card ideas.

The 51-year-old brothers have been creating personalized cards for 33 years.

The one that rose to the top this year features a photo of their sons on bicycles riding through the long, lighted archway at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows.

“One of the reasons we went to the Shrine is Mom and Dad often went to Mass there and ate at the restaurant,” said Kevin, 51, of Waterloo.

“The card is at the Shrine because of our mom, Jeanne,” said David, who works at Curt Smith Sporting Goods. “She is in hospice care.”

The Shrine was a fit for another reason, too.

“It’s a local place, but also a national place,” said Kevin. “We thought it would be really cool to take a picture there some year. We didn’t want to be in a car. The kids on bicycles would be a nice twist to it. The kids did a good job of getting lined up.”

The card has always been a family affair. Look for David to be wearing a Santa outfit, Kevin to take the photo and their sons to be front and center. This year, they wore hoodies or Santa hats to ride through the arch. The four stars are David’s sons Brendan, 20, an SIUE junior, and Jordan, 18, a Waterloo High senior; and Kevin’s sons, Mason, 15, a Gibault High School freshman, and Colin, 12, a 7th-grader at St. James Grade School in Millstadt.

The brothers send out about 100 of their 5 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch color photo cards. Check out their Facebook page to see a history of the cards.

“Some have a sign-of-the-times theme — with the Big Red leaving town in 1993, the Batman movie in 1989,” said Kevin, a full-time sub at Belleville West. “In 2005, we blew up the stadium.” Some have family themes. “In 2000, my wife (Wendy) was halfway through labor. We came in and put on (hospital) garb. In 2001, it was a tribute when Dad (Bill McFarland) passed. Gosh, between Dad and 9/11, we had two cards that year.”

In the name of their Christmas card, they’ve gotten inside a bank vault, Busch Stadium and a TV studio.

Q: How did the tradition begin?

A: “We started it in 1983 when we were in college as a fun way to keep in touch with our friends,” said Kevin. They threw a couple white sheets over their backyard fence for a snowy backdrop and added a tree. The twins wore shorts, Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses to ham it up amid Christmas decorations. “We never thought there would be a second annual. Dad took the picture with a Polaroid. We sent out 25 cards to college buddies. We used 20-cent stamps.”

Q: Did it take long to get just the right photo this year?

A: “We loaded the car with kids and bikes. We got there early before dusk. They rode bikes around and waited till dark. It took about an hour and a half. They were riding through like a caravan. They would turn off, go back and do again. The final picture was our best. It was the keeper.”

Q: What do your sons think about being involved with the annual card?

A: “It’s great. The last two or three years, they have been taking a huge interest. They want to do it.”

Q: Biggest challenge?

A: “It was hard to get our calendars together. We did it on a Saturday night, which is the busiest night for the Shrine but the night we could all get together. There was a line of cars down Route 15 waiting to turn. Dave played police cop. He would motion, ‘Halt’ and the kids would ride around and go through again. The Shrine people probably thought Dave was part of the attraction.”

Q: How often do you go through the Way of Lights?

A: “In a car, we do it every year. We watch ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas,’ ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ and go through the Shrine at least once.”

This story was originally published December 20, 2015 at 4:03 AM with the headline "33 ways to say Merry Christmas."