Deep Dive: Mistletoe Market by Lyndsay Wasko

Artist: Lyndsay Wasko

Puzzle Design: Siri Olson
Dimensions: 37.5 cm x 37.5 cm
Piece Count: 454
Difficulty: 4 out of 5

Last year's surprise festive holiday puzzle, Midnight Snacks, brought artist Lyndsay Wasko and designer Siri Olson together to capture the mischievous, cozy chaos of an indoor Christmas. This year, we are thrilled to unveil the much-anticipated second chapter: Mistletoe Market, where the holiday narrative continues—and the action moves outdoors!

Lyndsay Wasko's art once again anchors the scene, using her signature warmth and storytelling flair to depict a bustling outdoor market filled with mice and forest friends. If you look closely, you'll see a direct nod to the previous puzzle: the popcorn garland stolen from the indoor scene has been repurposed and hung to decorate the outdoor Christmas tree at the centre of the outdoor festivities!

About the Artist

Lyndsay Wasko is a Alberta-based artist, designer, and author-illustrator. She grew up writing stories and drawing animals and years later, not much has changed. With a decade of experience in creative agencies, including a Design degree from AuArts and a Master’s degree of Library & Information Science from the University of Alberta, Lyndsay brings a unique blend of expertise to a variety of creative projects. Outside of her professional commitments, Lyndsay volunteers her time as a board member of The New Gallery, a not-for-profit artist-run center, and as an art facilitator with the Creative Aging Calgary Society.

Presently, she lives in Calgary with her family and generally aspires to the life of a Beatrix Potter animal: baking, sewing, gardening, and being in nature. She especially enjoys river walks with her dog, Watson.

Links

Lyndsay Wasko's Professional Website

Lyndsay Wasko's Instagram Profile

Siri's Puzzle Design Notes

Lyndsay’s style makes space for both energy and calm, and that same balance became the foundation of the puzzle design. As with winter in general, this puzzle has a contrast of stillness and movement, cold and warmth.

Some whimsies capture that frozen quiet, like snowflakes, a snow globe, and icicle ornaments. While others burst with motion: a mouse on a bottlecap sled, a skiing hedgehog, and friends bustling through the snow. Together, they capture the wide array of activities each of us considers tradition this time of year, balancing different aspects of solitude and community and the way those themes are intertwined during the holidays.

The intentional whimsies focus on interaction and shared moments: a reindeer reading to another by the fire, a tape dispenser likely wrapping a gift for a loved one, and familiar holiday foods cooked, served, and enjoyed together. They echo what Lyndsay captures so well: the simple warmth of connection amid the season’s bustle. I even included a record player, tucked within the purple yarn, handcrafted (I like to imagine!) from a flower, playing a tune to set the snowy scene. If you are musically inclined, you might even be able to guess which classic holiday song is being played!

Lyndsay’s art has an inherent playfulness, which makes it easy to mirror that and play with the design. Within Mistletoe Market, there are 3 hidden puzzles of varying difficulty tucked inside the scene.

The gingerbread house is the newest addition to our hidden 3d alternate solutions, similar to the hotel on the hill in Prismatic Peaks. The colours of the mice and sleds in the art were too perfect not to include this little build, not to mention the fun of building gingerbread houses in general. I was also hugely inspired by the gingerbread houses my cousins engineered growing up, although calling them houses is an understatement!

I hope this puzzle invites you to imagine the Mistletoe Market through your own lens, drawing you deeper into a world of that cozy, festive feeling. Enjoy discovering all the sneaky surprises!

Whimsy List

• 6x Creatures with Santa Hats (bunny, duckling, rat, penguin, mouse, polar bear)
• 4x Cookie Cutters (tree, gingerbread, star, stocking)
• 4x Snowflakes
• 3x Icicle Ornaments
• 2x Turtle Doves
• Partridge in a Pear Tree
• Swans a Swimming
• Santa's Sleigh
• Silver Bell
• Earmuffs
• Skiing Hedgehog
• Toque with Mittens
• Tape Dispenser
• Mouse on a Bottlecap Sled
• Piping Bag
• Whisk
• Pie
• Ham
• Mistletoe
• Reading Reindeer
• Cheese Star
• Record Player (can you guess the tune?)

Hidden Whimwhams (Alternate Solutions)

• 13pcs Gingerbread House & Base
• 2pcs Snow Globe
• Ugly Christmas Sweater with Swappable Mini lights(6pcs)