Puzzling

For the past several years, I've purchased a Christmas themed jigsaw puzzle, and just before the kids all came home for the holidays, I'd break open the box and scatter the pieces on our formal dining room table.

So far, it's been so much fun to sit in companionable silence around the table, listening to Christmas music, munching sugar cookies or fudge, while fitting brightly colored pieces together near the Christmas tree. Relaxing. Enjoyable.

Until.

This year's puzzle was a leg. You know, the infamous leg lamp from "A Christmas Story", the lamp that was Ralphie's dad's prize. The one that came in a huge wooden crate marked FRAGILE. Or fraaageeelayy! It must be Italian! as Ralphie's dad said.

So, the leg puzzle was finished in one sitting my my young friend Sarah. Smarty pants. You can buy your very own at Barnes and Noble, here.

We immediately went out shopping in search of another, more difficult Christmas puzzle, and when I pulled this one off the shelf, Sarah and Karen looked dubious.

Puzzle by Ravensburger. Order one if you're really, really good at puzzles. Or clueless, like me. 

"It looks really hard", Karen said.

Pffffffttt. Nonsense. I said. If Sarah can whip together the leg puzzle in a couple of hours, we shouldn't have any problems with this one. It will just take longer.

So I smugly headed over to the cashier and later dumped the ONE THOUSAND teensy little puzzle pieces onto the dining room table next to the already-completed Christmas leg. We began.

Days went by. I waved good-bye to Sarah and Karen over the pile of yet unsolved puzzle pieces.

I spent another day hunched over the incredibly complex puzzle with glasses alternately pushed up on my head or thrown in disgust on the table.

Daughters came home for the holidays. They pulled up dining room chairs and pored over the giant stack of pieces while peering at the box cover.

We're all still working on THE PUZZLE. We will conquer this thing if it takes us until next Christmas!

Who's stupid idea was it to buy this, anyway??