Deck the bough with lots of Lego (pictures)

Illustrator, author, photographer and all-around creative guy Chris McVeigh also excels at making Lego models. In fact, he's created structures out of the tiny bricks for clients such as Esquire and Gizmodo.

This year, he's once again turned his talents to helping Lego-lovers deck their Christmas trees with pure plastic pizzazz. As with all his designs, the plans for this gingerbread train are available for free on his website, so you can give it a go on your own. Or you can purchase a kit here that includes everything you need to make the train chug to life.

Related article: Get jolly with Lego ornaments you can make yourself

Chris McVeigh calls this design "a subtle nod to art history," as it's based on the Cubist aesthetic.

"After designing a number of ornaments that embraced soft curves and rounded surfaces," the Canada-based artist told Crave, "I wanted to create an ornament that was unapologetically angular. The Cubist is a result of this, and yes, it is inspired by Cubism."

Related article: Get jolly with Lego ornaments you can make yourself

Nothing says "have a very geeky Christmas" quite like hanging little vintage arcade games from your tree.

In creating works like these, Chris McVeigh told Crave:

"In general, I start all my projects in Lego Digital Designer (LDD), which is Lego's free modeling app. This allows me to explore different ideas without having to pull out hundreds of bricks, and I can use bricks that I might not have on hand. Once the digital model is refined, I move the process to the real world, building the model with actual bricks. Although LDD is an incredibly helpful tool, a physical build is always necessary to evaluate mundane (but important!) aspects of a model, such as clutch, flex and the method of assembly. And of course, having the model right in front of me lets me see how the light reflects off the surface and how the seams between bricks line up."

Related article: Get jolly with Lego ornaments you can make yourself

Chris McVeigh has a range of these Lego versions of traditional Christmas balls, which he calls "Rollers." They come in a variety of colors including dark blue, orange, aqua, dark purple and pink. This one is from the "Roller Gem" line.

Related article: Get jolly with Lego ornaments you can make yourself

Although it might not follow the "no two alike" maxim, this snowflake is completely unique in that it won't ever melt and, um, IT'S MADE FROM LEGOS!

Related article: Get jolly with Lego ornaments you can make yourself

Chris McVeigh calls the Roller ornaments in this line "Orbit." You can see how this one resembles a tiny space capsule that combines two great geeky themes in one: space and Legos.

Orbits are available in green, dark pink and azure.

Related article: Get jolly with Lego ornaments you can make yourself

This little lantern might not throw literal illumination on your tree, but it's sure to add an extra glow to the room. Designed to look like a present, it joins one other "Wild Berry" lantern ornament that's new for this year along with five others that Chris McVeigh designed for last season. They're all available on McVeigh's website.

Ornament kits range from $11.25 (about £7, AU$13) to $45 (about £29, AU$53) and are available to ship from Canada worldwide.

Related article: Get jolly with Lego ornaments you can make yourself