Grand-Prize Winner

Blessing in the Winter Dark

Where there is no candle
may you be the Light

Where there is no song
may you be the Music

Where there is no laughter
may you be the Joy

And may you be enfolded in
the Deep Source
of all Light, Music and Joy

Ole Lund, Minneapolis, MN

Online Winners

Humbug

From Daytons to Nordstroms to Sears,
I've had Christmas right up to my ears!
From a Scrooge and a Grinch:
If you give them an inch,
They will stretch it till Groundhog Day Nears!

Gerald Barte, Mendota Heights, MN

Let's
Mill a year of loss and gain,
heaped like golden Minnesota grain
in hearty barns;
Weave the loose ends of today in yarns;
Hail New Year bringing
days like kernels clinging
to an ear of corn, each sweetening to the core;
Happy New Year! Here's to two thousand more!

Jim Folk, Hopkins, MN

Broadcast Winners

For shelter, For nourishing food,
For the love of Family and Friends, For meaningful work,
For exhuberant play, for beauty of all kinds,
For the surprising future and the memorable past, we are grateful.

Allen and Christine Nelson, Minneapolis, MN

May your today be filled with peace,
Your yesterday with satisfaction,
And your tomorrow with expectation.

Janet Ulvin, Edina, MN

May all your problems be challenges and all your challenges become blessings.

Nora Novic, Minneapolis, MN

In Praise of the Seasons

the mother says
to her young daughter,
"Make snow angels;
wrap them
in winter scarves
to keep warm.
We will watch
them melt
in Spring."
Green grass
where angels' wings
have kissed
the snow.

Susan Cosens, Minneapolis, MN

Toast

Here's to Life,
knowing that it can be perfect,
without being perfect.

Gerald Peters, St. Paul, MN

May you find in these fewer hours of light more warmth inside, more time to reflect on all that shines in your life.

Karen Kraco, Minneapolis, MN

In the midst of seasonal rush, I wish you moments of quiet and peace.

When you can:
smell deep green pines,
see a snowflake in flight,
taste a warm mug of cheer,
feel a tender embrace,
touch a person in need,

And clearly, hear the whisper of your soul!

Sue Hurley, Woodbury, MN

Our Thought:

Build for yourself a strong box,
Fashion each part with care.
Fit it with hasp and padlock;
Put all your troubles there.
Hide therein all your failures, Each bitter cup you quaff.
Lock all your heartaches within it,
Then sit on the lid and laugh!

Deanne Levander and Mary Levander, St. Paul, MN and Ely, MN

Minnesota Christmas Eve

Midnight.
Under the Christmas tree,
white star-lights
flicker in a sky of deep pine.
I take her sharp needled fingers
into my own, tenderly, and
dream a whispering
snow-covered forest,
ice-sculpted lake,
sky laced with
stars, and, in the East,
the distant beacon glowing
over Bethlehem.

Kris Keeney, Inver Grove Hghts, MN

Haiku 2000

Time's continuum
Pausing at this bright New Year
Lets us look both ways.

Jacqueline Vosecky, White Bear Lake, MN

May global warming only be in our hearts.

Andrine D. Strack, North Oaks, MN

Family and Friends,
The world awaits you with gifts of wonder.
Be prepared to receive them.
May you see with unclouded vision,
Listen with open ears,
Taste and smell all that's set before you,
Feel with all your heart.
Accept what the world has to offer;
Follow the joyful path.

Ting Ting Cheng, Rochester, MN

Sijo:
Dayspring

this light before dawn slowly unwinds
from its dark spool of night

layering lavish embroidery
upon the eastern skies

while bare limbs extending wait
to be touched by this flowering light

Marjorie Buettner, Minneapolis, MN

A Toast From a Three Year Old

I wish...
*for everyone to receive new crayons...frequently.
*everyone could be hugged by their mom and tickled by their dad 10x a day.
*everyone could demand to be driven down every street to see every light and Santa display.
*everyone could be read to at bedtime.
*everyone could be happy.

Britt Gulstrand, St. Paul, MN

A toast to forgiveness - the fountain of love.

A toast to love - the fire of peace.

A toast to peace - the life-giving presence of Jesus.

A toast to Christmas - a blessed one for all.

Kevin Kuhlman, Brooklyn Park, MN

Ice Fishing with Ian

By stars, their brightness grew
we drew our burden across the lake
with toboggan full, perhaps some
crappies to take.

Warmed with hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps
I think of Christ and Christmas,
the sparkle of the night sky, the meaning of it all,
and what fishes He might make.

George Rosenwald, Welch, MN

Short and Sweet: "Less Dot Com, More Dot Org".

Happy Holidays from 155371.

Gregg Wilson

Here's a wish for Christmas Day
For all good girls and boys.
Here's a hope that Y2K
Won't spoil your high-tech toys!

Mike Sherer, Minneapolis, MN

Our New Year's
(A Year 2000 Toast in Limerick)

We don't bother grocers or banks,
Forego filling underground tanks;
Believing the century
Sufficient adventure, we
Stop. Stop, reflect, and give thanks.

Paul Kilgore, Duluth, MN

As we embrace the new millennium
Armed with cell phones, Palm Pilots, and Pentiums,
Let's pause, reflect, and remember,
What's important to us this December.
May we always maintain the ability,
To seek balance between change and stability.

Carol Trube, Warren, OH

Even if the stars fall from the sky,
May true love last a thousand years.

Lynn Martinson, Minneapolis, MN

Forget the arbitrary date
commercial hype. Behold a gate,
a border where tomorrows wait
Fling off old prejudice and hate;
turn a new page, or wash the slate
Embrace a fresh, untarnished fate
On New Year, never say "Too late."

Mary Pryor, Moorhead, MN

May the glow of a candle make you kind.
May the warmth of your hearth make you generous.
May the face of a child make you wise.
May the beauty of a song make you joyful.
And may your own kindness, generosity, wisdom and joy bring your heart great peace.

Karen Seay, Edina, MN

Here's to those who've forgotten how to count,
Who think this New Year sees the millennium out;

Here's those of a more analytical type,
Who know it should be next year,
If it weren't for the hype.

S . R. Ostrem, Oakdale, MN