The joy of multiples

A short while ago I called to order the LEGO Castle Advent Calendar and the friendly customer service representative asked if I wanted one or two sets. I ordered one; but have since been rethinking my decision.

With each set built, there comes a dilemma, display or play? Invariably, all but a few sets are going to be broken up or scavenged for parts. In some respects, our living room has become a gallery with rotating exhibits. Except instead of being sold to collectors or taken back by the artist, a bumbling mover (in this case me) takes the LEGO equivalent of a sledgehammer (a brick separator) to what my wife or I have built and separates it into parts. Many a minifig has woken up in a bathtub filled with ice, his torso or head scavenged for another project.

All of this comes back to the original question of purchasing one set versus multiple sets. While you can stock up specific colors or parts if you buy in bulk, you can also eliminate the choice of having to play or display. If you buy two, you can have both, and who knows what you could do with three...