I'll be home soon
I promise
Christmas come quickly

Alexander Erickson (4)

ringing bells
choirs yell
Hallelujah

Charlie Gillaspie (4)

surrounded by darkness
one voice
provides the light

Savannah Riestenberg (11)

This haiku really reminds me of peacefulness and hope. Specifically, it makes me think of Vespers here at Millikin, and the themes and ideas its shares with all who come to see. The spectacle of light . . . it's just so heavenly and warm. Jordan

I love this haiku because it puts me directly back to Vespers, the christmas musical celebration here at Millikin. The scene of the opening of Vespers is one I will not forget, and this haiku captures that well. Alex

skinny mall Santa
looks like St. Nick
has been laying off the cookies

Owen Pulver (4)

I like this haiku because it reminds me of the movie Elf. It reminds me of the scene where Will Ferrell is extremely excited for Santa to come to the department store he is working at. He stays up all night preparing the store for Santa, and then when Santa comes, it isn't who he wanted to see. He calls Santa a liar and says, “you smell like beef and cheese, you don't smell like Santa!” There's another scene where Santa is African American. It made me laugh because we have a perception of the Santa figure as being a heftier white male so it's sort of comical when one of the ones in the malls break the stereotype. Morgan

Christmas morning
a full moon
peeps in

Shirley Brooks (4)

open attic door
leaks cold winter air
unpacking Christmas

Alyssa Becker

decking the big blue halls
in red and green
ah,    there you are Millikin

Caroline Lodovisi (5)

break of dawn
no footprints found
on Christmas snow

Jordan Comish (9)

I really liked this haiku because this explains one of my favorite moments in the winter. I love to wake up in the morning to see an untouched blanket of snow. Over time people will step in it and mess it up until it becomes slush. When the sun shines on the blanket of snow the snow has a sparkle to it that is really cool as well. Overall, this haiku is very calming and something that is not able to been seen whenever you want. Matthew

cookie party
putting her iPhone away
to load a plate

Randy Brooks

three cookies on a plate
one bite taken
Santa was here

Morgan Vogels (4)

behind another door
lies another chocolate
advent calendar

Matthew Vangunten (5)

Christmas morning
the late sleeper
becomes an early bird

Morgan Vogels (8)

listening for the reindeer,
I fall asleep under the tree
next to the wise men

Alyssa Becker (7)

night so silent
you can hear
the snow fall

Shannon Netemeyer (12)

I think this haiku does a really good job of putting the reader in the setting of a new snowfall. I always find evening snow to create a kind of loud silence. Although snow does not actually make much sound, its presence somehow cancels out all other sounds, which is a feeling I love. This especially seems to happen when it is dark out. Watching snow beginning to fall just before bed always makes me so excited to see how much there will be when I wake up. This haiku gives me that peaceful excitement of watching the snow just before sleep. Savannah

This haiku captures the peacefulness of Christmas time. When the world is silent and the animals are hibernating inside just like my family. As I sit on the couch and look out at the peaceful white snowflakes fluttering down under the streetlights, I hear nothing. The silence is beautiful and suddenly I think of the song “Peace on Earth.” I wish that the world could be this peaceful all the time. Alyssa

around the tree
turning on the lights
for the first time

Matthew Vangunten (13)

I like this haiku because it reminds me of my experience in my household. Decorating the Christmas tree is something that my family does together. Over the year, my mom has purchased ornaments for my dad, brother, and I as Christmas gifts. In this way, our Christmas tree is full of new and old ornaments alike that represent our family's different hobbies and obsessions over the years. I like that this haiku reflects the faces of nostalgia of every family member as the tree is plugged in for the first time of the year. Renee

I chose this as my favorite haiku from kukai because I think that it captures the anticipation of Christmas. I think that this is such a big part of Christmas for a lot of people. The excitement of Christmas is one of the elements that make the holiday season such a special time of the year. I also really like this haiku because you can really see people coming together and gathering around the Christmas tree. The holiday season really brings people together, and I think that this haiku does a wonderful job of capturing that. Anna

wiping snow off boots
stepping into a warm hug
at grandma's house

Doug Sherrill (4)

I like this haiku because it reminds me of my own grandmother. Whenever there was a heavy snow, my brother and I would put on our boots and winter coats and head over to our grandparents' house to shovel off their driveway. When we got done, we would go inside and our grandma would have make us a big mug of hot chocolate with cookies just out of the oven.  This haiku makes me think of all of those winter days. Owen

my cat knocks
over the Christmas tree
again.

Alexsenia Ralat (4)

Christmas eve
the children pretend to sleep
spying on Santa

Shannon Netemeyer (4)

twinkling bells
then—
snow

Caroline Lodovisi (7)

opening her mouth
trying to catch
every snowflake

Morgan Vogels

making the bed
the way mother does
almost Christmas

Randy Brooks

tiny dorm room
decorated with
a tiny Christmas tree

Owen Pulver (4)

the season of giving:
leaving a present
for Santa, too

Anna Harmon

snowfall
we throw snowballs
on the way to class

Owen Pulver (5)

This haiku makes me see my growth, and lack thereof, as I've gotten older. I remember standing at the end of my driveway with my brothers freezing our butts off for twenty minutes waiting on the bus, but when the snow fell, oh god did we get covered in it just playing and laughing. flash forward to last year, and I would bug my friends by starting snowball fights to and from meals and class, and I'm going to bet I will this year too honestly. It just brings back a beautiful nostalgia alongside a realization of how childish I still honestly am. Doug

too cold to leave the house
her dogs watch the movie
with us

Alexander Erickson

Merry Christmas
smiling so wide
her eyes begin to close

Alexander Erickson

sleigh bells ringing
hooves marking the path
through the snow

Renee Sample (4)

perfect glass ornament
my reflection
distorted

Anna Harmon (4)

Winter green pine
tree frosted with snow
Peace on Earth

Charlie Gillaspie (10)

I think this haiku really captured the essence of Christmas, at least how my family celebrates Christmas.
There's a peacefulness, even before the third line, about this haiku that calms the reader and puts a vivid
image in your mind. The use of the word "pine" instead of "tree" perhaps is especially beautiful because
when you read that word you can smell the pine needles, you can feel the sap on your fingers. Then
you can see the snow falling around you and the needles begin to disappear into the white snow. Its
a gradual process, this envelopment of the pine, and that very slowness is the peace aspect. The final thing
I really loved was the phrase "Peace on Earth" was encapsulated with the use of nature instead of anything
else, which I thought was a brilliant way to display the meaning of the phrase. Shannon

This was my double vote favorite for kukai 7. First, I loved the simplicity of the haiku. The image I saw was a large pine covered in fresh snow in a clearing of some kind; this was a simple and serene image in itself. I also loved the smell and color that comes with this haiku. I could instantly smell the pine tree and see the forest green and white together. All the images created in this haiku are summed up in the last line, making it feel complete and content. Caroline

bar at Christmas
dark and warm
jazz band

Caroline Lodovisi (5)

distant sound of cars
a single tree leans
on the fence

Jordan Comish (6)

dark and quiet
the only sound
sleigh bells

Shannon Netemeyer

hanging ornaments
just high enough
the dog can't reach anymore

Matthew Vangunten (3)