I received an early Christmas present this year from a former colleague. It was a children’s book she thought I’d enjoy because of its theme of typewriters. Judith knew I have a special love of antique typewriters, but she had no idea I have a prized collection of children’s books. For years I have added to my cherished shelf of books created with pint-sized people in mind. My children’s books hold a special place in my library as well as in my heart.

Although there will be 74 candles on my next birthday cake, I’m still a child at heart. A sense of wonder frames my worldview. I love the gorgeous illustrations that most books for children boast. As a poet, I resonate with the meter in which many kids’ books are written. Dr. Seuss and I are “joined at the lip” with the fun sounds that words make as they play on the page. For two decades I have written a weekly poetry blog. I have even been known to deliver a Sunday sermon in rhyme. Poetry is my second language.

With two granddaughters and a grandson, I have had a personal goal to write a children’s book. And within the past few months, I’ve realized my dream. “Faces, Faces All Around” has just been published. It’s an illustrated rhyming book for kids of all ages. I am grateful it is available just in time for the Christmas season.

Let’s face it! Christmas is a holiday that has something for everyone. We enjoy decorating our homes. We look forward to gatherings with extended family members. Office parties and church programs have become a special tradition. So too watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” as a family or bingeing holiday movies on the Hallmark channel.

But truth be told, Christmas is most enjoyed by children. They thrill to the sight of outdoor lights on cold December nights. They get excited about the prospect of Santa visiting their home. They enjoy decorating cookies with grandma. They have their favorite Christmas specials on TV. And of course, kids love to get gifts at Christmas.

As a pastor I believe we get the most out of the message of Christmas by approaching it with childlike wonder. We know all too well the Christmas story of God becoming part of His creation by being born as a baby. And it’s true. Familiarity can undermine the sense of the sacred. Reading the incarnation narratives as if for the first time and with the innocence of a child can help us embrace the mystery.

When we look at the familiar with fresh eyes, it’s surprising what we can see. A new paradigm allows for new insights. And that’s the approach I took in my children’s book. In “Faces, Faces All Around,” I invite children and adults to see what is not immediately obvious. With rhyming words and photographs of rocks, shrubs, trees and other everyday objects, I help little folks get a glimpse of what is hidden in plain sight.

For years I have snapped photos on my smartphone of faces in unexpected places. This time of the year especially, I see profiles of humans and animals in leaves that carpet the trail in the park in which I walk each day. I find countenances in electrical sockets on the wall or in clouds that roll across the sky. It’s fascinating what you can see if you take the time to look.

This Christmas season, listen to the lyrics of the ancient carols with the expectation of hearing something new. Read the Gospel of St. John chapter 1, the Gospel of St. Luke chapter 2 and the Gospel of St. Matthew chapter 2 with a determination to think outside the box. Give yourself permission to color outside the lines as you contemplate what it means that the Creator has come to us as one of us. As you do, you just might see the face of grace in unexpected places.

And by the way, I will be signing copies of “Faces, Faces All Around” at Island Books on Sunday, Dec. 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Guest columnist Greg Asimakoupoulos is a former chaplain at Covenant Living at the Shores in Mercer Island.