I got a LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar!

The idea of using an Advent calendar once held deep, religious significance for me – but since evolving into a non-Catholic, I only seem to appreciate the winter Holiday season for nostalgic reasons. I love the sights and sounds of Christmas, but… not its largely-borrowed-by-Christianity foundation. As such, I don’t feel the slightest bit of guilt when I go about my merry way, spreading love and joy without being chained to an outdated dogma.

Speaking of chains and Advent calendars… when I was a child, my brothers and I would find ourselves counting down the days to Christmas by stapling together (then tearing apart) a string of paper rings. It was a Christmastime staple! And, yes, we used staples to keep those chains together. I took the tradition too far one year and accidentally stapled my finger to one of the links.

On the 11th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… a bandage.

I’m quite grateful that LEGO is producing Advent calendars which do not require the usage of any pointed object. I may not have the best hand-eye coordination, but I can click bricks with the best of ‘em. I’ve missed a few earlier LEGO Advent calendars, but that won’t happen again now that I’ve come out of the bin as an AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO). I even decided to completely assemble the 2011 Star Wars Advent Calendar long before this Holiday season was upon us.

My girlfriend and I stumbled through a couple of the models, but it wasn’t too much of a challenge. We’re certainly ready to open more presents! Having streamed the LEGO build live on YouTube, this particular walkthrough was an hour in the making.

The full list of items (including the ones I couldn’t quite identify by sight):

• Day 1 – Red Republic ship
• Day 2 – Nute Gunray
• Day 3 – Hologram Walker
• Day 4 – Homing Spider Droid
• Day 5 – Slave I
• Day 6 – Chewbacca
• Day 7 – Weapon holder with barrel of tools
• Day 8 – Rebel Pilot with completely white helmet
• Day 9 – X-wing
• Day 10 – Imperial Shuttle
• Day 11 – Battle Droid Pilot
• Day 12 – Rebel Snowspeeder
• Day 13 – Imperial Astromech Droid
• Day 14 – Mouse Droid
• Day 15 – Republic Gunship
• Day 16 – Clone Pilot
• Day 17 – Another Weapons Holder
• Day 18 – Y-wing
• Day 19 − 2010 TIE Fighter Pilot
• Day 20 – TIE Fighter
• Day 21 – Millennium Falcon
• Day 22 − A-wing
• Day 23 – Christmas Tree
• Day 24 – Santa Yoda

Wouldn’t it be nice for LEGO to create a full 365-day calendar with new bricks every day?

Star Wars Advent Calendar is Jediriffic Year-Round

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Merry Christmas to all and to all a good haul! This happens to be my favorite holiday, even when I happen to be celebrating it alone. I’m very glad to know you’re here with me (even virtually, in homes of your own).

I bought myself a very cool Boba Fett hoodie this year. I’ve been wanting one forever, so I decided to go ahead and splurge!

I received several really cool gifts from various friends, including some great new LEGO and Star Wars stuff! Thank you to all of you.

I also bought myself a Panasonic DMP-B500 Portable DVD Player. Gosh, how did I ever figure out what it was I really wanted?

YouTube sent a gift to some of the producers, as well. We were asked to go to B&H Photo and Video and choose a few things we knew we could need/use. I chose wisely, knowing I will be broadcasting live soon from CES 2011. I’ll be in the Grand Lobby, and uploading all of the resulting videos to my YouTube account. Thanks so much to the folks at YouTube for these goodies.

ThinkGeek also sent me a nice care package. It was sitting downstairs for at least a week, and I’ve been dying to open it. They sent me the new Bluetooth Keyboard and iPad Case that I’ve had my eyes on for a while now. I also recieved the USB Classic Atari Joystick, the Star Wars Dark Side Coffee, an Otamatone, a Not Here to Make Friends shirt (which I WILL wear in public frequently!), the FML shirt (which again – I WILL wear often!!) and a few other assorted goodies.

What’d you get for Christmas this year?

Christmas Unboxing Geek Style

Well, I think this is as good as it’s getting this year:

At least I won’t have to pick up any stray needles…

This Year’s Christmas Tree

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‘Tis the season to assemble LEGO! You may not celebrate Christmas or Advent, but how cool is this particular Advent calendar, anyway? There are 25 days, just as with normal Advent calendars. Instead of chocolate being behind each little window you open, there are new LEGO pieces!

The kit comes with a total of 257 pieces, including various city equipment, minifigs, a Christmas tree, a fireplace, and much more. You’ll have everything you need to put together a fantastic city scene, which can (of course!) be used as a holiday decoration.

I’m not sure which holiday you choose to celebrate. I choose Christmas, even though I am no longer a practicing Catholic. To me, the holidays are about giving to others, no matter what religion you are a part of or which holiday you call your own. Heck, I keep in mind that we “stole” Christmas from early Pagans. They began their Solstice celebrations many MANY years before Santa Claus or Christmas made their entrance.

No matter what you choose to celebrate this year (and every year), I hope it is a safe, healthy and happy one for you and your family.

LEGO Advent Calendar 2010

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for someone, you need look no further than our friends at Throwboy. We’ve long been supporters of these awesome pillow. Heck, I admit to having every one of them ever made. I am really excited about their newest product: Throwbabies. These things are just – dare I say it as a dude? – adorable.

All of your favorite chat sayings have been hand-sewn onto tiny replicas of the original Throwboy pillow. Personally, I need the N00B one, the WTF one and the FML one. These little gems are only nine dollars each, or three for twenty-three bucks. They’ll make excellent stocking stuffers, yo!

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Throwbabies for the Holidays

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While building a new LEGO holiday scene recently on my live stream, someone in chat asked me what my favorite holiday memory was. It actually took me a moment to decide. I’ve been fortunate to have had many holidays that were a lot of fun and special in different ways.

I remember one year I pitched a fit because I thought Santa wouldn’t bring something I really wanted. This was seriously traumatic at the time, thinking he didn’t love me enough. My Dad would often take us out to buy gifts for each other and my parents. We were convinced we would be happy with what we were going to get from the other brothers.

I remember going out and seeing that gift, wishing I could have it. I NEEDED it, yo. I remember driving home in the car and Dad telling me that Santa wasn’t going to be bringing that to me. I later found the stash that Santa was to bring and found that exact present. I felt like a complete jackass after having thrown such a fit.

One year, I got a game that was pretty cool. I remember, of course, the first time I received a LEGO kit. At that time, I was confused as hell as to what it was supposed to be. Can you even believe now that at one point I was NOT a LEGO fanatic?

I’ve been blessed to have a fantastic family who created a lot of good memories over the years.

Let’s hear about your favorite holiday memory. It doesn’t have to be something about Christmas. There are many holidays through the year, and we all celebrate different things. I’d love to hear which holiday meant the most to you, and why.

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Favorite LEGO Gift Memory

I think it’s supposed to be meat, but…

…you just can’t be too sure these days. This is from the LEGO 2010 Advent Calendar box.

LEGO Minifig Sausage or…?!

Holy heck! Is it already that time of year? Is Fall really officially here? How the hell did that happen? I was just browsing through questions on Lockergnome, and noticed a thread talking about Halloween Costumes. It’s ONLY September 23rd! Do we need to worry already? Great. I have no idea how to dress Wicket and Pixie this year. I need some suggestions, y’all.

It shocks me to find Christmas displays in the store earlier every year. I’m telling you… this year we’ll start seeing plastic Santas and gift wrap before Halloween ever gets here. It’s insanity! We as consumers are being pushed to spend, spend spend more and more – while fighting the fact that we don’t have as much to part with.

Do you start planning for the holidays this early, or are you one of those who tend to go a little crazy when you see witch costumes on shelves when we finish the 4th of July?

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Thankfully, you don’t have to wait for a holiday to enjoy the best software at the hottest prices – thanks to our download center.

Are You Gearing Up for the Holidays Already?

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Imagine my surprise when I saw this splashed upon a building in the Seattle area. Thank goodness they went with “Bing” instead of sticking with “Windows Live Search” (or they would have needed a MUCH bigger building).

This was taken in Bellevue, WA looking at the Microsoft building. Neither the Google nor the Yahoo! buildings were decorated in any way. The Microsoft building, however, caught my attention and made me stop to look – and record!

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Bing Building Bling

I’m curious to know what you got for Christmas! Did Santa bring you everything you asked him for? Were you happily surprised by anything? What pieces of technology were you ecstatic to open this year, or find in your stocking?

Everyone in our community is abuzz with glee over gifts they received. Some were luckier than others, I’m sure. But all in all, everyone seems to be quite pleased with their holiday goodies! How about you?

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• What new gadgets and gizmos did you receive for the holidays?
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Be sure to check out our downloads center today! There are tons of new games, applications and software available at excellent prices!

What Did You Get for the Holidays?

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I gave you a chance to ask for what you wanted this holiday season. Hundreds of you responded, but only one of you… actually, TWO of you were given a gift. We’ll do this again next year, assuming our community continues to grow.

The first winner was Kari, who asked for a digital camera for her stepdad. Apparently, her camera was stolen somewhere on her college campus recently. So, her stepdad didn’t think twice, and gave his camera to her so she’d have one. Kari didn’t ask for something for herself. She asked for something for another person, which is why I chose her as a winner. Her video was very touching, and her intentions were very good.

The other winner is long-time community member Ron Knights. Ron asked for financial help to go visit his elderly parents for the holidays. I believe Ron himself lives clear up in Maine, and his parents are in Atlanta, Georgia. Living on a fixed income, it’s difficult for Ron to make the trip on his own. I’m more than happy to help out, so that they can spend some time together. Ron also posted a follow-up thank you video last night. That made his winning even more special for me!

I had a great time going through all of the videos. It was a tough choice, to be sure. Thank you to everyone who entered. I appreciate your support!

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Gifts for Him and Her

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We woof you a Merry Christmas! We woof you a Merry Christmas! We woof you a Merry Christmas! And a happy new bark!

Wicket and Pixie are really in the Holiday spirit this year. How are your dogs doing? Upload a video response starring your Christmas pets if they wanna play along.

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Christmas Dogs

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It’s officially Christmas Eve in some parts of the World right now, and only a few hours away here in Seattle!! Santa and I go wayyy back – all the way to my childhood. When I found out that the Jolly Elf himself was going to be live streaming this year, I had to get in on the action. After all, this is what I DO! So, I contacted Santa up at the Pole, and proposed an offer he couldn’t refuse. We hooked up via the Intertubez in order to tell all of you: “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night”

I have to thank my friend and long-time community member Databrokers for hooking Santa up with the stream this year. It’s thanks to Databrokers and his squirrels that Mr. Claus was able to show up online to talk with everyone. I’m told that he made the front page of Ustream earlier tonight, and pulled in just under 40,000 viewers for the night!

I meant what I said earlier in this post. From Pixie, Wicket and myself… Happy Christmas to all.

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Santa Claus is Coming to Town

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Santa sent me a video email! Can you believe it?! I didn’t know he did things like this! Oh, I hope I’m on the Nice list! I’ve tried so hard to be good this year. I only asked Santa for one thing. If I’m lucky, I’ll find it in my stocking on Christmas morning!

Wait, what? Santa says I haven’t been good enough? That is a load of hooey! I’ve been a model citizen this whole year! I’ve been good, I swear it! What’s the deal?! That list is rigged, I’m telling you. Someone is telling lies about me!

Are you on the naughty list – or the nice list? What do you think you’ll find in your stocking on Christmas?

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Santa Claus Email

Wicket and Pixie wanted to help me wish you a Merry Christmas.

Dogs Christmas