Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are mixing things up for the holidays, starting with a Christmas card that looks very different this year.
The Live with Kelly and Mark cohosts tell PEOPLE exclusively that after years of wrangling their three children for a group photo everyone likes, they’ve decided to take back control of the annual family tradition.
“We’re tired of getting all the photos approved by our kids every year,” Consuelos says. “They’re out.”
“We’ve cut them out,” says Ripa.
Kelly Ripa/Instagram
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That didn’t sit well with Michael, 28, Lola, 24, and Joaquin, 22. “They complained that they’re not in the Christmas card this year. They feel very slighted, and [said] ‘How could you?’ ” Ripa explains.
But after years of chasing down sign-offs, she hit her limit. “I said, ‘I’m tired of waiting around for you to approve a picture. I’ve got to move.”
So who made the cut instead?
Ripa, 55, and Consuelos, 54, reveal the card features a photo with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, taken after their holiday-themed performance to “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” on the conclusion of Live with Kelly and Mark’s Halloween episode this year.
“We took a picture on the set with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, and Mark is in the middle and we’re all in our special outfits,” Ripa describes. “And Mark just has a look on his face that is like… he’s so excited and happy. He’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him in a Christmas card.”
LiveKellyandMark/YouTube
Consuelos agrees: “This year’s going to be great.”
“It’s a good one.” boasts Ripa. “I don’t mind telling you, it’s a good one.”
This is not the first time the couple have swapped their children for unconventional stand-ins. One year, when the kids “were also being not very cooperative,” Consuelos used a photo of him with his TV family Riverdale.
“That was another good Christmas card,” Ripa remembers.
LiveKellyandMark/YouTube
And while chatting with PEOPLE, the pair decided on next year’s card: a photo with the Rockettes, who will be appearing on Live with Kelly and Mark’s annual Christmas Sweater show this year.
“The Radio City Rockettes, they’re amazing,” Ripa says. “Every year I’m like, ‘We gotta get a picture with the Rockettes’ but we do the show so late and I gotta get my Christmas card to the printer early. So maybe we’ll do a picture this year for next year’s Christmas card.”
“Perfect!” says Consuelos.
Of course, the Christmas card is just one part of the couple’s spirited holiday season. At home, they stick to a mix of long-held traditions: a Christmas carol mass, a seafood dinner and stockings stuffed by Ripa — even if Consuelos likes to tease her while she does it.
“He stands over me saying, ‘When are you going to be done with that? You know nobody appreciates this anymore,’ ” Ripa gripes. “But the next morning, everybody appreciates having a stocking stuffed with stuff!”
Though Michael, Lola and Joaquin are benched for now, Consuelos guarantees they will return to the Christmas card “when they have kids.”
“That’s right,” Ripa says . “But until there’s grandchildren, they’re done. We’re just going to cut the kids out.”
Live with Kelly and Mark airs weekdays (check local listings).
