Bill aims to establish Louisiana’s official Christmas children’s book

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A bill aims to make a cherished Cajun holiday story Louisiana’s official Christmas children’s book.

House Bill 273, introduced by Rep. Annie Spell (R-Lafayette), seeks to make “Cajun Night Before Christmas” the official state children’s Christmas book during the 2025 regular legislative session.

The book, written by J.B. Kling Jr. and illustrated by James Rice, offers a Cajun take on the classic “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” The book, first released in 1973, swaps snow and sleigh bells for moss-covered trees, skiffs powered by alligators and a Cajun Santa bringing joy to Louisiana.

Spell said the holiday story is still a bestseller with more than one million copies sold. She said the story has made an impact across the U.S. and internationally as it’s read in classrooms and sent as a gift to out-of-town clients by businesses.

“Many adults remember it as one of their first tales of the Cajun dialect, and their children have read it, and their grandchildren have read it. This is true for my family,” Spell said.

The House Committee on Judiciary approved the bill with an amendment to clarify that the book would be the state’s children’s Christmas book.

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