Set Name: Santa’s Visit
Set Number: 10293
Pieces: 1445
MSRP: $99.99/CA$139.99/AU$169.99/£89.99

Why I Bought this Set

I was waiting for several online-ordered holiday sets to arrive when I went to the LEGO store in early October. That’s when I spotted the built Santa’s visit on display (see below), and my eyes lit up. It was my first time seeing a fully built Lego set I wanted to buy, and the experience was far superior to browsing online. I could see and appreciate the design. I sent a picture to my mum and friend, and they both told me to get it immediately. I knew it would make an excellent Christmas decoration, so I didn’t hesitate.

The Build

Alas, as this was one of my first sets, I don’t have the best pictures showing the evolution of the build. What I do have were those sent via text to show my progress and some excellent features I discovered throughout the build. Below are the pictures I took from the LEGO store on that fateful October day. It comes in 18+ style packaging, which I find gorgeous, and makes the product feel luxurious.

The house has 9 build stages which are described in a 176-page manual. The mailbox and tree add-ons have a single building stage and use a separate, smaller, 52-page booklet to guide you through their builds.

I decided to start with the mini-builds before tackling the main house. I’ll admit, I’m not sure why there are these little side builds in sets like these. It doesn’t add anything to the home and feels awkward when displaying the elements together.

Regardless, the first minifig in the set is a happy chap with a lovely scarf and letter accessories. The fence is well-designed, with snow detail, and arches make good snow mounds too.

Next was the toys, which I thoroughly enjoyed making. The trumpet was a molded piece, but the rocket was a brilliant little build. To finish off the gifts, bricks and jumpers were decorated with solid and flower studs.

Finally, I built a very cool Christmas tree constructed with layers of clear transparent plate so that when the light brick is activated by pushing down the top of the tree, it lights up! I am thrilled with this effect. It works very well. I wish there was a way to keep it on, but then again, I suppose the battery would drain quickly.

Onto the house and the base is the first part of the construction. It’s substantial and split into three sections – kitchen, dining area, and lounge. This was my first time seeing fire elements, and I was charmed by them. It is so simple yet effective.

With some walls, you can see the building starting to take shape. I adore the blue of this building, and it looks stunning against the light grey bricks. The clever kitchen details blow me away – the loaf of bread, mixer, and oven with a frying pan are instantly recognizable. The jumpers on the floor make minifigure positioning easier and customizable. I like the checkered design of the floor as well.

Rendering the walls of the first floor added brown window frames and a matching door. Green and red elements added decorations to the exterior too. Finally, the chimney has started to take shape – which will be how Santa visits once the build is complete. Including a bird and a second minifigure helps bring life to the building. I’ve included a picture with Raven, for scale, of course.

Quickly, the interior of the house started to take shape. First, there is an elegant table in front of the door, and it benefits from a vaulted ceiling to remain the house’s focus. The table is gorgeous, decorated with a red table runner, a couple of candles, and two mugs. The chairs are luxurious, with both bottom and back cushions. I would not object to having my Christmas dinner at a table like this.

This house has one bedroom, and with the space decorations, it is most suited to a child. I appreciate the way the desk has a list for Santa, and there are stairs clipped to the side, so you can walk up there.

With more of the chimney constructed, the mantle could be decorated too. First, a sticker element is used to make a family photo hanging high over the fireplace. The family looks so happy. On the mantle is a lovely clock stickered tile and two candles. Finally, no Christmas fireplace scene would be complete without some stockings! While the stockings might be simple in design and parts, they are visually stunning and recognizable. The lounge area has a couch and a table with a drink and cookies for Santa.

The exterior of the kitchen was finished in this phase too. The roof is constructed from two panels, held with hinges, creating a v-shape. Over the window, two bells add a further sprinkle of Christmas delight to the building.

The main roof is made from slanted white plates held in place with brackets. While most of the top does not open, the section over the bedroom does pull outward to allow for complete access, thus playability, to that area. Each roof element is finished off with white tile to give the effect of freshly collected snow.

Above the dining table is a small attic area home to a secret present. This reminds me of my childhood – as my parents would hide gifts in the attic – so my storytelling will be that the parents are keeping something special for Christmas morning. The child minifigure is dressed in pajamas, so she’s excited to open Santa’s presents. A final interior element is a hanging light over the table that nicely fills the empty space.

The front of the house looks spectacular, with the snow roofs, garland framing the central roof, the winter tree, and a snowman. The attention to detail on this build is evident. The brickwork on the chimney adds textures, mixing up masonry bricks and some light grey pieces. To complete the exterior, snow elements are placed to top off the chimney. Santa is ready to slide down the chimney with his sack of presents in hand!

Set Review

This is my favorite Christmas set that you can buy in stores in 2022. It gets such a ranking due to its striking exterior, interior design, and aesthetics. The set screams winter with snow-covered roofs, trees, and snowmen.

Unlike Holiday Main Street, this building feels refined and finished. The extra mini-builds go with the house, though I would ideally have the Christmas tree inside the house for Santa to put the presents under. I wonder if the set was designed this way to allow for maximum individuality, as many builders make winter displays/villages.

Overall, this set looks and feels like a premium product that you will want to display year after year. The storytelling writes itself with a Santa, two adults, and a child minifigures. The color and decorative choices are spot on, and there is nothing obvious lacking from this set.

Ratings

Build: 5/5
Santa’s visit is a marvelous build. The base is a quick process to put together, and you’re immediately into kitting out the interior with many details. There aren’t any repetitive build elements, so you are constantly invigorated. There is a good mix of fine detailing (such as the stockings and the garlands) and more significant elements (the roofs and chimney) to satisfy all building preferences.

Display: 5/5
This is an attractive set – even for non-Lego fans. The house’s exterior is stunning and instantly recognizable as a holiday set. It works fantastically as an individual display piece or can be incorporated into a winter display. While it is called Santa’s visit, it would be easy to modify this build to remove the Christmas elements and be left with a winter holiday home if that suits your purposes better.

The interior is fantastic to look at, too, highlighted by the vaulted ceilings that allow all the details to be displayed. The simple mezzanine bedroom does obscure the kitchen, so some of the beautiful elements there are a little lost, such as the loaf of bread and sink, but they are visible.

This set is a piece that looks fantastic from either side, and not many sets can boast that attribute.

Price: 5/5
Unlicensed sets will always be a better value, and with a PPP of under 7 cents, you are getting a lot for your money. Besides the structural bricks, you get plenty of decorative pieces, e.g., leaves, flowers, cookies, mugs, four minifigures, and a bird. I may not be an experienced builder, but I can’t see an obvious place where the expense was spared. The few sticker elements do not bother me, as they are small and easy to place.

Besides the main house, you also get a tree with a light brick surrounded by mini builds to create toys and presents. Along with the fence with a letter box mini build, there is everything you need in the set to make a winter scene and bring festive joy to any room.

Final Thoughts

I love this set, and it is my favorite of all the winter builds I created in 2022. I admire detail, which drew me to LEGO initially, and this build delivered on that in droves. I also appreciate the technic elements to create the slanted roofs.

The playability is immense, too and Santa being able to fit down the chimney is a good gimmick compared to the elves’ bed’s tipping in the Elf Club House from 2020.

Mostly, though, I enjoy looking at the build. The exterior takes my mind directly into a winter movie, and the interior fills me with child-like Christmas morning glee.

If you want a winter/Christmas Lego set, this is the one I’d recommend picking up first.

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