If you purchase your LEGO sets through the Online LEGO Shop, you should have gotten the Big Holiday Catalog by now. It’s usually the biggest LEGO sales catalog of the year with close to a hundred pages of LEGO goodness. The catalog doesn’t include every single currently available LEGO set, but it does feature some of the best and most popular new sets of the year, and it’s well organized to put together a holiday shopping list. 🙂
The Big Holiday Catalog is designed to help put together a LEGO holiday shopping list. At the front of the catalog, there is a “My LEGO Wish List” section, where you, and any other LEGO-loving family member, can list favorite sets. I recommend dividing this page into smaller sections, so you can organize it by members of your family, and any other friend, co-worker, etc. you would like to buy a LEGO-related gift.
The rest of the Big Holiday Catalog is divided up by LEGO themes, like LEGO Classic, LEGO City, LEGO Creator, LEGO Super Heroes, LEGO Ninjago, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Minecraft, LEGO Technic, LEGO Friends, LEGO Disney and more. Again, not all the sets are listed, however there is a really good mix of some of the latest releases, so you should be able to find gift items for everyone. And there is also a separate section highlighting holiday sets, like the LEGO Advent Calendars, and LEGO Creator Winter Village sets.
I was a little disappointed that the Big Holiday Catalog didn’t include a section for stocking stuffers and other small item separately, like they have done in previous years, but they do have a separate stocking stuffers section online. Small sets are great for extended family, friends, coworkers, school events, etc. It makes kids and kids-at-heart happy, and you don’t have to spend a fortune. If you want to see the whole selection of currently available LEGO sets, and also get a more comprehensive holiday guide, the Online LEGO Shop has separate section for hottest gift items, ultimate gift items, and stocking stuffers.
The 2017 Hottest LEGO Gifts section includes some of the most popular sets from each theme, priced between $20 and $160. This includes sets like the #70618 LEGO Ninjago Movie Destiny’s Bounty, the #17101 LEGO BOOST Creative Toolbox, the #21310 LEGO Ideas Old Fishing Store, several LEGO Star Wars, LEGO City, and LEGO Friends sets, and more. You can see them all here: SHOP HOTTEST LEGO GIFTS
The Ultimate LEGO Gifts section is for bigger budgets, between $80 and $500, and includes the best and largest currently available LEGO sets. This includes the #75159 LEGO Star Wars Death Star, the #71040 LEGO Disney Castle, the #75827 LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Headguarters, the #42056 LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS, the #70620 LEGO Ninjago Movie Ninjago City, the #10255 LEGO Creator Assembly Square, the #21137 LEGO Minecraft The Mountain Cave, the #10257 LEGO Creator Carousel, the #75144 LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector’s Series Snowspeeder, the #71042 LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Silent Mary, the #75060 LEGO Star Wars Slave I, the #10258 LEGO Creator London Bus, the #10252 LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle, and all three of the currently available LEGO Creator Winter Village sets. You can see them all here: SHOP ULTIMATE LEGO GIFTS
The LEGO Stocking Stuffers section includes small sets that costs less than $10. Some examples are all the sets from the LEGO BrickHeadz collection, the small LEGO Classic Creativity Boxes, LEGO keychains, LEGO holiday ornaments, and small LEGO seasonal sets. You can se them all here: SHOP LEGO STOCKING STUFFERS
If you are looking for other interesting gift items, I also recommend checking out the extras section of the Online LEGO Shop for things like LEGO watches, alarm clocks, keychains, notebooks, mugs, books, video games, and more: SHOP LEGO EXTRAS
I know the holidays are still a bit away, but not too far, so it’s a good idea to start planning ahead. This is especially important if you have specific LEGO sets in mind. The closer we get to Christmas, the more likely they may go out of stock. The resources LEGO provides directly via the Big Holiday Catalog and their online shopping guides can be very helpful in the process, so take advantage of them.
What do you think? Did you get the Big Holiday Catalog yet? And did you start making your list for Santa? Which sets are on your wish list? What kind of sets or other LEGO related items do you think make the best gifts? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below! 😉
And you might also like to check out the following related posts:
- LEGO Fall & Winter Holiday Sets Available Now!
- LEGO Friends Snow Resort Sets Review
- LEGO Ninjago City Available Now & More!
- LEGO Winter Village Train Station Coming!
- LEGO Friends Heartlake City Playground
- LEGO Ideas Old Fishing Store More Details
- LEGO BOOST Creative Toolbox Review
- LEGO Creator London Bus History & Review
- LEGO Minecraft 2017 Summer Sets Review
- LEGO Nexo Knights Summer Sets Review
- LEGO Super Heroes 2017 Summer Sets Review
- LEGO Architecture Arc de Triomphe Review
- Review LEGO City Jungle, Coast Guard & More!
- LEGO Creator 2017 Summer Sets Review
- LEGO Spider-Man: Homecoming Sets Review
- LEGO Star Wars 2017 Summer Sets Review
- LEGO Star Wars UCS Snowspeeder Review
- LEGO POTC Silent Mary Available Now!
- LEGO Creator Assembly Square Review
So many choices and so little money. I’ve been racking my brain on some of the Lego sets that are out there. My first rule is if it’s to expensive for me ( like the hundred dollar sets and up) I have someone that has the money to get it for me. I also understand what a kid goes through on changing their minds over and over again. It’s always ” do I go for the complicated builds or the fun and easier builds”. I don’t know?
If in doubt, wait some. At least that’s what I do. If a couple of months down the road I still want a set, I will buy it. Most LEGO sets are around long enough to give yourself a decision making period. The only exception would be LEGO Ideas sets, which can sell out very fast. Those I buy right away (if I want them).
Another thing to consider at this time of the year, is that we are pretty close to the new year. You might want to wait until pictures of the January sets are released. You could find some sets that you like even better than the current ones. This is particularly true for small to medium sets. For example, you might discover that you like a new LEGO City vehicle better than the one you originally considered buying.
Yet another thing I do is just build. Being creative takes your mind away from shopping. I might even find that I can come up with a design I’m happier with that what LEGO has to offer, so I don’t even have to buy the set I was originally thinking of.
When there are several sets on my wish-list, and I have to narrow down my selection, I also carefully look at the parts and building techniques in the sets I consider buying. I prefer sets that I know will have the best long-term value for building and rebuilding. For example, I rarely build with Bionicle-type large figure parts, so even though I like some of the sets, I don’t buy them, because they don’t have much long-term value for me. Or, if there are a couple of similar houses available that I like (maybe one from LEGO Creator and the other from LEGO Friends), I will pick the one that has a color and part selection that works better for the things I like to build.
If you are nervous about a set retiring before you have a chance to make up your mind about buying it, make a list of the sets you consider, and organize them by release date. If the set has been around for year or more, I would prioritize it. Hope this helps a little. 😉
I does . Thank you. I am trying not to mix in on the hype. Like the NINJAGO city set and the Assembly square they are great sets but I can probably get the same amount of fun on smaller less expensive sets. Like to complete the jungle theme or something like that . I also discovered that when I was building the Fishing stop , I started to get a little burnt out on what it takes and how many pieces to get that great of a detail in a set like that . So, you can say I am getting alittle apprehensive about building a bigger sets. ( would that same frustrating feeling still be there. or maybe I just need a break on bigger sets).
It’s interesting you bring this up. I actually also get frustrated (or, more like bored) with big sets that takes too long to build. I could never build (or want to build) something as big as the Falcon. The Modulars are right at the threshold of what I like to build. The Assembly Square was really pushing it, but because it’s three separate buildings, it kept me interested enough to continue building. But I did have to break it up to three days.
It’s a good idea to pay attention to where is your tolerance limit when enjoyment starts to turn into frustration. If you do enjoy displaying bigger sets, but you don’t like the long building sessions, you can break it up into smaller chunks. Or just avoid big sets altogether. Another thing with big sets is that they tend to have much more details built up with smaller pieces. Here, again, you have to pay attention to notice what you like. Personally, my favorite sets are around the $100-$150 range with 1,000-2,000 pieces. They are detailed enough to look really good, and usually include some interesting building techniques. But they don’t took too long to build to get me bored. The conclusion is to know thyself. 😉
I only wish us Aussies would receive a catalogue like this with our S@H order! I have seen one or two in the past but here in Australia I’m not sure where we can get them. Can any other Aussie readers here enlighten me please?
Alison, do you guys have an official LEGO store or distribution center? If you do, I would call their customer service and ask if they have a sales catalog. We don’t get the catalog with our order, but separately throughout the year. Usually there is one for each season, and then a few extras leading up to the Christmas holiday season. They are very helpful for selecting sets. And I also keep them even from previous years, as I like going through them once in a while.
Hm… I just looked up the list of LEGO stores, and it doesn’t look like you guys have one. 🙁
Don’t get me wrong ,I think the the old fishing shop is very cool. I love it . it gets to the phrase ” it’s the journey not the destination that’s the reward” and then there’s those who what the destination without the journey. Lol! The one I like is ” there’s a price for everything and everything has its price”. If it’s time and/or money it costs something . So, is life.
Is it possible to get the holiday catalogue in New Zealand? I have an account on the Lego NZ site but have never seen one. I like your site and subscribe to your site via emails and it’s the first thing I read over breakfast and love it. There’s too many things to pick a favourite piece as your whole site is usually where I find out about deals, vip days, Black Friday deals etc…….thanks for all the info, I couldn’t do without it.
Gary, I’m not sure. I would contact them and see if they send out anything. There should be some kind of contact info (phone, chat, or email) on that site to customer service. I do find the catalog very helpful, even though I can see the same sets online. I’m not sure what it is, but paper catalogs make sets look more real. If you can’t find the info, let me know, and I will reach out to my contact at LEGO via the Ambassador Forum. Also, if you would like us to cover certain topics or aspects of the hobby, feel free to ask. I know you guys have a lot less LEGO-related resources.
Thanks for the advice. It’s Nice to know that I am not the only who feels this way sometimes. I can put things in a better perspective right now. You should have another website called ” the brick therapist, for those who get lost in the brick world “. Lol!
LOL! We might actually need a service like that for people getting addicted, or in some way lost in the hobby! I could probably use some therapy myself! 🙄
To late I’m already there.( then again aren’t we all?) remember the first step of recovery is admitting you have a problem. LOL!
What problem? 🙄
Got the Lego Ninjago City it looks Very detailed and will keep my kids super busy building over the Christmas Holidays. Got this set when the had double points and free Lego sets. plus decided to get the Destiny Bounty, on sale 40.00 off. it is also very detailed and it will be the very first ship they ever got. We already have the Airjitzu Temple, that I will resurrect to rebuild and the Persian Restraunt, was think about getting the brick bank however I have many loose Lego parts, will try and gather most of what I have then order the remainder pieces we need to complete the set. we have a lot of batman sets and Joker and the gang would be stirring trouble as he tries to loot the Lego bank, however with Batman on Patrol and with the Ninjas around he would be foiled again and him and his Troublesome crew would be going back to Arkham, And the good news it has been modified to put all villains behind bars, plus the prison in the middle of the ocean, this is going to be one long busy building year.
LOL! That was a whole awesome story to read! Looks like you guys are having fun! 😀
That sounds fun . I Thought about having Batman to protect the city but, then I thought why not have the Teenage mutant ninja turtles team up with NINJAGO . An epic team up!
TMNT and Ninjago???!!! I like that!!! 😀
Sounds Epic, TMNT and Ninjago would make a perfect team.
Decisions! Decisions! I have a few younger builders to buy for, they’re easy to please. I am fortunate enough to have a Lego store about 20 minutes away. Or you could say unfortunate as it is far too easy to go there and spend money! The hard part for me this time of year is not buying for myself while shopping for the littles. I’ve had my eye on the Minecraft Ocean Monument for a while. All those sand green bricks!! Has anyone purchased this set just for the sand green bricks?
My condolences for having a LEGO store 20 minutes from you! 😈
And yes, the Ocean Monument is a fantastic resource for beautiful sand-green and dark-green parts. The set otherwise is pretty plain, so yeah, basically it’s the only reason to buy it. 😀
A Grand Scene of Sand Green!
(Although personally, I’m underwhelmed…)
Sand Green Grand Scene! 😀
Been buying for years States-side and have never received that catalog. Weird.
Are you shopping directly from the Online LEGO Shop or by phone? I think that’s how you get on their mailing list to receive the catalogs.
On their website.
To add to that, I get their regular catalogs but not the big holiday one.
Hm… you may want to give them a call. They are happy to send you a Catalog, if you just ask, especially since you are already in their system and regularly shop from them. It might be just a glitch or something. I have been getting all their catalogs, including the Big Holiday Catalog for years, and never missed an issue. Just give them a call. It’s worth it. 🙂
Got the big catalog last week but I haven’t look through them yet. Mind you, I “stalk” LEGO site often anyway. So I have a long wishlist there. I will be doing some purchase at the end of the month to get the nutcracker. That will probably be my last purchase for the year unless something really nice catches my eye in December.
Can’t believe there is still no official news on the next modular set yet.
LEGO has been pretty good in the last couple of years to keep the Modulars under a very tight wrap, but yes, the announcement is late! The Assembly Square was announced in mid-October of last year. I did hear something that the next Modular may not be released until March. I haven’t had this confirmed, but it’s certainly a possibility. Last year, they released the 10th anniversary set, so maybe they are going to take a different direction from now on? Should we start to worry? 🙄
If it won’t be released until March that explains the delay on announcement. I am not too worry as long as Jamie is still the one overseeing it. And March release might not be a bad thing, it gives me time to recuperate my LEGO funds. LOL
Yes, that’s a good point. By March, there is not that much distraction or competition with other shopping needs.