Every holiday season has its ups and downs.

Journaling reads: I was transfixed by the tableux that greeted us in the Lyndhurst Castle foyer. I lingered at the back of the tour to soak it all in. I couldnt know how it would turn out to be a foreshadowing of some difficult holiday times just ahead. Or maybe I did know--my intuition is really funny like that. In the darkest hours that would come, I was left with the thought that maybe it is better to remain flightless because, after beating at your cage with your tired wings and finally nudging open that little golden door, what do you find but just another row of bars. Just like a Christmas tree, the challenges of growing would seem to be ever green. Luckily, I am persistent and have faith in the journey.

Remember Artplay Palette https://www.oscraps.com/shop/ArtPlay-Palette-Remember.html
Snowy Fotoblendz #3 https://www.oscraps.com/shop/Snowy-FotoBlendz-No.-3.html
ArchiTextures Brushes #4 https://www.oscraps.com/shop/Architextures-No.-4.html
Distressed Edge Overlay #9 https://www.oscraps.com/shop/Distressed-Edge-No.-9-Overlays.html
Poinsetta: Joyeux Artplay Palette https://www.oscraps.com/shop/ArtPlay-Palette-Joyeux.html
Take Flight Brushes #2 https://www.oscraps.com/shop/Take-Flight-No.-2.html

Notes in Photoshop Elements 14
This layout is composed of three photos, snapped with my cell phone while touring a lavishly decorated historic castle in our area, plunked into the Snowy Fotoblendz and further blended together with a variety of aA blending brushes. I added the ArchiTexture Buildings to give the lady something to look at outside of her window, and also fussed with the background paper, blending modes, and various embellishments from the Remember Palette. The final touches were a wisp of bird brushes, the dark overlay to repeat the window theme, and a gradient layer on multiply mode at reduced opacity.