I also knew she would already be writing about my favorite because (1) we have so much in common that it's kind of crazy and (2) she grew up in Louisiana, so we have similar cultural experiences. It's okay though because I already mentioned a few weeks back how much I love the Cajun Night Before Christmas and how my dad used to read it every year. I'm not going to repeat it because Andrea wrote a great post about it today, and you should check out hers (and everyone else who links up).
When Steven and I got married and began to start our own Christmas book collection, we ran across this little gem and took it home immediately! The Cajun is fun, but he can't really relate to it. We both have Irish heritage (Why else would we name our son Keagan?) and we thought it would be fun! Steven has already tried to read it to Keagan. Emphasis on the "tried" because he only sits for a book in 1 minute increments...maybe...
Anyway, in this book, Santa (in green, of course) has seven lucky leprechauns helping deliver the packages as they ride around in a cart pulled by their donkey (who eats the thatch roof while waiting for them to come back). And with any true Irish story, they all have such a good time drinking and partying that they wake up the mom and get chased out of the house!
I've done this one with my kids before, but it's still far too removed from their spectrum to really understand. They do a little better with the Cajun version because it's a little easier to spot differences. I did order a new version this morning to try with a fifth grade class on Monday - The Hillbilly Night Afore Christmas. Haven't read it yet, but I figure it will be more relatable since its set in Appalachia. We'll see how it goes!
And as you're hopping around and checking out all these fantastic versions, g download my freebie I created last year. I listed as many versions as I could find and made a quick template for students to create their own version!
