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LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar 2020 – Daily Countdown

Welcome to another year of Advent Calendar Countdowns! For 2020, I’ll be counting down with 3 Advent Calendars – Harry Potter, Friends and the annual Star Wars Advent Calendar countdown

Last year’s Harry Potter Advent Calendar was a lot of fun (except for those dreaded House Banners), so I’m looking forward to this year’s one – which is Yule Ball-themed. 

The Yule Ball featured in Year 4, and was a formal Christmas celebration, held for the students of the Wizarding schools that participated in the Triwizard tournament. 

If you’d like to join along, it’s not too late to pick up the 2020 Harry Potter Advent Calendar from Amazon or LEGO.com, but it seems like stock is running low all over the world.

Follow daily for a reveal of each advent calendar window. Whether you’re new, or you’re a returning reader, I’d love for you to hang out and follow along as we count the days to Christmas!

Please also feel free to follow my 2020 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar and 2020 Friends Advent Calendar countdown as well, which will be posted shortly!

How does this work?

If you’re new here, I do daily updates on each window of the 2020 Harry Potter Advent Calendar. I usually post updates in the morning, but sometimes if I get too busy at work, updates will be posted in the evening. I’ll update this post each day, as I don’t really enjoy the practice of creating new posts for each day as it keeps it so much cleaner.

Unlike most other LEGO sites that pre-write and pre-photograph their Advent countdowns, I’m actually opening each window as I go, and I’ve been able to be relatively spoiler-free to be as surprised as I can get.

Follow me on instagram at @jayong28 for behind the scenes content, where I’ll also be uploading a highlights reel of each Advent Calendar!

All reviews, thoughts and reactions are live as we go along, there are no pre-planned photos or thoughts, unless I happen to be travelling or away from home.

Do note that I’m based in Melbourne, Australia (GMT +11) so we’re ahead of most of the world (except New Zealand) so to avoid spoilers, try to come back to this post after you’ve opened your window and built the daily model especially if you’re located in other timezones like the US or UK.

PS: If you’re planning to buy any LEGO for Christmas and would like to support the blog, please use these affiliate links if you’re shopping on Amazon, Amazon Australia or LEGO.com! I receive a small commission if you purchase something, which goes a long way in paying for equipment and server costs, as well as not have to resort to slapping ads all over the site. 

To make it easier for you to check out each day’s section, as this post is going to grow longer with every new window, all you have to do is click on the Day you want, and you will instantly jump to the corresponding section.

While you’re here, please also subscribe to the blog if you’d like to find out about other posts which cover LEGO news, reviews and random musings!

Subscribe to receive updates on new posts and reviews!

To follow along, it’s best to bookmark this post to check back each day. You can also find a link to this post from the home page via this link in the top navbar. If you’re on mobile, you have to expand the burger menu (the button with the 3 lines) to find it.

You can also follow the Jay’s Brick Blog Facebook page, or Instagram @jayong28 or Youtube if you’d like to read or watch more LEGO content!

Here’s a look at the front flap of the 2020 Harry Potter Advent Calendar which opens up to reveal a play mat where you can display the upcoming day’s contents.

It’s exceedingly festive and grand this year, with the Great Hall decorated in icicles, and a massive trio of Christmas trees. 

The instructions for the Harry Potter Advent Calendar LEGO models are printed on each door. Some of them are easy to follow, but sometimes they can be pretty tricky and you’ll have to study the diagram quite hard to ensure that you’re building the models correctly.

Without further ado, let’s kick off the 2020 LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar!

Day 1

We start Day 1 of the Harry Potter Advent Calendar with none other than the Boy Who Lived, all dressed up in his best Wizard robes. 

There’s a simple table with a candle on it as a mini-build, which suggests that like last year, we’ll be getting several builds to combine into a larger scene.

If Harry feels familiar, it’s because he’s the same minifigure as the one from 75948 Clock Tower, which is a little disappointing for those expecting an exclusive Harry Potter variant like we got last year. 

I do like the Yule Ball invitation, which is a printed 2 x 3 tile, with a really nice holographic effect to it. 

Oh and we get plenty of extra wands too, which is always a nice bonus!

So we’re off to an okay start for the 2020 Harry Potter Advent Calendar! Bit disappointing with the repeat minifigure, especially if you own the Clock Tower set, but if you don’t own it, that’s a big plus to get Harry in his formal dress robes! 

Check in tomorrow to see what Day 2 brings! 

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Day 2

Day 2 is an exciting one – a micro-scale Hogwarts! Which is kinda redundant, as we already kind of have a microscale 6,000+ piece Hogwarts Castle, so let’s call this a Hogwarts for ants.

I love the use of Day 2 for microbuilds (we got an amazing micro Hogwarts Express in Day 2 last year), and I think the design works for Hogwarts, and I like that the Gryffindor Tower, Great Hall and entrance are immediately recognizable.

Here’s a look at the back, and the extra pieces included in my window.

It would be nice if some white cheese slopes, or cones were used to make it look like Hogwarts is covered in snow for extra seasonal flavour.

And that’s it for Day 2 so far! We’re off to a pretty good start and I can’t see what tomorrow will bring!

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Day 3

The 2020 Harry Potter Advent Calendar continues to impress, and Day 3 gives us a micro-Durmstrang Ship!

The Durmstrang Ship is the transportation of choice for the Durmstrang contingent to the Triwizard tournament, and is a magical ship which can teleport between bodies of water.

Pictured with spare round stud

Styled like a traditional galleon, the Durmstrang Ship is a fan favourite set last seen in 2005, and one that LEGO Harry Potter fans have been clamouring for a new version.

The presence in the advent calendar is hopefully a teaser of what’s to come in 2021 – now that we have more of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic students and teachers, we absolutely need a new Igor Karkaroff minifigure!

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Paired with the nano-Hogwarts, I think the Durmstrang Ship looks great in spite of the scaling being a little off, but I highly enjoyed the design and putting this together this morning.

The used of the curved slopes for the ship’s hull even allows it to rock back and forth, which is a nice touch.

Very pleased with Day 3’s build and how the advent calendar is coming along! Let’s hope the momentum continues, so check in tomorrow to see what Day 4 brings us!

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Day 4

Is this the best LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar yet? It will be if this keeps up!

Day 4 gives us yet another banger – a micro model of the Beauxbatons’ Carriage, and what a beautiful rendition at this scale!

Like yesterday’s Durmstrang Ship, the Beauxbatons’ Carriage was used to transport the Beauxbaton Academy of Magic students to Hogwarts for the Triwizard tournament. It’s also based on the set 75958 Beauxbatons’ Carriage: Arrival at Hogwarts.

The carriage, with its pale blue body is pulled by a micro Pegasus which is just stunning, how they got the look right with such simple parts.

The build was a little complex, so be sure to take a good look at the instructions, and hopefully these photos which show off the side and back help guide your build if you get stuck.

It looks great from nearly every single angle, and is quite possibly one of my favourite Advent Calendar builds ever.

Day 4 and this series of micro-models has been an absolute delight , especially for fans of Harry Potter and I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings!

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Day 5

We get another minifigure for Day 5 – Cho Chang in her Yule Ball dress! To celebrate her cultural heritage, Cho Chang’s dress robes are inspired by Chinese cheongsam dresses, and have purple flowers and stars as details.

The minifigure is a little oddly shaped, as a 1 x 2 printed brick and 1 x 2 plate is used for the lower part of her dress. While the printing is a nice touch, it does make her look quite blocky, and I’m not the biggest fan of the shape.

Her’es a look at Cho Chang’s alternate face, and back printing. Coloured minifigures are a bit of a rarity, and I really like Cho Chang’s inclusion to provide more flesh-coloured alternatives to yellow or white, and this is a big win.

I also really like how detailed her hairpiece is!

A pretty solid addition for Day 5, and now Harry Potter has his crush that he failed to ask out as a Yule Ball partner to join him!

Stay tuned to see what Day 6 brings!

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Day 6

Day 6 gives us a cool Goblet of Fire model! When I built it this morning, I thought it was some sort of fountain, until I remembered the Yule Ball was set in Year 4, and the blue flame clicked in my head.

The structure of the goblet is a little strange – I wouldn’t have gone with brown as the base colour as the movie seems like it was more of stone-coloured goblet on the pedestal.

I do like the blue flame bit, which has reflective speckles inside! Always nice to receive LEGO with speckly bits in them.

Here are the spare pieces I receive.

Fans of the Goblet of Fire/Year 4 are going to be delighted that we have more Book/Movie 4 references, and I love how it’s all coming together.

Hope we get more Yule Ball builds tomorrow!

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Day 7

Day 7 is a huge surprise – a Gramophone! First of all, the design of the gramophone is absolutely gorgeous, with the elongated neck, and super-sized speaker.

The model makes great use of parts, such as the vinyl disk and needle, and despite its almost cartoonish proportions, was surprisingly sturdy and stable!

Here’s a look at the spare parts, and how the Gramophone looks like from the back. The simplicity of if all is my favourite thing about the model.

But wait, Jay, this is a Muggle device – what is this doing in my Harry Potter Advent Calendar?

The good news is that despite being a Muggle invention, gramophones do exist in the Wizarding World!

So this massive Gramophone is a reference to this scene from Goblet of Fire, when Professor McGonagall sets up the comically-sized gramophone for a dance lesson for the Gryffindor students before the Yule Ball.

I was really surprised (and impressed!) that such a obscure reference from the Goblet of Fire made its way into the Advent Calendar, and the gramophone actually makes for a great minifigure-scale build to flesh out the scene.

I know I say it a lot, and it’s only Day 7 but this calendar already seems like a massive step up from last year, and I can’t wait to see what Day 8 brings us!

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Day 8

On Day 8 of the Harry Potter Advent Calendar, we get the golden egg that Harry courageously snagged from the Hungarian Horntail in the Triwizard Tournament!

Firstly, the shiny gold egg is an awesome accessory, and quite rare, so I’m very happy to get one.

But what’s with the dark red couch?

Can I say I absolutely LOVE how the models in this calendar are based on obscure scenes and shots like this, where Harry is lounging on the couch in the Gryffindor Common Room, trying to crack the puzzle behind the egg that’s a clue for the next Triwizard challenge?

Here’s my best rendition of that obscure shot!

The Harry Potter Advent Calendar continues to impress in the best way possible – these obscure little models are brilliant, and are really aimed at fans of the Harry Potter movie.

Check in to see what we get tomorrow!

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Day 9

Day 9 is a pretty basic build – not as impressive or eye-catching as the previous model, but a useful addition to build out the Yule Ball scene.

We get a Table with a glass bottle on it. I’m not 100% sure if this is referenced anywhere in the movies, and gave up after spending too much time on Youtube rewatching Goblet of Fire clips.

Not sure what the bottle is meant to be, but my guess would be Pumpkin Juice!

At the very least, in addition to the couch and gramophone, it’s now another model that isn’t a micro-model, so can be used for Harry and Cho to interact with!

That’s it for Day 9 – it’s probably the weakest day so far, but I’m looking forward to seeing if we get more furniture or props on Day 10!

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Day 10

Joining Harry and Cho Chang is Harry’s best friend and sidekick, Ron Weasley in his ratty old dress robe!

Fun fact: last year’s Day 10 window also contained Ron!

The Weasleys aren’t a rich family, and Ron being the youngest had to always contend with receiving hand-me-downs (such as his wand, pet rat Scabbers) and even clothes. He’s thoroughly embarrassed by the ancient style with its frills.

Here’s a look at the back printing and Ron’s less than impressed face.

If he looks familiar, it’s because the minifigure is identical to the one found in 75948 Hogwarts Clock Tower – which can be good news if you don’t own it, or like Harry, bad news if you already have the set.

That said, in the context of the Yule Ball theme, it’s great to receive another main character, and if you look at the Harry Potter Advent Calendar as a fully-contained set – an extra minifigure is always welcome to bump up the playability!

I really miss the micro-models and hope this isn’t the end of them! Check in tomorrow to see what we get on Day 11!

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Day 11

Day 11 of the Advent Calendar is a bit of a basic build to pad out the Yule Ball setting – a Fireplace!

I like the Christmas sock hanging from it, although I can’t help but think that it’s quite the fire hazard, especially from rogue embers.

Apart from that – it’s relatively basic, with no bells or whistles. There are 2 clips at the side, which feel a little out of place as there’s no accessory to clip them on.

What would’ve made it an exceptional build if they had included a Sirius Black head for the flames as a nod to this Goblet of Fire scene where Sirius chats to Harry in the flames.

And that’s it for Day 11! The “furniture” side of the Advent Calendar is quickly filling up, and a cosy little scene is coming along quite well.

Let’s see what Day 12 brings tomorrow!

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Day 12

We’re now at the halfway mark of the 2020 LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar!

Day 12 is a peculiar, but interesting build – a window! At first, when putting this together, I wasn’t quite sure that it was thanks to its odd shape.

I do like the construction of the window, which uses some really clever SNOT (studs not on top) technique, and I especially like the glass of water which has blue liquid at the bottom.

Above the window sill is some Christmas holly.

No, it isn’t a grave or coffin, although that was my first thought with the handles to lift it up!

Now we finally know that the clips on yesterday’s Fireplace are for – as they connect to today’s window, which suggests we may get another similar attachment in the coming days for the other end!

Pretty clever, and I like how it combines several days into what seems to be a larger model!

Check in tomorrow to see if we get the other side, or something else!

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Day 13

Day 13 of the 2020 Harry Potter Advent Calendars gives us another proper Yule Ball build, a stunning white Christmas tree – the likes that adorned the Hogwarts Great Hall in the Goblet of Fire movie.

The construction was pretty fun, I do like the use of overlapping plates and trans-blue pyramids, and clear cheese slopes to give it that sparkly ice-sculpture look.

I’d say that this is the first proper Yule Ball build, and I hope we start getting a few more of these in the coming days, as the bright white tree really stands out in the best way against all the other models.

Check in tomorrow to see what we get on Day 14!

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Day 14

And there we have it, the second window to go with the fireplace!

The design is pretty similar to the first window, with its coffin-lid inspired design, but Window #2 has a chocolate frog on the sill.

Here’s how it all looks connected – I like the end result, as it’s quite large and dwarfs all the other models – as well as serves as significant wall structure – I do wish they’d have done it in 2 days instead of 3, which feels like it was stretched out too much.

And that’s it for Day 14 so far! Only 10 more days remain in the 2020 Harry Potter Advent Calendar, and it’s already looking very packed!

Let’s see what we get tomorrow.

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Day 15

On Day 15, we get yet another Gryffindor Ravenclaw – Padma Patil, who was Ron’s unfortunate date to the Yulr Ball. Padma Patil is featured in her Yule Ball dress – a magical take on a Sari to pay homage to Padma’s Indian heritage and culture.

The printing on her torso and leg-brick is sharp, and captures the dress details well, but what I love most is also the presence of the Bindi – the coloured dot on her head.

Diverse minifigures are a bit of a rarity with LEGO, so it’s great that we have a relatively accessible way for fans to get their hands on Padma, who makes her debut in LEGO Harry Potter and is exclusive to the 2020 Harry Potter Advent Calendar.

Here’s a look at her alternate face, and back printing – shame that they didn’t think to print on the back of her legs to match the great design on the front.

LEGO Harry Potter fans will be delighted with Padma’s inclusion – it’s been way overdue, and this Yule Ball-themed calendar is a very fitting set for her to show up in. This is the second first true-exclusive minifigure of this calendar, so I’m particularly pleased with Day 15!

Check in to see what we get tomorrow!

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Day 16

Day 16 is more Christmas Trees! These are slightly smaller and less ornate than Day 13’s large Christmas Tree, but are perfect to pad out and Christmas-ify the Yule Ball scene.

The Christmas Trees are quite basic, I like the clean large cone piece used for the tip and the trans-white and blue cheese slopes on the base.

You can now start putting these Christmas Trees together, and assemble this iconic Great Hall look from the Goblet of Fire.

That’s it for Day 16 so far! More Yule Ball-themed decorations to really build out the scene, and I do like that we get 2 more companion trees to go alongside the larger primary Christmas Tree!

Check in tomorrow to see if we get more Yule Ball decorations! I’d love to see more Great Hall pieces in the coming days!

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Day 17

On Day 17, we get another great little model, a minifigure-scale Grand Piano! I really like the design of the Grand Piano – big fan of the monochrome grey colour, and the use of printed piano keys, and I love how they incorporated the stand for the sheet music.

I don’t believe a Grand Piano was featured prominently in the Yule Ball – the closest reference I could find was on the stage, and it was mostly obscured by Olympe Maxime in the shot.

The shape is also interesting, with 3 legs and an L-shaped body – I was initially worried that it would be quite wobbly, but it turned out pretty stable.

The Grand Piano isn’t particularly “wizardy” but the design makes it a winner in my books, and the size and scaling is just perfect for the minifigures to interact with!

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Day 18

(sorry about Day 17! No idea why the update went missing, and I think it didn’t save over properly!)

Day 18 calls for more Yule Ball-themed furniture, and we get a really ornate banquet table. The highlights are the crystal glasses in the middle of the table, which call back to magical and opulent ice sculptures on the banquet tables.

The highlights are the crystal glasses in the middle of the table, which call back to magical and opulent ice sculptures on the banquet tables. For food, I love that they also incorporated the crabs with those little red horn pieces, that lie on top of some lettuce.

Interestingly, the other side of the table has some Technic holes in them – which suggests that this is only one half of the table, and we might get the other half in the coming few days!

Here are the spares included.

Together with the trees, it really feels like the Yule Ball is coming together, and I really like the design of the banquet table, and especially the great use of colours that contrast nicely against the white and transparent pieces.

Check in tomorrow to see if we get the other half of the table!

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Day 19

On Day 19, we get the second Patil twin – Parvati Patil who is also an exclusive to this set! She is almost indistinguishable from her sister Padma that we got on Day 15, except that her sari dress robe colours are reversed.

Here are the two Patil twins next to each other.

And the source material, which I think LEGO mimiced almost perfectly!

Here’s Parvati’s dual-sided face and back printing. As they’re both twins, they have identical faces – a slightly different facial expression would’ve been a nice way to distinguish them from one another.

Always a good day when you get an exclusive minifigure out of the 2020 Harry Potter Advent Calendar, and now of course, you can sort of re-create the shot where all 4 of them are sulking at the Yule Ball!

Check in tomorrow to see what we get on Day 20!

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Day 20

On Day 20, we get the second half of Day 18’s Banquet Table! The design is pretty similar, a semi-circle table, with ornate ice sculptures as a centerpiece, and some drinks on the table.

Here are the Technic pins that slot into Day 18’s table.

Here’s how the combined table looks together – I really like it, and it’s really the key piece to making it feel like the Yule Ball is coming together.

And that’s it for Day 20! Really love how large the table is and how it’s able to accommodate all 5 minifigures around it.

Will we get more Yule Ball items tomorrow? Check in to see what Day 21 brings! Can’t believe there’s only 4 more days left!

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Day 21

After what has been a pretty great run of extensive builds, Day 21 gives us a comparatively simple build – a Mic Stand and a Music Sheet Stand. 

Yup, that’s it. Wizards don’t use electricity, so the microphone is pretty much a cone to amplify sound, and at the very least the sheet is printed.

The sheet music tile is relatively rare (and new!), having only been available in 2 sets so far this year, with the most notable being Rapunzel’s Tower.

Here are the spares. 

I’m guessing that the microphone is a nod to the Weird Sister’s mic, and the sheet music is a reference to the ones used by Professor Flitwick’s orchestra. 

That’s Day 21 so far! A pretty basic build, but only 3 days left remaining in the 2020 Harry Potter Advent Calendar! 

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Day 22

On Day 22, with only 2 days left in the 2020 Harry Potter Advent Calendar, we get the final member of the main trio – the smartest witch in the of her age, Hermione Granger. 

Dressed in her stunning and elegant pink dress, with her hair tied up, this is the same version as the minifigure from the Clock Tower set as well. 

Interestingly (and I don’t know if I’ve ever noticed this), but Hermione has freckles on her face, something that I don’t recall seeing in the movies. 

The printing on the 1 x 2 brick that makes up the bottom half of her dress is also quite nice, with it aligning well with the torso print. 

Here’s a look at her back printing, and alternate face.

Day 22 isn’t too bad, especially if you don’t own the Clock Tower set, and now it feels great to have the main trio all together dressed in their finest (except Ron) dress robes. 

Only 2 more windows to open, check in tomorrow to see what we get!

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Day 23

On Day 23, the second last day of the Advent Calendar, we finally get a set of presents – all wrapped in the colours of Gryffindor (gold and maroon), Ravenclaw (blue and silver), Slytherin (green and silver) and the mighty Hufflepuffs in yellow and gold. 

Quick book vs movie trivia – in the books, Ravenclaw colours are meant to be blue and bronze, which I think has a lot more personality than Blue and Yellow. 

The Gryffindor present is especially clever, as it suggests that some lucky wizard or witch is getting a brand new broomstick this Christmas!

Nothing too exciting or Yule Ball-related, but as we’re approaching Christmas, it feels suitably festive!

Last day tomorrow, which is insane when you think about it! Check in one last time for the conclusion and wrap-up of what has been a most excellent Harry Potter Advent Calendar!

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Day 24 – Finale

Here we are, the grand finale of the 2020 Harry Potter Advent Calendar! A fitting finale to this year’s Yule Ball/Goblet of Fire-themed Advent Calendar, day 24 gives us the Triwizard Cup!

It’s not THE strongest final build to cap off what has otherwise been an excellent Advent Calendar, but it does tie together the entire theme well. 

In terms of accuracy, the Triwizard Cup does a decent job of matching the movie version – with the ghostly transparent blue and snake handles.

The snake handles are especially nice, and it’s always nice to see these elements being used!

Final Thoughts

And there we have it, all 24 builds from the 2020 Harry Potter Advent Calendar! Putting all the models together, it’s great to see the Yule Ball and Goblet of Fire scenes as a whole.

The focus on the Yule Ball has made this a particularly cohesive experience, and it’s been a lot of fun reliving the scenes, characters and even small little references to obscure scenes/props from the Goblet of Fire movie. 

The builds have been pretty consistently good, with a nice mix of furniture, props and models with not many major misses, unlike last year’s infamous House Banners. 

The highlights for me have been the microbuilds – Durmstrang Ship, the Beauxbatons Carriage and Hogwarts Castle – I wish we got a lot more of these microbuilds – hopefully next year’s calendar will have a lot more of these!

Only the Mic Stand has been a little forgettable, and I think the combination builds (Wall + Fireplace, and Banquet Tables) which work to create larger more substantial models. 

My opinions are mixed on the minifigures – the recycled minifigures from the Clock Tower set are a bit of a disappointment, I would’ve loved exclusive variants or prints. 

It’s great that we got the Parvati Twins and Cho Chang, but there is a massive Hufflepuff omission – I think not having the Hogwarts champion (and future vampire teenage hearththrob) Cedric Diggory is a big miss for this calendar. 

All in all, I’m still pretty delighted with the 2020 Harry Potter Advent Calendar, and it’s great to see LEGO take on feedback from last year’s weakspots, and I really hope we get another one next year – hopefully based on a different movie!

Thanks so much for following on the countdown – whether you have been following the Advent Countdown for years, or halfway through, I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey!

Wishing you a very merry Christmas wherever in the world you are, and I hope that you stay safe, cosy and have a wonderful holiday!

To everyone that has been participating in the comments, and sharing your thoughts, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know and hear from so many of you, and it’s always a massive pleasure reading about what you and your family has thought  about the calendars!

To stay up to date on all things LEGO beyond this Advent Calendar countdown, feel free to follow me on Facebook and Instagram @jayong28 – I’d love to keep in touch!

While you’re here, please also subscribe to the blog if you’d like to find out about other posts which cover LEGO news, reviews and random musings!

Subscribe to receive updates on new posts and reviews!

Merry Christmas and I can’t wait to say goodbye to 2020 and ring in the New Year! I hope to see you this time next year for the 2021 LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar if they’re making one again!

264 responses to “LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar 2020 – Daily Countdown”

  1. Rebecca says:

    Thanks Jay! This was my first HP advent calendar and I’ve loved checking in with you to see if there’s any references I missed from the film. Great fun!

    • Jay says:

      You’re most welcome! It was so much fun revisiting scenes from the movie – I’ve lost count of the times I’ve rewatched the Yule Ball scene to try and pick out tiny details!

  2. Moira says:

    Grandson age 10 loved the links to the films. Thank you. We now avidly follow your blog.
    Happy holidays.

  3. Colby says:

    I happened upon your blog and have followed this one in particular twelve days into the advent calendar. My wife, knowing my deep love for Harry Potter, bought this calendar in October…and gave it to me a few days into the month. My love for Lego isn’t as strong as others, so the simple builds were the perfect size for me; however, it reignited my love for Harry Potter. I would’ve loved more people builds, possibly a professor or two…definitely Cedric or Krum…but I’m going to look for and add them to this collection. Thank you for sharing this with us

  4. Eva Villarreal says:

    Thanks so much for sharing with us. My family and I found the calendar by accident but were instantly in love.

  5. Alice is epic says:

    I agree not having Cedric in this advent calendar was a massive disappointment for me. But I love it anyway

    • Jay says:

      Yeah, massive shame considering he is the true Hogwarts champion! But then again, Hufflepuffs getting shafted at every possible turn is almost part for the course! No Krum too which was a shame, but hopefully this means we’re getting a full-sized Durmstrang Ship next year with him in it!

    • PJ says:

      Yeah no Cedric was a huge disappointment… I would have rathered him vs. Hermione OR Krum vs. Cho.

  6. Lori Humphrey says:

    Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones! Thanks again for a wonderful Harry Potter Lego Advent Calendar countdown. I have followed along the last couple of years and found them very useful. On occasion, when I was a bit confused by the diagram on the box and struggling to put all the bricks where they go I would look at your pictures and easily figure it out. Thanks again for the great countdown and look forward to next year’s calendar.

  7. Diana says:

    Great final thoughts, Jay. I agree with you that this calendar was a really good one. I was so focused on the fact that Hermione’s date never appeared (Viktor) that I didn’t notice the cup champ never did either. It was still a wonderful month of surprises. (Micro builds were our favorites, too.) Merry Christmas!

  8. April says:

    This was only my 2nd calendar. I combined the two to make one big scene. It looks great!
    Thanks for posting each one everyday!
    Yup, I totally thought “coffin” for the window! LOL! Looking forward to next year’s!

  9. Scott Browns says:

    Jay, I’ve been following your Star Wars LEGO advent calendar countdowns for 4 years now, and the Harry Potter ones for the past two years, and this is the first time I have commented. I really just wanted to tell you that I look forward to your blog of the calendars as much as I look forward to opening them myself, because I love your photos of the builds and figures and your excitement for each day. I like the insights that you have on the builds and the comparisons that you do to other LEGO sets, other calendar iterations and the films themselves. Merry Christmas from Texas and Happy New Year!

  10. Georgia says:

    We’ve really enjoyed your commentary, especially on days when we’ve been flummoxed by what we’ve gotten — having read Book IV but not having seen the movies. Putting the Gryffindor common room together was certainly our highlight, too!

    Looking forward to spending advent with you next year, Jay!

  11. Brenda Domogauer says:

    Merry Christmas Jay! Thank you for all the help you gave us. Hope that 2021 is better for everyone. I sure hope we are all together for a new calendar in December.

  12. Erin L says:

    Thank you so much, Jay! We were convinced we were getting Lego graves until we read your blog and learned they were windows!

    And we didn’t realize that the tables clipped together until checking your page as well.

    We appreciate your dedication and time and look forward to building with you again next year!

    Thanks!

  13. Paul Castle says:

    It’s been a great Advent Calendar, and I will certainly await next year’s with a lot hope! Prisoner of Azkaban might be a good choice…

  14. Button says:

    Thank you for sharing this with us. There were a few (the windows masquerading as coffins) that really stumped me, so it was great to be able to have you set it straight.
    Merry Christmas!

  15. Sarah says:

    Lovely blog, thank you!
    The films really annoy me in changing the colour of the dress robes of two female characters from blue to pink: Hermione’s are described as ‘periwinkle blue’, and Padma’s are turquoise, iirc. (And she’s a ravenclaw!)

  16. Derek Quinn says:

    Many thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Harry Potter calendar for the past twenty-four days. I enjoyed reading your blog every morning just as much as I enjoyed making the actual models. An excellent calendar this year and I certainly hope Lego produces another one in 2021 for Christmas would not be the same without it.

  17. Jamie says:

    Its been a great calendar but honestly the cup is a little underwhelming. Would have been incredible to get a Santa Hagrid or a Reindeer Thestral or something. Its also a little disappointing that Harry, Ron and Hermione are the same variants that are in the Clock Tower. Again maybe a variant where they have their jackets off or different faces? Maybe next year. Thanks for the blog, Jay. Hope to see you again next year!

  18. owen says:

    i didnt get the green present even though its on the picture

  19. OMG the Gryffindor present is a broom!!!! 🧹

  20. Deb says:

    The small trees looked too plain for me. I added an extra blue trans dot on each and used 2 extra stars from my spares. So much better, and they match the big tree now.

  21. owen says:

    i hope the last one is the triwizard cup if it is i am going to get so much energy all of a sudden

  22. Paul Castle says:

    It’s great to have total mystery maintained for the final build tomorrow! Quite nice builds today too, and I like the way they’re stacked up nice and neat.

  23. ANGELA VAN KOESVELD says:

    Thank for the great blog. For a granny with her first HP it has been very helpful.
    I didn’t get the presents today, Day 23; I hope I do tomorrow.

  24. Kate says:

    Hello. Big HP fan but Lego beginner here. Why does Hermione have a hole in the top of her hair? Is it a reused part from a princess who had a crown? Not complaining; just curious. Thx!

    • Stacey says:

      Was wondering the same thing about the hole in her head

    • Canadian Lego Fan says:

      You are probably correct that it is for a tiara of some sorts. Her hair, face, and outfit are all so glamorous that many girls or boys would love to customize her by adding a crown. But I think the hairpiece is unique to this calendar and the clock tower so Lego must have done that on purpose.

  25. Paul Castle says:

    That back print image looks like she’s been walked in on whilst getting ready. That scowl! Anyway, great to get Hermione at last

  26. Patrick says:

    Opened ours this morning and Day 22 was another pair of small trees. Had a picture of Hermoine but… just trees. (So now we have 4 small trees total.) We’ve been doing these for years and I can’t remember ever seeing the wrong parts In the box.

  27. Taire says:

    I’m pretty disappointed in the printing of Hermione’s dress the ribbons on mine don’t match up. She feels really underwhelming and she should be the most magnificent.

  28. owen says:

    um… my day is december 21 NOT 22

  29. owen says:

    wouldnt it be crazy if we just get hermyine TOMORROW

  30. Yves Bormes says:

    So now we have 2 Mics and 2 notesheets. Duet under the distances rule are no prob 😅🤣 but i got an answer from Lego that they shipped our missing window, so just waiting for the mail …

  31. Nick Gaston says:

    Given this calendar seems to be filling out the missing characters from the Clock Tower set with Harry, Ron’s, and Cedric’s dates to the Yule Ball. I am really hoping that one of the remaining days has Hagrid with his striped and polka dot tie.

  32. Nicole says:

    With the table, are anyone’s clear pieces a different shade between the 2 days? My first half table, the clear are really clear, but the second half are more opaque and have more of a yellow tinge. First half looks much nicer, second half looks like the house elves got lazy with their cleaning!

  33. Libby Wynne says:

    Jay, you have been an indispensable part of our advent for years! Thank you! 💕 And your suggestion about Sirius’ head in the fireplace was pure genius!
    Have seen a few comments about wrong sets… We got the gramophone on day 1: so no Harry!! 😱😱😱😳😥😢 Somewhat confused 7yr old did his best without picture or understanding of how music used to be played!
    Contacted Lego “Brick and Pieces” customer service. They were awesome, and Harry and the Yule Ball invite arrived yesterday in the post!

  34. Virginia says:

    I did not even get HARRY!

    • Libby Wynne says:

      Same here, but I contacted https://www.lego.com/service and they were amazing, and sent us a replacement set straight away 😊

      • Canadian Lego Fan says:

        I have been very lucky. I own 16 LEGO advent calendars from over the years (I usually get 2 every year), and never has there been a mistake.

        • Paul Castle says:

          I’ve also been very fortunate. I’ve only had to contact Lego once regarding the advent calendar, when my festive clonetrooper was missing his santa hat. Their customer service is top-notch though! Only other problem I’ve had was with a generic missing piece last year, but rummaging through years’ worth of spares sorted me out.

        • Felix says:

          Of the 8 our household got (including this one and the friends calendar), there also hasn’t been a mispackage.

  35. Paul Castle says:

    I am really enjoying the furniture builds this year, as unlike 2019’s banners and tables they’re interesting shapes and all come together to form a dynamic scene. I reckon we’ve still got two minifigs to come: Hermione and her Nordic champion.

  36. Cheri says:

    Thank you for this great detailed daily update! My kids and I look forward to seeing your updates every day!

  37. Miriam says:

    My daughter ended up with Parvati on days 17&19 and no piano. Anyone else?

  38. Canadian Lego Fan says:

    But these builds are all Yule-Ball themed, so they are from the Goblet of Fire, instead of the Deathly Hallows which was when Hermione tried to teach Ron. But good guess!

  39. Karen says:

    I love this blog, and my HP advent calendar! Your blog makes everything clearer and ties it all together. Thank you!

  40. Liam mccann says:

    I think the piano was from when hermione was teaching Ron how to play piano

  41. Mollys mum says:

    This daily Harry Potter advent calender blog is so helpfull to my daughter and I.
    We check it each day to make sure we have made the correct model! And it’s full of information.
    Thankyou

  42. owen says:

    day nines thing in the middle is for putting stuff on it, like the golden egg

  43. Felix says:

    One of my favorite features of the piano is that it includes a 4×4 L plate.

  44. owen says:

    sense i have two houses, whenever i get back to this house ill be able to open extra ones!

  45. Lisa V. says:

    Many of you make it seem like a life and death situation that you did not get to see the blog for Day 17 on Day 17. Good grief people! How about a little patience and understanding that sometimes things happen that are out of our control, like computer issues. Jay, I am glad you are okay and the issue yesterday was just a computer glitch. I knew if I was patient, you would explain what had happened on your end. Let us all remember patience and grace.

    • Jamie says:

      For real, some people are being so rude about it! Jay is replying all nicely like the class act he is, I’d be far less pleasant so hats off to him for that as well as this excellent blog.

  46. Canadian Lego Fan says:

    Great to see that both days are now updated! Also, Jay, you seem to have written “the highlights are the crystal glasses in the middle of the table, which call back to magical and opulent ice sculptures on the banquet tables” twice in a row. Once above the second picture, once below it. Not a big typo, and it doesn’t really matter, but just wanted to let you know

  47. Jay are you ok???
    I hope you are A.ok

  48. Hi why is there nothing for 17 and 18 posted

    • Jay says:

      Hi Bryna, they should both be up now! Not sure why Day 17 didn’t update properly, I must’ve closed the window before it fully updated, but the calendar should be up to speed now 🙂

  49. Mia says:

    We are already on date 18! Waiting for your comment on that one – no idea what it is. Ee are a bit ahead in time since we live in Tallinn, Estonia. Mia, almost 8

  50. Carla says:

    I’m missing you Jay. Hope you are well. I figured out day 17 and 18 but hope you’re back soon.
    Take care and thanks for this awesome site.

    • Jay says:

      Sorry about the confusion! No idea why Day 17 didn’t update properly yesterday, but I’ve fixed it up now!

      Day 18 is also nice! Was a little busy today with a work Christmas Party, but all calendars are up to date now!

  51. Owen Farr says:

    Get on with it and post Day 17

  52. Canadian Lego Fan says:

    Why is day 17 not on here yet?

  53. owen says:

    my time is thursday december 17 9:34

  54. owen says:

    which time is this im central time

  55. owen says:

    my set does not have the window sets even thou its the same one. i dont know wh.y

    from owen stephens 9 years old sunset hills missouri (with two houses)

    • Jay says:

      Oh really, that’s really odd. You should ask your dad or mum to write in to LEGO’s customer service, if you’re missing, or didn’t get the correct models – it can sometimes happen.

  56. Paul Castle says:

    I’ve been avoiding the HP unveiling for the past week or so as I requested a staff-pick at work for this calendar. I was extremely lucky, as the only one our staff shop could find was damaged, but during my shift one day I found a lost (but happily perfect) one in the racking behind a pallet (I’m a forklift driver at an Argos distribution centre) and got it for £13.50 last Friday. Since then I’ve been gradually catching up (only the windows mystifying me) and opened #13 to 17 this morning 🙂 It’s been a really enjoyable experience, and I’m so glad that lessons seem to have been learned after last year’s disappointing experience.

    • Canadian Lego Fan says:

      That’s great! You were extremely lucky to find one of those in good condition! But wow, you really are super lucky. Congrats!

  57. VICKIE LEGG says:

    Added some tree tops from my stash. Was going to send picture but could not post it. Thank you. I enjoy your blog.

  58. Kelly says:

    We added a small round piece to the top of each tree (using extra pieces from previous day builds) that match the color to the blue cheese slopes. It rounds out each tree and color quite nicely!

  59. Lindsay Conole says:

    This is the brightest part of this day, finding this page that helped me figure out what half of this stuff was. And then the suggestions on how to arrange them! *chef kiss* Jay – you are a hero. Thank you. Never change.

  60. E Cherrett says:

    I had two round clear blue pieces left over from the large Christmas tree build that I used on the tops of the two small trees. I think it made the two little trees even prettier!

  61. J. M McAuliffe says:

    Padma Patil, Pavarti Pati’s twin sister was actually a Ravenclaw. Although, Parvati was a Gryffindor who was best friends with other Gryffindor Lavender Brown.

  62. Sue B says:

    Hi, in the book Parvati has pink robes and Padma has turquoise so could these minifigures be both twins, not Cho? I don’t want to get all ‘crazy pedantic fan’ though, so I guess it could be whoever you want?

  63. Dante Lantz says:

    Padma Patil is a Ravenclaw, not a Gryffindor. Her twin sister Parvati is a Gryffindor!

  64. Samantha Lanning says:

    We just got to say 10 (my kids decided to count down🤷🏼‍♀️) and our day 10 contains the gramophone with a build picture of Ron!! Talk about disappointed kids. I opened day 7 and it is also the gramophone! Has this happened to anyone else or are we just special?!

    • Jay says:

      Oh dear – it sounds like a mistake with the packing. If you contact LEGO’s customer service, they’ll be able to send you the correct builds/minifigures. And you also get to keep the spare gramophone which is a nice little bonus?

    • Liz says:

      I had a spare gramophone instead of Harry Potter on Day 1 and contacted Lego customer service on Day 7 and a replacement Harry Potter and accessories just arrived, so reach out to them!

  65. Angela purdon says:

    You were lucky mine came with second set of hair instead of the bottom part of her dress, and clearly I will have to contact LEGO ! Or keep her as a little person 😂😂😂😂😂

  66. Tee says:

    Thanks for explaining some of the pieces. I really thought the windows were Christmas graves – especially since the story features a graveyard. The windows are much nicer.

  67. Sarah says:

    Your blog has been amazing.
    Thank-you so much, I couldn’t have completed
    half of my Harry figures without your help.

  68. Deb says:

    Hmm. The windows look like they may have more elements added to them in the future…

  69. Lisa V. says:

    We loved the chocolate frog today and that made up for getting another window. My daughters and I still have our fingers crossed for a Victor Krum and a Hermione.

  70. Niamh Jan Curd says:

    Hey I figured out why the fire place has the clips, you can clip the windows to the fireplace and make it one piece

  71. Teddys Mum says:

    Just wanted to say that this blog has been a life saver for us explaining to a 5 year old what some of these are! All the way from London, England!

  72. PJ says:

    Yep! Thought it was a coffin lid too!!

  73. Yves Bormes says:

    Day 12 we had a mic stand and a note sheet instead of the window, but with the instructions of the window … And as i looked if it was just a miss packing i realised that it was but not in terms of the wrong bag in the wrong place, but the wrong bag in the wrong place AND in the right place.

  74. Andrea says:

    Thank you for explaining the Lego calendar Day 12! We had no idea.

  75. VICKIE Ann LEGG says:

    Jay,
    Thank you for your blog. I love the little additions you have. I love the idea of Sirius in the fireplace. Right now my Patronis Set has a Sirius without a head but only through Christmas.

  76. Nicole says:

    Day 12 has me thoroughly stumped!

  77. Jean-Andrew says:

    Great stuff! But unfortunately you got the “table” wrong! It is actually (can’t remember the name but) where dumbledoor stors his memeories! You could probably google it and find out more

  78. Canadian Lego Fan says:

    I meant pumpkin juice instead of butterbeer

  79. Karlin Davison says:

    The bottle from Day 9 is butter beer!

  80. Ruby says:

    Our family loves your blog! Its become a nightly must do.😀

  81. Linda says:

    Yours is he best blog for these advent calendars. While I’m a fan of both Harry Potter and Star Wars I often don’t know what the items are and rely on you to explain. 😉 I also appreciate your pictures of the items from different sides as the diagram on the Lego box often doesn’t give enough detail for me to complete. I look forward to each day.

  82. Scott C says:

    I love your blog and has become one of my Christmas traditions. I think the table is for the gramophone. It fits perfectly and gets it off the ground.

    • Jay says:

      Hey Scott, it’s become a massive tradition for me too, and can’t imagine a December without counting down with everyone else.

      Agreed about the table for the Gramophone, and I’ve set it up that way for the group shots now!

      • Felix says:

        The only exception was day 16, where the golden egg was on top (which was really cute)
        P.S: my 13-year old brother got the Lego Friends advent calendar and placed the spares from the skateboard on the table.

  83. Hunter Young says:

    At the yule ball in the books specifically, they talk about Ron and Harry having Butter Beers and Krum getting Hermione Drinks. I think it could also be a representation of that.

  84. Charlene Lombard says:

    I think the phonograph fits perfectly on this table. That’s how I will use it.

  85. Lisa V. says:

    What I remember of the Yule Ball is Harry and Ron and their dates sitting around a table most of the night because Harry and Ron did not want to dance. It is a simple piece, but one I think you have to have if you are putting together a realistic Yule Ball scene. And at the same time, it is not a piece I would have thought of if I was in charge of designing the calendar. I agree with you Jay, I am loving the obscure furniture that is in this calendar.

  86. Meagan says:

    Had to look it up — they drank Butterbeer at the Yule ball, so that’s probaby what’s in the glass bottle.

    • Jay says:

      It could probably be both! My rationale was that I don’t recall seeing or reading (my memory could be fuzzy!) butterbeer in bottles (they were always in mugs!).

      • Noël says:

        In the books, butterbeer always came in bottles! In the movies though, I think they only really showed mugs. Either way, it definitely looks like a bottle of pumpkin juice. Not only does the bright orange topper not make sense for a bottle of butterbeer, Universal Studies also sells bottles of pumpkin juice with the same shape and cap. As well, if you look at the topper from above, the siding looks like a pumpkin.

    • Jay says:

      True, but I believe they were always in mugs?

  87. Lego Star Wars fan says:

    Hey Jay, I love reading your blog every day. Me and my brother (im 12 and hes 9) have been doing these advent calendars and reading your blog for 4 years now and we always love building and then reading what you have to say. I always do the stat wars advent but this year my brother decided to do it so im doing the H.P. one and it a really good advent calendar. Last year had those retched house banners and when my brother would open them he just was bored. But anyway thanks for doing these every year!!!

    • Jay says:

      Hey thanks for your kind words, and so glad to have you back again this year! It seems like a really good year for Advent Calendars, so I’m glad that the both of you have one of each!

      No House Banners yet, but I’m still fearful we’ll see like 4 days in a row *shudder*

    • Felix says:

      Me and my 13-year old brother have been doing this for 4 years as well (including this one)! For the first 3, i got bored when a minifig showed up.

  88. Parent in France says:

    So happy you are back up! Read your SW calendar posts for years with my sons but they “outgrew” Lego advent calendars a couple of years ago. This year my better half picked up the HP one for me and the kids said I should see if you wrote about this one too. Delighted to find that you do. The kids, of course, have now joined in the fun.

  89. Sarah says:

    I spent some time this morning also trying to figure out what the bottle was as it wasn’t reminiscent of any notable potion bottle I know. In the end I concluded it might just be one of the decorative bottles displayed on the table at the yule ball (Google: yule ball drinks/table). They have pumpkin-style toppers in glass, which would half-explain the choice of flower-style bottle top, as far as I’m aware there is no silver or clear piece in this style (I’ve largely only seen this piece in bright colours like pink and purple) so the creators may have just decided to go with a topper in a more distinctive shape over one that matched the colour perfectly.

    After reading your post I wonder whether it was a bit of a hybrid between the glass pumpkin bottles at the yule ball and pumpkin juice because it was easier on parts.

    • Jay says:

      That was my conclusion too! I did think of butterbeer, but I don’t believe butterbeer ever came in bottles.

      It’s also quite hard to replicate certain aspects, so you’re right – it may have been a compromise, with a dash of artistic license.

  90. Canadian Lego Fan says:

    I knew that their mini builds wouldn’t last long… but what I didn’t know was that the minifigure scale builds would actually be amazing as well! The table is a bit iffy, but I remember the comical scene where filch tries to blast the enormous gramophone right in McGonagall’s face and she has to edge away, and though I didn’t know why until reading your blog I recognized the couch right away!

  91. Canadian Lego Fan says:

    I like it!

  92. J.m McAuliffe says:

    Hi, my name is j. McAuliffe (corrected due to AUTOCORRECT!)
    I live in CA, USA. I am doing this advent calendar. I prefer the Harry Potter books over the movies. I appreciate this blog because it helps me understand how to build Legos or tells me who and what they are. My favorite one so far is the mini Hogwarts or mini mini mini Hogwarts, because the scale turn to the regular Hogwarts is tiny…Also, it’s really cute and clever! I Can’t-Wait to see each day’s lego. And I would like to see it look more like the Yule ball. I read all the harry potter books. And they are so phenomenal! I was so excited when I open my first flap and Made Harry and his Candelabra.
    Thanks, Jay, For making this blog!
    Sincerely,
    Julia McAuliffe

  93. J.m McAuliffe says:

    Hi my name is j. McAuliffe
    I live in CA, USA. I am doing this advent calendar. I prefer the Harry Potter books over the movies. I appreciate this blog, because it helps me understand how to build Legos or tells me who and what they are. My favorite one so far is the mini Hogwarts or mini mini mini Hogwarts, because it the scale turn to the regular Hogwarts is tiny. . Also it’s really cute and clever ! Wait to see you when I look at each day. And I would like to see how f wait to see you when I look at each day. And I would like to see i’ll come next to make it look more like the Yule ball. I Read all the harry potter books. And they are so phenomenal! I was so excited when I open my first flap and Made Harry and his Candelabra .
    For making this blog! Sincerely
    Julia McAuliffe.

    • Milo c says:

      I agree the mini mini mini Hogwarts was a really good build

    • Jay says:

      Hey Julia, hello from Australia! Hope things are going well in California!

      I too prefer the Harry Potter books as that’s what I grew up with as well, but the movies are special in their own right.

      My favourite so far is the Beauxbaton Carriage just because of how clever the design is.

      Which is your favourite Harry Potter book? Mine is Prisoner of Azkaban, followed by Order of the Phoenix!

      • J.m McAuliffe says:

        Thanks, Jay!

        Things in California are better in some areas and worse in others. How are things in Australia? I agree that the movies are good, just different from the books.

        My favorite (or favourite) book in the series is definitely the Deathly Hallows, followed by the Order of the Phoenix (because of Luna Lovegood.

        She is my favorite because she is kind, In my Hogwarts house, and also looks very similar to myself.)

        Sincerely,

        A ten-year-old Hp and lego fan from CA,
        Julia McAuliffe

      • J.m McAuliffe says:

        Thanks, Jay!

        Things in California are better in some areas and worse in others. How are things in Australia? I agree that the movies are good, just different from the books.

        My favorite (or favourite) book in the series is definitely the Deathly Hallows, followed by the Order of the Phoenix (because of Luna Lovegood.

        She is my favorite because she is kind, In my Hogwarts house, and also looks very similar to myself.)This has made distance learning in 5th grade loads of fun!

        Sincerely,

        A ten-year-old HP and lego fan from CA,
        Julia McAuliffe

  94. Brenda Domogauer says:

    I stumbled onto your blog just yesterday and I am so glad I did! I am an older Harry Potter fan, and I love the Lego advent calendars. My little grandson gave me one last year for my birthday, I was going to put it up and do it over again when to my delight he gave me this year’s Yule Ball! Loving it! How many years have they made the Harry Potter calendars? Your blog makes it so much easier to put some of them together ❤ I use to struggle to take pic of the directions, now I make my tea and open my days door, and get on your blog, love the help and your comments. My birthday is the 24th, and I get a little gift every day! Thanks again.

    • Jay says:

      Hey Brenda, great to have you here! Your grandson has great taste in gifts, and I’m glad you’re enjoying it so far!

      This is the second year for Harry Potter Advent Calendars, and it’s been a huge upgrade over the first one!

      Hope you’re having a great Christmas season, and happy birthday in advance! The 24th window is usually the “seasonal build” and finale, so you should expect something quite special on your birthday!

  95. Joanna Dale says:

    Thanks so much for these daily updates. They are so helpful!

  96. Molly Mae says:

    Hi lm 7 years old l live in Ireland I love this Advent calendar my favorite model is the beuxbatons carriage . I finished the first Harry Potter book last night and my dad has almost finished reading me Harry Potter and the deathly hallows. My brother has a Star Wars Advent calendar .we look at your blog every day After we open ours and really enjoy reading what you say. Thank you ?

    • J.m McAuliffe says:

      Hi! Wow you live in Ireland!!! I love Ireland. I am ten years old and live in the USA (CA). I looove Harry Potter sooooo much!!!!

      • Milo c says:

        wait did you skip 5 books because if so you should go back and read them so that the calender makes more sense

        • Molly Mae says:

          No no my dad has read all the books to me at bedtime l am reading Harry Potter by myself now from the start!

          • Canadian Lego Fan says:

            Congrats! I (obviously) live in Canada but know a few Irish people. I read practically non-stop and Harry Potter has to be one of my favourite book series.

      • Molly Mae says:

        Cool you live in the USA.l love Harry Potter too. My uncle lives in Boston. l miss him so much.

    • Jay says:

      Hey Molly, hello from sunny Australia! I would love to visit Ireland one day! Congratulations on finishing your first Harry Potter book! I remember reading the Philosopher’s Stone when it first came out and have been enchanted ever since.

      Hope you and your family are having a great Christmas and enjoying all your Advent Calendars. The Carriage is also my current favourite model from this year’s calendar 🙂

  97. Ben Lenius (age 11) says:

    We love checking out your review each day after we open the window. Great idea to cover Hogwarts with snow. I did it! Here is a photo: https://photos.app.goo.gl/k9uBKZrSV7xZx9Fx5

  98. Milo c says:

    that cho changs printing is AMAZING

  99. Canadian Lego Fan says:

    Wow, originally I thought that Cho Chang would be more of a meh due to her hair and face print looking much different from her real hair and face, and because of the dreaded 1×2 bricks making up her legs (I hate those). But, after seeing her in person I actually really like her hair and face, though it’s gonna take a lot to make me love the blocky legs.

    • Jay says:

      Yup, the print is amazing, especially the shimmery bits!

      I don’t quite mind the bricks, but not having pins that go into the torso just feels wrong – and very unstable.

  100. Kaylee Cowell says:

    Hi Jay,

    This is my first post, I just want to say how much I am enjoying your blog. I have the Lego Harry Potter Calendar and I am really loving the Yule Ball theme.

    • Jay says:

      Hey Kaylee, so glad you’re enjoying the posts! And yeah, I was a little apprehensive on the Yule Ball theme, but I love how well the minifigures are designed, and all the models as well!

  101. MsPeterson says:

    I found your blog last year when I was doing the 2019 HP calendar. I put all the builds back inside and I’m opening it again this year with my middle school students over Zoom. I bought the SW for 2020, but I’m happy I can follow along with HP on your site. I love your photos and write ups!

    • Jay says:

      Oh that’s such a creative way to reuse the Advent Calendar!

      Thanks so much for your lovely words – I hope you’re having a safe and happy holiday season!

  102. Cam says:

    Hi Jay, I am really enjoying reading your daily updates every day. It is super hard to identify them without your help. Also, I think that you are very creative with positioning the Harry Potter figure with the Hogwarts castle. Every day it is me and my dad’s routine to open the advent calendar and then go onto your blog and see what it is and your thoughts on it. I think that it is great! I like this calendar too. I think that this is probably the most fun calendar yet. I got my first one in 2015, when I was six. Now I am really enjoying opening the doors and seeing the surprise for each day! Thanks!

    • Jay says:

      Hey Cam, thanks so much for the kind words! Am so happy to help identify them and that you’ve made visiting the blog a routine – it means heaps.

      Hope you and your family are having a safe, and happy holiday season!

  103. Canadian LEGO Fan says:

    I have to say, the Harry Potter advent calendar is continuing to impress! I think that it is probably even better than the Star Wars advent calendar so far, but I doubt that it will continue to last… Star Wars has so many things you can make micro builds of, but I bet that the Harry Potter one will just squeeze out one more, that being the beauxbatons carriage, as there are barely any other vehicles in the Harry Potter universe, with perhaps the exception of things that may be difficult to make in micro form, such as the knight bus, Sirius’ motor bike, or the flying Ford Angila. We may be getting those dreaded house banners once again after they exhaust their micro builds. Sorry for the grim warning!

    • Jay says:

      I think so too! The design team definitely have learned from last year, and I think sticking to a specific theme has helped them keep the models and references consistent!

      Uh oh, if we do, I hope they’ll at least be more interesting than dual-coloured flags!

  104. Cameron says:

    Thank you so much for doing this – we would have no idea what each day was….

  105. Paul Castle says:

    Nice! Definitely starting to reconsider buying this. I’ll give it another day or two.

    • Jay says:

      I’m desperately searching for a spare! With all the great seasonal characters, I think this will be one of the most sought-after calendars in a while!

  106. Laurel says:

    I’m so glad I found this site, as my daughter is doing the Harry Potter advent calendar and needed a bit of help putting them together. Anyway, we are in NZ – so it’s excellent to find your blog where you are on the same timeframe as us! Your photos were very helpful for her to do Day 2 and Day 3 so far.

    • Jay says:

      Hey Lauren, so glad to have you following along! Hope you and your daughter are enjoying the calendar so far, and are loving all the Harry Potter builds!

  107. Nick says:

    You know you are suppose to countdown, right? I’m pretty sure ol’ Harry himself is the big treat right before Christmas.

    • Paul Castle says:

      The number on each window corresponds to the date, with the final door opened Christmas Eve.

    • Jay says:

      Hey Nick

      Some calendars may work that way, but not LEGO Advent Calendars! The reasoning is that it’s literally modelled after an actual calendar (hence the dates corresponding to the days in December) which culminates on Christmas (Day 25) where you’re meant to open your Xmas present as a finale.

      Also, looking at the sequence of builds, MOST advent calendars end with a Seasonal/Festive minifigure on Day 24 (Santa Claus, Santa characters etc)!

      With Harry Potter Advent Calendars, you mostly assemble a big scene that’s based on the calendar’s theme!

      Then again, there’s no “right way” to do an Advent Calendar, and some people do the reverse countdown, so if it works for you, all power to you as you should just enjoy in whatever way you can ?

  108. Cam says:

    Hi, I really liked the Harry Potter on the first day because this is my first Harry Potter set and I think that it is a great kickoff.

    • Jay says:

      That’s an awesome way to get into LEGO Harry Potter as you get a whole bunch of characters and micro builds! Hope you’re enjoying it so far!

  109. JT says:

    Thanks Jay, appreciated the help as we built Hogwarts this morning

  110. Susan says:

    How did you know what/how to build Day 2? We have no instructions on our box and we had no idea what to make with the Day 2 pieces.

    • Le says:

      The instructions are on the inside of the flap you opened to retrieve the pieces 🙂

      • Vicki says:

        @Le says- thanks for info about the building instructions o the flap- I had no idea! I guess I was more excited to build than to notice the instructions.

      • shane campbell-kaslin says:

        None of the bags in the doors we open go with the pictures. We had to look it up to figure out how to make some of them. Day one had a picture of Harry but we got 3 little presents and a broom.

        • Jay says:

          Oh yikes – it sounds like some of the contents got mixed up, which I’ve heard has happened to a few people. Try getting in touch with LEGO, or if you don’t mind spoiling the surprise – you can open the side flaps of the box, slide out the container and check to ensure you have the right contents.

  111. Louise Mckenna-Mayes says:

    Hello, this is great. My son’s calendar arrived and the packaging was awful and ripped. IN addition we do not know which days are which as its the front has been ripped off. My son would love to follow your the daily updates

    • Jay says:

      Oh dear, I’m so sorry to hear that. You should write in to LEGO’s customer service and they’ll be able to sort you out and maybe send out a replacement calendar. I hope I’m able to help with figuring out the correct order!

  112. Leeannne says:

    Thank you so much for sharing! We have the calendar for my little boy this year and wouldn’t have been able to build it with out your guidance. Thanks again x

  113. Paul Castle says:

    I love the micro (or as you say that’s already been used, how about ‘nano’) builds. I’m starting to wish I’d bought this calendar now. Maybe I’ll pick one up after Christmas if there’s any cheap and open it next year.

    • Jay says:

      Nano-builds is a great term! There seems to still be plenty of Harry Potter calendars around, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find. Whereas Star Wars is effectively out of stock in the entire country. I wanted to pick up a spare SW one and couldn’t find one!

      Well, least you can follow virtually and live vicarously through the blog!

    • Canadian Lego Fan says:

      One thing that you should keep in mind is that these Advent calendars always are retired by December 31st. If you want to get one after Christmas, get it quick! It will be gone in less than a week, and maybe less than that If it goes out of stock

  114. Alex Whatton says:

    Thanks Jay! I have three sons and this is the third year we will follow your blog as we open our sets! We have one ⚯͛ and one SW (and the toddler gets a Thomas the Train one). You always help us so much to figure out what the SW ones are! Here goes and thanks again!

    • Jay says:

      You’re welcome, and I’m so glad you’re back here for a third year! The Thomas the Train one sounds fantastic!

      Hope you and your family have a safe and happy holiday season!

  115. Kate says:

    I followed along with your HP advent calendar countdown last year, albeit a bit later in the day as from the UK (so avoiding spoilers) and I absolutely loved it! Great to see you’re doing it again this year! Happy with Harry as a start, although I’m going to switch out the head/hair and create a yule ball Neville instead as I already have the clock tower. Loving the yule ball poster tile.

  116. Canadian Lego Fan says:

    I like how instead of just the Harry Potter minifigure they included a little something extra, in this case, the candle and Yule Ball invitation. Though I already have over 20 Harry Potter minifigures including this variant (which you get in the Hogwarts Clock Tower set), I think this is a nice one and that this Advent Calendar is off to a good start. Also love the three extra wands.

    • Jay says:

      Yes, the extra wands are a nice bonus. If they follow last year’s theme, I can’t wait to see the entire scene come together, although I could do without last year’s House Banners!

  117. Paul Castle says:

    I ummed and ah-ed over buying this one when we first got them in at work in the Summer, but last year’s wasn’t really my cup of butterbeer so decided to give it a miss this time round. I’ll watch you open each day with special interest!

  118. Eric Kimes says:

    Are you doing a Star Wars advent calendar this year? I’ve really enjoyed the last couple of years.

  119. McMiner says:

    Looks like you’re not doing the Star Wars one this year…

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