Mary (Marti) Borstad, Carolyn Marti Smith, Steve Marti, Jean (Marti) Wenk, Sue Marti, Joe Marti, and Mike Marti were kids when the first photo was taken, as a Christmas card to be given to relatives. Mary Borstad was 14, while Mike Marti was less than a year old.

Smith said their father had always enjoyed photography, back to his days in WWII.

“When he went to WWII, he was a teletype operator,” he said. “He took a lot of pictures and brought the camera home after he was finished with the war. In January 1946 he finally got home and then nine months later, I was born. Taking pictures was a big deal.”

For the 1957 Christmas card photo, Smith said initially her mother wanted all of them to stand. Because of the size difference between the oldest and youngest siblings, she had them sit instead. This pose, in a row with their feet sticking out, is what they would look to replicate in the years to come.

After over 20 years, the seven siblings decided to re-take the photo for fun. While Mike Marti is still in front and Mary Borstad in back, the perspective is flipped.

They would not come up with the idea of replicating the photo until over 20 years later, in 1978. Smith said only one of the seven Marti kids stayed in New Ulm as adults. She and Mary Borstad moved to Europe, while others scattered to New Mexico and Minneapolis.

Smith said the family had gotten together again before, but it wasn’t until 1978 they thought to recreate the photo.

“Everybody was out at my sister Sue [Marti’s] house,” Smith said. “We took a giant family photo and then we said ‘Let’s all get together and take our picture the way [we did before]. We did and we thought we were darling. We thought it was funny.”

They wouldn’t take the photo again until 1988. Smith still lived in Europe, while Mary Borstad moved back to the States. Smith said this time there was a professional photographer at a gathering they had at Riverside Park, so they had the photo taken again.

Smith said she and her siblings didn’t realize until much later they wanted to make this a more common tradition.

The third of three photos taken in the 1990’s, this would be the last one taken before a 10 year hiatus. With the siblings scattered across the country and sometimes living outside of it, sometimes there were large gaps.

“We all get to a stage where we ask questions that there was no one left to answer,” she said. “We know how important history is because this is the town I was born and grew up in. We know how important that is. I think we all want to be together so we have this record of who we were.”

Besides another ten-year break between 1994 and 2004, the siblings have recreated the photo every two to three years.

While the order has stayed the same, the background and angle have changed from time to time. In 2010 they sat in church on a pew. Three years later, they took a photo poolside in Orlando. Three of the siblings were unable to make it, so they were replaced by Barbie and Ken dolls.

This year, a wedding was what brought all seven siblings together. Everyone wore sunglasses, which Smith said was not intentional and had to do with the conditions outside. One exchange stood out to her this year as being very memorable.

“Somebody said ‘Should we help Mary [Borstad] up?'” Marti said. “She’s 81 and does yoga. She did a backward roll and jumped to her feet. I guess she doesn’t need help getting up.”

This is the first year a photo was taken without all siblings being there. To compensate, Barbie and Ken dolls are held in their place.

Smith said they are looking to continue taking the photos as long as possible.

“Till we die,” she said. “If we’re old we’ll wheel any of us out. Why do you think I walked down to the Caribou today? To keep doing things I want to do. If I stopped doing them, maybe I wouldn’t be able to. I worry about that at my age. Everybody does. It’s a scary thing when you get older.”

For those who would like to start a tradition with their own families or friends, Smith said she does not recommend forcing it.

“It has to arise naturally,” she said. “I don’t think you could ever make a plan.”

After 67 years, this photo was taken in 2024 at a family wedding. The siblings hope to continue taking photos for as long as they can, even if they have to be wheeled out instead of sitting down.