December is the quietest month of the year for new releases. Quiet to buy in, it is not. The month splits into three phases, each with its own logic: order in time for Christmas, the year-end clearance afterwards, and the first announcements for January 2027. Miss that structure and you buy too early, too late, or lose the best deal of the quarter.
The connecting rule is simple: until the 24th, delivery beats the last euro, and after Christmas the discounts do the talking. The rest of this guide walks the three phases in order.
In the monthly series: previous November · hub July.
Phase 1: order in time for Christmas (1–18 December)
In the first half of December, only one thing counts: will the gift make it under the tree? The order deadlines for guaranteed delivery before 24 December:
| Retailer | Order deadline for 24 December |
|---|---|
| Amazon.nl (standard) | 18 December |
| Bol.com (standard) | 18 December |
| Wehkamp | 17 December |
| LEGO.com (standard) | 16 December |
| LEGO.com Pickup | 22 December |
| Intertoys (in store) | 24 December |
After 18 December you only get there with express, Pickup or the shop; after 22 December, in-store only. A set like the Holiday Express Train (10361, 956 pieces) is a good example here: it sits only au prix conseillé below RRP, so a later drop doesn’t outweigh the risk of it missing Christmas. Buy a seasonal gift like this on delivery, not on price.
One thing is late by definition in December: advent calendars. You should have grabbed those in September or October; what’s left now is clearance remnant or back at RRP. For gift ideas by budget and age, the LEGO Christmas gift guide 2026 is ready.
Phase 2: the year-end clearance (26 December – 5 January)
This is the most underrated buying window of the year. After the Christmas peak, retailers are left with overstock on sets that didn’t fully sell through the season. Amazon.nl, Bol.com and Wehkamp start an End of Year Sale around 26 December, and the sets that drop deepest then are mid-size Icons and Star Wars sets from the first half of the year, City and Friends sets from the August wave that ran slower, and Technic sets that sat at RRP all year.
Expect 15 to 25 percent below RRP, with the odd outlier towards 30 percent on a set that ran slow all year. For those specific sets that’s often better than Black Friday, simply because the popular boxes are already gone and the overstock prices genuinely have to move. Every year I check the Amazon.nl LEGO City category first on 26 December; that’s where most of the surprises are.
Phase 3: January 2027 preview and pre-orders (15–31 December)
Between 15 and 28 December, LEGO officially reveals most of the January 2027 sets. Based on earlier annual waves you can roughly expect a new City wave with a new sub-theme, an Icons modular or 18+ flagship, additions across Star Wars, Marvel and Friends, and the odd big surprise. Exact set and price details only come with the announcement itself, so until then this is an expectation, not a promise.
Insider pre-orders usually open in week 4 of December. If you want a popular new set for certain, order via pre-order rather than on 1 January itself: on the New Year launch, the most sought-after sets sell out fast at LEGO.com. Watch the other side of the calendar too: sets with a retirement flag towards 1 January leave the active catalogue between 28 December and 5 January. If you want one, buy it before 22 December; which ones, is in the retirement guide 2026.
Where the series starts again
On 1 January 2027 the new wave goes live and the yearly cycle begins again. The key date in December stays your own Christmas deadline; lock that in, then let the year-end clearance do the work. If you want to return to the discount-week strategy, the November overview is the starting point.
Timeline based on historical patterns 2023–2025; price figures come live from the set pages. Check delivery time and stock on the day you buy.
Sets for the final gift rounds
Seasonal sets and gifts where December delivery matters more than the final euro.
Best for each buyer type
December picks for last gifts and clearance: only buy when delivery and stock are as strong as the price.
The Holiday Express Train is a delivery choice first; a late price drop doesn't help if it misses the gift deadline.
Advent Calendar 2026 is only a safe December gift as long as retailers promise delivery before Christmas.
The Marvel calendar belongs on the clearance watchlist after 26 December, not in a rushed Christmas basket.
Put the Disney Princess calendar on alert and wait for the post-Christmas clearance, unless it's needed as a gift now.
