The stockings were 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 … except it's all made out of Legos.

The cozy scene was a recent 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.

A few years back, 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 the 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.

To date, the campaign has raised $44,438.67 of the $75,000 needed to ensure every child in the community has a merry Christmas.

Donations can be made at a variety of local businesses, listed below and including the Daily Bee at 310 Church St., Sandpoint, or online at bit.ly/LionsToysForTots.

Each year, the Lions team up with local businesses and residents through Toys for Tots to ensure everyone has a merry Christmas.

Funds raised go toward purchasing new toys for area children — or gift cards for older youth — who live in the Lake Pend Oreille School District.

Every Christmas, the Lions help almost 1,000 area children, from Sandpoint to Clark Fork and all points in between.

Donations may be mailed to the Sandpoint Lions Club, P.O. Box 414, Sandpoint, ID 83864, or dropped into any coin jar around town. Donations should include a note that it is for Toys for Tots and, if you wish to remain anonymous, please mention that in your note.

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.

Each day during the drive, donors’ names will be published along with the amount of their donations. A running total will be included to help the community know where the Toys for Tots campaign stands.

If you can, please consider donating. Every penny, every dollar adds up, and if we all pitch in, we can make this, once again, a successful Toys for Tots campaign. Additional donations help the Lions buy ahead and make the most of the community’s generous support.

In Sandpoint, toys and donations can be dropped off at the Bonner County Daily Bee, Mr. Sub, Columbia Bank, Connie’s Cafe, Serv-A-Burger, Mountain West Bank, Pivo Peaks Alehouse, Sandpoint Family Medicine and Urgent Care, and the Bonner County Fairgrounds.

In Sagle, toys and donations can be dropped off at Buckin’ Beans and Encoder Products (in the front lobby, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

In Ponderay, toys and donations can be dropped off at Alpenglow Salon, Walmart, North 40, Columbia Bank, Arnie’s, Better Together Animal Shelter, Community Resource EnVision Center, Litehouse, Elite Tire, Vinnie Todd’s Barbershop, Hoot Owl, Papa Murphy’s and Mountain West Bank.

Information: Sandpoint Lions Club, 208-263-4118, [email protected] or bit.ly/SandpointLions