Tis the Season: A Christmas Top Ten List
Christmas Puzzle Week #1
Our theme on the blog this week is Christmas puzzles. Yup, it’s that time of year! There are so many great Christmas puzzles on the market, and a lot of new ones this year too. This week I reviewed “Christmas Village” by Buffalo Games and “A Girl’s Stocking” by Sunsout. And now for my top picks in Christmas puzzles this year….
My criteria was: a) it can be any puzzle still in print, b) it must be available for US distribution at Puzzle Warehouse, c) I want to cover a range of piece count, brands, and art styles in my list, and d) even though it’s a “top ten” list I can have as many as I want! lol
Okay. Let’s get started.
21. “Christmas Eve in New York City” by Dominic Davison, Eurographics — 1000 pieces
If you like snowy landscapes, this lovely one from Dominic Davison may fit the bill. The soft colors are gorgeous (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
20. “Homeward Bound” by Terry Redlin — White Mountain, 1000 pieces
Another wonderful landscape artist is Terry Redlin. This peaceful snowy scene showing a family bringing home the tree on a sleigh is my favorite of his Christmas-themed puzzles. (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
19. “Cookie Cutouts” — Springbok, 2000 pieces
This puzzle wins the “most challenging” spot on this list. It’s 2000 pieces and all those similar cookies arrayed around the image will be quite tricky to piece together! (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
18. “Holiday Candy” — Cobble Hill, 500 pieces
Similar in theme to the puzzle above, but with a smaller piece count, and even more devious repeating pattern, this yummy-looking puzzle from Cobble Hill will be tricky! (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
17. “Christmas Ornaments”, Eurographics – 1000 pieces
This is my favorite Christmas puzzle in the collage category. The wooden box gives it a rustic flair, and there are so many different objects and ornaments to piece together. (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
16. “Christmas Village” by Nicky Boehme, Buffalo Games — 750 pieces
This is a lovely Americana/nostalgia scene from Nicky Boehme. I loved piecing it together thanks to the panoramic shape and the soft colors. (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.) READ MY REVIEW HERE.
15. “Getting Ready for Christmas” by Steve Crisp, Eurographics– 1000 pieces
This is a brand new image just released. I have done several ‘cut away house’ designs by Steve Crisp and enjoyed them. This one looks really fun with the pink/purple colors and lots of Christmas tropes. (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
14. “Christmas Chaos” by Francois Ruyer — Piatnik, 1000 pieces
If you like cartoon puzzles, you probably already know about the brilliant Ruyer puzzles from Piatnik. They’ve released a number of them with Christmas themes. This is my favorite. You can see more of Piatnik’s Ruyer Christmas puzzles here. (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
13. “A Christmas Carol” by Bill Bell, Sunsout — 1000 pieces
Besides being a fan of jigsaw puzzles, I also like to read, so I’m fond of the few jigsaw puzzles I’ve found that have a literary theme. This one also has a cartoony style by the brilliant Bill Bell and tons of separate vignettes in a collage style. I love it! (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
12. “Santa’s Big Night” by RJ McDonald, White Mountain — 1000 pieces
I love the two RJ McDonald Christmas collage puzzles from White Mountain. I particularly enjoy puzzles like this that have separate vignettes because it’s like putting together a collection of mini-puzzles. (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.) Also see “Merry Christmas to All“, a similar collage by RJ McDonald. READ MY REVIEW HERE.
11. “And to All A Good Night” by Springbok Puzzles, Springbok — 400 pieces
The advent calendar numbers at the bottom and top of this puzzle look like so much fun to assemble! This would be a terrific family puzzle to do in a short session, maybe while decorating the tree? (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
10. “Christmas Carolers” by Springbok Puzzles, Springbok — 1000 pieces
This is my favorite Springbok this year. I prefer painted scenes to photographed images and the brightly-colored houses and carolers look fun to assemble. (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
9. “Santa’s Ready”, Ravensburger — 1000 pieces
This is the limited edition Ravensburger available in the US this year. There are so many small details in this puzzle, from the miniature elves to all the litle toys. The green and red color scheme is fun and oh so Christmassy. Note: I’ve been unable to find the name of the artist. (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
8. “Christmas Tree Farm” and “Snowman Celeration” Randy Wollenmann, Vermont Christmas Company — 1000 or 500 pieces
This year I discovered artist Randy Wollenmann. He has done quite a few puzzles with Vermont Christmas Company. I like his art style, which is painterly but has a bit of a cartoon puzzle feel too. One of my favorites is this pretty scene of a busy Christmas Tree farm. (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
If you prefer smaller piece counts, “Snowman Celebration”, below, is a similar puzzle in 500 pieces.
7. “A Girl’s Stocking” and “A Boy’s Stocking” by Liz Goodrick Dillon, Sunsout — 800 pieces each
I love these two stocking-shaped puzzles and the quiet, intimate scenes by the Christmas tree they depict. “A Girl’s Stocking” rated very highly in our recent review. If you want extra challenge, try mixing the two bags of puzzle pieces together! (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
6. “Small Town Christmas” by Charles Wysocki, Buffalo Games — 1000 pieces
For my money, this is still Buffalo’s best Christmas Wysocki. I love the quaint village, the interesting shape of the tree, and all the small objects throughout the image. Just a great classic Americana puzzle. (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
5. “Whistle Stop Christmas” by Charles Wysocki, Buffalo Games — 500 pieces
If you’re looking for a smaller piece count, this Christmas Wysocki is brilliant. You can practically feel the crisp air in the setting and each character is delightful. (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
4. “Christmas Fayre” by Tony Ryan, Gibsons — 1000 pieces
In the category of British Nostalgia, and from the wonderfully deluxe Gibsons puzzles, we have “Christmas Fayre”. What a beautiful image this is, with the soft golden lights and all the activity at a Christmas market. (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
3. “Christmas Cuckoo” by Randy Wollenmann (1000 pieces), Vermont Christmas Company
This is probably still my favorite Christmas puzzle from Vermont Christmas Company. I love the unusual concept and it was exceptionally fun to put together. (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.)
2. “Wasgij Christmas #12: The Big Turn On” by James Alexander, Jumbo — 1000 pieces
I really look forward to the Wasigj Christmas puzzles. In this puzzle you are not assembling the image below but a 180 degree camera turn — in other words, you assemble the scene the people are looking at. It’s a little more challenging than a regular puzzle and such a treat to see the final image (sort of like unwrapping a present). (Click on the image below to see the puzzle on Puzzle Warehouse.
1. “Forest Christmas” by Laurie Cook, Sunsout — 1000 pieces
It’s tough to pick a number one. Comparing these puzzles is akin to comparing crisp, juicy apples versus plump and luscious oranges. They’re all good! But my personal favorite is “Forest Christmas”. Let me count the ways. First, it’s shaped like a Christmas tree. Second, I love the nature theme with the birds, fawn, and bunny. Third, those cute little bird houses look fun to assemble. And fourth, it looks challenging at 1000 pieces with all those green needles and red birds. I hope to review this puzzle later this year, so we’ll see how tough it is.
Did I miss your favorite Christmas puzzle, old or new? Please let us know in the comments section!
Jane
