Seasons of Puzzles

I do jigsaw puzzles all year long. No matter the weather, the season, or the time of year, I enjoy my puzzle time. But then again, my puzzle habit has become more than a hobby. It has become a part of who I am, so I am a bit different than the average puzzler. 😊 I have noticed however, in some of my puzzle swap groups that less people are offering puzzles up for trade. Sales are down a bit in the stores. And I started thinking about it.

I mentioned it to my friends Melanie and Steve Mitchell. They are some of my favorite colleagues who live in Arizona. After seeing all my posts, Melanie has started a puzzle path as well. I think Steve holds me responsible. That’s okay, I am proud to be an enabler. 😊 I mentioned to them that things get kind of slow here in the summer, and they said – “not here – here we go out in the winter and stay inside in the summer.” I suppose with temperatures climbing north of 100 degrees Fahrenheit that I would stay inside too. Air conditioning and puzzles often go together.

Do your puzzling habits change with the seasons? Do you do less puzzles in the summer because it’s nice out? Do you do different styles of puzzles? I was curious to know and posted the question online.

As I suspected, there are always the die hard puzzlers like me who puzzle all the time, but a lot of people simply do less puzzles when it’s nice out. Some people wish they could find a way to puzzle outside. They like to go outside, but when it’s too hot, they stay in. A lot of people mentioned air conditioning, a prerequisite to puzzle time. However, the people who love winter sports will stay inside in the summer and do less puzzles in the winter. Therefore, the climate in which you live will also have an influence. One woman from South Africa posted a photo of the outside of her home where puzzles covered her brick walls. Beautiful idea, but not feasible with our winters.

The second part of this was the theme aspect. No one who replied to me will do a winter puzzle in the summertime. I find this interesting, and it sparked the marketing bug in me from my old Concordia University days. I’m going to keep an eye on what themes I see in collections throughout the year.

Suffice it to say, like everything else, everyone is different. I understand if some people do less puzzles now, the season is short, especially here in Montreal. And the best part is that puzzles don’t expire.

Here are a few awesome summer time puzzles to do while you enjoy the air conditioning.

Beach Vacation, David M