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

This article provides hints and solutions for the NYT Games Strands puzzle #297, released on December 25, 2024. The puzzle's clue is "A Visit From Santa."

The article is structured to offer progressive levels of assistance:

General Hints: Three increasingly specific hints guide players towards the puzzle's theme without revealing specific words. These hints focus on typical Christmas stocking stuffers.

• Hint 1: What might Santa bring?
• Hint 2: Small gifts.
• Hint 3: Small gifts to fill your sock-like decorations.

Word Spoilers: Two sections reveal one word each ("Candy" and "Toys"), along with images showing their placement within the puzzle grid.

• Word 1: Candy (Image included)
• Word 2: Toys (Image included)

Complete Solution: This section provides the full solution, including all eight themed words ("Toys, Plushie, Orange, Socks, Scarf, Coal, Candy, and Pens") and a complete solution image. The revealed theme is "Stocking."

• Theme: Stocking (Image included)

Theme Explanation: This final section explains how the theme ("Stocking") relates to the puzzle's clue ("A Visit From Santa"), emphasizing the connection between Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers.

The article concludes with an invitation to play the game, directing readers to the New York Times Games Strands website. All images from the original text are preserved in their original format.