Holiday Celebration Table

sarahwilk24
Dec 17, 2022
7 min read

Updated: Jul 19

With so many adorable sets themed around Christmas and the holidays, the couple couldn't resist having a themed table around holiday celebrations. Even if the holidays are still months away, they hope to help you feel some of the same magical spirit they experienced while building this display.

Christmastime at the Jefferson Hotel

916 pieces | aphpaio: F-A0661

Assembled by Hunter Williams, December 2024

Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)

December 17, 2022

Seeing the Jefferson Hotel all decorated and lit up for Christmas is a tradition for many in Richmond. The hotel has been in operation since the late 1800s, and rumor has it that part of the movie Gone with the Wind was filmed on its premises. Hunter had never seen the holiday decor, so right before their first Christmas together, they went to visit the hotel. In the lobby, there's always a life-size gingerbread house with all its decorations and structure being entirely edible. It usually weighs around one ton! Across the lobby, they approached the staircase where they could see the 30-foot Christmas tree from up above before descending the steps. Standing next to the tree is a sure way to feel tiny. They browsed the gift shop and found an adorable ornament with a teapot, tea cups, and pastries on a Jefferson Hotel tray. One of Sarah's family traditions, which has been in place as long as she can remember, is for everyone to select a new ornament for the Christmas tree each year. This was Hunter's first time participating in the tradition.

Santa's Sleigh

343 pieces | LEGO: 40499

Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, December 2024

Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)

Sarah is jovially known in her family as being the "best" at Christmas. She loves the gift-giving spirit of the season and pays close attention to what her loved ones say they are wishing for or what items they pick up at stores but won't get for themselves throughout the year, keeping notes so she can have the perfect surprise for them come Christmas. Christmas has been special to Sarah as long as she can remember, not because of any religious affiliation, but because of the magic she felt as a child during that time of year. She tries to capture that feeling as closely as possible as an adult and share it with her family. Hunter grew up with less emotional attachment to the holiday, but he has enjoyed watching Sarah's passion for it. Each Christmas Eve that they've spent together, Sarah has snuck away to prepare stockings for him, her sister, and her mom, which she puts by the tree after everyone has gone to sleep. Hunter played a supporting Santa role their first Christmas together, helping Sarah's sister, Emma, pick out and hide a bike as a gift for their mom, Bonnie. He helped set the bike up by the tree the night before Christmas, only to wake up the next morning to find out that Bonnie had tested positive for COVID. They ended up celebrating Christmas on New Year's Day that year, something they'll always remember.

O' Christmas Tree

784 pieces | LEGO: 40573

Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, December 2024

Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)

November 24, 2022

Sarah and Hunter both belong to the camp of people who believe that Christmas trees should go up on or after Thanksgiving. Any sooner, and you're curtailing fall, but any later, and you're putting in a lot of work to have the tree up for almost no time. On their first Thanksgiving together, the couple worked to put up a small 5-foot Christmas tree in Sarah's bedroom. They didn't have a chance to help decorate the big family tree, so this was their way of still experiencing having their own tree together. Sarah has decorated her small tree in her bedroom since she was about 12. As an adult, she realized she can use flowers to complement the tree alongside ornaments, giving it a unique and bright twist that aligns with her personality. That first tree they decorated brought cheer throughout the holiday season and was a lot of fun to create together. They look forward to next Christmas, when they will add LEGO flowers to the mix!

New Year's Eve In the Dark

433 pieces | LEGO: 40743

Assembled by Rachel Deese, March 2025

Interaction Rating: 3 / 5 (interaction with the set is okay, but only with help from an adult)

December 31, 2024

The couple drove up to Alexandria to spend New Year's Eve and Day with their sister, Rachel, nephew, Andrew, and brother-in-law, Steve. They were supposed to attend a fireworks display with their family in Old Town Alexandria, but a severe thunderstorm rolled through at the exact time the show was scheduled to begin. Rachel, Steve, and Andrew had gone without them, hoping the weather would hold off, but as Sarah and Hunter worked on brick sets back at the house, they saw the wind whip up and lightning starting to strike. Then the power went off. When the power didn't come back on after a few minutes, the couple had a feeling they were in for an unusual New Year's Eve. When their family got back to the house, Steve and Rachel started scavenging for candles and flashlights. Luckily, the house had gas appliances, so Hunter made Sarah her version of chicken alfredo by candlelight. After a little while, with the power still off, they decided to go to the neighborhood sports bar, Shooter McGee's, which still had power. Everyone else had dinner, and Sarah, Andrew, and Hunter worked on small brick sets they brought with them.

A Toast!

136 pieces | Brickcraft: 72177

Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, January 2025

Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)

January 1, 2025

As it neared time to put Andrew to bed, they returned to the still-dark house, and Rachel poured glasses of a special non-alcoholic drink that Andrew likes, which comes in a bottle similar to that of champagne. Because he wasn't staying up until midnight, they wanted to do a New Year's toast that could include him. As they raised their glasses in toast, the power flickered on and stayed on for a few seconds before shutting back off again. It had stayed on just long enough that they cheered in relief and started to marvel at the timing of their toast, but that quickly dissipated when the power flickered back out again. It was enough to make Andrew, age six, feel frightened, and he started to cry. They eventually convinced him to go to bed, but only with a flashlight and with a parent in the room to ensure his safety. The lights came on for real soon after. The adults settled into a night of assembling brick sets. All the excitement of the day meant they were all in bed before midnight. Sarah and Hunter still knew precisely when the New Year arrived, as a neighbor's house that faced their bedroom window was throwing a loud party in their backyard, and a cacophony of cheers rang out when the clock struck midnight.

(Can You) Stay On Your Feet, Part II

1,517 pieces | LEGO: 10325

Assembled by Hunter Williams, December 2024

Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)

February 16, 2025

For their third anniversary together, Sarah and Hunter decided to finally use an ice skating gift card that one of Sarah's friends had given them over a year before. One of the couple's early dates was roller skating, so in a way, this felt a little like they were reliving that date while still trying something new together. Both had been ice skating before, but it had been a while since they last did so. Neither immediately picked it back up like they did with roller skating, but they took it slow and stayed near the wall as they got used to the ice again. Sarah struggled with one of her ice skates, which kept rolling her ankle. She knew she wouldn't be able to skate for long if that kept happening, so she asked someone at the rental desk to help lace the shoe up better, which made a difference. They couldn't hold hands without risking pulling each other down or clotheslining someone behind them, so they just tried to skate as close to each other as they safely could. Miraculously, neither of them ended up falling for the hour or so that they skated. They took turns sitting on the sidelines so they could film each other and take photos of themselves. They tired out pretty quickly, but kept skating for a few more laps together before heading back to the benches. There, they encountered a spoiled little pup who was all wrapped up in a blanket to keep her from shivering. They chose the Alpine Lodge set to represent this adventure because it featured a small ice skating rink, but also because it is the kind of place they can imagine stealing away to for a winter getaway in Vermont. Sarah went to college there and hopes she can take Hunter one day.

Additional Decor

Holiday Wreath

1,194 pieces | LEGO: 10340

Assembled by Rachel Deese, February 2025

Interaction Rating: 3 / 5 (interaction with the set is okay, but only with help from an adult)

A Happy Holiday Scene

1,240 pieces | Fun Little Toys

Assembled by Mike Alfare, December 2024

Interaction Rating: 5 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged)

Poinsettias

608 pieces each | LEGO: 10370

Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, Hunter Williams; May 2025

Interaction Rating: 3 / 5 (interaction with the set is okay, but only with help from an adult)

Mistletoe

90 pieces each | Brickcraft: 72096

Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, January 2025

Interaction Rating: 1 / 5 (interaction with the set is discouraged because pieces may break off)

Christmastime at the Jefferson Hotel.

Photos from their first Christmas together with Sarah's family. Sarah gifted Hunter a Kitchen Aid standing mixer (which he had wanted for a long time), and Hunter gifted Sarah a record player (as she had given hers to her sister when Emma moved away to college). Yes, they wore matching Christmas jammies.

The first three pictures show the tree they decorated together during their first holiday season. The last picture is from 2023, when Sarah moved to yellows, oranges, and blues to decorate the tree so it could go in her office/library instead of their bedroom, which now had much less space since Hunter and his cats had moved in.

Photos from their New Year's Eve without power. The next morning, Andrew helped Sarah and Hunter pick out new LEGO sets to buy with the rewards points Sarah had earned at Barnes & Noble during the holiday season ($300 worth of free LEGO!).