Michael Phelps and his sons dress up as elves for a sweet family photo this Christmas

Michael Phelps/Instagram, Noam Galai/Getty

Michael Phelps is swapping his swimsuit for an elf costume this holiday.

The 23-time gold medalist shared Christmas family photos on Instagram, posing with his wife Nicole Phelps and his three sons – Maverick Nicolas, 3, Beckett Richard, 4, and Boomer Robert, 7. To celebrate this year, the family opted for a coordinated dress code: Phelps, his boys, and their pug Herman wore elf costumes.

Michael posted two photos of the family. The first is a more silly picture of Michael lying on the floor while his oldest son peeks out from behind his back. His middle son crouches down to put an elf hat on Herman's head while Nicole and Maverick also smile from the side. The second photo is a classic holiday photo of the two cozying up in front of the Christmas tree.

“Merry Christmas 🎄🎁!!!”, Phelps captioned the photos on Instagram.

His wife, in Christmas pajamas, also posted her own series of photos and snapped some additional shots of their sons posing in front of the Christmas tree in their elf costumes – a onesie with a green collared petticoat, black belt and yellow printed pants. Each boy wore a different colored hat to go with the ensemble.

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She also captured a sweet moment of Michael smiling at the camera while holding a gift, Maverick sitting on his lap, and Beckett and Boomer smiling right next to him. Nicole ended her post with a simple black and white photo of her and her husband hugging and smiling at the camera.

“I love all my elves 💛💚🎄,” she wrote in her post. “Merry Christmas from my family to yours 🥰”

For Michael, this is the first holiday he will celebrate without his father Fred, who passed away in October. Michael paid tribute to him in an Instagram post, sharing a series of photos from the past few years with his father.

“You will always be my father…”, the swimmer wrote under the post. “And I will always be your son… I love you, dad, and I will miss you❤️❤️ Rest in peace, dad”

Similar video: Michael Phelps' sons watch as he is inducted into the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame

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Michael told Sports illustrated that he and his father grew apart after his parents' divorce, but that they reunited after Michael's arrest for drunk driving in 2014 and subsequent stay in rehab.

“Our relationship is really great and continues to grow,” said Michael S.I. back then. “We discovered that we have a lot in common.”