Advent 2017

The time has come once more for the annual LEGO Advent calendars! This year we have once more the same three themes – City, Friends, and Star Wars – and like last year there is a 24-in-1 “Christmas Build-Up” set 40253. The latter was a freebie that you got in November for making a $100 purchase from LEGO – it’s no longer available from them, but you may find them on Amazon. (The Advent calendars may be sold out at your LEGO store as well, but using the Amazon links above helps support this blog and is most appreciated.) Once again I designed a MOC from the leftover Build-Up parts each day – you can find instructions for all of those in a separate post. As usual, each post was originally a separate blog entry, starting with Day 1, and continuing with a daily post about that day’s advent models. However, to clean up the site, I’ve condensed all those daily posts to a single post per year. Here’s the 2017 edition.

Day 1

First let’s look at City’s entry, a tiny steam locomotive. It’s a nice model, though the spacing of the wheels isn’t quite right. But it’s hard to do much better at that scale.

Next comes Friends, and we get a minidoll of a girl with a party hat and a printed 1×2 tile with a list of names on it. There’s an extra party hat included as well.

The third Advent Calendar is Star Wars, and I’m not sure what this is. (If it wasn’t in the original trilogy, I’m kind of useless at Star Wars stuff.) It’s a mostly white space ship, with some red, yellow, and sand-green bits on top. There are several bonus parts included as well.

As for the Christmas Build-Up set, Day 1’s model is a small sailing ship. It uses the 2×4 wedge plates for wings, and it uses two of the same orientation rather than one of each – but fear not, the set does contain the other two as well, so we’ll probably see them used in an airplane or something like that later on.

There are tons of leftover parts after building each day’s model in the 24-in-1 set, so there’s no point in showing all the parts, but as I did last year, I’ve also built another original model using some of them – a baby parrot.

Rear view of the parrot:

Hope you’ve enjoyed Day 1’s models and if you have the Christmas Build-Up 24-in-1 set too, post a comment to show what you’ve made!

Day 2

The Advent calendars continue on Day 2 with three new models: City gives us a kid on a snowboard; Friends gives Day 1’s figure a snowmobile to ride (standing up!); and Star Wars gives us a minifigure with a gun and really cool hair. For the Christmas Build-Up model, we get a baby peacock, and I built a MOC of a snowplow.

Here’s a close-up of the snowboarder (City).

The Friends snowmobile is a nice little build, but to ride it the figure has to be standing up.

For Star Wars we get a minifigure of a woman with a gun and really cool hair. I didn’t recognize her, but I checked the Internet so you don’t have to – it’s Sabine Wren from the Star Wars Rebels animated show. I also learned that Day 1’s space ship was The Ghost, from the same show (which I’ve never watched). (Links are to Jay’s Brick Blog, which is doing much deeper coverage of the Star Wars calendar in particular, so check that out if you’re into Star Wars stuff. I really like her hair though.

Day 2’s Christmas Build-Up model appears to be a juvenile peacock. The head is basically identical to the baby parrot I designed on Day 1, but I promise I didn’t peek ahead, there just aren’t that many ways to build bird heads with this set of parts.

The model comes with the tail down, but I think it looks nicer with it raised.

With the leftover parts, I built this little snowplow.

If you wanted to build Day 1’s Baby Parrot MOC, I’ve added instructions for it to the Day 1 section above. I tried to publish the instructions for each MOC the following day. Since I was building, photographing, and posting these things every day (doing it ahead of time would be easier, but feels like cheating to me!) there wasn’t always time to get the instructions done as well, but I did my best.

Day 3

The third day of the LEGO Advent calendars gives us a nice little fireplace (City), a bunny on a disc sled on a bunny slope (Friends), and some Star Wars spaceship which Jay says is “The Phantom” from that Rebels show. Christmas Build-Up’s third model is a little puppy I think, and with the leftover parts I made a little red and white airplane.

The fireplace is nice, with two flame pieces and a spare one in case one goes out.

The bunny is adorable, and the little tiny slope looks safe enough … Get it? Bunny slope??? I don’t know if it was intentional, but I think it’s kinda hilarious. But then I love a good–by which I mean bad–pun.

But then when the bunny tries to ride down the hill, a catastrophe results!

The Star Wars calendar seems to be fixated on this Rebels TV show that I’ve never seen. It’s not that great of a model if you ask me, sorry. They should have marked the box “Star Wars Rebels” as a warning not to buy it.

For Christmas Build Up, I think this is a puppy, but it could be any number of adorable quadrupeds.

And here’s the airplane – I was thinking of a Piper Cub mostly. I couldn’t find a good way to model the tailwheel or skid, though.

Day 4

Day 4’s advent entries are an easy chair with a little table with lamp and a small plant (City), a carrot and pergola for Day 3’s bunny (Friends), and a gun emplacement (Star Wars). For Christmas Build-Up we build a little sled, and I built a wiener dog with the leftovers.

In City, we add to the living room scene started with Day 3’s fireplace. Now we have a chair with a little table, with a lamp and a plant.

Here we see both entries together.

Friends gives our poor bunny a place to recover from bonking its head, and a carrot.

Here you see the bunny enjoying the new digs.

Today’s Star Wars model is a gun. Jay’s entry says it’s a generic blaster cannon, and he’s not a big fan of it, but I have to say I’m happy to get the new parts used as the legs.

Sabine is having a hard time getting comfortable using the sight on the new gun.

The Build Up model is a sled. It’s a nice design, but given the 254 pieces in the set you’d think they could come up with something a little bit fancier? This thing only uses 10 of the parts!

For Day 4’s MOC I had a ton of parts to work with, and I came up with a dachshund (weiner dog). I don’t like dogs much, but I think he’s pretty cute.

Day 5

On the fifth day of the Advent calendars we get a cute little gingerbread house (City), a pug dog (Friends), and a man with a gun (Star Wars). Meanwhile the Christmas Build-Up model is a little windmill, and with the leftovers I built a tropical fish.

The city model is pretty minimal – 8 round 1×1 tiles, a pair of hinges, and a 2×2 plate. But it makes a pretty convincing little gingerbread house:

But if you thought the 11 pieces of the City model was minimalist, how about just one part in the Friends model?! It’s a pug:

Here’s the pug with the bunny from a couple days ago:

The Star Wars model isn’t much better in terms of parts count, a minifigure that Jay says is Taslin Brance, a minor character from The Force Awakens, with a gun:

Here he is along with Sabine Wren and Day 4’s gun:

Christmas Build Up is a bit better on Day 5, with a nice little microscale windmill. However one thing I cannot fathom is why they didn’t put four brown 1×2 plates on the sails (blades) of the windmill. The parts are there in the set after all. Anyway here it is:

The MOC I built on Day 5 with the leftover parts is a fish.

Day 6

Today’s models are a very clever airplane (City), a snowboard and slope to ride on (Friends), and a micro scale First Order Transporter ship (Star Wars). From the Christmas Build-Up we build a ladybug, and I designed a snowman out of the leftover parts.

City’s model is a propeller plane, which resembles a WWII fighter in shape, but not in color. It’s a smart design, with the fuselage consisting mainly of headlight bricks.

Here’s a side/rear view so you can get a better idea how it’s made.

The Friends model is quite simple – two slopes, a 1×2 brick, and a snowboard. Yawn.

On the box, it shows the pug dog using the snowboard on this model, so I’ve posed that here, along with the bunny from Day 3.

The pug was much more successful.

Bunny wants to give it a go on the bigger slope!

Success!

The Star Wars model is a pretty good build. Jay says it’s a First Order Transporter or Atmospheric Assault Lander which featured in The Force Awakens. I saw that movie when it came out, but don’t remember this ship.

For Christmas Build-Up we get to make an adorable ladybug ladybird beetle.

With the leftovers I made a snowman.

Day 7

Today’s calendars offer up the following: a sled (City), a little arch thing for the pug dog (Friends), and a Stormtrooper (Star Wars). The Christmas Build-Up gives us an owl, and I made a snail with the leftover parts.

City gives us a sled. The runners are a bit high off the snow to be of much use though.

Like the little archway for the bunny we got earlier now we have one for the dog.

Star Wars Stormtrooper, with and without helmet (what a sourpuss!):

The owl from Christmas Build-Up is adorable:

With the leftover parts I made a red snail:

Day 8

We’re now a third of the way through the Advent Calendars, and Day 8 gives us grandma with some cookies (City), another sled (Friends), and a box with a gun and a wrench (Star Wars). The Christmas Build-Up model for Day 8 is an igloo, and I built a dragster race car with leftover parts.

City’s model is a nice older lady with some cookies. Mrs. Claus or your grandma? You be the judge.

Sleds seem to be a popular theme in all the calendars. Here’s another one. Or maybe it’s more of a sleigh, as it has an attachment to be pulled.

Every year Star Wars gives us at least one “gun rack” and this year is no exception. We get a box with a wrench in it too. I don’t remember these being prominent features of the movies, but it seems to be very popular among LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar designers.

For Christmas Build-Up we get a little igloo.

With the leftovers I built a dragster. Yeah I know the front wheels aren’t on the ground, but there weren’t a lot of wheel parts to work with in this set.

Note: See Yesterday’s post for instructions to build the Snail.

Day 9

Today’s calendars give us a snow blower (City), a bird with its perch (Friends), and a delightful version of Rey’s speeder from The Force Awakens (Star Wars). In Christmas Build-Up we get a tractor, and I built a dude having breakfast.

City’s model is a snow blower. I’ve never seen one of these in real life because I live in coastal California, but I am led to believe that there are people silly enough to live in places where it snows, and that these people use devices like this to remove snow from their driveways.

Grandma shows how easy it is to operate the snow blower.

Meanwhile over in Friends, we get a little purple birdie.

Star Wars delivers a very good little model of Rey’s Speeder from The Force Awakens.

For Christmas Build-Up we build this tractor. I guess it’s a farm tractor but I suppose it could also be a snow groomer?

My original creation with the leftover parts from Christmas Build-Up is this guy sitting on a bench having coffee and a croissant. See what I mean about them providing way more parts than you need for those tiny little models? See what I mean about them providing way more parts than you need for those tiny little models?

Day 10

Our Day 10 calendars offer up a seaplane (City), a karaoke machine (Friends), and a Force Awakens equivalent of a sand person (Star Wars). The Christmas Build-Up set provides a coffee and a chocolate cupcake under an archway with a wreath, and with leftover parts I built a red and white fighter jet.

So on Day 11 I did the Christmas Build-Up set first, and only after I had built my fighter jet MOC did I open up the advent calendars and see there was another plane in the first one! I love the bright light orange color and the bowed inverse slopes on the bottom. Nice little model.

In Friends, we go in a new direction with what I guess is a karaoke machine or a lectern maybe?

The model from Star Wars is (according to Jay’s Brick Blog) Unkar’s Thug, one of the henchmen from the planet Jakku – since that movie was basically a reboot of the original Star Wars movie, this would be the equivalent of the Sand People I think.

Now over to Christmas Build-Up where Day 11’s model from that 24-in-1 set was a little hearth or archway with a mug and a brown cupcake or other pastry. Chocolate cookie and milk for Santa maybe?

Anyway I used the leftover parts to build a jet fighter plane. Imagine my horror when I saw that the City model for Day 11 was another plane! Still, this is a very different type.

Day 11

Day 11’s Advent calendars provide some of the best models yet – a cute snowman (City), a pastry stand (Friends), and a Luggabeast from The Force Awakens (Star Wars). In Christmas Build-Up we build a little snow chalet, and I used the leftover parts to make a farm tractor.

Today’s City model is a cute little snowman.

Friends gives us a pastry stand. I think we’re trending towards a little holiday fair.

In Star Wars we get to build the Luggabeast–a lovely little model with posable neck, legs, and stubby tail. It’s kind of adorable and a fun build. See Jay’s Brick Blog for more info.

For the Christmas Build-Up set we get a microscale ski chalet, complete with Christmas lights and smoke billowing from the rooftop (one assumes there’s a chimney under there somewhere… I would have put a couple of 1×1 plates to make sure, personally).

Finally, I built a farm tractor with leftover parts from the ski chalet.

Also, I caught up last night & this morning on the instructions for the past few days’ MOCs, so be sure to check them out. Day 8: Dragster; Day 9: Breakfast Dude; Day 10: Jet Fighter.

Day 12

The halfway point is here – have you finished your Christmas shopping and preparations? Day 12 in the LEGO Advent calendars give us a pair of kiosks in City and Friends, and a great little Millennium Falcon model from Star Wars. Today’s Christmas Build-Up model is a biplane, and I built a white puppy dog with the leftover parts.

City and Friends both give us pretty much the same thing – a kiosk selling winter beverages. However the Friends one also includes a carton of milk and a chocolate bar, and it’s got a star on it, so it wins. Here they are photographed separately and together so you can judge for yourself:

The Friends model is also very similar to Day 11’s model. Here they are both together:

The star of Day 12 is the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo’s iconic ship from the original Star Wars trilogy and The Force Awakens. I assume this is the latter version, with the rectangular radar dish on top represented by a cheese slope.

Here’s the rear of the Falcon:

The Christmas Build-Up set for Day 12 is a biplane. It’s got some serious aerodynamic problems with the tail, I must say.

Here’s another
from the side:

And finally my own creation (MOC) for Day 12 is this little white puppy dog.

Here’s the rear view.

Day 13

Today’s City Advent calendar model is a skier; Friends gives us a campfire with two seats and a marshmallow to roast, and the Star Wars model is a First Order Snowspeeder from The Force Awakens. Christmas Build-Up gives us the head of a snowman, and I used the leftover parts to build a little steam train.

The City model is just a minifigure, but she comes with skis and ski poles (plus an extra one), and the printing on her shirt suggests Ski Patrol (though in this universe, I think it’s a branch of the Coast Guard):

The Friends model is a little campfire with two chairs and a marshmallow on a stick. But since both the marshmallow part and the stick part are small parts, we are actually given enough parts to make two marshmallows on sticks!

I didn’t recognize Day 13’s Star Wars model at first, but checking Jay’s Brick Blog I found out that it’s the First Order Snowspeeder which never actually appeared in the final version of the movie! (If you recall when that movie came out, they had done a massive edit just before release, so a lot of the merchandising and the previews featured stuff that never made it into the film as shown in theaters.)

Anyway, on to Christmas Build-Up, where we get the head of a snowman. There’s something creepy about a bodyless snowman (with a brimless hat). The construction is very similar to the ladybug we made on Day 6, using the new 1×1 brick with studs on two adjacent sides. It’s a 5-sided die (the bottom doesn’t have a 2×2 plate), but making a full 6-sided die is easy with this wonderful new element.

With the leftover parts, I built a steam train. The caboose is missing a wheel, I know … the set only comes with 8 1×1 black round tiles officially, and one extra because it’s a small part. I used seven of them for the wheels and two of them in the locomotive cab, so there just weren’t enough. But you can easily find another one if you want to build your own copy. Also, there’s no link between the tender and the grey car, due to the available parts provided in this set, but that’s also pretty easy to fix if you want to expand on this idea.

[Edit] Here are instructions to build the train:

Day 14

Two weeks in, only ten days until Xmas! Today’s Advent calendars give us a container ship from City, another sled trailer from Friends, and a The Force Awakens snowtrooper from Star Wars. The Christmas Build-Up model is a cute little lighthouse, and I used the leftover parts to build a Miniland scale human as a crossing guard.

City’s model is a cute little container ship.

Friends gave us a sled that can be towed behind a snowmobile or something…

I made a little train using models from previous days:

Star Wars’ model is a snowspeeder to go with Day 13‘s cutting-room-floor special.

Here you can see a side by side comparison with the previous stormtrooper from a week ago. It’s the same guy in a different outfit!

Christmas Build-Up makes the shore safe for shipping with this lighthouse:

The ship is getting awfully close though.

Speaking of safety, I used the leftover parts to build a figure of a girl. I had a hard time doing the arms in a realistic way, but then had the brainstorm that she could just be holding a stop sign and be a school crossing guard!

Day 15

The fifteenth Advent Calendar entries are a micro scale fire truck (City), a little mouse (Friends), and a snowblower (Star Wars). From Christmas Build-Up we get a snowy streetlamp decorated for the hoildays, and I made a bat with the leftover parts.

The City model is a clever fire truck, maybe an airport type one due to the shape. I like how they are using the 1×1 round plates with hollow studs for wheels.

Friends gives us another cute animal with a little archway, a mouse. There is a yellow cheese slope to serve as a piece of cheese for the mouse to eat. But since that’s one of the parts LEGO always gives an extra of, there are two cheeses!

All the animals so far got together for a group photo:

Star Wars goes a bit into left field with a snowblower. It’s actually a really intricate build, probably the most complex model from any Advent calendar so far this year. And it’s very strange as this is certainly not from the movies!

The Christmas Build-Up set is a lamppost with a snowy base and Christmas wreaths.

I used the leftover parts to build a MOC of this silly bat.

Day 16

Today in the LEGO Advent Calendar entries we build a little race car (City), a cat with a fish (Friends), and a transport spaceship (Star Wars). From Christmas Build-Up we get some kind of bird – a little turkey perhaps? – and I built a Christmas tree with the remaining parts.

City’s model is a little race car or go-kart.

The Friends entry is just two parts – a cat and a fish.

Star Wars’ model is Krennic s Shuttle from Rogue One, according to Jay’s Brick Blog. It was a pretty intricate build, but I disagree with Jay and think Day 15’s snowblower was trickier.

In the Christmas Build-Up set, we build this nice little bird – a baby turkey perhaps?

And my MOC with the leftover parts is a Christmas tree with some presents. Have you finished your holiday shopping? I haven’t.

Day 17

Day 17 – just one more week to go until the 24th! Day 17’s LEGO City model is a cute little helicopter; in Friends we get a stand for Day 16’s cat to sit on, and the Star Wars is a Rogue One Imperial Officer. Meanwhile, Christmas Build-Up gives us a table wreath with four candles, and I built a wind-up toy robot with the spare parts.

City’s model is this nice little rescue helicopter.

I guess Friends is having a pet show for Christmas this year, and here’s the little platform for Day 16’s kitty:

Today the Rogue One theme continues with this Imperial officer. Jay says that the face is rare and only appeared in a couple of big sets.

Here’s the Christmas Build-Up set, a table wreath with four candles:

My model made with Day 17’s leftover parts is a wind-up toy robot.

Day 18

Day 18 of the LEGO Advent Calendars gives us a helicopter pilot (City), a weird little tower with a party hat and a bow (Friends), and a Y-wing fighter (Star Wars). The Christmas Build-Up model for Day 18 is a hedgehog or some similar little cute animal, and I used the rest of the parts to build Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and a sleigh.

After Day 17’s micro helicopter, we get a woman in a flight suit, with a walkie talkie – or is it a remote control and it’s a drone?

I don’t know what this Friends model is… seems to be some sort of post with a party hat and a bow on it?

Star Wars goes back to the original trilogy and gives us a Y-wing fighter.

Today’s Christmas Build-Up model is a cute little animal – maybe a hedgehog?

I used leftover parts to build Rudolph and a sleigh. It looks a little odd without eyes, but I couldn’t come up with a better way to do it.

Day 19

For the 19th day of the LEGO Advent Calendar, we get a little tree (City), another sled for the snow train (Friends), and a TIE Striker (Star Wars). In Christmas Build-Up we build a weird little penguin, and I made a fire truck with the remaining parts.

The City model is a Christmas tree ready for decorating:

For Friends we get another one of those sleds for the snow train of animals:

Today’s Star Wars model is a TIE Striker from Rogue One:

The Christmas Build-Up model for Day 19 is a very strange bird with two beaks, side by side?? It’s a strange model. I guess it should be a penguin, or maybe an owl? But most birds I know just have one beak.

With leftover parts from the set, I built a micro fire truck:

Day 20

We’re coming into the final stretch! Day 20 gives us a minifigure with a saw (City), another tree (Friends), and an Imperial Assault Hovertank (Star Wars). The Christmas Build-Up model is a steaming mug of hot coca or coffee, and with the leftover parts I built a deer.

Day 19’s City model was a tree, and Day 20 gives us the guy who cut it down.

And in Friends, we get another tree. Almost the same design as Day 19’s City tree, but a little fancier at the top.

The Star Wars model, according to Jay’s Brick blog, is an an Imperial Assault Hovertank from Rogue One

In Christmas Build-Up, we build a mug of hot cocoa or coffee with either a plume of steam or a big pile of whipped cream.

With the leftover parts I built a deer.

[added later] Instructions for the deer:

Day 21

Happy Winter Solstice! From here on out the days are getting longer at last. (Sorry Southern Hermispherians) Today we get an ice angel (City), gifts for the tree (Friends), and an Imperial ground crew member (Star Wars). In Christmas Build-Up we get a SnoCat, and I built a bunny.

City’s build was a surprise. I really like the elements they used for the wings.

Friends gives us some gifts that go well with the tree from Day 20 (though I think that tree could use some more ornaments) The larger box has a removable lid, revealing a gem inside.

Today’s Star Wars model is an Imperial Ground Crew from Rogue One, possibly Kent Deezling (according to Jay’s Brick Blog).

The model from Christmas Build-Up is a Sno-Cat type vehicle used to groom the ski slopes, I think.

I used the remaining parts from the Sno-Cat model to build this bunny. I know, wrong holiday.

Instructions for the bunny:

Day 22

Day 22 gives us a snowmobile (City), a pony (Friends), and an AT-ST Walker (Star Wars). In Christmas Build-Up we get gifts for the tree, and I made a squirrel!

Today’s City model is a nice little snowmobile.

How many little girls have begged for a pony for Christmas? Probably they meant a real one though.

Today’s Star Wars model is recognizable from lots of the movies – Rogue One is probably what they were thinking of, but Empire and Jedi had them too. The AT-ST (All Terrain Scout Transport) walker. It’s a very nice little model that captures the essence of the original well.

Christmas Build-Up is fairly basic on Day 22: just some gifts for under the tree.

But that left tons of great parts which I used to make a squirrel!

Day 23

The penultimate entries of this year’s City, Friends, & Star Wars Advent calendars are a trio of sleighs, and in Christmas Build-Up a Christmas tree; I made a black bird MOC with the leftover parts.

The first of the three sleighs is in City, and it can be towed by Day 22’s snowmobile:

Similarly we get another one in Friends, that can be towed by Day 22’s pony:

In Star Wars we get a self-propelled one:

Today’s Christmas Build-Up model is a Christmas tree:

With remaining parts, I built a MOC of a black bird:

Day 24

Christmas Eve gives us the final installment of this year’s Advent Calendars and Christmas Build-Up sets. Today’s models are very Santa Claus themed, of course… a traditional Santa (City), a Santa-themed snowman (Friends), and BB-8 with a Santa hat (Star Wars). In Christmas Build-Up we build another Santa, and I built a second snowman MOC.

All three models feature the identical Santa Claus hat. City’s Santa is pretty standard, though the torso and face have some nice details.

Here he is riding the snowmobile and sleigh from the previous two days:

In Friends we get this snowman with a Santa hat.

The pony and sleigh can pull this one as well:

Meanwhile BB-8 comes with his own transportation, a snowboard. I guess there are some places a rolling droid can’t go without some help…

In Christmas Build-Up, we get a brick-built Santa.

The weird thing about this one is that the face is attached using a single Technic pin, allowing it to rotate freely. This is a very curious choice, given that no other model during the whole Christmas Build-Up series used those parts, and there are plenty of better SNOT parts in the kit that you could use to attach it which would not allow it to rotate freely as this one does.

Anyway with the leftover parts, I built a snowman. Now I know I built one in Day 6, and they provided a snowman head in Day 13, but I think this is a better design. Which do you prefer?

Well that does it for this year’s Advent Calendars and Christmas Build-Up models. I hope you enjoyed reading the series and if you got these sets for yourself, I hope you enjoyed building them. Merry Christmas!

Recap

Here’s an overview of what we found in this year’s City, Friends, and Star Wars LEGO Advent Calendars.

I’ll start with the leftovers. Every LEGO set gives you some extra parts of the smaller elements. LEGO sets are packed by weight, and to make sure they haven’t accidentally shorted you on the parts, they give an extra one of the lightest-weight elements. Also I bet these are the ones kids are most likely to lose. In any case, when you have 24 x 3 = 72 models there end up being quite a few of these small parts:

Now turning to the actual models we built, first City:

We built eight micro models:

There were six minifigs:

And here are the rest of the models:

Here’s all the Friends models:

There was just one human figure, but six animals (seven if you include the fish). I guess the theme is Heartlake City Winter Pet Show.

There were a number of sleds built, and several could join together to make a snow train, plus one could be towed by the pony:

Here’s the final Star Wars haul:

We built eleven micro vehicles from the Star Wars universe:

There are eight minifigures, if you count BB-8:

And here’s the rest of the Star Wars models.

That does it for this year’s models. Hope you enjoyed following along, and enjoyed your winter holiday(s). The New Year is just a few days away!