So this day, the last day of the advent calendar, annoyed the most out of any advent calendar day I’ve ever built. And here’s why.

This is what it looks like. It’s got two pairs of ice skates and a camera inside. The problem is that there isn’t enough real estate inside the box to keep it all together without sticking out the top, so it’s impossible to keep the lid closed.

Here it is without the lid on it. See? Just not enough space. Here’s what the contents look like and how the box is constructed:

It uses the same panels as the gift box from a few days ago and uses two 1×1 bricks in two corners to hold the lid down. This was done presumably to maximize the amount of space inside the gift box since there wouldn’t be the studs from the top of the lid protruding down into the interior space. Kind of futile though since there was no way the lid would have fit with everything inside the box anyway. For those of you without a calendar who may doubt that this was supposed to be done this way, unfortunately, I did not take a picture of the door flap to prove that this is the way it’s supposed to be done. But I assure you it is. This is how I think it should have been presented instead:

The two pairs of ice skates can fit inside the box just fine. The camera could have been just an extra item that accompanies the gift box. It would have been a nice way to end the calendar, but instead we’re given an impossibly stupid build. Ugh.

Fin!

And that’s that. Another advent calendar in the books.

I know I’ve let the site completely lapse since the end of last year’s calendar, but I promise to try and fix that for this upcoming year. With Disney Princesses getting some new sets and a whole new theme of Elves being made, it’s hard not to get excited. There’s a LOT to look forward to.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Finally, a tree. For a second there I thought we may not be getting one. Similar to last year in terms of build, but different enough to be new for everyone. Comes with a pink tree topper that’s, what else, a heart, and a few trans-pink 1×1 round plates for ornaments or lights. Finally, something to point all of the previous builds at.

One more day and we’re done. What can it be?

Today’s build is a gift box. And it’s an actual gift box with a gift inside. Last year’s gift boxes were simply a stack of plates and/or bricks so this is a rather nice upgrade. You build the box with a series of panels and then flip the top plate upside down to create the top of the box. It’s not a secure connection by any means as the lid will pop right off if you look at it wrong, but that aside it’s nice to have an actual box. The gift that’s inside is a bow which can adorn either of the girls’ head or even the cat from two days ago.

At first I thought it was just an MP3 player, but the phone icon gave it away as a smart phone. And there’s what I can only assume is a Bluetooth portable speaker, ’cause it ain’t no headset that’s for sure. Plus, you’re supposed to mount the phone on an inverse slope brick as a stand. It’s kind of an odd build but I’ll take it. The smartphone print on the 1×2 tile is pretty sweet.

And here it is: the pet. Specifically, a white cat. The print is nice with some touches of grey for detail. The face, ears, and collar are also printed. I especially like the dab of gray at the tip of the tail. It’s a nice touch.

Last year’s pet, and I’m pretty sure with the year before, we would just get the animal piece, and nothing else. This year, I guess too many people complained about getting something you don’t even build so they threw us all a bone and included two plates to slap together so that the cat has something to perch on. Better than nothing I suppose and definitely an improvement from last year.

Thanks, LEGO.

Sofa, Divan, Loveseat, Daybed, whatever you call it, it goes perfectly with yesterday’s end table build. Our interior is almost complete now and with just a few more days left in the calendar, I bet we can get a complete interior by the time this whole thing is over. We’re still missing a tree, so there’s that… and I’m pretty sure we’ve always gotten a pet of some kind, though the fawn from Day 4 may have already covered that. We’ll see. Anyways, cute couch. Now the girls have a thing to sit on in front of the fireplace.