A comic once quipped that he wanted to die healthy. It’s common knowledge that exercise, eating well and not smoking are well documented ways to maintaining good health. It’s now appears to be more accepted that in order to help reduce the onset of various dementias, keeping one’s brain healthy is also important. Reading is an obvious activity as is doing puzzles. They can be word puzzles or number puzzles such as crosswords or sudoku. Jigsaw puzzles also fall into the category. You are being asked to use your cognitive skills to recognise and assemble hundreds of small pieces into one complete image. Strategy is required as is the ability to recognise shapes and colours and to be able to put the pieces into the right space. Lots of trial and error occur but, sooner or later the picture is completed to the satisfaction of the puzzler. Puzzles, serendipitously invented over 200 years ago in London, are still with us because of the challenge and satisfaction of engaging ones mental skills, concentration and hand-eye coordination in a pleasurable activity remains appealing.

Our inbox has been bristling with e-mail enquiries from literally around the globe. Gibsons puzzles unique nostalgic look have taken the fancy of puzzlers from Canada to Australia. The Gibsons puzzles we find most popular are those that are based on paintings. Pictures of people interacting with each other, whether it be buying fresh produce or flowers at the market, visiting the village blacksmith or having a snowfight, we can safely say are our most consistent bestsellers. There are several Gibsons puzzle artists who are eagerly sought after and once their new pictures arrive it’s hard to keep them in stock.  Photographs are more the norm from other European manufacturers and, quite frankly, how many ways can you photograph the same castle? Anyway for us, it’s from strength to strength.

Surprisingly, after a very busy Christmas the most popular puzzles at this time of the year are those with winter scenes. January, through April are very strong months for all puzzles especially Gibsons with their wonderully painted nostagic images. The Blacksmith Shop, Village Crossing and Keeping out the Cold are only a few 1000 piece winter scene puzzles with the snowy weather either being enjoyed as in Team Effort (500 pieces) or with families protecting themselves against the most northerly winter blasts. The 1000 piece Gibsons Christmas puzzle has proven to be the singular best selling puzzle from Gibsons. Due to his success, Marcello Conti, who designed the 2009 Christmas puzzle, has been commissioned to create the 2010 Christmas puzzle. It will be presented in the latter part of 2010.

Gisbons puzzles have been increasing their choice of Christmas puzzles over several years and are up to about a dozen winter scene puzzles that range from a very Christmas feel such as their annual collectible Christmas puzzle to a mildly Christmas feel such as the new Victorian Dolls House puzzle by Gail Pitt. Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol with it’s Victorian setting and uplifting message has perhaps had an influence on Gibsons designs. Who can forget Alastair Sim’s portayal of Ebenezer Scrooge in the classic black and white movie?

Most retail customers anticipate their new Christmas puzzles and they are the best selling genre Gibsons carry. There is a downside to such a strictly seasonal appeal and that is when Christmas is over such overtly yuletide puzzles stop selling. Some customers avoid the potential problem by not buying any Christmas puzzles at all. I believe these operators are missing out. Nobody wants to get caught with inventory that does not sell but who can argue with consumer demand that drives puzzle manufacturers to produce an ever increasing range of Christmas puzzles year after year?

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