Weeks ago, when asked the simple question of 'how's life,' Wizards center Ian Mahinmi's face lit up. He remarked how it was Christmas season and how his family already had their decorations up.
The date was November 13th. While most who celebrate the holiday consider the start of the season as after Thanksgiving, or even Dec. 1, Christmas has been in full-swing in the Mahinmi household for going on a month.
The Mahinmis usually put their Christmas tree up on Thanksgiving night and their outdoor lights the next day. But with three young girls in the house, ranging from three months to six-years-old, an executive decision was made by Mahinmi and his wife, Alexis, to kick things off a few weeks earlier.
"This year, it was like 'let's just start early, man,'" Mahinmi told NBC Sports Washington. "The six-year-old and the three-year-old, they are really looking forward to things like that. So, why wait? Just give it to them."
For the Mahinmi's, Christmas season means watching all of the classic movies. They love how the Hallmark Channel began it's Christmas movie marathon this year on Oct. 27 (seriously, that's when it started).
Mahinmi's favorite is the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. They watch the original and the reboot with Jim Carrey.
Christmas season also means a collection of outdoor decorations that could probably be seen from space. Mahinmi prides himself on having the most extravagant display in his D.C. neighborhood.
He said this year they have a candy cane walkway up to the front door. There is a huge snowman and also an ode to France, where he was born and raised.
"I have the Eiffel Tower, of course. A big Eiffel Tower," he said.
Mahinmi changes it up every year to keep it fresh and the neighbors guessing. This year's version, installed by The King of Christmas, a company located in Frederick, MD, has a new addition Mahinmi is quite proud of. It's a cartoon Grinch stealing lights off a tree with Lucy Lou watching in despair.
It's all about the details, Mahinmi says:
"When you drive by my house, you're definitely going to be like 'oh s***, who did that?'"
Mahinmi's Christmas spirit has been contagious in the Wizards locker room. He said in mid-November he already had teammates like Tomas Satoransky and Otto Porter Jr. singing the song 'Feliz Navidad' at practice and in layup lines.
It's a favorite time of year for Mahinmi and the ultimate reason is something everyone can get behind. It's for his three daughters, who look forward to it like so many children do.
"It's always for the kids. There is a magical part of Christmas," Mahinmi said. "It's so nice that they can believe in something. They are still young and still kind of pure enough to believe in the magic of Christmas. So, it's fun."
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