Grandson Nathaniel had a long weekend off from college, but he needed to get back early for his work-study job. We crammed a lot of visiting into the 41 hours that he was here.
We were given a marvelous gift from blogger Linda – a jigsaw puzzle made from December photos from my blog. What fun it was! We talked as we put pieces in. Even John found a few pieces, and he is known for never finding any.
As usual, we tended to do most of our talking around the dinner table. David had to work both days Nathaniel was here. We all had breakfast together, and later we sat with David as he ate dinner when he came home. Both days we wandered around consignment shops with Nathaniel. He loves looking at vintage wares and often finds marvelous treasures. This time he bought nothing, and John and I brought home seven little items. Four were Christmas-themed, marked down after the holidays.
Before the three fellows set off to take Nathaniel back (a five-hour round trip), I asked them to pose with the puzzle. Any excuse for a photo! I’ve always longed for a Christmas puzzle to work in December, and now we have it. I predict this will be an annual event that we will look forward to.
Mehrling Muse 
Love the puzzle. That was a perfect gift!
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We really enjoyed working the puzzle. Like you said, it was a perfect gift.
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How are puzzles created ? Is there a place where pictures are put on cardboard and cut into shapes ?
What a marvellous gift and start to a new tradition.
It is great the two boys were there with you now.
Susie
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The puzzle picture was put together by my friend through Shutterfly. I don’t know anything about how jigsaw puzzles are made. There is probably a standard procedure for it. I should look it up.
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What a lovely, thoughtful gift! Perfect for a quick visit.
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The jigsaw puzzle was a perfect gift for us. It was lots of fun to work.
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💙
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This is so nice Anne and the picture of the boys working the puzzle brings back happy memories of my mom working her puzzles at the table – how nice John joined in the action as well. It turned out nicely and how great you got the stars of the puzzle to pose with it. That just extended Christmas time a little longer for all of you. Too bad that Nathaniel had to hurry back for a school-related project as he could have enjoyed a few extra days of the long MLK weekend.
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Nathaniel offered to stay on campus to save John’s driving him back and forth, but John was happy to get him. We all enjoyed the visit, and especially working the puzzle together. It was marvelous fun.
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That’s great that John goes to get Nathaniel for a few hours away from school and with family – it must make Nathaniel feel pretty special. A 41-hour respite, then back to crackin’ the books again.
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I hope we will always make each other feel special. It’s not guaranteed!
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What a very thoughtful gift. Love it.
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The perfect gift for a family who like to spend time with each other.I too could see this becoming a Christmas tradition.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
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We plan to work the jigsaw puzzle once a year. It was great fun.
xxx Puzzling Hugs (that work themselves out) xxx
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That’s one cool puzzle. A five hour drive roundtrip you say? Sounds doable, especially when you get to spend some [as they say] quality time, puzzling away, with your loved ones.
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The five-hour trip was done on Thursday and Saturday — 10 hours in all, extended by rain the second time. Guess this was a piece of cake for John, who routinely drove to NY in 12 hours.
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How fun and what a great gift! I love it!
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Friend Linda knew we liked jigsaw puzzles. I agree, it was a great gift.
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Ok…where do we get a puzzle like this?. Great idea.
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Friend Linda stores her photos on Shutterfly, and this was an offer they had. There are probably other companies that do it.
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What a wonderful gift! A perfect way to spend time 🙂
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A perfect gift! And how much joy it must bring the gift-giver to see you all enjoying it together. Gifts all around 🙂
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What a great idea that Xmas puzzle. And what a wonderful family you have!
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The puzzle would be a great gift, but perhaps not if you loathe jigsaw puzzles. We love them.
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What fun and what a wonderful gift!! Go Linda! Glad y’all had fun!
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What a wonderful idea!
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Great gift idea! I’ve made small photo puzzles before, but this one with many pictures looks great!
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Grandson David and I were talking about jigsaw puzzles, and I lamented the fact that there are no religious ones for sale. The Christmas pules all have Santa. I hadn’t thought of having one made, but it could be done if I had a photo I liked. Thanks for the idea.
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