SOMETIMES THE BEST GIFTS COME BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS
Advent Calendars are one of those special treats saved just for the holiday season, specifically the 24 days in December that lead up to Christmas. Whether they are paper, wood, felt or cardboard filled with sweets, toys, or notes, they were a tradition long before that elf ever sat on your shelf.
Brands like LEGO, Nintendo, and Funko Pop! have made sure that the lead-up to your Christmas day can be a bigger joy than the day itself. We’re impressed year after year at what these toy brands deliver each December, always helping to build our holiday anticipation. Not only are Advent calendars a perfect tradition to start and continue, they often make spectacular gifts for collectors.
[amazon-grid asin=”B09311BBHQ,B093132296,B09313B4TY,B092ZYNY42″ fields=”title,med-image,ListPrice,price” title_charlen=”50″ columns=”4″]
Each year we buy a LEGO calendar for our girls with the understanding that it’s part of their Christmas- an early gift. We started with just one that they took turns opening each day, eventually pooling together all the revealed LEGO mini-sets into their collecting. Parents can imagine how well that went down…. so now we purchase one for each kid.
The great thing we found with the LEGO calendars is that they come with special pieces only available in the calendars, usually special minifigures (which is a big deal to collectors.) We have done the City, Friends, and Harry Potter LEGO themed sets, and there have been some really inventive and fun mini-sets. From Santa figures and chalet snow scenes, to Harry Potter Christmas sweaters and micro trains, they never fail to delight.
[amazon-grid asin=”B08V4Z868M,B07KW5B5GB,B08XC4738L,B08YK8WK98″ fields=”title,med-image,ListPrice,price” title_charlen=”50″ columns=”4″]
When it comes to purchasing these, especially the LEGO Advent calendars, you either have to think ahead to guarantee availability or wait until the last two weeks of November and buy whatever is left when it’s on sale. Due to the popularity and the rare pieces, collectors and fans buy some themes up quickly, so be sure to inspect details in each set beyond your desired themes.
For 2021, LEGO Friends and the Funko Pop! Pokemon, The Office, and Harry Potter themes went very fast, now selling on third-party marketplaces for as much as three times MSRP. While the Funko sellouts aren’t a huge shock given their collector base, the LEGO Friends Advent calendar has never been the top seller in a given year. A quick inspection of the LEGO Friends set and the reason is clear. LEGO has included five “child-sized” micro minifigures of the five LEGO Friends characters.
The good news is that while the LEGO Friends Advent set got a lot of focus from collectors and resellers, many of the usual sell-outs are both available and discounted in mid-November. At the time of writing, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Harry Potter, LEGO Marvel, and LEGO City Advent calendars are all 20% off their typical price at both Walmart and Amazon. What’s more, each has their share of collectible pieces and clever mini-models to build.
Fans of Harry Potter will love adding six minifigures to their collections, including a new Gringotts Goblin! This Harry Potter Advent calendar theme also includes the most unique and elegant Christmas tree mini-build we’ve ever seen. The LEGO Star Wars Advent calendar may only include four minifigs, but one is a unique Tuskan Raider. Dial your eyes in a little more to find a fifth figure, Baby Yoda as a tiny micro minifigure. Several super fun starship builds are hidden behind the Star Wars calendar’s doors- X-wing, TIE Fighter, The Razor Crest, and several more. As always, the LEGO City Advent calendar comes with ole’ St. Nick himself, Santa in minifig form. He’ll arrive particularly when he means to, and well after the other five minifigures included in this box. Finally, and much to our surprise, the new LEGO Marvel Superheroes Advent calendar is still in stock and on sale! Packing six of our favorite superhero minifigures, a handful of Infinity Gems, and several inventive mini-builds, the newest addition to LEGO’s Advent lineup is not to be missed for Marvel Cinematic Universe fans.
Regardless of which Advent calendar (calendars in our case, you’ll remember) you wind up with, you really can’t go wrong this year. Don’t lament missing anything sold out, and pick a theme that’s available on sale. You and/or your kids are going to be delighted with any of these joy-filled Advent calendars.