Let's make sure we're talking about the same tree because our more commonly seen monkey puzzle here in the PNW, araucaria araucana, isn't difficult at all.

The seeds do take about 18 months to ripen on the tree, but germinate in 30-60 days at room temperature. Sow point down, just pushed into the soil about the depth of the seed (wide end just at the surface). My neighbor sowed seeds one each to a houseplant pot for no fuss germination although some seeds did take closer to 4 months than one or two.

And be careful here, because these get enormous in our climate in fairly short order - they take up a lot of space and are painful to brush up against when mowing or gardening. I think you either love 'em, or hate 'em - not that it matters but they are not my favorite landscape tree :)