Designed with collaboration in mind, the festive LEGO 41843 Family Christmas Tree invites families and friends to build together. With split instruction booklets, modular sub-builds, and clever engineering, the set allows for simultaneous progress, turning construction into a shared experience. In our house, that meant an all-hands-on-deck build session with both kids and grown-ups chipping in for a bricktacular afternoon of holiday fun. Packed with whimsical minifigures, hidden play features, and a finished design that’s perfect for display or imaginative play, this is a set that brings holiday magic to the table in more ways than one.
LEGO Family 41843| 3172 Pieces | Available October 1 to Insiders, Oct 4 to all |US $329.99 | CAN $379.99 | UK £269.99
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
Unboxing and contents
The box is overly large and festively red, leaving a cheerful first impression that sets the tone for what’s inside. The front showcases the fully assembled set surrounded by its many minifigures, with a small inset teasing a hidden play feature—the tree opens! A Group icon indicates the set can be enjoyed by 1–6 builders, and based on our experience, that’s a fair suggestion. Our family of four started strong, but by the final stretch it was just the two adults finishing up, not uncommon for builds of this size, and a reminder that some sections may require adult guidance for younger builders.
The sides of the box offer a peek at the interior layout of the tree when opened, though it’s easy to miss until you’re further into the build and uncover it for yourself. On the back, the set is shown both fully assembled and in play mode, with a family interacting around it. There’s also an overhead shot of the set being built using the LEGO Builder App — a feature that wasn’t yet available during our build but will be part of the “Build Together” experience. One detail that caught us by surprise: the tree can be partially disassembled to be stored neatly back in the box. That clever bit of design makes the box’s generous 14¾ in. x 18⅜ in. x 8 in. size feel purposeful rather than excessive.
The two-piece nesting box design doubles as a storage tray, keeping things organized during the build. Inside you’ll find 24 numbered bags (a subtle advent calendar nod), a sticker sheet, and an envelope with six instruction booklets, plus an extra guide for disassembly and storage. While the bags were clearly labeled, we were a bit let down to find they were still of the clear plastic variety. Curiously, some of the smaller parts were in paper sleeves, an inconsistent but welcome sign of LEGO’s shift toward sustainable packaging.
Each instruction booklet clearly outlines which section of the tree it covers and illustrates the corresponding bag numbers, making it easy to divide the build among multiple participants. Each section includes at least one minifigure to assemble, a major motivator in our house when it came to choosing who built what. The first booklet opens with a few pages of marketing content highlighting LEGO’s sustainability initiatives, the Rebuild the World campaign, and the LEGO Builder App. After that, it jumps right into the build, fittingly beginning with Santa himself. The remaining booklets skip the promos and begin directly with their respective minifigures. Delightfully, each booklet uses its featured minifigure as a progress tracker along the bottom of the pages.
In addition to the six glossy instruction manuals, there’s a thinner disassembly and storage guide that is noticeably less durable. I recommend storing it in a protective sleeve for posterity, especially if you plan to repack the set after the holidays. It includes a few repeated images from the box art, eight pages of disassembly instructions, and a six-page parts inventory.
The Minifigures
The set comes with seven seasonal minifigures, two holiday themed plush toys, one reindeer, and a minibuild of LEGO’s very own seasonal mascot, Cataclaws. First up is the big man himself, Santa with a medium nougat colored sack as an accessory.
Next up are two cheeky elves, each with exclusive torso prints sure to delight Winter Village and Space fans. The skiing elf comes geared with gold poles, medium azure skis, and a reddish-brown helmet with white face mask. Their double-sided torso features a new elf uniform print, complete with a candy cane-striped belt, and the head offers two expressions: cheerful or mischievous. Their short legs are a standard red.
The space elf comes equipped with a classic space helmet and air tanks, newly recolored in bright green! The torso features a double-sided Christmas jumper with the classic scene of Santa’s Sleigh alight in the sky crossing the classic space moon. On the back is a more traditional holiday pattern of trees and snowflakes. Their head is single sided and their short legs are standard green.
Mrs. Claus arrives in a familiar red dress with white piping; the torso is a reused print, but her skirt now features an updated dark red underskirt. Her dual-sided head and white hairpiece are also reused. She carries a clever piping bag (charming NPU) likely meant for decorating the micro gingerbread house. (LEGO missed an opportunity to reuse the printed plate from the CMF Series 23 Holiday Elf here.)
Upping the fun factor, the octo-elf wears a harness that gives him four extra “hands.” His dual-sided torso matches the skiing elf’s, but his red short legs, head, and elf-eared hat are reused. His standout accessory is a snowman-themed plush toy. I can hear the LEGO plushie collectors squealing with joy—our daughter sure did!
Next is Heart Eyes Elf whose green short legs and elf hat are reused, but whose torso features a new dual-sided “Cataclaws” jumper—a purr-fect addition. Their accessory, a new white drink-patterned stein, raises the question: milk or eggnog?
Heart-eyes is accompanied by Santa’a sleigh, pulled by a standard LEGO reindeer.
LEGO wraps things up with a gift for Castle fans: the Elf Knight. Equipped with a present-themed shield and a bright green recolor of the classic barrel helm, this minifig practically begs for an elf army to be assembled if these parts hit Pick-a-Brick. The dual-sided torso is new and color-matched to the shield, while the head and red short legs are reused.
Last but not least is the Cataclaws minibuild, which is equal parts clever and slightly unsettling. Its head, body, and tail are expertly sculpted, but the printed tile eyes and cheese slope mouth give it an odd expression. We’re curious to see if anyone finds a way to make that mouth feel more organic.
Family Build
As mentioned in the introduction, I shared this build experience with my family, so the review format is a collection of feedback acquired by everyone throughout their build process.
This set is thoughtfully divided into six instruction booklets, allowing multiple builders to work in unison. Booklet 1 covers the tree’s base (bags 1–4), while Booklet 2 constructs the central support column (bags 5–9). Booklets 3 and 4 tackle the lower right and lower left sections respectively (bags 10–17), with mirrored sub-assemblies that feature distinct finishing details. Booklet 5 builds the upper right quadrant (bags 18–20), and Booklet 6 mirrors it on the left side, culminating in the final top section. A tip for those building with children: during the mirrored sections, pair an adult and child on each side. That way, the adult can help troubleshoot more easily, having firsthand experience with the same build.
After allowing our favorite minifig to dictate which section we would tackle, we grabbed our first bags from the box and spread out around our oblong table. When building the tree sections in particular, it’s important to allow plenty of space between builders and their bricks, as there is an overlap in elements in several of the bags.
After each bag we would “debrief” to see how everyone was feeling about their section. The set is labeled 9+ and we collectively agreed that younger builders may struggle with the complexity of this build. We are a very LEGO-centric family, I would rate my kids as well versed in regards to building LEGO, however there were points where adult intervention was necessary.
My 10-year-old son, who is colorblind, took on the base of the build. He really appreciated the use of brightly contrasting interior bricks, which helped him distinguish parts more easily and gave him confidence while working through this highly technical section. That said, this portion demands focus, so we had to occasionally remind him to slow down and double-check placement.
A heads-up for anyone tackling this section: Step 137 can be tricky. The visual angle in the instructions is partially blocked by surrounding minibuilds within the base, making it easy to misplace a tile if you’re not careful.
My 10-year-old daughter, who’s enjoys playing slightly more than building, took on the lower left section of the tree. She encountered several unfamiliar techniques, but fortunately, I was building the mirrored right side at the same time and could easily monitor her progress and step in when needed. She was delighted by the minibuilds that make up what we referred to as the toy factory.
The archway assembly proved especially challenging, and the placement of the larger leaf elements became a point of frustration. By the middle of Bag 17, she passed the build off to Dad. We all agreed this section starts out kid-friendly but ramps up in technical difficulty as you build the enclosing tree sections.
As noted above, I handled the lower right section of the tree, comprising of the kitchen and entry, which mirror-builds the opposite side my daughter worked on. For experienced builders, this symmetry makes the process feel intuitive and smooth. I especially enjoyed tiling the angled floor and was impressed by how cleverly the hinged branch support opens to reveal the interior play area.
That said, attaching this section to the central support structure is a challenge. The dense branching, while visually stunning in the final model, significantly limits visibility and makes aligning the connection points quite finnicky.
My husband took on the central support structure and found the instructions clear and well-paced, even when it came to the more complex step of attaching it to the base. Of note, the internal gearing integrates seamlessly with the mechanism in the base to power two key features: a functioning clock face on the lower level and a rotating holiday tree above.
He especially appreciated the clever use of color-coded tiling (green and orange) to distinguish the orientation of each side during final assembly. As with other parts of the build, the symmetrical design made the process feel logical. However, attaching the upper level proved challenging as the section needs to be perfectly alighted or the sections will not connect.
At this point, a quick glance at the clock revealed we’d been building for nearly two and a half hours, so we decided to pause for the evening. The following day, my husband and I picked up where we left off, with the twins jumping in here and there to lend a hand.
We found the arcade and Santa’s command center delightful builds that sparked a desire to play before we even finished.
The red and orange bulb lights brought smiles to our faces, we can’t wait to order more when they hit Pick-A-Brick!
Wrapping up the final sections took just over an hour and a half and offered plenty of delights to push through to the finish line.
The finished model
The finished model is stunning and will invoke serious nostalgia for people of a certain age. It’s resemblance to the iconic ceramic holiday tree from the 1970s is so strong I pulled mine out of storage just to photograph them side by side. The similarity is uncanny, and likely intentional. Add in the classic train circling the base, a holiday tradition dating back to the early 1900s, and you’ve got a display piece that feels both timeless and magical. This nostalgic showpiece deserves a place upon the fireplace mantel—if you can get it away from your kids!
With its unique hinged design, offering opportunities for parallel play from both sides, it’s as much a playset as it is a festive decoration. From the cozy living quarters, Santa’s command center, the elves’ workshop, and the festive rec room, there’s no shortage of imaginative storylines waiting to unfold within its branches. The whimsical minifigures—from the busy elves to the delightfully new holiday plush toy accessories—bring charm and character to every corner. Like the best holiday gifts, this set is something your child will love opening up again and again.
Conclusion
A beautifully engineered blend of nostalgia, playability, and holiday charm — this set is as fun to build as it is to display. LEGO really gave families a gift with this set. From the whimsical minifigures to the hidden play features tucked within its branches, this set captures the joy and wonder of the holidays. It’s both a playful build and a beautiful display piece, bringing people together the way the best traditions do: one brick at a time.
LEGO Family 41843 Family Christmas Tree contains 3172 Pieces and is available October 1 to Insiders, Oct 4 to all for US $329.99 | CAN $379.99 | UK £269.99. You may also be able to find it from third-party retailers on Amazon and eBay.