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

This Christmas Day, the NYT Games Strands puzzle presents a festive challenge! To conquer this word puzzle, you must not only decipher the theme but also skillfully extract the hidden words from the jumbled letters.

Even experienced Strands players might need assistance. This guide provides clues, hints, and, if needed, complete solutions.

NYT Games Strands Puzzle #297 - December 25, 2024

The clue for today's puzzle is A Visit From Santa. Nine items are to be found: a pangram and eight thematically related words.

Clues and Hints

The following sections offer progressive levels of assistance, revealing one spoiled word per section.

General Hint 1

Hint 1: What might Santa bring?

[read more - Hint 1 solution: Gifts]

General Hint 2

Hint 2: Small gifts.

[read more - Hint 2 solution: Small, often inexpensive gifts]

General Hint 3

Hint 3: Small gifts to fill your sock-like decorations.

[read more - Hint 3 solution: Items suitable for a Christmas stocking]

Partial Solution Spoilers

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

Spoiler 1

Word 1: Candy

[read more - Shows the location of "Candy" in the puzzle grid]

Spoiler 2

Word 2: Toys

[read more - Shows the location of "Toys" in the puzzle grid]

Complete Solution

The complete solution, including all themed words and their positions, is provided below.

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

[read more - Shows the locations of all words in the puzzle grid]

Theme Explanation

[read more - Explanation: The clue "A Visit from Santa" points to Christmas gifts, many of which are traditionally found in a stocking.]

Ready to play? Find the New York Times Games Strands website, accessible on most devices with a browser.