The Christmas shopping season officially begins this weekend with Black Friday to Cyber Monday specials. Retailers are competing for your attention and wallet with deep discounts, special promotions, and holiday freebies. Below, we will look at some of the best places to look for LEGO deals during your holiday shopping trip.

➡ LEGO STORES & ONLINE LEGO SHOP: Official LEGO stores carry the full line of currently available LEGO sets, and if you have one near you, I would definitely recommend checking it out. An awesome piece of news is that LEGO VIP members no longer have to present a pre-purchased coupon to take advantage of their VIP Points. LEGO stores switched back to the previous system where you can redeem your points at the time of checkout. Another positive change is that now you can check if an item is in stock at your nearest LEGO store, directly from the item’s page at the Online LEGO Shop. This is especially useful during the holiday rush when there may be long wait times when calling your local store.

If you don’t feel like fighting the crowds, or you don’t have a LEGO store near you, the Online LEGO Shop is the best option. The specials offered this weekend include the exclusive limited edition #40433 LEGO Mini 1989 Batmobile with the purchase of the newly released #76139 LEGO 1989 Batmobile. To take advantage of this offer, visit the Online LEGO Shop.

Another freebie this weekend is the #40338 LEGO Christmas Tree set with purchases of $120 or more. This set is actually quite large with 392 pieces, featuring a decorated Christmas tree with a little train going around it (you can rotate the top of the tree, to have the train go around). You could use the set as a nice holiday centerpiece, or as a gift to someone. This offer is valid on all purchases at official LEGO stores and the Online LEGO Shop.

If you are not accustomed to using the Online LEGO Shop, or you have friends/relatives who are going to be purchasing LEGO for you, the online LEGO Holiday Gift Shop can be a big help. This is a special section of the Online LEGO Shop, which helps guide those who are purchasing gift items. It has easily navigable sections for inexpensive stocking stuffers, LEGO sets by age range, the most popular sets, large exclusives, seasonal sets, and quick-links to special promotions and the sales page. See links  below:

• ONLINE LEGO SHOP HOMEPAGE
• ONLINE LEGO SHOP SALES & DEALS
• ONLINE LEGO SHOP SEASONAL SETS
• ONLINE LEGO SHOP HOLIDAY GIFT SHOP

➡ WAL-MART, TARGET & OTHER RETAILERS: These are the generic big-box retail stores. They usually have a good selection of LEGO sets, their prices aren’t inflated (although it’s always a good idea to double check), and they usually have great deals around the holiday season in the 20-50% off range. One tip I would give is that don’t take the shelf-prices for granted. There are often sales going on which are not yet marked on the shelves (especially around this time of the year when stores are so busy). Take items up to a price-checking station to get the most current price. Also, don’t forget to check the website of these retailers, as they often have online-only deals during the holiday season.

➡ SHOPPING FOR LEGO AT AMAZON.COM: One of the best places to shop for LEGO, especially around the holidays, is Amazon.com. Their prices are excellent, as they like to undercut – or at least match – everyone else. As a caveat, always look for the Eligible for Free Shipping icon in the item description. These are items shipped directly by Amazon. (Amazon also has affiliates and their shipping may not be free and/or their service may not be as reliable.) Amazon has a dedicated LEGO store section, with all the currently available sets: VISIT THE AMAZON LEGO STORE

➡ SHOPPING FOR RETIRED, USED & BULK LEGO: If you have your eyes on a retired LEGO set, or just want to pick up some used or bulk LEGO, eBay.com and BrickLink.com are the best places to shop. Always check the seller’s feedback and if you’re not sure about something, ask questions before making a purchase. One thing to remember when shopping on eBay and BrickLink is that these are usually small hobby sellers who will need to pack and ship your order during their spare time. Place your orders at least two weeks before Christmas to make sure the package arrives on time.

➡ RECENTLY RELEASED EXCLUSIVE SETS: Here is a list of all the most talked about sets that were released in the past couple of months you may consider for the holidays. The #75252 LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series Imperial Star Destroyer is the largest LEGO Star Wars set to date. The #42110 LEGO Technic Land Rover Defender, and the #42100 LEGO Technic Liebherr R 9800 Excavator are two impressive sets that are also challenging to build. The #71044 LEGO Disney Train and Station comes with a fully motorized train. The #10269 LEGO Creator Expert Harley-Davidson Fat Boy and the #10265 LEGO Creator Ford Mustang would make great gifts for car and motorcycle fans. The #21318 LEGO Ideas Treehouse looks beautiful on display, and can be changed to fall colors to match the season. The #75936 LEGO Jurassic Park: T. Rex Rampage and the #21320 LEGO Ideas Dinosaur Fossils set are perfect for dinosaur fans. And the #10267 LEGO Winter Village Gingerbread House is the latest in the LEGO Winter Village series. You can find them all at the New tab of the Online LEGO Shop. Also, check the Sale section of the Online LEGO Shop for discounted sets.

If you already know what you want to get, shopping online is usually best and most convenient option. Most retailers offer free shipping, or a very low shipping threshold, during the holiday season to encourage online orders, and they offer the same or even better specials online as in stores. Also, when shopping with online retailers like Amazon, you can pick up other non-LEGO items at the same time.

Hope this guide helps you a little in your holiday LEGO shopping. If you would like to add your own LEGO shopping tips feel free to share them in the comment section below, along with any great deals you run across between now and Christmas. Happy huntin’!

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

• November 2019 – New LEGO Sets & Promotions
• LEGO Sets on Sale, Retiring & Double VIP Points
• 2020 LEGO Sets & LEGO VIP Specials
• LEGO Star Wars Imperial Star Destroyer (press-release)
• New LEGO Ideas Sets Designer-Videos
• 2020 LEGO Chinese New Year Sets Coming!
• LEGO Originals Wooden Minifigure & More!