this image took me about five minutes to create in my head, but almost four or five days to actually pull off. the volumetric lighting tutorials really helped. i used Poser 7 and Photoshop CS2. the inspiration was the fact that not everyone has a happy warm home for christmas, and it's easy to forget that when we're content ourselves. but even the bleakest alleyway and the darkest and coldest of attitudes and hearts can't keep christmas from coming. it comes, no matter what, and lights up all the world with joy and magick, no matter what people call it or why they celebrate. joy to the world!