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If caroling, baking cookies, family dinners and presents are all traditional yuletide events, what do you call blocking off the Christmas tree with a fence to deter two eager ornament-pullers? In the “My Friend Paris” children’s book series, hectic holidays are just par for the course.
In her seventh book, Los Cerros Middle School eighth grader Paris Morris continues to discuss life with twin siblings. “My Twins’ First Christmas” is the story of the Morris family’s holiday celebration, now chaotic with the addition of Paris’ sisters. A cheerful story about the joys and perils of having two infant siblings, “Twins” aims to sooth children’s fears about growing families.
“There’s not a lot of guidance dedicated to younger siblings,” Paris said, reflecting on her fears about becoming a big sister. “I thought it would help other people get through it and let them know it’s not a big deal.”
Following books such as “My Twins’ First Birthday” and “Paris Goes to Lake Tahoe,” Paris decided it was time to write about another first — the first holiday season with a new family. The latest installment is meant to show parents and “singleton” children what emotions they can expect after the arrival of twins, said Paris’ father Dave.
Because Paris is Jewish, she 13-year-old solicited her friend Jackie Singer to write “Twins.” A high school freshman in Austin, Texas, Jackie has plenty of experience corralling chaotic children and used her nine-year-old sister, Kate, as a template for the twins’ behavior.
“Christmas has always been a big deal in our house,” Jackie said. “A lot of the book is taken from personal experiences with my own little sister. She was definitely high maintenance; she was almost like having twins in the sense that she was all over the place.”
While the 28-page book describes Christmas traditions with younger siblings who want to take part but can’t, it also discusses the importance of giving to charity and other religious celebrations.
“We give mention to (Hanukkah and Kwanzaa) to make sure that people who do celebrate Christmas know that it’s not the only holiday out there,” Jackie said, adding that her grandmother is Jewish.
Both Jackie and Paris said they have learned valuable lessons from writing the “My Friend Paris” books, including the importance of a good attitude and understanding nature.
“I realized that the world doesn’t revolve around me,” Paris said. “Your parents will take care of you and you need to do your best to have a good holiday spirit. It’s a time to be thankful for things and not just be a pessimist and worry about what you’re going to get.”
“My Twins’ First Christmas” is available on Amazon.com and at local bookstores. Paris said her next book will be Halloween themed.
