I Am the Walroths: Deck the Halls...and the baby, too.

Okay, confession time. I went through a fairly Grinchy phase in college. I blame Todd (and PMO in general) and my sister, Katie for bombarding me with Christmas carols starting October 30th. I think I suffered from a severe case of CSO...Christmas Spirit Overload...perhaps you've heard of it? No? Oh, okay, just me? Annnyway...I started making a lot of stupid rules about no carols or decorations until December, blah blah blah, basically I was a huge pain in the rear. I'm sorry. I hereby apologize for being a giant Srooge.

I'm happy to say in recent years, I've recovered mightily. I'm tight with Rudolph, I'm down with Frosty, I'll kick it with those weird Heatmeister, Snowmeister dudes. I returned to the rightful, normal stage of loving the whole holiday season. See proof below...

I sled with adorable monkey babies.

I give and receive gifts beneath, not one, not two, but three festive trees (which, I think next year may be four trees...I think Allie totally needs a tiny one in her room! Don't you??)

I hang up festive and witty decorations! I make pilgrimages to Bronner's, where it's Christmas 365 days a year!

But this year, I think it is the Mommy gene, something kicked my Claus-o-meter up a notch. I believe it is a tiny ten pound butterball, no, not a turkey! It would be one little Minky Baby! (I don't know why I have to have a million nicknames for this baby when I spent HOURS poring over baby books to pick the perfect name, but I do...but alas, I do.) While we made a decision to not drive ourselves nuts with alllllll the decorations this year, we are relishing and savoring every holiday-ish thing we do this first Christmas with Alexa Grace. We decorated the tree to Christmas carols, we watched Elf with friends, I held her up to the window to see the first big snow of the season, and today I introduced Allie to the wonder that is the Nutcracker (what is the appropriate age for a baby to start ballet? Six months? Nine months? Just kidding, I'll give until one year at least ;) I think I spent a solid ten minutes today watching her watching the tree lights. Geesh! I'm sappier than a Carpenter's Christmas album....and I looooooooooove it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe I was scared by all those people who keep telling me how fast it is going, but I can't take enough pictures, or enough quiet little moments to take the wonder of this first Christmas, and pack it away in my memory, for the day when this little baby is all grown up and great big. Sigh, who knew I was such a sap???

So anyway, I have to go give little Minky a bath and then pick out an adorable holiday outfit for a birthday dinner we are going to tonight. I have a pretty awesome holiday Lillypie I need to match. And who knows...maybe we'll have enough time to watch Frosty. But before I go...here's a few outtakes from the Christmas card shoot that occurred in our living room...just to brighten your day.