When I was growing up, we only had those cardboard advent calendars with a tiny chocolate shape and picture behind each door. And they were great – I looked forward to those daily little chocolates on the run up to Christmas – but they got a whole lot better in the last three decades, once we got LEGO® advent calendars!
Lego advent calendars give you a mini Lego surprise each day on the run up to Christmas, whether it’s a minifigure (with many exclusive to these Advent sets) or a themed mini build. The sets have been continually improved by Lego over the years and often have exclusive bricks and bits in that can be integrated into your overall Lego collection!
The oldest Lego advent calendar I could find in the Brickset database was released in 1998 (set #1298, no less). It included a Lego santa, and bricks that could be made into a range of little mini models.
Since then, Lego have released many more advent sets (at least 78 on Brickset), across a whole range of themes: Clickits, Lego City, Star Wars, Lego Friends, ‘Christmas Build Up’, Harry Potter, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Disney, Spider Man, Pirates, Belville, Kingdoms and various general build sets. These are often changed up, so while you can find plenty on the Lego site, most are retired and only 6 designs are currently available. Not only are they great fun but since Lego do retire them, they are highly collectable.
You can pick up Lego Advent Calendars from just about anywhere: the Lego Store itself (great if you collect insider points), Argos (can be purchased with Nectar Points), Boots (can be purchased with Advantage Card points), Amazon and John Lewis, all of which sell them every year. Better still, you can win them in our online competitions for free!
We’ve got 2 of those designs in the studio to be won in our online Lego Advent Calendar competitions, with four prizes in total. Here’s what you can win:
Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar
New for 2024, this is a cracking little set (#75395) with 368 pieces that allows you to build highlights from the history of Lego Star Wars sets in chronological order, from 1999 to 2024. Amongst the daily builds, you’ll find 5 Lego Star Wars minifigures that includes Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in Christmas gear (of course), together with Ahsoka Tano, a 501st Clone Trooper and a Praetorian Guard.
The builds include a TIE Fighter, Jabba’s Sail Barge, Yoda’s Jedi Starfighter, the Millennium Falcon, a U-wing, a Mandalorian Gauntlet, The Ghost, a Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser, a Y-wing, The Crimson Firehawk, an X-wing, a T-6 Jedi Shuttle, an AT-AT, Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder, The Razor Crest, the Emperor’s Shuttle, plus a Minikit and Darth Vader’s Castle. Star Wars fans will love the nostalgia of this kit!
We have two of these to give away for free in our UK-only online competitions: one on the 10th November and one on the 17th November with both competitions ending at 4pm.
Harry Potter Lego Advent Calendar
I’ve had one Harry Potter advent calendar before and I loved all the little detail bricks that you don’t get in other sets. This year’s set (#76438) is no exception – just look at that turkey, the crackers, and Hedwig! Plus each box contains two of a possible 14 collectible Hogwarts portraits, so they’re all a bit different.
There are 8 minifigures in total (Hedwig included in this), with Harry Potter himself (of course), Cho Chang, Professor Flitwick, Draco Malfoy, Albus Dumbledore, Susan Bones, and a Choir Ghost minifigure.
Then for the mini builds, there is a table, festive items and a gargoyle for each of the 4 Hogwarts houses (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin), the portraits, a teacher’s table and other festive items (see for yourself above). The box itself becomes a great hall backdrop so you can create a festive Harry Potter scene using the tables and banqueting items (see main image).
We also have two of these to giveaway, completely free, in our online competitions: one on the 10th November and one on the 17th November with both competitions ending at 4pm.
So that’s four Lego Advent Calendars in total up for grabs! It’s amazing to think how far we’ve come from those tiny chocolates behind cardboard doors to these daily builds and surprises. I still love the fun of opening a new door each day but it got a whole lot more creative now!
Don’t miss your chance to win – enter our free prize draws today and make the run up to Christmas that little bit more magical!
Quick links:
Lego Advent Calendar Competitions // All Lego Competitions // Jelly Beans Advent Calendar // How to get free Lego sets // Lego Flowers // Minecraft Lego // All Online Competitions
