tumbles.of.fun

Halloween is only a week away and that means the holiday season is upon us. Halloween is a great time to take your kids to the local pumpkin patch and then to sit on the front lawn and carve (or decorate with markers, depending on their age) the pumpkins they've picked. But as the days get colder and colder, I find myself wondering what families can do during the holidays that doesn't involve the mall.

(I've tried baking festive cookies with positive results but you can only bake so many cookies--because once I run out of people to give them to I start to eat them all and that's not good.)

So here's a suggestion: do a puzzle. It's certainly not a new form of enterainment but it's a good one. A puzzle is a great way to bring the family together around a table. All ages can contribute and--unlike a movie--you can talk while you spend time together.

Get into the holiday spirit with a festive puzzle from Masterpieces. The All Hallows Eve 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle is perfect for Halloween. Pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, and even a few ghouls populate a town on Halloween night and there's lots of clever details for children to discover as the puzzle comes together.

Masterpieces also makes a wide selection of Christmas puzzles that would be fun for cold nights in November and December. Why not start a new tradition? I suggest hot chocolate and puzzles on Friday nights for some guaranteed family fun.

For Jewish families looking for some festive puzzles, I recommend Melissa and Doug. They make beautiful 30 piece puzzles that depict Jewish holidays such as Hanukkah with instructive text. These would be wonderful for younger children and parents to do together. They're also a fun way to encourage family discussion about holiday traditions.