Patricia J. Machmiller

The Haiku of the Day feature displays a new haiku each day at the top of our home page. www.thehaikufoundation.org . See also our Haiku of the Day Archive.

Haiku of the Day for December 2023 features Guest Editor  Patricia J. Machmiller’s collection on the theme of  “Tis The Season”. This is what she has to say by way of introduction to this theme:

I chose the theme of “’Tis the Season” for this month of December. The phrase is from the song “Deck the Halls”—an old English Christmas carol. The opening lines are:

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la la la la!
‘Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la la la la!”

I was thinking of the phrase in a broad sense—that is, December is the season of many holiday celebrations, such as, Kwanzaa, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, winter solstice, Hanukkah, Boxing Day etc. across many cultures around the globe. These celebrations all require preparations of food and rituals and, often, gift-giving. It’s a season of coming together and enjoying each other and showing gratitude, of making peace and settling differences. It is also a time that amid the merriment, there can be moments of sadness, feelings of isolation, and a sense of disconnection. It’s all here in 31 days. Thank you for your contribution.

—Patricia J. Machmiller