For many years, LEGO® bricks have been used to celebrate seasonal moments. One such occasion is Christmas. Over the years, the festive period has been commemorated with small novelties, including scenes and decorations. Ever-growing festive displays have been shaped with the beloved Winter Village sets, and the countdown to Christmas has been marked with a range of brick-filled Advent Calendars. This year has seen the LEGO Group step up their Christmas offerings with a range of new sets, including the first-ever large-scale Christmas set. The Family Christmas Tree offers a buildable mini tree decoration filled with festive scenes and unique minifigures. Here’s a closer look at the largest ever LEGO Christmas set.
Product Details
Set Name: Family Christmas Tree Decoration | Set Number: 41843 | Pieces: 3171 | Theme: Family
Number of Bags: Bags x 24 | Stickers: sheet x 1 | Characters: Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus & 5 elves, a reindeer figure, snowman & reindeer ‘cuddly toys’ plus a brick-built Cataclaws
RRP: £269.99/$329.99/299.99€/499.99AUD/379.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores & LEGO Online
The construction of the set is an experience in itself. It’s one of the many sets which multiple people can build at the same time. Either by using the set’s multiple instruction booklets or via the LEGO Builder app, where the build is augmented for up to six builders using multiple devices. It’s also handily split across 24 bags, so you could use the set as a way to count down to Christmas. It’s not just the run-up to Christmas which has been covered by the set. You can also easily dismantle the set and store it in the box. It even includes a mini box to store the minifigures. So you can put the set away and bring it out each year.
The build begins with the base, a small box-like section that houses a small gear system, which powers various moving elements found further up the tree. The base features four tyre-topped feet, which give it extra stability and grip. The section which forms the core of the tree includes several fun scenes. In the base is a train, which moves when the central column is rotated.
Above the base section is Mrs Claus’s kitchen, and on the same level but over on the opposite side is the toy workshop. Moving to the next level, you’ll find a room housing ‘The Santa Computer’, which is used to manage Santa’s festive deliveries. Next door is a room used by the elves to unwind with arcade machines. Many of the details in each of these rooms are achieved with stickers, and they all add an extra level of fun to the set, which is continued with the set’s minifigures.
Compared to the interior of the tree, the exterior foliage is quite muted. The dark green leaf elements are dotted with pearlescent studs and the odd red bow. Some of the leaves also feature red and orange spheres. It’s still quite festive, but as the set’s minifigures and interior section are so fun and colourful, it seems a shame the outside of it doesn’t match that level of fun. But just like a real tree, you can add your own decorations.
Santa has appeared in minifigure form many times, and over the years, his design has been tweaked and improved. It’s at the point where there is little else to be done to improve or change him. So Santa doesn’t offer anything unique. Mrs Claus has been less prevalent compared to her husband, but this version matches her design from last year’s LEGO City Advent Calendar. Again, there is very little you can do to change her design.
The fabled reindeer makes a return after being introduced in the Santa’s Sleigh set from 2021. It’s once again pulling a sleigh, but it’s much smaller than the 2021 set. It must be Santa’s weekend runaround for when he only has a handful of gifts to deliver. It’s a nice addition to the set and ties into the story it’s telling. However, it’s not physically connected to the set. I’d love to have seen it mounted to the tree, maybe flying around it. A similar thing could be said about another of the set’s separate buildable elements.
Last year, you may have seen the LEGO Christmas campaign featuring a brick-built cat known as Cataclaws. The festive feline is back for 2025 and features in the set as a buildable character. It’s a good attempt at recreating the cat on a smaller scale, but its face is all wrong. It’s lacking a nose, and it’s odd without one. A simple sticker could have remedied this issue.
Elves have appeared in several sets, with many following a similar design to the character included in the Series 11 collectable minifigures. Those included in this set are a little more varied. One sports a Doc Ock-style set of arms to help in the production of toys. Another is in ski gear. But it’s the other three elves who are the most fun. One has a Cataclaw-themed torso. Another is wearing a Classic Space-themed sweater, which offers a festive twist on the iconic logo. This elf is also sporting a green helmet and air tanks. The final elf is a Castle fan and includes a suitably festive-tinged torso and shield.
The set could be described as a mash-up of a Winter Village and Botanicals set. When the tree is enclosed, it simply looks like a mini LEGO tree with the unique green leaves dotted with simple decorations. But once it’s opened up, you’re greeted with some fun little festive scenes, which are complemented by the gang of minifigures. I love the fact that it can be easily split apart and stored in its box. It is certainly a set which you can get out and display every year. Its stumbling block for some will be its price point. It’s another expensive set, but I guess it could be considered an investment if you plan on integrating it into your yearly festive displays. Thankfully, if this set is out of your price range, some of the other equally unique Christmas novelties are a little less costly. I’ve had the privilege to build several of the larger sets released over the last few months, including the infamous Death Star, and the Family Christmas Tree is by far my favourite. It certainly offers something unique and makes a wonderful display piece.
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The LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz.com for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Marvel. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
