Puzzles
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (125986)
Gainesville, Florida
August 15, 2025 3:00pm CST
When I was a child, one of my favorite things to do when visiting my grandmother was to put together jigsaw puzzles. It seemed we always had a puzzle to work on, and I can remember spending hours talking to her as we put together our puzzles.
As such, I've always had a love of puzzles, and it's something I also did with my own children as they've grown up, and I've always looked at it as a great bonding activity.
These days, it's my daughter who seems to be the puzzle fanatic--especially Disney puzzles--and I'm pretty sure she puts together at least one puzzle a week. I might be exaggerating a little on the frequency, but she does always have a puzzle started at any given time. And she's one of those people that likes to save her completed puzzles and glue them together once she is finished. She's got dozens (if not more) completed puzzles under her bed, and lately she's been framing her puzzles so that they essentially turn into artwork. I've never been that way myself, but I can understand wanting to show the results after putting in so much time and effort to complete a puzzle.
We have a huge living room with cathedral ceilings, which means lots and lots of wall space to hang artwork. I told her she could have some dedicated space on one of the walls to hang her Disney puzzles once she completed and framed them. She also has framed puzzles hanging on all four walls of her bedroom.
I wasn't sure I'd like having puzzle "artwork" hanging on my walls, but she did a nice job with her most recent puzzles, and I admit I really like the look.
Do any of you like to put together puzzles? And if so, do you ever glue your puzzles to save them, or--like my daughter--frame them to hang up?
We bought a new puzzle recently when we were at Disney World, it is a Haunted Mansion puzzle, and I think I will frame it and hang it in my bedroom when we are done putting it together. Currently, my daughter is working on a Little Mermaid puzzle that is proving to be very difficult. But I know she's up for the challenge.
20 people like this
20 responses
@LadyDuck (485532)
• Italy
17 Aug
@moffittjc I also loved Pirates of the Caribbean.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Aug
@LadyDuck So funny you mention that ride. I only went on three rides while I was there (we were there mostly to shop and eat). We went on Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Space Mountain. I wanted to go on Tiana's Adventure (the ride that used to be Splash Mountain), but the queue was too long. I also wanted to go on Big Thunder Railroad, but it is currently closed for refurbishment.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug
I was just at the Magic Kingdom yesterday, and the Haunted Mansion was one of only a handful of rides I went on! It's always been one of my favorites too!
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (160181)
• United States
15 Aug
When I was a kid, mom and I would sit and work on puzzles a lot... When Pretty was little, she and I put a lot of puzzles together. We never kept any of them. Once they were done, they got taken apart, put back in the box and given to friends or taken to a local thrift shop so someone else could try their hands at putting them together.
Neither one of us has put puzzles together in years and years. We're both either online or reading.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (160181)
• United States
16 Aug
@moffittjc Puzzles were always fun when I have somebody to talk with while putting them together, but by myself, I'd rather read books.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug
@DaddyEvil Yes, like you, I would rather spend "alone time" reading than putting together a puzzle. But, if I'm with other people, then all of us working on a puzzle together can be fun.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug
We have a lot of people at work who do the same thing you did...put puzzles back in the box and give them to others. We always have 2 or 3 boxes of puzzles in the break room that people bring in with a note that says to take them home.
I will admit that in today's fast-paced, tech-heavy world that it seems harder than ever to find time for puzzles, but somehow we've always managed to find at least a little time to work on them. Sometimes, we can only commit to 10-15 a day, so there are times when it takes forever to get a puzzle completed.
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (123902)
• Marion, Ohio
15 Aug
I enjoy doing puzzles but never save them. That's just something else I would need to clean
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (123902)
• Marion, Ohio
15 Aug
@moffittjc I don't even do favorites. I buy a lot of my puzzles at thrift stores and then donate them back
2 people like this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug
@wolfgirl569 That's a wonderful idea to keep recycling puzzles! I should do that with all the puzzles we have that we didn't glue together.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Aug
I agree. Plus, if you put together a lot of puzzles like my family does, you're going to have a lot of glued/framed puzzles all over the place taking up space! I only like gluing/framing a puzzle if it has special meaning to me.
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (90063)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
15 Aug
I used to but that was a long time ago,
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@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Aug
Is there any reason why you couldn't do a puzzle again now or in the future?
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (90063)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
16 Aug
@moffittjc I got a cabinet full of stufr for arts and crafts and adult coloring books I have not used so I cannot turn to puzzles but first have to use what I have,
2 people like this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug
@RasmaSandra That makes a lot of sense. No need to get more when you already have plenty of things to occupy your time.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Aug
@JudyEv They can be very relaxing indeed. Usually, we'll put on some music to listen to while we do the puzzle, or sometimes we'll put on a movie to play in the background as we work on the puzzle.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug
I guess the only reason I have a love for them--and the patience for them--is because of the time I spent doing puzzles with my grandmother when I was little.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (364640)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Aug
@moffittjc I find them relaxing - mostly. 
I can understand how doing the puzzles would bring back a host of good memories.
I can understand how doing the puzzles would bring back a host of good memories.1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (204029)
• United States
16 Aug
It's been several years since I worked on a puzzle. I never glued or framed them. The puzzle wall looks great.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug
I used to do puzzles all the time with my kids when they were little, but then we stopped for a number of years because life has a way of doing that to you, but we've gotten back into them again in the last year or so.
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (204029)
• United States
17 Aug
@moffittjc It's a nice bonding pastime.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Aug
@LindaOHio It sure is. And now that my kids are grown and adults, I'll take any bonding opportunity I can get with them.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (166114)
• United States
16 Aug
My first husbands family did puzzles a lot, and my daughter likes them. We did glue together one or two.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug
I was kind of curious as to how many people these days still enjoyed putting puzzles together, and it turns out that they are still very popular. I was surprised, given that we live in a very fast-paced, instant gratification society these days.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (54791)
• Canada
15 Aug
These puzzles look great.
She did a wonderful job on framing and matting them.
My husband does puzzles.
He did a scene for each season of the year, and glued them together.
I put the appropriate puzzle out on the coffee table to enjoy as a mat under the plant arrangement that I have on that table.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug
That's an awesome idea your husband had to do puzzles of the different seasons of the year! And you put them to great use out on the coffee table! I should try the same thing. I think we currently have 4-5 puzzles in boxes waiting for their turn to be put together, but I could add seasonal puzzles to the collection!
2 people like this
@JESSY3236 (21183)
• United States
19 Aug
I used to like putting puzzles together. I never glued one together. My mother once bought me some puzzle glue, but I never used it. I now do diamond paintings and frame them.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Aug
@JESSY3236 Oh, that makes sense. I thought you were going to tell me that you sprinkled diamond dust (from real diamonds) onto your art. You know, like using glitter. lol
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@JESSY3236 (21183)
• United States
19 Aug
@moffittjc Diamond painting aka Crystal Art is like doing cross stitch with little rhinestones.
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@Traceyjayne (5962)
• United Kingdom
15 Aug
I have a couple of friends who do a lot of jigsaw puzzles, one frames them nd hangs them on the wall….thebither passes them in to others when she has finished with them. They both get annoyed when there are pieces missing as the buy them from charity shops.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug
I have always been hesitant about buying puzzles from charity or thrift shops, because I have always assumed that the reason they are there is because people wanted to get rid of them because they were missing pieces! lol
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (115311)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
16 Aug
When I was younger I used to play with puzzles to pass the time
2 people like this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug
It definitely is a great way to pass time. We used to like to do puzzles on rainy days, and especially when hurricanes would hit and you were stuck inside for lengthy periods of time.
2 people like this
@sw8sincere (6041)
• Philippines
16 Aug
That’s such a sweet tradition puzzles really do bring people together. I’ve done a few but never glued or framed them; I usually just take them apart after. Your daughter’s idea of turning them into art sounds wonderful though, especially with Disney themes.. they must look magical on the walls!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug
She's got a few more puzzles in the works that she will frame and hang on the "Disney art wall." It's a huge wall, so there is still space to hang a few more without the space looking cluttered. She's got a keen eye for making it all fit and look nice. I also like how she hung a light over the centerpiece puzzle.
@porwest (109683)
• United States
23 Aug
Done right, puzzle "artwork" works rather well and offers something unique, especially framed nicely like that. As for puzzles, I never cared for them. I'm a boring guy. I spent most of my time back in the day sifting through the business section reading stock prices and stuff like that.
Gosh, I even remember when a price was listed as 16 7/15 and you had to do the math to figure out the change.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Aug
When I was in college, I used to sift through the business section reading stock prices. I assume that they don't list all the stock prices in the paper like they used to (haven't read a newspaper in about a decade).
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@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Aug
@porwest Our local newspaper, the Gainesville Sun, is lucky to have 10 total pages these days, and that's probably being generous. I'm not sure how these newspapers are surviving, given that you can get instant news just by opening up the internet or an app on your phone or computer.
1 person likes this
@porwest (109683)
• United States
24 Aug
@moffittjc The business section in a newspaper is much smaller than years ago, and if they list any stock prices, it's only high profile ones or ones making the news. The entire newspaper business might be out of business in a decade or two, but who knows? Maybe it makes a comeback?
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (49893)
•
16 Aug
I love those really hard puzzles. Some years back my oldest girl and I put together a huge Gone With The Wind puzzle. It took awhile! Then she wanted to frame it so we managed that. It hangs at her house, we had a lot of fun putting it together and spending time together.
Good for you, Dad, for letting her express herself and hang her puzzles. They grow up and soon are gone, as we know. 
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug
I know that day is eventually going to come when she moves out, I just hope I can handle myself emotionally. But I think I still have a few years to go before I have to worry about that.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Aug
@MarieCoyle I struggled when my son moved to south Florida to start an electrician business with his uncle. I still had my daughter living with me, but it just felt empty without him in the house.
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@MarieCoyle (49893)
•
17 Aug
@moffittjc
I didn't handle the empty nest very well. It just felt so strange, after so many years of kids all over the place, in and out, constant meals, snacks, ball games, laundry, laughs...we raise them to care for themselves and be strong people--but it's still very hard to let them go.
1 person likes this
@kareng (79678)
• United States
31 Aug
I think the puzzle wall looks great!!
I put puzzles together growing up and loved them. I still do, just don't really have the time to work on them right now. I have been considering getting a puzzle table and now since I read your post will have to make that happen.
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Aug
I always looked at it as a way to teach the kids patience, as well as a clever way to spend time with them (especially when they're teenagers)
1 person likes this
@jstory07 (146186)
• Roseburg, Oregon
17 Aug
@moffittjc We moved as little as we could. Our furniture was forty years old so we donated all of it and bought new when we moved to Oregon.
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@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Aug
@jstory07 That was probably the easiest thing to do. When you moved to Oregon, how far was the move from your previous home?
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@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Aug
It's always nice when you can pass them on to someone else to enjoy, or, if you have the space, to save them for when you have family visit or company come over.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (53574)
• United States
15 Aug
I have always loved jigsaw puzzles, but take them apart and put them back in their box after I get them together.
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@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Aug
That's how I've always been, because then you can pull them back out later in the future and put them together again. The only time I like glueing a puzzle together is if it's one I buy specifically with the intent of hanging as wall art when I'm finished.
Do you ever have issues with pieces missing when you try to work a puzzle you've put together before? It doesn't happen to me often, but it has happened in the past a few times. I think when my kids were little they'd get into the boxes, and well we all know that when kids are involved things tend to disappear. lol
@lovebuglena (48043)
• Staten Island, New York
15 Aug
That’s a cool idea. Not sure I’d want to do that though as then I can’t put the puzzle together again.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug
If you like putting the same puzzle together over and over again, then gluing them is definitely a no-no. I have a few puzzles that I purposely haven't glued together because I like putting them together so much. But I think I can only put a puzzle together 3-4 times before I find that it's not challenging anymore.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (125986)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Aug
@lovebuglena That's true. If a long period of time elapses between doing the same puzzle over again, it can feel like you are doing it for the first time.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (48043)
• Staten Island, New York
17 Aug
@moffittjc if you don’t do the same puzzle often than it’s still challenging.
1 person likes this
