#295Monday, December 23, 2024
Strands answers for December 23, 2024 — “Pass the eggnog” (#295)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for December 23, 2024 (puzzle #295) is HOLIDAYFLAVOR, a 13-letter answer to the theme "Pass the eggnog". The 4 theme words are COCOA, CRANBERRY, GINGERBREAD and PEPPERMINT.
Where is each answer on the December 23 Strands board?
Strands #295 resolves to these 4 theme words plus the spangram HOLIDAYFLAVOR.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 5 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COCOA | 5 | row 5, column 2 | row 6, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| CRANBERRY | 9 | row 8, column 5 | row 2, column 6 | bottom to top |
| GINGERBREAD | 11 | row 5, column 1 | row 4, column 5 | left to right |
| PEPPERMINT | 10 | row 6, column 1 | row 8, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| HOLIDAYFLAVOR | 13 | row 1, column 1 | row 1, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the December 23 Strands grid look like?
The grid below is six letters wide and eight rows deep, with every answer traced through the letters it uses.
Spangram — 13 letters4 theme words
Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.
Read across the grid, row 1 reads H-O-R-O-V-A, row 2 reads L-D-A-Y-L-Y, row 3 reads I-N-G-E-F-R, row 4 reads I-R-B-R-D-R, row 5 reads G-C-E-A-B-E, row 6 reads P-C-O-A-I-N, row 7 reads P-E-O-M-N-A, and row 8 reads P-E-R-T-C-R.
How hard was the December 23 Strands puzzle?
On this index, the December 23, 2024 puzzle sits at the top of the whole archive: nothing published scores harder.
Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.
Who made the December 23 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #295 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Shehara Ranasinghe. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the December 23 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on December 23, 2024?
The Strands clue for December 23, 2024 is “Pass the eggnog”, on puzzle #295. It is answered by the spangram HOLIDAYFLAVOR, and all 4 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on December 23, 2024?
The 4 Strands theme words for December 23, 2024 are COCOA, CRANBERRY, GINGERBREAD and PEPPERMINT, plus the spangram HOLIDAYFLAVOR.
What was the big word in the December 23, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for December 23, 2024 is HOLIDAYFLAVOR, 13 letters long, running from row 1, column 1 to row 1, column 3. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Pass the eggnog” mean?
The Strands theme “Pass the eggnog” for December 23, 2024 means HOLIDAYFLAVOR — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 4 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands December 23, 2024?
Strands puzzle #295 has 4 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the December 23, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #295 is the hardest puzzle on the computed difficulty index — no Strands grid published since March 2024 rates above it.
What number was the Strands puzzle on December 23, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Monday, December 23, 2024 is #295, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.
Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in December 2024, part of the full Strands archive.