For me puzzles have long been a path to serenity. When my brain is working overtime on a niggling problem I find a good jigsaw puzzle serves as a welcome distraction: my favorite jigsaw puzzles are not easy, but they do demand a different type of meditative attention than the issues that more often require (or wiggle their way into) my focus.

But I’ve learned that not just any puzzle will do! If I’m to focus on a puzzle, I want beautiful colors, an interesting design, and the pieces to fit together just right. Thankfully, there are countless good ones to choose from—and finding those puzzles is a big part of this puzzle fan’s enjoyment of the process.

I always look forward to replenishing my puzzle hoard as the weather cools down. We like to keep a wide variety to choose from during the winter months, which is prime puzzling season around here. Because puzzles make great gifts, we also keep some unopened ones on hand should an unexpected gifting need arise.

A puzzle mat makes a nice add-on for a puzzle present. Another option: A friend gifted us this awesome puzzle board during a hard season when I was doing a huge amount of puzzling and it’s been the best (and most therapeutic) gift. A mat or board makes it easy to move puzzles-in-progress from a prominent surface like a coffee table to somewhere out of the way. It also helps prevent curious pets from stealing or chewing on pieces, not that Daisy would ever dream of doing such a thing (ahem).

This roundup of puzzles is a great way to treat yourself or someone you love. I hope you enjoy perusing them as much as I did!

All puzzles featured here were chosen because we love them. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. More info here.

Holiday puzzles

White Mountain Rockefeller New York Christmas, 1000 Piece. A quintessential holiday scene.

Galison Season’s Reading, 500 Piece. I can’t wait to read next to our Christmas tree. Twinkle lights make everything better.

True South Holidays Across the USA, 500 Piece. True South makes some of the best US map puzzles.

Puzzles of Color Twas The Night Before Christmas, 750 Piece. The wonder of seeing Santa!

Cobble Hill Holiday Baking, 1000 Piece. I’ve never seen a design quite like this and I love it—so much nostalgia. (Now I’m hungry!)

Gray Malin The Winter Holiday, 500 Piece Double Sided. Double-sided puzzles mean double the fun.

Bookish puzzles

Cobble Hill The Purrfect Bookshelf, 1000 Piece. Cat and bookshelves go together. (I know this even though I’m allergic, and appreciate that with a good puzzle I can enjoy the pairing without sneezing my head off!)  

White Mountain Puzzles Bookmarks 2, 1000 Piece. A fun variety of bookmarks—though it’s too bad you can’t reach into the puzzle and grab one to use for your book afterward.

Big Potato Mayhem in The Library, 1000 Piece. This is one chaotic library! There are 101 books hidden in the scene in the form of riddles, I love it.

Laurence King The World of The Brontës, 1000 Piece. Go on a tour of the Brontës sisters’s world and characters with this unique puzzle.

Plants, flowers, and animals

Elena Essex Tropical Bliss, 1000 Piece. I love the brightvibrant colors! 

Pomegranate Hiroo Isono’s Utopia Falls, 1000 Piece. Hiroo Isono’s striking painting features a waterfall but don’t miss how many birds, animals, and insects are tucked into the scene.

Cobble Hill Beaucoup Bouquet, 1000 Piece. So many beautiful bouquets!

EuroGraphics Feline Felon 500 Piece Puzzle. This made me laugh out loud…and think of Daisy.  

Cavallini Citrus, 1000 Piece. A vintage botanical poster of various kinds of citrus. Plus, Cavallini puzzles come with a muslin bag, making it easy to store the puzzle afterward.

Galison Intergalactic Flora, 1000 Piece. The starry sky in the background makes the colors of the flowers really pop.

Destinations puzzles

White Mountain Puzzles Niagara Falls, 500 Piece. You can practically feel the mist from the falls.

EuroGraphics Portofino Italy, 1000 Piece. How do I magically transport myself there?

Ravensburger Eibsee Lake, Zugspitze, Germany, 1000 Piece. This looks like a good challenge.

Cavallini & Co. National Parks Map, 1,000 Piece. A vintage map of the US featuring National Parks.

Martin Schwartz Copenhagen, 1000 Piece. We saw this brand all over Europe; I wish I’d been able to pack the whole line in my suitcase. I was thrilled I could track down this rainbow-hued Copenhagen puzzle that ships to the U.S.

Galison Liberty London Tudor Building, 750 Piece Double-Sided. This is so cool in person and double-sided to boot.

Miscellaneous puzzles

True South Dolly!, 500 Piece. So happy!

Cobble Hill Hot Air Balloons, 1000 Piece. Anyone else mesmerized by hot air balloons?

Liberty Puzzles Kite-Eating Tree, 419 Piece. LOVE this Liberty x Peanuts collab.

Do you have any recent puzzles you recommend? I’d love to hear about your favorite puzzles in the comments.

P.S. 25 jigsaw puzzles to treat yourself or someone you love, 25 jigsaw puzzles so enticing you might not mind winter weather, plus 20 favorite board games to beat the rainy day (or chilly day) blues.