The Stave Holiday Gift Guide: Extraordinary Gifts for Him, Her & Everyone on Your List

The Stave Holiday Gift Guide: Extraordinary Gifts for Him, Her & Everyone on Your List

Key Takeaways

  • A Stave puzzle is hand-cut in our Vermont shop from five-layer, cherry-backed wood, and no two are alike.
  • For him: clever Teasers™ and Tormentors™ like All The Kings' Men and On Point!, or a Traditional such as Old Fenway for the sports fan.
  • For her: artful picks like Peak Performance and Loving The View, or a real challenge in In Purrfect Harmony and Tuft Enough.
  • For the holidays: Santa's Night Before Christmas, Highland Holiday, Fleece de Résistance and All Spruced Up from our Christmas collection.
  • Custom and personalized puzzles, boards, the Traveling Puzzle Table and gift certificates suit the person who has everything.
  • Gift wrap is free with a handwritten card (plus a hand-cut ornament at the holidays). Order four to six weeks ahead for made-to-order puzzles.

Some gifts are opened on Christmas morning and enjoyed for a moment. Others become part of your family's story for generations. For the person who has everything, or for someone special you'd love to surprise, a Stave puzzle is truly a gift unlike any other. Each puzzle is handcrafted in our Vermont shop, no two are alike, and they are designed to bring people back to the table year after year. This holiday season, give a gift that will still be enjoyed long after the decorations come down.

Finding just the right gift is an art of its own. We've gathered some of our favorite Stave creations to help you find something special for him, for her, and for those who are simply impossible to surprise. Each handcrafted puzzle contains clever challenges, beautiful artwork and plenty in between.

 

Engaging Puzzle Gifts for Him

For the man who appreciates a clever challenge, enjoys a little friendly competition, or simply loves discovering something unexpected, a Stave puzzle makes an unforgettable gift. Our Teasers™ and Tormentors™ are handcrafted by our talented Stave artisans to surprise, delight, and occasionally leave even the most seasoned puzzler scratching his head.

Our Teasers are designed to deliver more challenge per puzzle piece. The exterior pieces interlock to form one snug frame, while the interior pieces nestle together with unexpected spaces between them, adding an extra layer of challenge. Rated from one to four swords, each Teaser offers its own level of delightful difficulty. All The Kings' Men is a four-sword Teaser for the chess player in the family: 100 pieces that, by our own rating scale, require "extra concentration, patience, aspirin & Valium."

For someone who wants a more formidable challenge, our Tormentors offer an entirely different experience. Rated with exclamation points from one to six, these puzzles have plenty of pieces with the same color or shape, but don't expect that to help. Just when you think you're making progress, you come to a standstill, and the job becomes making sense of several puzzle sections and wrestling them together. On Point! sits at four out of six, which is where, as our scale puts it, the real agony begins.

All The Kings' Men Stave Teaser wooden jigsaw puzzle with Stave blue box.

If he'd rather enjoy a captivating image without the mischief, consider a puzzle inspired by one of his favorite pastimes. Old Fenway, a Traditional puzzle from artist Sally Caldwell Fisher, is a natural pick for the baseball fan, and you can choose the piece count to suit how long he likes to linger over a puzzle.

Beautifully Crafted Puzzle Gifts for Her

For the woman who appreciates beauty, artistry, and finer details, a Stave puzzle is a gift that feels unique and thoughtful. Our puzzles pair exquisite artwork with the craftsmanship that has made Stave legendary. Each puzzle is cut from five-layer, cherry-backed wood and features our signature silhouettes, charming shapes hidden throughout the image. Every piece is thoughtfully crafted to make the experience as extraordinary as the finished puzzle.

In Purrfect Harmony Stave Teaser wooden jigsaw puzzle

For the art lover, Peak Performance is a round, 150-piece Treat™ from artist Susan Berry, rated three hearts on a scale where, we'll warn you, your heart might skip a beat. If you'd like a smaller gift that still feels special, Loving The View is a 50-piece Tidbit™ by Molly Delaney, just right for a quiet evening.

 For the woman who loves a little more adventure in her puzzling, our Teasers™ and Tormentors™ offer clever surprises along the way. In Purrfect Harmony is a four-sword Teaser by Betsy Brown with 140 pieces, and for the cat lover who likes a real fight, Tuft Enough is a five-out-of-six Tormentor that our own scale describes as "hair pulling, expletives, and screaming."

Whichever she prefers, a Stave puzzle gives her something to enjoy this season and keep for years.

 

A Christmas Tradition in the Making

Some of the most treasured holiday traditions are the ones we look forward to year after year: the decorations, the gathering of loved ones, and the small moments that make Christmas feel merry and bright. A beautiful Christmas puzzle can become part of your family's holiday celebrations for years to come.

Our Christmas collection features holiday scenes, Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and winter landscapes. Santa's Night Before Christmas, a Traditional puzzle from artist Thomas Kinkade, is a classic choice for the family table, and Highland Holiday, by Malcolm Watson, brings its own seasonal charm.

If your family likes a little mischief with its eggnog, Fleece de Résistance is one of our most popular puzzles this year; a winter Tormentor by Cindy Allen rated two out of six. For a smaller gift, All Spruced Up is a round, 50-piece Teaser by Molly Delaney that packs three swords of challenge into less than eight inches.

Handcrafted with exceptional attention to detail and made to be enjoyed time and again, a Stave Christmas puzzle is a gift that can become a tradition built to last for generations.

Highland cow Christmas theme wooden jigsaw puzzle

A Gift as Unique as They Are: Custom Wooden Puzzles

A custom Stave puzzle turns a thoughtful gift into a one-of-a-kind keepsake, personalized for the person who truly has everything and destined to become a family heirloom. Our crafters can incorporate names, initials, special dates, and meaningful silhouette shapes cut directly into the wood of a Traditional puzzle. A golf club for the avid golfer, a teacup for the tea lover, or the family dog cut as a whimsical silhouette says more than a name ever could. These details make the puzzle uniquely theirs and add an extra layer of meaning to every custom puzzle.

Other puzzle styles offer opportunities for personalization, as well. We can hand-letter a name onto a sign or banner within the image, and all our puzzles can be personalized with a name in gold lettering on the box label.

For a truly memorable surprise, consider a custom photo puzzle. A favorite family photograph, a cherished vacation memory, an inside joke, or a meaningful occasion becomes a handcrafted puzzle that lets loved ones relive the memories piece by piece. Explore our personalization options and create a gift that could never be found anywhere else.

For Christmas delivery, we recommend planning ahead. Custom puzzles typically require additional time, so contact us to discuss your ideas and delivery timeframe.

For the Puzzler Who Has Everything

We all know someone who seems to have it all. Their collection of puzzles is already impressive, they've worked through countless clever challenges, and finding something they haven't seen before can feel like quite the puzzle itself!

For these devoted puzzlers, consider something just as beautifully crafted as the puzzles themselves. Our reversible puzzle boards and Traveling Puzzle Table are handcrafted for us by local Vermont woodworker Don Carbino, just a few miles from our shop. Designed for the serious puzzler, they make a fine companion for many hours around the puzzle table, and both can be engraved with a name for a personal touch.

You can meet Don and learn more about his craftsmanship here.

Still not quite sure which puzzle to choose? A Stave gift certificate lets your favorite puzzler pick their next treasured creation. They're available as hand-lettered wooden certificates or convenient digital certificates.

A Beautifully Wrapped Gift, Ready to Delight

The magic of a Stave gift begins long before the first piece is placed. There's nothing quite like spotting that iconic blue box under the Christmas tree, wrapped and waiting to be opened.

We make gift-giving even more special with complimentary gift wrapping and a handwritten message card. During the holiday season, our gift wrapping also includes a hand-cut Stave ornament, one more thoughtful detail for your present.

This year, give more than a gift. Give the joy of discovery, the pleasure of time spent together, and a tradition your family will look forward to for generations.

Give the gift of Stave Puzzles; a gift to be treasured for a lifetime.

Stave blue box with gift wrapped box for Christmas

FAQs

What are good gifts for puzzle lovers?
Among jigsaw puzzle gifts for adults, a hand-cut wooden puzzle matched to their taste is hard to beat. At Stave, every puzzle is cut one piece at a time in Vermont, and you can choose by occasion, theme, and difficulty, or personalize it with names and silhouettes.

How far ahead should I order a puzzle for Christmas?
Most Stave puzzles are cut to order in three to six weeks, so we suggest ordering four to six weeks before the holiday. Puzzles marked InStock ship the next business day.

What makes a wooden jigsaw puzzle a good gift?
A wooden jigsaw puzzle is meant to be enjoyed time and time again, treasured for years, and passed down from one generation to the next. Every Stave puzzle is hand-cut one piece at a time on cherry-backed wood, so no two are alike, and the pieces keep their snug fit for years of puzzling.