These Legos are not just a piece a chocolate a day. Advent calendars will make every December morning a thrill, as, inside, you’ll find a mini build, mini figure or accessory behind every single door.
This year, LegoThe company launched five new advent calendars. Christmas. There are two from Lego’s own friends and cityRanges and three from big-name franchisors, including Harry Potter, Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Star Wars. So, there’s likely to be something for every man, woman and child.
Lego fans will love calendars as a way to find rare or limited-edition Lego pieces. Any mini figures dressed up in festive costumes will be cherished by true obsessives.
They are still quite young. Children may need some help with more-complicated builds, the calendars are suitable for all ages but they don’t come with written instructions like normal Lego kits. Still, they’re also a good way to encourage children to practise fine motor skill and use patience. They will last for a long time.
These calendars include a bonus: the boxes are easily opened and transformed into play scenes. Just bear in mind the Lego advent calendars are very popular each year, so we’d recommend buying early to secure the one you want.
How we tested
We couldn’t wait until December, so we opened all the doors to these advent calendars early, to see which one was really worth buying. With the help of junior testers, we assembled the models inside and evaluated how attractive they were.
We also kept track of any surprises and how difficult the builds were. And we considered if each calendar worked out as good value for money and which one we’d love the most when counting down to the big day.
These are the best Lego advent Calendars for 2022:
The best Lego advent calendars to use with younger children – Lego City advent calendar: £21.99, Amazon.co.uk
Best Lego advent calendars designed for older children – Lego Harry Potter advent calendar: £29.99, Lego.com
Best mini figures Lego advent calendar – Lego Marvel Studios Guardians of the Galaxy holiday special advent calendar: £29.99, Lego.com
Best Lego advent calendar Star WarsFans – Lego Star Wars advent calendar: £29.99, Lego.com
Best Lego advent calendar featuring festive themes – Lego friends advent calendar: £21.99, Lego.com
Lego City advent calendar
Even though it’s intended for children over five years of age, we believe that any child would enjoy this Lego advent book. It’s not obviously designed for one gender, it builds to a festive-themed set that can be played without needing other toys, and requires no prior knowledge of a film or TV show. It is based upon the Lego City TV series, it’s not at all necessary to have ever watched it to enjoy building and playing with it.
All the pieces are combined to create a fun Christmas set that can be played on the fold down mat. The set includes five minifigures. Lego CityAdventure series featuring Santa. There’s also a post box, a present for under the tree, several animals, including a cat, horse and hen, and a piano for Christmas singalongs. It’s a great choice for children who have never used Lego before and will be thrilled to discover what’s behind every door each day.
Buy Now £21.99, Amazon.co.uk
Lego ‘Harry Potter’Advent calendar
This calendar is for children over seven years old. Harry Potter fans. Unlike last year’s calendar, which told of the story of the first book. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s StoneThis one covers the entire series and has three doors per movie. They are arranged in order that they were released. That’s a bonus for devotees who are familiar with the whole story, but may mean builds later on in the month could be confusing for anyone who hasn’t read or watched every instalment.
The fact that the box can be used as a game board after all doors have been opened was a big hit with our junior testers. To give the calendar an additional value beyond December, a spinner is included. It also has 334 pieces, making it the largest Lego calendar.
Each door is marked using a different logo. This reveals which book the gift is coming from. The mini figures are small and have no festive details. They can be used all year. Our favourites were the rare Moaning Myrtle as well as the Sirius Black who comes with his prison number. The small Hogwarts Express is a great bonus.
Buy Now £29.99, Lego.com
Lego Marvel Studios ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy’Advent calendar for holidays
Following last year’s Marvel AvengersMarvel Studios calendar: Superhero lovers will be delighted to have a Marvel Studios Calendar Guardians of the Galaxy This year’s advent calendar. It’s worth noting this is themed to tie in with the forthcoming holiday special, which will screen on Disney+ this December.
This calendar contains 268 pieces. The calendar has a festive feel with three mini-figures in Christmas jumpers and Lego versions of a snowman and Christmas tree. Our youngest tester loved the mini figures. Six mini figures are included, including Nebula and Groot. This calendar is a great choice for collectors looking to collect unique mini figures. You can also build a mini-spaceship or drone.
Confusingly, however, the included rocket is built with pieces collected over three days, which is a little disappointing on the day itself but ultimately results in a bigger – and more playable – toy in the long run.
Buy Now £29.99, Lego.com
Lego ‘Star Wars’Advent calendar
Star Wars obsessives rush to buy Lego’Each year, they create advent calendars in the hope of finding rare builds or mini figures. And they won’t be disappointed this year, as this version contains 329 pieces in total with three Lego droid figures, 16 mini builds and five Lego Star Wars mini figures.
Most excitingly, two classic figures – C-3PO and R2-D2 – come in sweet festive jumpers but it was the Darth Vader figure that excited our junior testers the most. He comes dressed for the beach from this year’s Disney+ film, Lego Star WarsSummer Vacation…and even has spades instead a lightsaber.
Other mini-builds include the Bad Batch shuttle, Hoth AT-S and another Disney+-inspired one. While there are some less-exciting gifts at the end of the month like yet another battleroid, the calendar’s more recent additions make it a winner.
Buy Now £29.99, Lego.com
Lego friends advent calendar
The fun doesn’t stop when all the doors are opened on this calendar. The 24 gifts can be used for play. Lego friendsSets and pieces could be used for Christmas decorations. We believe that Lego friendsTo make their sets more festive, fans would keep these pieces around for years.
We loved all the Christmas touches. The gifts include a Santa figure and a reindeer, as well as a bag of toys. A snowman, a Christmas tree and a sleigh are also included. The whole set creates an idyllic scene of a wintry village where characters can pose with Santa. The characters can then visit cute market stands where they can buy hot chocolate and ice cream. The 312 pieces are easy to build, making this an interactive toy that any Lego friend would love.
Buy Now £21.99, Lego.com
The verdict: Lego advent calendars
We love the Lego City advent calendar Because of its bright, festive appeal. It’s a great option for younger children or if you’re not sure which LegoAdvent calendar will suit someone. If you’re looking for something a little more challenging, go straight for the Lego Harry Potter advent calendarIt includes rare mini-figures and clever bonus games.
Beauty buffs, this year’s selection of Advent calandarsAvailable now
Lego’s advent calendars are sure to build the excitement for Christmas
