The stockings are hung by the chimney with care.

Decorations adorn the towering Christmas tree while, nearby, a wreath brightens the brick wall above the mantel. A tiny Christmas village sits atop the fireplace and candles flicker in the buildings' midst.

Brightly colored packages lay waiting to be opened.

It's the perfect holiday scene … and it's all made out of Legos.

The cozy scene is the latest effort by Mike Addis and his wife Catherine Weightman, who create the intricate Lego sculptures as a Christmas tradition. One year, they built a 21-foot London Bridge and a 12-foot model of the Ely cathedral, according to the Good News Network website.

This year, the couple transformed a wall in their home with a Lego replica — complete with a Santa captured coming down the chimney.

The couple told the website that it took several months, working between two and four hours a day to create this year's scene. They estimate that it took about 400,000 pieces to build it — with a fair number of Legos used to make the brick wall stable enough to stand on its own and to hold the various decorations.

The love of building the sculptures started when their children were small, the couple told the website. They had so much fun, they never looked back and have even featured some of the sculptures on Christmas cards. Now, they told GNN, their friends look forward to see what the next year will bring.

“We enjoy doing it, it’s the satisfaction of completing something so big and technically interesting," Addis is quoted as telling GNN. "It’s better than watching telly.”

Like Addis and Weightman, the Sandpoint Lions also are big believers in making Christmas special. However, for the Lions, that mission takes the form of the club's annual Toys for Tots — a campaign that ensures every youth in the Lake Pend Oreille School District has the merriest of Christmases.

Today’s donations add up to $2,687.75, bringing the total to $45,974.03

Today's generous donations come from: in loving memory of Loren Spielman from Full Circle Powder Coating, Spielman Construction and Judy Spielman $1, 200;Arnies coin jar, $42.75; Allen and Mary Delaney, $100; Steve & Grace Brixen, $100; Anonymous, $1,000; David and Christine Kraisler, $25; Anonymous, $100; Jim & Julie Frank, $100; and anonymous, $20

Yesterday's generous donations were received from the Bonner County Daily Bee and Bonners Ferry Herald employees, who donated $620 and Denise and Michael Wilken, who donated $500.

The goal for this year’s campaign is $50,000 — the same as it has been in past years. The Lions make the most of the money by shopping bargains, and with the assistance of generous local businesses.

The Toys for Tots program provides free new toys for children living in the Lake Pend Oreille School District, from Sandpoint to Clark Fork and all points in-between.

The Lions make the most of the money by shopping bargains, and with the assistance of generous local businesses.

Donations for Toys for Tots can be dropped off at the front desk at the Bonner County Daily Bee, 310 Church St., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can also drop off donations at Columbia Bank’s Sandpoint branch, 414 Church St., or at the Ponderay branch, 300 Bonner Mall Way; the Ponderay Starbucks, and the Ponderay Mountain West Bank.

Donations may be mailed to the Sandpoint Lions Club, Box 414, Sandpoint, ID 83864.

Donations made by check are preferred. Be sure to include a note with your check indicating that it is a Toys for Tots donation. If you wish to make an anonymous donation, please include a note.

If the donation is being made in someone’s name, be sure to also include a note.

Information: Sandpoint Lions Club, 208-263-4118