Puzzle Advent Calendars

Puzzle Advent Calendars - 12 Days of Puzzles for Christmas

Puzzle advent calendars work like a traditional advent calendar, but instead of chocolate or toys behind each door, you get a mini jigsaw puzzle. You open one window per day during the 12-day countdown to Christmas, complete that day's puzzle, and build toward the full set.

We carry several formats that differ in piece count, puzzle size, and how the daily puzzles relate to each other.

12 Days of 80-Piece Mini Puzzles

The most common format in this collection includes twelve separate 80-piece mini puzzles, each measuring approximately 5 x 7 inches. Every day you open a new compartment and get a standalone puzzle with its own image. The twelve puzzles are thematically connected (all holiday scenes from the same artist) but each one is a self-contained puzzle that doesn't connect to the others.

These sets are available from several artists:

• Andy Warhol: Twelve puzzles featuring Warhol's Christmas paintings, drawings, and prints from the 1950s
• Joy Laforme: Twelve puzzles with winter city scenes from her Winter Lights series
• Michael Storrings: Twelve puzzles capturing holiday scenes from around the world
• Louise Cunningham Starling: Twelve puzzles with whimsical, colorful holiday illustrations

Each 80-piece puzzle takes about 15-20 minutes to complete, making it a manageable daily activity even during the busy holiday season. All sets include insert cards showing the finished image for each puzzle.

500-Piece Combinable Advent Calendars

A different format packages 12 mini puzzle sections that connect together to form a single larger puzzle. After you've opened all 12 windows and completed each section, the pieces interlock into one 500-piece image.

This format creates a progressive building experience - each day's section adds to the growing image, and the full picture only comes together on the final day. The finished combined puzzle is display-ready as a single piece.

We carry this format in both a cozy living room holiday scene and a cat-themed "Meowy Christmas" design.

48-Piece Family Countdown Set

One set uses a smaller 48-piece format designed for families with younger kids. Each of the 12 windows contains a 48-piece mini puzzle featuring dogs in holiday settings - sledding, building gingerbread houses, drinking hot chocolate. The lower piece count makes each daily puzzle quick enough for young children to finish independently or with minimal help.

Ornament Countdown Calendar

The collection also includes a non-puzzle countdown option from Brass Monkey. Instead of jigsaw pieces, each of the 12 windows reveals a wooden ornament with googly eyes that you hang on your Christmas tree. It's a humor-forward take on the advent calendar format, designed to add a new ornament to the tree each day.

When Should I Start a Puzzle Advent Calendar?

The 12-day format is designed to start on December 13 and end on Christmas Eve, following the "12 Days of Christmas" countdown. You can also start earlier or later - since each day's puzzle is numbered but not dated, the timing is flexible.

Are Puzzle Advent Calendars Reusable?

Yes. The puzzles themselves are standard jigsaw pieces that can be disassembled and reassembled. The calendar packaging has perforated windows, so once opened they stay open, but the puzzles inside can be reused year after year. Keep each day's pieces in a small bag or the original compartment for storage.