Christmas Contest - Haiku

The Christmas writing contest for Christmas 2006 in the Colorado Springs newspaper, The Gazette, was a creative writing contest that had to include the following terms:

· Johnny Cash
· an American Girl doll
· red wine
· a full moon
· fruitcake

Here was my Haiku submission:

At this time of Yule
A nice gift from me to you
A Christmas haiku!

All great musicians
Record a Christmas album
During their careers

New songs aren’t needed
Just record all the classics
That everyone knows

The fans will line up
It’s just like printing money
Cha-ching! Easy cash

Bing Crosby did good
White Christmas and all of that
It’s a nice ditty

Bing had a good song
But many other artists
Go through the motions

As musical greats
They typically distinguish
Themselves otherwise

Elvis, the King who
Some believe to be deceased
Had many big hits:

Return to Sender,
Love me Tender, All Shook up
It’s Now or Never

Devil in Disguise,
Heartbreak Hotel, Don’t be Cruel,
That’s All Right (Mama)

Before moving on
Let’s give Elvis credit for
Blue Blue Blue Christmas

The Beatles were big
Also very prolific
(No thanks to Ringo)

George was pretty good
But nothing like John and Paul
They were amazing

Eleanor Rigby
Back in the USSR
Love Me Do, Hey Jude

8 Days a Week, Help!
While my Guitar Gently Weeps
Drive my Car, Taxman

They wrote many songs
But didn’t spend much effort
Writing Christmas songs

Neil Diamond was good
He wrote I’m a Believer
A big Monkees’ hit

Red, Red Wine, Shiloh
Sweet Caroline, Song Sung Blue
Kentucky Woman

And the great classic
You Don’t Bring me Flowers was
A big hit with Babs

Frank Sinatra was
Occasionally known as
Chairman of the Board

He had lots of hits
Valentine, New York New York
Luck be a Lady

For Once in My Life,
My Way, P.S. I Love You
Fly me to the Moon

Perhaps less well known
Was Full Moon and Empty Arms
Ah, yes…Old Blue Eyes

Who was first to be
Enshrined in both the Rock and
Country Halls of Fame?

It was none other
Than the late, great, Johnny Cash
Yes, the Man in Black

His Christmas Album
Isn’t anything to get
Excited about

But many other songs
Are really quite wonderful
There’s A Boy Named Sue,

One Piece at a Time,
John Henry, The Long Black Vail,
Folsom Prison Blues

There’s that Ring of Fire,
Sunday Morning Coming Down
And I Walk the Line

There is no time for
So many other artists
Ella Fitzgerald,

And Perry Como
Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole,
And Louis Armstrong

And Judy Garland
Mel Torme, Tony Bennett
And Julie Andrews

Where is Tom Petty?
Well he’s not one of the greats
But here’s one question:

Who remade his song
American Girl? Dolls (the
Goo Goo Dolls that is)

So, after this long
Review of classic artists
It’s time to wrap up

Time to say goodbye.
Put on our Christmas records
From old days gone by

Before we are done
There is certainly one thing
We shouldn’t forget

After all of this fun
The most important of all:
God sent His Own Son.

Glad greetings to you.
Ho, Ho, Ho. Merry Christmas.
Go eat some fruitcake.


http://www2.gazette.com/display.php?id=1326951&secid=17

Here is basically the article that appeared in The Gazette introducing the contest

Unleash inner author

Contest kicks off

Want to play a game of Taboo?

This year’s version of The Gazette holiday fiction contest is the literary equivalent of the board game, giving you five elements you must include in your story and five elements you must not.

All entries must include: Johnny Cash, an American Girl doll, red wine, a full moon and fruitcake.

Entries must not include: orphans, puppies or kitties, trains, aliens or ghosts of dead relatives. (After reading thousands of holiday fiction entries over the years, Gazette staffers saw the offending elements a few too many times — especially the orphans.)

Besides the five taboo terms, the story is yours to create, as long as you infuse it with a holiday theme.

Last year’s contest attracted more than 200 writers. Winning entries in the adult and youth categories will receive prizes and be published in The Gazette on Dec. 24.

CONTEST RULES
Stories must be no longer than 1,200 words (about five typed, double-spaced pages).

Stories must be typed; no handwritten submissions. Stories must be original works not previously published and must include all five terms noted above without a single one of the taboo terms.

Entries must include name, age, address and phone number. School-age entrants also must include their grade. Entries are due by 5 p.m. Dec. 1.

Entries can be hand-delivered or mailed to Holiday Fiction Contest, The Gazette, 30 S. Prospect St., Colorado Springs 80903. Or e-mail bill. reed@gazette.com with “holiday fiction” in the subject line. No e-mail attachments, please; entries must be sent as the text of the e-mail.

Manuscripts become property of The Gazette and will not be returned. One entry per person.

Entry automatically grants permission for publication in The Gazette and posting on gazette.com. Judges’ decision is final. Official rules are at www. coloradosprings.com under “Fun and Games.”