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Christmas crossword puzzles in large print

Two Christmas crosswords with 32 answers between them. Each puzzle prints on two sheets: a grid with squares more than four tenths of an inch wide, and a separate page of clues set in 18 point type. Lay the two side by side to solve.

These are criss-cross crosswords, the open style found in puzzle magazines: the answers cross here and there in a lattice instead of filling a solid square, so most letters belong to one answer only. Every answer is a Christmas or winter word, and the number in brackets after each clue tells you how many letters it has.

Solve on screen

Prints on US letter paper, a grid page and a clue page for each puzzle: 4 pages, then the answer key (5 pages in all). Under every page is a button to print just that one. In the print window, choose your printer, or Save as PDF to keep a copy.

Christmas Crossword 1: grid

Trimmings and traditions: 16 by 16 squares

Christmas Crossword 1: an empty criss-cross crossword grid, 16 squares wide and 16 tall, with 16 numbered answers

Christmas Crossword 1: clues

8 across and 8 down

Christmas Crossword 1 clues. Across: 1, The way down to the fireplace; 7, Wax light set in a window; 8, Antlered animal that pulls the sleigh; 10, Ring of greenery on the front door; 11, Long sock filled with small gifts; 13, Potted plant with bright red leaves; 14, Songs sung door to door in December; 16, Glass ball hung on a branch. Down: 2, Tchaikovsky ballet staged each December, with “The”; 3, Prickly leaves with red berries; 4, It glides over snow on runners; 5, Long rope of greenery along a mantel; 6, It tops many a Christmas tree; 9, Sprig hung in a doorway for a kiss; 12, Shiny strands draped on the tree; 15, Winged figure for the treetop.

Christmas Crossword 2: grid

The kitchen and the snow: 16 by 15 squares

Christmas Crossword 2: an empty criss-cross crossword grid, 16 squares wide and 15 tall, with 16 numbered answers

Christmas Crossword 2: clues

8 across and 8 down

Christmas Crossword 2 clues. Across: 7, Tart red berry cooked into sauce; 8, Spike of ice hanging from the eaves; 9, Spice grated over custard; 11, Spiced dough baked into houses and people; 13, Hand warmers with no fingers; 14, Creamy holiday drink of milk and eggs; 15, Six-sided ice crystal; 16, Flavor of a candy cane. Down: 1, Plate of these is left out for Santa; 2, Bark spice sold in sticks; 3, Knitted wrap for the neck; 4, Tree that keeps its needles all winter; 5, Dense holiday loaf of dried fruit and nuts; 6, Hot chocolate drink; 10, Hearth where the logs burn; 12, White ice on a cold windowpane.

Solve the crosswords on screen

Tap a square or a clue and type. Typing moves along the answer; press a square twice to switch between across and down where two answers cross. Check marks any wrong letters in red.

Christmas Crossword 1: trimmings and traditions

Across

Down

Christmas Crossword 2: the kitchen and the snow

Across

Down

Where to begin

Start with the long answers. Puzzle 1 has two ten-letter answers and puzzle 2 has one of eleven letters; long words cross the most other answers, so each one you place hands out the most free letters. Then work outward from the crossings, where one letter is already given.

Because the grid is open, a wrong guess does not spread far. If an answer will not fit its crossing, count the squares again against the number in brackets before rubbing anything out.

What the two puzzles cover

  • Puzzle 1, trimmings and traditions: 8 across and 8 down, in a grid 16 squares wide and 16 tall.
  • Puzzle 2, the kitchen and the snow: 8 across and 8 down, in a grid 16 squares wide and 15 tall.

How the grids are made

The clues were written for this page, and a program arranged the answers: it tried four hundred layouts for each puzzle and kept the one with the most crossings in the least space. It then read every run of letters back out of the finished grid to confirm that each is one of the answers and that no two answers touch by accident.

For large print, the American Council of the Blind sets 18 point Arial as the base size: ACB large print guidelines.

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