Best LEGO sets 2017 Christmas shopping guide

Happy holidays! This is a wonderful time to be thankful for friends, family, and all the blessings in our lives, as well as for the hardships that make us stronger and bring us closer with others. This weekend is also the official beginning of the holiday shopping season, which can sound stressful and commercial, or could be an opportunity to really connect with people and understand what makes them happy. For LEGO fans the answer to that question is very easy; more LEGO. And the good thing is that even if you are not exactly sure which LEGO set they would like, you can’t go wrong with any of them. There is really no such thing as a LEGO set that doesn’t fit, as the parts are always useful. So now that you can relax and know that all LEGO is good LEGO (as long as it is official LEGO brand and not some imitator), let’s look at what’s available and what might be a good fit for your LEGO-crazed family and friends. 🙂

➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR FAMILIES: “The family that builds together stays together.” For many people LEGO is a family affair. This is especially true when the parents also grew up with LEGO and they appreciate the educational and creative aspects of the hobby, along with the family bonding experience. If you are Christmas shopping for a family like this, you probably already know what kind of LEGO sets they are into; perhaps they have a LEGO City layout in their basement, or LEGO Star Wars sets all over the living room, or they are into building castles, or robots, or trains. If your budget allows it, I would recommend getting a larger LEGO set for this family that they can build together, or a LEGO bucket with loose bricks that everyone can enjoy. Good candidates are:

• LEGO Christmas Village sets (cute winter-themed sets)
• LEGO Creator sets (3-in-1 sets with many possibilities)
• LEGO City sets (one of the oldest and most popular LEGO themes)
• LEGO Classic brick buckets (loose bricks for free building)

➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR BOYS: If you know their wish-list, or the LEGO themes they like to build, get something from those categories. For a lot of boys LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Ninjago, LEGO Minecraft and LEGO Nexo Knights are the rage, so anything from these themes would make a great Christmas gift. Also, the LEGO Creator line is excellent for kids who like to build their own designs. These sets are mostly priced in the $10-$50 range, so are quite affordable:

• LEGO Star Wars sets (small and big sets for fans of the movies)
• LEGO Ninjago sets (a solid favorite for many years)
• LEGO Ninjago Movie sets (great sets related to the movie)
• LEGO Batman Movie sets (great sets related to the movie)
• LEGO Nexo Knights (similar to Ninjago, but with knights)
• LEGO Minecraft sets (great for Minecraft fans)
• LEGO Creator sets (3-in-1 sets with many possibilities)
• LEGO Speed Champions sets (for racecar fans)

➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR GIRLS: If you are Christmas shopping for a girl who is already into LEGO Friends, you can’t go wrong with any of the currently available sets. There is a great selection in the $10-$50 range, and there are also larger sets for special occasions. LEGO Elves and LEGO Disney Princess are two other themes that use mini-dolls instead of regular LEGO minifigures. Girls also tend to like the LEGO Creator houses and other sets that are not centered on conflict:

• LEGO Friends sets (specifically developed for girls)
• LEGO Disney sets (for girls who are Disney fans)
• LEGO Elves sets (a magical theme with beautiful sets)
• LEGO Creator sets (3-in-1 sets with many possibilities)
• LEGO Christmas Village sets (cute winter-themed sets)

➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR TEENS: LEGO shopping for teens is a bit more challenging (I guess shopping for anything for teenagers is challenging). First of all, make sure they are still into LEGO. Even kids who have been building with LEGO all their life may put the hobby on pause once they hit their teen years. However, this is not true for all teens; many of them will continue the LEGO hobby, and in fact take it much more seriously, as they start designing their own LEGO models with astounding skill and creativity. This can lead them to a future career in architecture, engineering, design, robotics, art, programming, or even landing a job at LEGO. If the teen you are shopping for is on their way out of the LEGO hobby you might still consider one of the excellent LEGO books from No Starch Press that may rekindle their interest, or if they are still deeply involved with LEGO there are many LEGO sets specifically designed for teens. Good candidates are:

• LEGO Creator Expert Builder sets (very detailed high-end models)
• LEGO Technic sets (realistic cars and other vehicles)
• LEGO Robotics sets (used by many schools for teaching robotics)
• LEGO Ideas sets (fan suggested LEGO sets)
• LEGO books by No Starch Press (excellent selection!)

➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR ADULTS: LEGO is not just a childhood toy, but also a lifetime hobby for many adults. The large number of LEGO clubs, blogs, forums, and conventions geared towards adult LEGO fans are a testimony of the thriving adult LEGO fan community. LEGO responded to their adult fan-base by releasing LEGO sets specifically targeting older LEGO fans. These are usually very large sets with complex building techniques and intricate details, taking many hours – even days – to put together. They are basically modeling kits with LEGO bricks. Adult-oriented LEGO sets are usually expensive too, in the 100+ range, however there are also smaller sets that adults would appreciate:

• LEGO Creator Expert Builder sets (very detailed, high-end models)
• LEGO Technic sets (realistic LEGO cars and other vehicles)
• LEGO Modular Buildings sets (very detailed City-style buildings)
• LEGO Ideas sets (fan suggested LEGO sets)
• LEGO books by No Starch Press (excellent selection!)

➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR GRANDPARENTS: LEGO has been around long enough that there are fans of the brand who are now grandparents. And grandparents deserve gifts too – especially if they are fun grandparents who are into LEGO! They would likely appreciate the same LEGO sets as all adults, but there is also something else I would recommend for them; LEGO books. Older LEGO fans have likely seen it all, built it all, even have it all, but they can still get inspiration from LEGO books with amazing creations or interesting historical details about the hobby:

• LEGO Creator Expert Builder sets (very detailed, high-end models)
• LEGO Modular Building sets (very detailed City-style buildings)
• LEGO Architecture sets (realistic replicas of real landmarks)
• LEGO Architecture Studio set (free building for professionals)
• LEGO books by No Starch Press (excellent selection!)

➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR CO-WORKERS: You may be working with someone who is a LEGO-nut. Perhaps you have not seen their whole LEGO collection, or know exactly what LEGO themes they are into, but you can get them something funny and LEGO-related that fits in the office:

• LEGO gifts (business-card holders, pencil holders, notebooks, etc.)
• LEGO minifigures (individual minifigs with accessories)
• LEGO keychains (a great variety to choose from)
• LEGO holiday sets (small sets, ornaments, stocking-stuffers, etc.)

➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR YOUR BOSS: Yes, your boss may be into LEGO too! Or, perhaps you are the one who is known as the LEGO geek, and you want to surprise your boss with something from your hobby:

• LEGO gifts (business-card holders, pencil holders, notebooks, etc.)
• LEGO minifigures (individual minifigs with accessories)
• LEGO keychains (a great variety to choose from)
• LEGO Architecture sets (realistic replicas of real landmarks)
• LEGO Architecture Studio set (free building for professionals)

➡ THE BEST SMALL LEGO SETS (UNDER $20): If your budget is small, but you would still like to surprise a LEGO fan, or you are just looking for LEGO stocking-stuffers here are some ideas:

• LEGO gifts (magnets, holiday ornaments, notebooks, etc.)
• LEGO minifigures (individual minifigs with accessories)
• LEGO keychains (a great variety to choose from)
• LEGO holiday sets (small sets, ornaments, stocking-stuffers, etc.)

➡ THE BEST LARGE LEGO SETS (OVER $100): These are the best of the best LEGO sets, mostly recommended for teen and adult builders, although some younger kids may like them too. If money is not an issue, any LEGO fan would be very happy with these sets. Here are the best of the currently available large LEGO sets:

• #75159 LEGO Star Wars Death Star
• #71040 LEGO Disney Castle
• #75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters
• #42056 LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS
• #LEGO Ninjago Movie Ninjago City
•  #10255 LEGO Creator Assembly Square
• #70922 LEGO Batman Movie The Joker Manor
• #71042 LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Silent Mary
• #75144 LEGO Star Wars Assault Snow Speeder

Again, as I have mentioned, there is no such thing as a bad LEGO set, and LEGO fans would appreciate any gift that is related to their hobby. These are just some guidelines, in case you don’t know where to start. I hope it helps in your Christmas LEGO shopping! Also, if you have your own suggestions, feel free to share them in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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