New York Times Strands Hints and Answers for December 25, 2024

Solve today's Strands Christmas puzzle with this guide! The puzzle's theme, cleverly hinted at by the clue "A Visit From Santa," requires identifying nine items, including a pangram and eight thematically related words hidden within a grid of letters. Even experienced Strands players might find this one challenging. This guide offers varying levels of assistance, from general hints to complete solutions.

The NYT Games Strands Puzzle #297 (December 25, 2024)

The puzzle's theme is A Visit From Santa. Nine words are to be found.

New York Times Games Strands Clues & Hints

The following sections provide progressively more specific clues.

General Hint 1

Hint 1: Consider what Santa typically brings.

[read more - Hint 1: Think about the types of gifts Santa delivers.]

General Hint 2

Hint 2: Focus on small, giftable items.

[read more - Hint 2: Small presents are key to this puzzle.]

General Hint 3

Hint 3: These small gifts often fill Christmas stockings.

[read more - Hint 3: The items are typical stocking stuffers.]

Partial Solution Spoilers

These sections reveal two words and their locations within the puzzle grid.

Spoiler 1

Word 1: Candy

[read more - Spoiler 1: See the solution and its location in the grid.]

Spoiler 2

Word 2: Toys

[read more - Spoiler 2: See the solution and its location in the grid.]

Complete Solution

This section provides the complete solution.

The theme is Stocking. The words are Toys, Plushie, Orange, Socks, Scarf, Coal, Candy, and Pens.

[read more - Complete Solution: View all words and their locations within the grid.]

Puzzle Theme Explanation

The clue "A Visit from Santa" points to Christmas gifts, many of which are small enough to fit inside a stocking. The themed words represent common stocking stuffers.

[read more - Detailed explanation of the theme and its connection to the clue.]

Ready to play? Visit the New York Times Games Strands website, accessible on most devices.