criss-cross crust
made with love
apple pie

Bethany Wetherholt

Christmas dishes
women in the kitchen
singing carols

Cristine Lourash

hand in hand
bags in the other
Christmas shopping

Bethany Wetherholt

sugared pecans
the smell of heaven
Christmas shopping

Jennifer Tohill

criss-cross crust
made with love
apple pie

sugared pecans
the smell of heaven
Christmas shopping

criss-cross crust
made with love
apple pie

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

criss-cross crust
made with love
apple pie

bottom quarter champion

excited children
lining the street
here comes Santa Claus

excited children
lining the street
here comes Santa Claus

the last ornament
the first gift
Christmas morning

excited children
lining the street
here comes Santa Claus

Cristine Lourash

white lights
shining bright
he is coming tonight

Jennifer Tohill

in the back seat
counting the houses
Christmas lights

Cristine Lourash

the last ornament
the first gift
Christmas morning

Sonja Chargois

TOP half champion

criss-cross crust
made with love
apple pie

CHAMPION
 

criss-cross crust
made with love
apple pie

sleeping bag—
suddenly the stairway
is a sledding hill

BOTTOM half champion

bundled up
lying on the frozen ground
snow angels

Bethany Wetherholt

sleeping bag—
suddenly the stairway
is a sledding hill

Bill Fields

below zero
snow covered pines
snowman with carrot nose

Amanda Ferguson

winter night
dreaming about snow
brrrr it's cold

Amanda Ferguson

sleeping bag—
suddenly the stairway
is a sledding hill

winter night
dreaming about snow
brrrr it's cold

sleeping bag—
suddenly the stairway
is a sledding hill

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

sleeping bag—
suddenly the stairway
is a sledding hill

bottom quarter champion

snow drifts
          across the road
going nowhere

a cold winter day
frosted windows
grandma's afghan blanket

snow drifts
          across the road
going nowhere

new fallen snow
piling on snow
I close my curtains

Darla Laymon

a cold winter day
frosted windows
grandma's afghan blanket

Darla Laymon

breath on the window
the snow plow rolls by
school's cancelled

Bethany Wetherholt

snow drifts
   across the road
going nowhere

Cristine Lourash

criss-cross crust
made with love
apple pie

Bethany Wetherholt

Christmas dishes
women in the kitchen
singing carols

Cristine Lourash

hand in hand
bags in the other
Christmas shopping

Bethany Wetherholt

sugared pecans
the smell of heaven
Christmas shopping

Jennifer Tohill

For me baking is a fall winter sport. I love to bake and there is nothing better than apple pie. I had told my boyfriend that apple pie was my favorite so year for Valentine's day I got an apple pie with a heart shaped top crust. It was so sweet. Cristine

This haiku gives a strong sense of extra time and care put into a pie. That it was not made just for eating, but also for seeing, like a piece of artwork. I can almost smell the fresh crust and sweet apples. Michelle

This was my poem, it is one of my favorite memories of Christmas growing up. Grandma's house was busy and full and once dinner was done and dessert was set out ,the women would start cleaning the kitchen. Someone would start the song and my great grandma, my grandma, my mother, and my aunts would all start singing in harmony. I always thought that my mom had a beautiful singing voice and I loved to hear her sing, she would always pick out the harmony to every song. Those are such good memories. Cristine

This piece takes me directly to the Holiday Season. For years my family would enjoy the sugared nuts and their aroma while shopping at the mall for Christmas. We soon discovered a home recipe, and have been making them ourselves as gifts for friends and family since. Bill

excited children
lining the street
here comes Santa Claus

Cristine Lourash

white lights
shining bright
he is coming tonight

Jennifer Tohill

in the back seat
counting the houses
Christmas lights

Cristine Lourash

the last ornament
the first gift
Christmas morning

Sonja Chargois

Both these haikus relate to Santa Claus and the magic of Christmas. My kids are still small and believe in Santa Claus and love Christmas. Children bring Christmas to light with love, belief, decorations, food, etc. Honestly, it is my children that keeps me doing all that since my family isn't close. Our Christmas is almost always strung with white lights and just to see them sit by the tree for a picture or opening a gift and seeing the light reflect in their eyes it just beautiful! My son is 12 years old and still believes in Santa and will go to see him so many times before Christmas. Children are so excited and have such an innocent passion for the little things and at Christmas it can be from the glitter on an ornament to one more visit to see Santa. Jennifer

Between these two haiku it wraps up the whole warmth and beautiful parts of Christmas. But at the same time it wraps it up so quickly into 6 short lines that all fit together so well. I can remember as a kid in the backseat always looking at the great Christmas lights in the rear window of the car. Now as an adult it almost seems to fly by so fast I don’t have as much time to appreciate Christmas, just like in the first haiku presented above. Zach

I love looking at the clear/ white lights on houses at Christmas time, for they shine the brightest. Although I do not celebrate pagan holidays, I still find this time of the year beautiful. Darla

excited children
lining the street
here comes Santa Claus

Cristine Lourash

in the back seat
counting the houses
Christmas lights

Cristine Lourash

in the back seat
counting the houses
Christmas lights

Cristine Lourash

the last ornament
the first gift
Christmas morning

Sonja Chargois

It's the day of the parade and the children are lined up screaming and yelling Santa, hurry up Santa. The parade is going and the floats are throwing candy to the screaming children. Its really cold outside, but the children are too excited to notice. Here comes the float with the Big man in the red suit. Mandy

I like this Haiku because of course Christmas is my favorite holiday and when I was young I was that excited child waiting on Santa Claus. Every Christmas Eve my family through a big party for our family and we would open gifts from a gift exchange and that night I would want everyone to go home early so that I could go to bed so Santa could bring me gifts. I like this Haiku because it brings back memories and I can put myself in the haiku. Marshaya

I can see myself as a child driving through the neighbor hoods to see who has the fanciest lights. I am so excited to see they lights and decorations, the houses that have decorated must be the nicest and the ones who didn't well they are just bah humbug. Mandy

I enjoyed this pair because when I read them I can feel the joy and excitement that Christmas brings. I see kids at a Christmas parade eyes wide, beaming with joy, waiting on Santa Claus to pass them. The last ornament and Christmas morning also make me think of the entire holiday season. Christmas is not just one day for me. It's the day after Thanksgiving, cutting our tree down, getting the last ornament on when you are decorating, plugging in the lights and standing back to admire it's beauty. To me, the first gift represents the last day of the "fun". You have spent time with loved ones, wrapping gifts, baking, watching Christmas movies and once Christmas day is over all the magic disappears, until next year. Bethany

I like this haiku because of course it has something to do with Christmas and Christmas is my favorite day of the year. This haiku makes me think of how stressful Christmas can be, because all the money people spend and how crowded the stores usually are. Also how fast it gets to Christmas which is why people get stressed out about it. Marshaya

bundled up
lying on the frozen ground
snow angels

Bethany Wetherholt

sleeping bag—
suddenly the stairway
is a sledding hill

Bill Fields

below zero
snow covered pines
snowman with carrot nose

Amanda Ferguson

winter night
dreaming about snow
brrrr it's cold

Amanda Ferguson

new fallen snow
piling on snow
I close my curtains

Darla Laymon

a cold winter day
frosted windows
grandma's afghan blanket

Darla Laymon

breath on the window
the snow plow rolls by
school's cancelled

Bethany Wetherholt

snow drifts
   across the road
going nowhere

Cristine Lourash

I read this haiku and imagine a scene that I would love to be in. I picture a snow day in the winter, sitting on the couch and watching Netflix while I enjoy a hot cup of tea. The day has no obligations so I can just relax and watch. Such a great scene. Bill

It's Monday morning and a young college student has overslept. He jumps out of bed to get ready for his 8 a.m. class. He showers, eats a bit of breakfast, and gets dressed to start his day. He makes his way out the door of his dorm room and down the hall towards the exit door. It surprises him that no one of his fellow class mates are roaming the halls. As he approaches the door to leave his Hall, his eyes are astonished at what he sees. Snow, snow and more snow; he can't find the sidewalk, he can't see the street, and buried in the snow off in the distance looks like his college. He shuts the door and heads back to his dorm room and back bed; today will be a good day! Sonja

I lived in the country when my first child was born and the first winter the snow drifts were so deep that it was impossible to travel anywhere. The snow drifts were going nowhere and neither were we. Darla