Yesterday Season 7's 5th place finalist, Brooke White took a moment out of her busy schedule to talk about her recently released album, White Christmas. When asked why she decided to release a holiday album Brooke replied, "We were that weird family that always listened to Christmas music and so you know after all the records that I've recorded ... I just felt like it was time."

Brooke told us about her favorite song on the album. "You always go through phases with records where one minute you really love a certain song and then later on down the road one starts to grow on you. I really love "Last Christmas" which originally wasn't in my plans to record. The song's been recorded so many times and I just thought it's been overdone, but I still loved it so much I just thought, ah I'm just going to do it anyway."

The song is a special one for Brooke and her daughter London. She explains, "I actually really love how it turned out. It's just one of those fun songs that we crank up when we dance in the living room, me and my Londyloo."

Get your copy of White Christmas in time for the holidays!

Brooke's daughter London is now almost seven months old and Brooks says she's changed everything. "It definitely has given me a different perspective on life and priorities. Music has always been on the forefront and it's been interesting to juggle the two. I always said I wanted to be an M and M: A mom and a musician. Now that's happening and I'm learning how to do both things.

Brooke has been and continues to be a very prolific artist. She has put out five albums since her time on American Idol, starred in a movie and created the web series, The Girls with Glasses. "Some days are really tricky, I think how am I going to keep doing all this, but really I'm a creative person and that's how I survive. It's the only way I know how to be. I drop the ball occasionally when I'm juggling. So, I just do the best that I can. I think the secret is I just have really great collaborators. Having great collaborators and working with a great team, it's all about the people you surround yourself with. And I have a really great husband you know, he's just really supportive and helps a lot with the baby.

Brooke let us in on her plans for the first of the year. "In the new year I'm really going to be focused on The Girls with Glasses show. We have some amazing opportunities in the new year. So we're going to put that on the front burner for a couple months and were going to work on some new series with it."

The Girls with Glasses even have a theme song!  Check out the song, "I Am A Girl" at www.thegirlswithglasses.com. "I think we really nailed it with that song. It really encompasses what The Girls with Glasses is."

Brooke is keeping silent on some of her plans for 2013, but insists that "2013 is going to be a year of really quality songwriting."

Brook had a message to her fans. "Thank you for sticking around with me. Especially American Idol fans, you know it's almost been five years now and a lot has happened. I've released five records since Idol. I've been able to do a movie, had a baby, started a web series. Thank you so much. I'm still here, I'm still going and excited about the new year.

You can keep up with Brooke and all her projects at her blog: BrookieBabble.com. Follow Brooke on Instagram @realbrookewhite, on Twitter @brookewhite, and at facebook.com/brookewhite.

Photo Credit: Dawn Dicarlo

Your favorite Idol alumni have been busy this week joining shows, forming new bands and winning awards! Get all the latest news below:

Season 4 winner and Country superstar Carrie Underwood has been named Country Music Television’s Artist of the Year for 2012, along with Miranda Lambert. Congratulations, Carrie!

Since winning Season 11 of American Idol, Phillip Phillips has rapidly become one of music's hottest new artists. It was just announced that the talented singer will be joining Matchbox 20 on the road for 21 dates this winter beginning January 29, 2013. Phillip's first show will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Catoosa, OK. Phillip will be on tour with the popular band until February 27th, 2013! Get your tickets now.

Season 9's Siobhan Magnus has a new gig! It was just announced that the soulful singer will be fronting a new 90′s style band named Doubtful Guest featuring former members of Godsmack, Everclear, Candlebox, and ThirdEyeBlind.

Season 4's top guy, Bo Bice, is headed to Broadway!  He will be in the cast of a Broadway revival of Pump Boys and Dinettes, according to the Associated Press.  Be on the lookout as the show starts in March 2013.

Leah LaBelle of Season 3 is working on her debut album! Leah teamed up with producers Pharrell Williams and Jermaine Dupri.  Williams and Dupri are each doing half of the production on LaBelle’s first album, which she hopes will be released early in 2013.

It was recently announced that Season 7 finalist Syesha Mercado will be gracing the musical stage. She is replacing Stephanie Umoh in the Chicago cast of the Book of Mormon.

American Idol alumni are in the news and rocking the charts this holiday season! Take a look at the news from some of your favorite artists:

Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips reached his highest place on the Billboard Hot 100.  “Home” is currently sitting at #7, which is also the highest spot for a coronation spot since David Cook’s “The Time of My Life” hit #3 after season 7. Phillip's single and album both are going strong and continuing to put up sales.  “Home” is rapidly approaching the 3 million mark selling 103,000 copies last week, according to Nielsen SoundScan.  Meanwhile, The World From the Side of the Moon spends its third week in the Top 10 of The Billboard 200, selling 65,000 copies.

Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery has the second-best sales total for an American Idol this week with his sophomore album, Christmas with Scotty McCreery putting up 41,000 in sales.

Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood has reached yet another pair of platinum milestones this week, as her electric "Good Girl" and windy "Blown Away" tracks each rack up 80,000 downloads in Canada, as of December 4.

Season 6's country gal Kellie Pickler got a nod from Rolling Stone magazine last week. The prestigious publication named her album 100 Proof the best traditionalist album of the year!

Hey Idol fans, you still have a few more chances to see some of your favorite Idol alumni in concert before the holidays.

Check out where you can see Carrie, Clay, Phillip and more below:

Tuesday 12/18
Carrie Underwood performs at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN.
Clay Aiken performs at Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek, CO.
Kimberley Locke performs at Roscoe's Tavern in Chicago, IL.

Wednesday 12/19
Carrie Underwood performs at the Arena at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, GA.
Phillip Phillips performs on the Home for the Holidays television special.
Phil Stacey performs at First Free Will Baptist Church in Russellville, AR.

Thursday 12/20
Clay Aiken performs at Wild Horse Pass Casino in Chandler, AZ.
Kimberley Locke performs at A Holiday in the Heartland in Milwaukee, WI.
Phil Stacey performs at West Side Baptist Church in El Dorado, AR.

Friday 12/21
Carrie Underwood performs at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL.
Clay Aiken performs at City National Grove of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA.
Phil Stacey performs at Beech Springs Camp Ground in Louann, AR.
Brooke White performs at Heritage Academy in Mesa, AZ.

Saturday 12/22
Carrie Underwood performs at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, FL.
Fantasia Barrino performs at the Bayou Music Center in Houston, TX.

AMERICAN IDOL is ringing in the holiday season with a gift just for you! From Tuesday, Dec. 18 - Monday, Dec. 24, AMERICAN IDOL will provide complimentary gift wrapping in local shopping centers in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta. At the festive stations, shoppers can have their purchases wrapped in exclusive IDOL-themed paper and watch clips and exclusive AMERICAN IDOL content. Former IDOL contestants, including Bo Bice, Brooke White and Anthony Fedorov, among others, will stop by the gift wrapping stations to spread some holiday cheer (appearance schedules to be announced).

In the spirit of the season, The American Red Cross will be on-site in New York, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta to collect donations for Hurricane Sandy relief. At the wrapping stations, American Red Cross representatives will be available to collect cash donations, but also to help shoppers donate $10 by texting REDCROSS to 90999. “The American Red Cross is very grateful to FOX and AMERICAN IDOL for their support as we work to provide relief to those affected by Hurricane Sandy,” said Jennifer Niyangoda, Executive Director, Corporate and Foundation Program at The American Red Cross. “Disaster recovery can seem overwhelming and we appreciate all the support by the American people to help us reach those who need us most.”

Shoppers can find these festive AMERICAN IDOL gift wrapping stations at the following times and locations:

NEW YORK: The Westchester – 125 Westchester Ave., White Plains, NY 10601
Hours: Dec. 18-23: 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM; Dec. 24: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

LOS ANGELES: The Beverly Center – 8500 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048
Hours: Dec. 18-23: 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM; Dec. 24: 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

CHICAGO: Orland Square – 288 Orland Square Dr., Orland Park, IL 60462
Hours: Dec. 18-23: 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM; Dec. 24: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

DALLAS: Grapevine Mills – 3000 Grapevine Mills Pkwy., Grapevine, TX 76051
Hours: Dec. 18-23: 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM; Dec. 24: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

ATLANTA: Lenox Square – 3393 Peachtree Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30326
Hours: Dec. 18-23: 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM; Dec. 24: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

AMERICAN IDOL returns for a remarkable 12th season with the two-night season premiere Wednesday, Jan. 16 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Thursday, Jan. 17 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Hosted by the inimitable Ryan Seacrest, AMERICAN IDOL’s new judging panel includes returning judge Randy Jackson, a Grammy Award-winning producer whose expertise and beloved persona have been instrumental in discovering IDOL talent from the beginning, as well as three new judges: global superstar and the best-selling female recording artist of all time Mariah Carey; quadruple-platinum singer, songwriter, rapper and fashion icon Nicki Minaj; and Keith Urban, a four-time Grammy Award winner who has sold more than 15 million albums.

AMERICAN IDOL is produced by 19 Entertainment, a division of Core Media Group, and FremantleMedia North America. The series is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, CEO, XIX Entertainment. Trish Kinane, FremantleMedia North America; Ken Warwick, FremantleMedia North America and Nigel Lythgoe, CEO, Nigel Lythgoe Productions also serve as executive producers. “Like” AMERICAN IDOL on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanIdol. Follow the series on Twitter @AmericanIdol and join the discussion at #idol.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.