There don't seem to be a great many Christmas words in crosswords, at least not a large number which we might legitimately list as "frequently used" puzzle words.  Those which are familiar to puzzle solvers, however, are most likely to show up in the December puzzles, but several of them (such as "Santa" and "Noel") have become year-round favorites.

XMAS...This one would have to be right near the top of the list considering its frequency of use.  "Holiday, briefly" and "holiday, shortly" are two of the cluemeisters' favorites for the word, but "December holiday" and "holiday in December" are also popular designations.  The internet is brimming with Christmas pages, but one which is truly beautiful in its presentation is the New York City Tourist Assn. pages on Christmas in NYC. Here's a small picture of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree as an example of what they are offering, and by clicking your mouse on the picture you can visit their pages for a multitude of holiday sights.  Since we are dealing with a World Wide Web here, you might be interested in the variety of Christmas traditions throughout the world.  If so, you can delve into the subject by clicking HERE or on the highlighted word XMAS above.

SANTA...Equally popular with the puzzle composers, he is usually clued as "_ _ _ _ _ Claus", but they've also come up with  "aka St. Nicholas", "St. Nick", "hubby of Mrs. Claus", and even "Christmas carrier".  In addition to being a December favorite, he also turns up quite often between January and November, but then we're given clues like "_ _ _ _ _ Barbara" or
"_ _ _ _ _ Rosa".  The Web even boasts a Santa's Net where I found the two musical Santas you see here.  You can click on either of them to take you there.  A click on the highlighted word SANTA above will take you to still another page of extensive information about Santa Claus.
 
 
 

NOEL... Here we have still another "seasonal word" which is a "carol for Christmas".  As a plural (NOELS) we might also see something like "'Joy to the World' and others" or "chansons at Christmas time" in reference to its French origin.  Of course, the fact that it is also a masculine and feminine name has resulted in "Harrison, et al", "Coward" and also "Coward or carol" as clues.  I have also seen, somewhat obviously, "French carol, 'The First _ _ _ _".  Click on the highlighted clue to read all of its verses, and if your computer contains the right software you can even sing-along to their musical accompaniment.  Apply your "mouse" to the high-lighted NOEL here or at the top of this paragraph and you'll find yourself in Brisbane, Australia, at French teacher Patricia Barry's French site which contains a wealth of information about NOEL customs, origins, etc.

BAH ...From many a Christmas season we've all become fairly familiar with "Scrooge's cry" from A Christmas Carol, and the crossword composers have been quick to acquire such a useable item.  They've also liked to refer to it as "humbug preceder", "it comes before humbug" and "followed by humbug". Click on the title above to read the whole story (you'll find "Bah! Humbug!" in Chapter One).
 
 

MAGI...These "Epiphany figures" are usually depicted as "three wise men" and have become fairly regular visitors to December puzzles as well as to Bethlehem.  Popular with artists down through the ages, Botticelli's 'Adoration of the Magi' is probably the most familiar.For a truly spectacular view of this famous painting you can click on this miniature version to take you there.    Another clue often seen is simply "Gift of the _ _ _ _" or "O.Henry's 'Gift of the _ _ _ _'", an obvious reference to the well known short story.  Click on the title if you'd like to refresh your memory about any of its details.
 
 
 

Occasionally we run across something like "one of the Magi's gifts" which usually turns out to be not gold or frankincense, but MYRRH.  Click on the word to find out how frankincense and myrrh are harvested and why they were considered to be valuable gifts.
 
 

YULE....Down through the years the "winter solstice celebration" known as yule has come to be associated with Christmas celebrations despite its origination in pagan festivals  now traced to a time preceding the birth of Jesus.  A clue such as "another name for Xmas" becomes somewhat questionable, therefore, and both terms are used today in relation to Christmas festivities.  In Iceland, for instance, the yule tree and the Christmas tree  are pretty much interchangeable. A click on this picture of a Christmas tree through the window will take you to the Iceland pages to explain the whole thing.  A clue writer's easy way out would be to just say it is "a type of log", which many of them do.  You can read all about the yule log by clicking on the cozy picture of a burning yule log below.  For even more information relating to yule and other holiday customs, click here or on the highlighted word at the beginning of this paragraph.

There are a number of other Christmas words such as WREATH ("Yule garland"), CAROLS ("Christmas songs") and HOS ("Christmas sounds"), but none of them are used with any great frequency in crosswords.

As for the Christmas Wordplay part of the column, my favorite is from a New York Times puzzle by Nancy S. Ross.
                            "Seasonal Accomplishment #1" for CHRISTMASTREEUP
                            "Seasonal Accomplishment #2" for WREATHONTHEDOOR
                            "Seasonal Accomplishment #3" for PRESENTSWRAPPED
                            "Advice to the Accomplisher"    for SITBACKANDRELAX

That's right.  They were all in the same puzzle.

And if you are looking for a crossword in an interactive design that is "user friendly" (Java-poweered browser required),  try Timothy Parker's Universal Crossword.    Just click on the logo below for today's CNN puzzle of the day.

Copyright 1998 C. Schnebel
All rights reserved

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