On my Aunt Esther’s Christmas tree there were some crude colored paper ornaments which to my teenage mind looked especially tacky on an otherwise beautifully decorated tree. I finally realized that they had been made by my older cousin, Jim, when he was a young child. For my aunt they were beautiful reminders of her son’s childhood. It is interesting how love can transform the mundane into something extra ordinarily beautiful. It is often said that no one ever has an ugly baby. For a loving family, all babies are beautiful. I wonder if that is how God sees us. Are we all beautiful to him because he loves us? We certainly come in all shapes and sizes. We are brown eyed, blue eyed, green eyed and hazel eyed wonders. Our hair colors are black, brown, blond, red, and gray and all varieties of each type, even without help from the hair dresser. Our skin tones vary from pale pink to blue black, but we are all beautiful in our own way. Maybe variety is beautiful to our God. I do know that love transforms our perception of other people. The lovely smooth skin of the baby is beautiful, but so is the crinkled skin of a beloved aging granny. Could that love be extended to take in all those who are different than we are? Could love even beautify the enemy so that we see each one as a beloved brother or sister? We were all one family at creation; perhaps the love of Jesus could make us one family again throughout the whole world. That would make this the happiest Christmas of all time. Merry Christmas to you all!