I woke to snow this morning! That means it is time to sit in the glow of a bright lamp and work on a jigsaw puzzle. First is the fun of choosing the one that suits the mood. It might be a cozy indoor room or an appropriate outdoor scene, something detailed or panoramic. It might be a brand new puzzle or the old favorite I put together every year.

The Book Exchange, 1000 pieces

Puzzles are a low cost mood booster, which is a good thing on rainy or windy fall days and dark winter evenings. Each piece tapped into place gives you a little shot of dopamine, the happy chemical in the brain.

Homeward, 500 pieces

Jigsaw puzzles date back to the 18th century, when European cartographers pasted maps onto wood and cut them in small pieces. The cut apart map became an educational toy that is still enjoyed to this day.

Winter Stores, 500 pieces

Puzzles require patience and concentration. They offer mental stimulation and relaxation in one. Setting a puzzles improves motor skills (good for youngsters) and delays mental deterioration (good for everyone else). The attention to detail necessary to work a puzzle, stretches the attention span in everyone who attempts to put the pieces in.

The Cosy Shed, 1000 pieces

Puzzles can put you in a meditative state, similar to how the brain operates while dreaming. This reduces your stress, even though you may, in the moment, be wondering if a piece is lost because it eludes you. It is a healthy distraction from the problems of the day.

Winter Reading Nook, 1000 pieces (Buffalo Games)

You can do a puzzle by yourself, but it is a great way to connect with others. It also provides a break from socializing if you have guests all week, or a long day together on Thanksgiving or Christmas. The picture could open different avenues of conversation or let you work together in companionable silence. And sip your steaming cup of fragrant tea.

Retro Kitchen Seek and Find, 1000 pieces (White Mountain Puzzles)

For the most benefits, choose a puzzle that seems just a little too difficult. Turn on the light and dump the pieces on the table. Experts usually turn all the pieces right side up, sorting out the edges. Sometimes they separate out pieces of similar color. Do the border. Choose a small part of the center and work on it a piece at a time. Keep going until the last piece.

Readers Paradise, 1000 pieces (White Mountain Puzzles)

If these puzzles seem too easy, try one of those below. Just as a general estimate, a 500 piece puzzle takes an average of 4 hours. The average solving time for a 1000 piece puzzle is 9 hours. A 5000 pieces puzzle could take from 36 to 64 hours, depending on the picture.

Leisure Time, 500 pieces (Lavievert Puzzles)

A bit of trivia: A group of students at the University of Economics of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam put together the puzzle with the most pieces: 551,232 pieces.

Wordsmith’s Book Shop, 1500 pieces

What to do with a puzzle after it is finished? Give yourself a pat on the back and time to admire it. You can glue it together and frame it. Pick up the puzzle and put it back in the box to solve another day. Have a puzzle exchange with a few friends and get a whole new set of puzzles to solve for free. Give it away – a friend, a stranger or an assisted living home.

The Greatest Book Shop in the World, 5000 pieces

May you never have a missing piece! But if you do, try my mom’s trick. Make a replacement piece by coloring/ drawing as needed on a piece of paper and sliding it underneath. You could also make a piece out of the box the puzzle came in. Slide a paper underneath the puzzle, trace around the missing piece and use that as a pattern to cut out a puzzle piece from the picture in the box. Cut it out of the same place on the box picture as where the piece is missing in the puzzle. It may be barely noticeable.

Or maybe missing pieces don’t bother you. You can leave it as a testimony to the imperfectness of life. Rest in piece, as it were.

–Liz

P. S. All the puzzles pictured can be found on Amazon or their websites: New York Puzzle Company, White Mountain Puzzles, etc.