If you have a LEGO fan in your family, you know what they want for Christmas; more LEGO! That was an easy answer. LEGO has been an incredibly creative and educational hobby for children, teens and adults for several generations. But which LEGO set to get? That question is more difficult to answer. Of course the best way to find out is to ask for a LEGO wish-list. However in many families Christmas is about surprise gifts, not about fulfilling orders. So which are the best LEGO sets this year? Let’s take a look and find out what LEGO sets to shop for! 🙂
Shopping for LEGO fans is actually quite easy. It is not like buying a sweater; if you get the size, style or color wrong, it is all wrong. When it comes to LEGO to know what is on the recipient’s LEGO wish-list is a bonus, but even if you don’t know, with LEGO you can’t go wrong; there is no such thing as a bad LEGO set. For a LEGO fan any LEGO set will be greatly appreciated. Even if you accidentally buy a duplicate of something they already have, they will love to get the extra parts for free-building! 😀
The only thing to look out for is making sure you are not buying a “clone-brand” instead of LEGO. There are many companies making inferior quality products that are imitating the LEGO brand, hoping that uninformed parents and grandparents will accidentally pick those up instead of genuine LEGO. In fact, they go as far as imitating the color-scheme and box design of real LEGO sets, and their products are often placed in the same isle right next to LEGO! Many LEGO fans despise these brands and would be quite disappointed. The only thing you need to do in this regard is check the box for either the LEGO or DUPLO logo (DUPLO are larger bricks for children under 3 years of age). These are the only two brands LEGO makes. Of course LEGO has sub-themes like LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Super Heroes, LEGO Technic, LEGO Friends, etc., but you will always see the red square LEGO logo displayed on the box.
So now that you can relax and know that all LEGO is good LEGO (as long as it is real LEGO), let’s look at what is available this year that you might consider getting for the LEGO fan in your family or for your LEGO-crazed friends. Below you will find helpful links to recommended products.
➡ 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 where the parents also grew up with LEGO and they appreciate the educational and creative aspects of LEGO, along with the family bonding experience. If you are Christmas shopping for a family like this, you probably already know what aspect of LEGO they are into; perhaps they have a giant LEGO City layout in the basement, or LEGO Star Wars sets all over the living room, or a huge LEGO castle is taking up their dining-room table, or they set up a LEGO village and train around the Christmas tree every year. If your budget allows it, I would recommend getting a larger LEGO set for this family that everyone can enjoy. Good candidates are:
- LEGO Christmas Village sets (cute winter sets Thomas Kinkade style)
- LEGO Creator sets (3-in-1 sets with many possibilities)
- LEGO City sets (one of the oldest and most popular LEGO themes)
- LEGO Train sets (motorized options available)
- LEGO brick buckets (loose bricks for free building)
➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR BOYS: If you know their wish-list, or the LEGO theme they like to build, get something that would fit that. For a lot of boys LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Chima, or LEGO Ninjago is the rage, so any set within that theme would make a great Christmas gift. Also, the LEGO Creator line is excellent for kids who like to build and design on their own. These sets are mostly priced in the $10-$50 range, so they are quite affordable:
- LEGO Star Wars sets (small and big sets for fans of the movies)
- LEGO Legends of Chima sets (for fans of the TV show)
- LEGO Ninjago sets (newest sets available December 1st)
- LEGO Creator sets (3-in-1 sets with many possibilities)
- LEGO Master Builder Academy (a systematic way to learn building)
➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR GIRLS: LEGO started a brand new theme just for girls called LEGO Friends. 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 available in the $10-$50 range. Please note though that not all girls are into LEGO Friends. Some prefer the more traditional LEGO themes. If you know what they like, get something from their favorite LEGO theme, or you might still want to surprise the with a LEGO Friends sets as they come with many interesting colors and accessories not available in other LEGO sets. 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 Creator sets (3-in-1 sets with many possibilities)
- LEGO Advent Calendars (City, Friends, Star Wars themes)
- LEGO Christmas Village sets (cute winter sets Thomas Kinkade style)
- LEGO Master Builder Academy (a systematic way to learn building)
➡ 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, once they hit their teens other pursuits will likely take up their interest. However this is not true for all teens; many of them will continue the LEGO hobby, and in fact take it much more seriously with designing their own LEGO creations with astounding skill and creativity. This in fact 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 I would suggest one of the excellent LEGO books available 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 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 CUUSOO sets (fan suggested LEGO sets)
- LEGO books by No Starch Press (amazing selection!)
➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR ADULTS: As more than one generation grew up with LEGO and continued the hobby in their adulthood, it became obvious that LEGO is not just a childhood toy, but can become a lifetime hobby. The many adult LEGO fan-sites, blogs and forums with thousands of members, and LEGO conventions all over the world, are a testimony of the thriving adult LEGO fan community. LEGO has responded to their adult fan-base by releasing LEGO sets specifically targeting adults. These are usually very large sets with complex building techniques and intricate details – things that would be too overwhelming for a child to build or pay attention to. Adult oriented LEGO sets are more expensive too, in the $100-$400 range, however there are also smaller sets that adults would appreciate:
- LEGO Expert Builder sets (very detailed, high-end models)
- LEGO Technic sets (realistic LEGO cars and other vehicles)
- LEGO Modular Buildings sets (very detailed City buildings)
- LEGO CUUSOO sets (fan suggested LEGO sets)
- LEGO books by No Starch Press (amazing selection!)
➡ THE BEST LEGO SETS FOR GRANDPARENTS: Yes, LEGO has been around long enough that there are fans of the brand who are grandparents themselves. And grandparents deserve gifts too! Especially if they are fun grandparents who are into LEGO! They would likely appreciate the same LEGO sets as 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 that share amazing LEGO creations or delves into LEGO’s long history:
- LEGO Expert Builder sets (very detailed, high-end models)
- LEGO Modular Building sets (very detailed City buildings)
- LEGO Architecture sets (realistic replicas of real landmarks)
- LEGO Architecture Studio set (free building for professionals)
- LEGO books by No Starch Press (amazing 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 and know exactly what LEGO theme 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 $10): If your budget is small but 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:
- #10234 LEGO Architecture Sydney Opera House
- #10236 LEGO Star Wars Ewok Village
- #10999 LEGO Technic 4×4 Crawler Exclusive Edition
- #10234 LEGO Lord of the Rings The Tower of Orthanc
- #10218 LEGO Modular Building Pet Shop
Again, as I have mentioned, there is no such a thing as a bad LEGO set, and LEGO fans would appreciate any gift that would enhance their hobby. These are just some guidelines, in case you don’t know where to start. I hope it helps out in your Christmas LEGO shopping! Also, if you have your own suggestions, feel free to share in the comment section below! 😉
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