One of the most popular gifts for Christmas (or, more precisely - pre-Christmas) is the LEGO Advent Calendar. This great gift idea consists of twenty-four different LEGO gifts to be opened, one per day, starting on December 1st and continuing to December 24th - the day before Christmas. This year LEGO has produced two different versions of their Advent Calendar: one based on the Star Wars theme, and the other based on the LEGO City series of building sets. This is the first year for the appearance of a Star Wars themed calendar; in the past, other calendars have been based on a variety of themes including Kingdoms, Castles, and Pirates. The City theme has been the most consistent thread in the last several years.
The Advent Calendar is an idea that goes back to the early days of the 19th Century. It had its beginnings among the German Lutherans when they began the tradition of counting down the days to Christmas starting on December 1st. In some cases, the calendar consisted of nothing more than a mark on a door or wall. In other cases it was more elaborate, perhaps a series of lighted candles.
Later, the idea evolved into a printed calendar with each day marked in some special way. That then became a multi-part calendar consisting of 24 little doors that covered each day on the calendar, each with a religious picture or other token behind it, such as a piece of candy or a bible verse. As time passed, the idea spread and became a secular tradition as well as a religious one, and today there are many different varieties of Advent Calendars available.
The LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar, which is designated as LEGO 7958, has quickly become one of the top 100 toys in the Amazon toy catalog this year. It consists of a plastic tray formed into twenty-four individual compartments. Each compartment is filled with a LEGO toy based on the Star Wars theme, either a small set of bricks that can be assembled, or a mini-figure, or some other special LEGO part to go with the theme.
The Star Wars Calendar toys are all extremely well designed, and very detailed. Among the nine minifigs included in the calendar are Chewbacca, a TIE Pilot, a Clone Pilot, Nute Gunray, and Yoda in a Santa Suit! The calendar also includes a veritable fleet of eleven different star cruisers, fighters, and ships, including the Millennium Falcon, a TIE Fighter, an Imperial Shuttle, and a Y-Wing fighter.
The City version of the LEGO Advent Calendar, designated LEGO 7553, continues a well-established theme for the LEGO Advent Calendar, going back as far as 2005. The twenty-four compartments in this year's calendar contain a total of 232 elements, as LEGO calls them (or more simply, "pieces"). With this calendar, some of the toys are assembled from pieces that are revealed over a period of several days. For example, the pieces for the Police Station come over four different days - days 4, 5, 11, and 12. The Police Car arrives in three parts, on days 15, 16, and 17.
The City Advent Calendar also contains a variety of mini-figures - eight in all - including a crook, several policemen, and a Police Dog with a bone. In addition to the minifigs and structures, there are several vehicles, including a Police Car, and a Snowmobile. Like the Star Wars version, this set is recommended for children over the age of 5, because of the presence of small pieces.
If you have one or more children on your Christmas gift list, a LEGO Advent Calendar is bound to be a huge hit. Not only is it a great gift in itself, but by stretching out over the first twenty-four days of December, it helps to pass the time leading up to the Big Day. Whether your child is a hard-core Star Wars fan, or just enjoys building with the LEGO City theme sets, this gift is bound to be received with great delight on December first!
The Advent Calendar is an idea that goes back to the early days of the 19th Century. It had its beginnings among the German Lutherans when they began the tradition of counting down the days to Christmas starting on December 1st. In some cases, the calendar consisted of nothing more than a mark on a door or wall. In other cases it was more elaborate, perhaps a series of lighted candles.
Later, the idea evolved into a printed calendar with each day marked in some special way. That then became a multi-part calendar consisting of 24 little doors that covered each day on the calendar, each with a religious picture or other token behind it, such as a piece of candy or a bible verse. As time passed, the idea spread and became a secular tradition as well as a religious one, and today there are many different varieties of Advent Calendars available.
The LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar, which is designated as LEGO 7958, has quickly become one of the top 100 toys in the Amazon toy catalog this year. It consists of a plastic tray formed into twenty-four individual compartments. Each compartment is filled with a LEGO toy based on the Star Wars theme, either a small set of bricks that can be assembled, or a mini-figure, or some other special LEGO part to go with the theme.
The Star Wars Calendar toys are all extremely well designed, and very detailed. Among the nine minifigs included in the calendar are Chewbacca, a TIE Pilot, a Clone Pilot, Nute Gunray, and Yoda in a Santa Suit! The calendar also includes a veritable fleet of eleven different star cruisers, fighters, and ships, including the Millennium Falcon, a TIE Fighter, an Imperial Shuttle, and a Y-Wing fighter.
The City version of the LEGO Advent Calendar, designated LEGO 7553, continues a well-established theme for the LEGO Advent Calendar, going back as far as 2005. The twenty-four compartments in this year's calendar contain a total of 232 elements, as LEGO calls them (or more simply, "pieces"). With this calendar, some of the toys are assembled from pieces that are revealed over a period of several days. For example, the pieces for the Police Station come over four different days - days 4, 5, 11, and 12. The Police Car arrives in three parts, on days 15, 16, and 17.
The City Advent Calendar also contains a variety of mini-figures - eight in all - including a crook, several policemen, and a Police Dog with a bone. In addition to the minifigs and structures, there are several vehicles, including a Police Car, and a Snowmobile. Like the Star Wars version, this set is recommended for children over the age of 5, because of the presence of small pieces.
If you have one or more children on your Christmas gift list, a LEGO Advent Calendar is bound to be a huge hit. Not only is it a great gift in itself, but by stretching out over the first twenty-four days of December, it helps to pass the time leading up to the Big Day. Whether your child is a hard-core Star Wars fan, or just enjoys building with the LEGO City theme sets, this gift is bound to be received with great delight on December first!
For more information on the LEGO Advent Calendars, including where to buy them and where to get the lowest prices, go to LEGO-adventcalendar.com. To find more great LEGO Star Wars themed gifts for the true fan on your list, go to LEGO-starwars-sets.com, where you can find lots of information on some of the best Star Wars LEGO sets, including those hard-to-find sets that are no longer in production (but in most cases, still available).