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
Posts filed in: Christmas Puzzles
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
POTM Review: “Santa’s Big Night” by RJ McDonald, White Mountain 9/10
Publisher: White Mountain (US), published 2013) Title: “Santa’s Big Night” by RJ McDonald, 1000 pieces pieces Finished size: 24″ x 30″ (1000 pieces) OUR RATING: 9/10 Puzzle of the Month: December 2017 This fun Christmas puzzle is the Puzzle Warehouse “PUZZLE OF THE MONTH” for December 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 canRead more
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
Review: “And To All A Good Night” by Dan Morris Designs, Springbok – 9/10
Publisher: Springbok (US), published date 2016 Title: “And To All A Good Night” by Dan Morris Designs, 400 pieces Finished size: 20.5″ x 27″ OUR RATING: 9/10 Family Puzzle I really loved this image when it was introduced last fall. I love Christmas puzzles and liked the advent calendar numbers at top and bottom and the folk scene in the center. I was a little disappointed it wasn’t in 1000 pieces. But this size is nice for a single evening, especially inRead more
New Puzzles: July 2017
July is always a big month for new puzzle announcements! This is the time of the year that we see the big limited edition Christmas puzzles and many companies have mid-year releases in July! I have a lot to talk about this month including new puzzles at Puzzle Warehouse as well as some releases/announcements in Europe that we’ll be getting over here hopefully soon. Scroll down for the new Christmas puzzles for 2017! For your Edification – A TipRead more
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
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
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
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: “Santa’s Big Night” by RJ McDonald, White Mountain – 9/10
White Mountain’s “Santa’s Big Night” is a classic Christmas puzzle you’ll want to add to your permanent collection. The image is ideal for puzzling with five separate Santa scene vignettes. The colors are bright and cheerful, and the painted artwork couldn’t be more Christmassy. I especially loved the scene in the upper right with the snow-covered fur trees and the children playing in the snow. This is an easy-to-moderate puzzle that would be perfect to work with a group at Christmas, given the layout of the various story panels. The quality is quite good. I especially like White Mountain’s larger piece size and very flat, smooth finish. Highly recommended for everyone this holiday season!Read more
