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Top Ten Merry & Bright: Christmas Puzzles 2017

It’s December 17th. Have you been holidaying yet? I have been knee deep in holiday movies, Christmas card and gift prepping, decorating, and snow shoveling here in Pennsylvania. So it definitely feels like Christmas. I had fun putting together my top picks of the Christmas puzzles available this year. The top ten list (which is 14 items long!) includes puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse. At the end of the post I’ll go over some of the awesome European Christmas puzzlesRead more
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Review: “Christmas Traditions” by Pinkerton Road & Lena Pigareva, White Mountain 9.5/10

Publisher: White Mountain (US), published 2017 Title:  “Christmas Traditions” by Pinkerton Road & Lena Pigareva, 1000 pieces pieces Finished size: 24″ x 30″ (1000 pieces) OUR RATING: 9.5/10 It’s that time of year, time for a Christmas puzzle glut. I was super excited to get my hands on this brand new Christmas puzzle from White Mountain. Let’s take a look! Box Quality:  (9/10) The box front is shown above. The front shows the image, the puzzle title, and the piece count. The box size is roughlyRead more
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Review: “Santa’s List” by Randy Wollenmann, Vermont Christmas Company 8.75/10

Publisher: Vermont Christmas Company (US), published 2014 Title:  “Santa’s List” by Randy Wollenmann, 1000 pieces Finished size: 30″ x 24″ OUR RATING: 8.75/10 You say it’s not even Thanksgiving? Psah! I was in the mood for a Christmas puzzle this week, so why not? I decided to do a Randy Wollenmann from Vermont Christmas Company. I’ve become a big fan of Randy Wollenmann puzzles and it’s astonishing how many great ones he has out now with VCC. See the end of thisRead more

POTM Review: “A Christmas Greeting” by Charles Wysocki, Buffalo Games 9/10

Publisher: Buffalo Games (US), published 2017 Size: 1000 pieces  Title:  “A Christmas Greeting”  Finished size: 26.75″ x 19.75″ OUR RATING: 9/10 Puzzle of the Month: November 2017 This is the Puzzle Warehouse “PUZZLE OF THE MONTH” for November 2017. So if you are in the POTM club (click here to check it out), you will be getting this selection with no effort required on your part. For those who want to order the puzzle, you can direct order it here. Box Quality:Read more
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Review: Halloween Barn Dance by Randy Wollenmann, Vermont Christmas Company 9.25/10

Publisher: Vermont Christmas Company (US), published 2017 Title:  “Halloween Barn Dance” by Randy Wollenmann, 1000 pieces Finished size: 30″ x 24″ OUR RATING: 9.25/10 Last week I posted my “Top 13 for Halloween list”. At the top of my list was this puzzle, “Halloween Barn Dance”. I’m a fan of Randy Wollenman’s hand-painted holiday scenes, especially his Halloween and Christmas images. Last year I reviewed “Halloween Town” and loved it and this year “Halloween Barn Dance” is a brand new image inRead more
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Review: “Dogs on a Bench” by Interlitho Licensing, Vermont Christmas Company – 8/10

If you or someone you love liked dogs, you might want to consider this lovely puzzle from Vermont Christmas Company. It comes in a larger 1000 piece size, and its challenging to find pet puzzles in this adult size. The scene is soft and appealing with blues, pinks, and, of course, lots of gorgeous canines! The puzzle is of easy difficulty and took me three sessions to complete. The Vermont Christmas Company quality is good with hard, solid pieces. The cut is mostly a grid cut, but not all edges line up and some sides have wavy and diagonal edges. There is some glare under overhead lights due to a glossy surface. Assembly is fun but be prepared for a lot of dog fur in white, brown, and black.Read more
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Review: “Christmas Tree Farm” by Randy Wollenmann, Vermont Christmas Company – 8.5/10

This is a lovely Christmas themed puzzle from artist Randy Wollenmann. The bright colors are fun, especially the pink in the image. The wintry scene is appealing with kids and families out choosing their Christmas tree. The puzzle is a nice blend of easy elements, like the characters in their unique outfits, and slightly more challenging elements like all the fir trees, snow, and night sky. The difficulty is easy-to-moderate. I especially like the art style, which is hand painted and a little bit cartoony. The Vermont Christmas Company quality is good with hard, solid pieces. The cut is mostly a grid cut, but not all edges line up and some sides have wavy and diagonal edges. Recommended for all who enjoy cartoon or Christmas puzzles.Read more
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Review: “Christmas Fayre” by Tony Ryan, Gibsons – 9.25/10

“Christmas Fayre” is a beautiful holiday puzzle from Gibsons set in a traditional English village Christmas market. The puzzle is easy-to-moderate in difficulty. The night-time colors are rich with purples, oranges, and reds. The artwork is a hand-painted scene with a good amount of detail. There’s some repeating greenery and red and white stripes throughout the image that make assembly slightly more challenging–in a good way. I enjoyed seeing all the characters as I put the puzzle together, young couples and families out enjoying the market. There’s lots of Christmassy details like wreaths, trees, advent candles, roasted chestnuts. The Gibsons quality is exceptional with thick pieces and a waxy finish that feels good to the touch. Recommended!Read more
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Review: “Small Town Christmas” by Charles Wysocki, Buffalo Games – 9.5/10

“Small Town Christmas” is a gorgeous Americana Christmas puzzle from artist Charles Wysocki and Buffalo Games. It’s a good moderate challenge that took me three sessions to complete. No one area is difficult, but there’s a lot of detail throughout. The palette of bright colors against the snow and blue sky is very cheerful. I particularly liked the red ribbon around the tree, the fir tree lit with candles, and the birdhouses in the sky. There’s so much fun detail to examine in this image as you assemble the puzzle. The Buffalo Games quality is very good with grid cut pieces and a nice box that comes with a poster. Recommended to all fans of Christmas puzzles.Read more
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Review: “Whistle Stop Christmas” by Charles Wysocki — Buffalo Games 9.25/10

“Whistle Stop Christmas” is a sweet holiday puzzle from artist Charles Wysocki and Buffalo Games. It’s an easy puzzle to assemble with 500 pieces and strong color and detail that makes it clear where each piece goes. I love the theme of people arriving home for Christmas. As you assemble the puzzle, you’ll smile at the happiness on all the individual faces. The unique costumes and expressions are delightful. I partricularly liked the orange sky on the horizon, the red train station with all the windows, bows, and detailing, and the wintery “white Christmas” snow. The Buffalo Games quality is very good with grid cut pieces and a nice box that comes with a poster. Recommended to all fans of Christmas puzzles.Read more

Review: “Father’s Christmas Train” by Susan Brabeau, Sunsout – 8.25/10

“Father’s Christmas Train” is a cute Americana painting by Susan Brabeau that’s been made into a 500 piece puzzle by Sunsout. At the heart of the painting is a dad having a grand time playing with trains while his disinterested son reads a book. The cozy living room is decorated for Christmas and there’s a definite nostalgia vibe to the image. The Sunsout quality is very good, with sturdy pieces and a fun random piece cut. I like that you can move around a set of joined pieces without them falling apart. This is an easy puzzle that you can do in a single setting and would be good for kids and seniors. Recommended.Read more