If LEGO advent calendars are out, is there room for more unique festive models?

With two LEGO advent calendars rumoured to be phased out in 2026, this could make room for more unique festive LEGO sets.

LEGO Harry Potter and Minecraft advent calendars are rumoured to be absent in 2026, after just one year for LEGO Minecraft and a much longer seven years for Harry Potter. Instead, LEGO Marvel is said to make a return.

This possible shift in the advent calendar line-up has divided opinions online, with a Brick Fanatics commenter on Facebook writing: "My son loved the Minecraft advent calendar. I think it was easily better than the Star Wars one."

"In all honesty, they should give the Star Wars advent calendar a rest," wrote another commenter. "It is one or two collectible minifigures (in a good year) with the 22 other windows filled with spare bricks. The LEGO Group has done a good job lately with the City calendars, though. With Marvel launching some big movies this year, it doesn't surprise me that they are bringing their calendar back."

Several other commenters agreed with the sentiment about the LEGO Star Wars advent calendar – but that's not to say there were no impressive festive LEGO Star Wars sets.

After selling out rapidly upon release and currently still on back order of up to 60 days, depending on the region, 40806 Gingerbread AT-AT Walker was a resounding success. So much so that the LEGO Group extended its lifetime by an extra year, delaying its retirement.

While 40806 Gingerbread AT-AT Walker is admittedly around twice the price of a LEGO advent calendar, it's proof that there is certainly appetite for festive models – they just need a bit of creativity. While advent calendars are a fun daily activity, it's hard to look past the criticisms raised above.

There might be one or two minifigures of interest, but for licensed sets in particular, the daily builds typically fail to impress. For the 2025 LEGO Star Wars advent calendar in particular, a lot of the best characters and parts come early in the month, petering out as the days go on.

"Getting the best parts of this advent calendar immediately may feel good in the short term, but it consequently means the following 20-plus days are much less exciting," wrote Brick Fanatics' Jack when he got the calendar for review.

On the other hand, 40806 Gingerbread AT-AT Walker is a delight to build and a unique set to display, as pointed out by Rob in our review: "Across a smaller version of an iconic vehicle there is a lot of fun and novelty to be had in 40806, and a final model that looks perfect on display as part of your Christmas decorations. Honestly, beyond once more a cheekier-price-than-it-should-be, we have no notes for the Gingerbread AT-AT Walker."

With custom builds already making gingerbread versions of other Star Wars ships, there's clearly an appetite for more amongst the community – and it doesn't need to stop at Star Wars. With LEGO Harry Potter rumoured to not get an advent calendar this year, could the LEGO Group replace it with a similarly creative build based on the Wizarding World, a la 40806 Gingerbread AT-AT Walker?

That naturally remains to be seen, with the rumoured departure of the two advent calendars far from confirmed just yet. However, we're hoping that the shift, if it does prove to be true, breathes new life into festive LEGO models.

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