Editor's note: This was originally posted to YourHub.com on Dec. 8, 2005.

"I think Christmas at nighttime is much more magical than during the day," said John Brandstetter, YourHub.com community assistant, as he helped fellow YourHub.com community assistant, Tabitha Dial, create a holiday illustration.

YourHub.com is having a holiday drawing contest and Dial decided it would be fun to join in and draw what she loves most about the holidays.

"First I wanted to draw cookies," Dial said, explaining that she, her brother and her grandmother used to make Christmas cookies for their friends and neighbors every year.

Her more difficult artistic endeavor - to illustrate herself attempting to remove presents from under her parents' tree without knocking down one of the ornaments that hang on the bottom-most boughs - was abandoned early in the brainstorming process. She said she always enjoys the challenge of getting the gifts, and that she knows any efforts to draw a reanactment of it would be embarassing.

"My grandmother was a painter. My cousin can draw really well. But I didn't inherit any artistic ability from anyone," Dial admitted.

Dial's lack of illustrating talent was observed by Brandstetter as he took photos of her work in progress.

"It looks like a space rocket crashed into the tree," Brandstetter said of Dial's tree-topper angel.

As the illustration came into being, Brandstetter suggested Dial draw a train crossing underneath her tree. Dial said he was instrumental in bringing the illustration to life, suggesting Dial capture the "ding ding ding ding" and light effect of a train crossing.

"This picture would be nowhere without John," said Dial, who appeared to have had a very fun time developing her drawing with Brandstetter, though she often said the illustration was difficult to draw as she worked on it.

"You're taking this astonishingly seriously," said YourHub.com community assistant John Zwick. "You've got an artistic director."

An artistic director is one thing Dial's grandmother never had. Maybe Dial's illustration would turn out better than she initially thought, despite Brandstetter's opinion that the Christmas tree was missing that special something.

"No tinsel, are you mad?" Brandstetter exclaimed.

After looking at the finished product, Zwick had one observation to make.

"Stars aren't yellow," he said.

What do you think about Dial's drawing? Post your comments, or give it as many stars as you think it deserves.