By Jennifer Gilligan, IntegraMSP President
Back when my daughter was in middle school, I helped start a coding club at her school. STEM felt woefully underrepresented, especially for female students, and I wanted to give back while introducing a new generation to technology in a way that felt accessible and fun.
I worked in tech and had something to share, so I jumped in. It quickly became the highlight of my week. Watching those kids wrestle with problems, stretch their imagination, and work through puzzles together was energizing. We built some genuinely cool projects. I even brought in outside judges to give their work a little extra gravitas. It gave them a real sense of accomplishment, and if I’m being honest, it gave me just as much joy watching their excitement and pride.
So when I was doing a little searching for good tech news this week, I stumbled onto something that took me right back to those days. It made me smile, and it made me want to share.
I just learned about a holiday tradition in the tech world that feels refreshingly simple. There’s no hype around it, just a chance to slow down, play a little, and enjoy figuring something out along the way.
Each year, the UK’s codebreaking agency releases its Christmas Challenge, a set of puzzles built around patterns, logic, and problem-solving. This year, there’s an extra layer of joy woven into it. For the first time, the designs on the front of the Christmas card were created not just by professional puzzlers, but by schoolchildren.
More than 500 students from across the UK were invited to imagine what GCHQ might look like on Christmas Day. They were asked to dream it up, draw it out, and hide codes and puzzles inside their designs. The result is exactly what you would hope for. Creative, clever, playful, and full of personality.
Three winning designs were chosen from different age groups, each one charming in its own way. One is hand-drawn and full of classic holiday details. Another is colorful and festive, with puzzle elements worked into the design and a few playful touches, including a cat. The third is digitally designed and packed with puzzles that reveal more the longer you look. You can practically feel the joy and imagination that went into them.
Alongside the students’ artwork, GCHQ’s in-house puzzlers created a brand new set of seven puzzles for the back of the card. They test all kinds of thinking, from codebreaking and math to lateral thinking, creativity, and perseverance. The puzzles are intentionally varied so different people can bring different strengths to the table, much like real problem-solving in the world.
What I love most is that this challenge is not meant to be tackled alone. Families, friends, and classmates are encouraged to work together, combining ideas and approaches to uncover a final festive message. Last year, the challenge was downloaded more than 140,000 times by schools and members of the public, and this year, students are again encouraged to take the puzzles home and keep the problem-solving going with the people around them.
It’s not about being the smartest person in the room or getting the right answer the fastest. It’s about curiosity, collaboration, and that familiar little spark you get when something finally clicks.
In a world where technology conversations are often heavy, it’s nice to see it bringing joy for joy’s sake. It’s a reminder that at the heart of all this innovation are very human traits: wonder, creativity, and the joy of figuring something out together.
In a very tech-forward time, it’s comforting to see technology create space for imagination and connection, and to watch kids and grown-ups alike be invited into the same playful experience. It brings back a bit of magic for the kid in all of us.
If you feel like joining in, you can explore this year’s Christmas Challenge here:
https://www.gchq.gov.uk/news/gchq-christmas-challenge-2025
Happy puzzling and happy Feel-Good Friday.
