THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.
Christmas is one of the most magical times in Germany. Especially during the advent time (the four Sundays leading up to Christmas). Unlike here in the US, nothing is open on Sundays in Germany. Sunday is the day of rest and so all shops, stores and malls – literally everything is closed. If you need to buy eggs, milk or bread, gas stations are your only hope and just be prepared to pay about three to five times as much as you would normally pay at the store. The advent Sundays are to be with family and enjoy each other’s company while you watch movies, play games or just talk during the afternoon Kuchen und Kaffee (cake and coffee) time. And to this day one of my favorite advent Christmas memories includes a Ravensburger puzzle.
A Christmas Ravensburger puzzle to be exact. We started it on the living room table and during the day and nights leading up to Christmas we worked on putting first the edge pieces and later the middle pieces together. And since it was getting big (1000 piece puzzle will do that) we moved it to a big cardboard box piece and continued to work on it until it was finished. I still remember how much fun we had. How each one of us would brag when we found a piece that was hard to find, and how the excitement rose when it was almost finished.
So this year we are starting a new holiday tradition in this family – a Christmas Ravensburger puzzle.
For those who don’t know, Ravensburger is a German game and toy company which has been in business since the 1880s. Located in Ravensburg in southern Germany, the company started out making folders for craftsmen and architects but soon ventured into the toy making business with its first board game. Even during World War I and II, the company continued to create games and books even though parts of its factory was destroyed by bombs. In 1962, Ravensburger and it’s blue triangle logo produced their first puzzle and to this day are the leader in the European jigsaw puzzle market. And they also hold the world record for the largest puzzle – a 40,320 piece Disney puzzle!
Ravensburger is know for its high quality, beautiful and diverse puzzles. And just recently they added a Soft-Click Technology to their puzzles which means you can actually hear the puzzle “click” when you have the right fit. No more guessing if this piece really goes there or ‘hammering’ on the table to make it fit.
My 4-year-old loves all of his Ravensburger puzzles, especially his Thomas the Tank Engine puzzles. But -I- love their Christmas puzzles – and there are so many to choose from! Every year they come out with new ones and even limited edition ones you can collect and hand down from generation to generation!
I know that this Christmas our family will spend some quality time together while giving video games and our television set a much needed break and creating memories that will last a lifetime. And so can your family!
One German American Girl 
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