#661Wednesday, December 24, 2025
Strands answers for December 24, 2025 — “Gather around” (#661)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for December 24, 2025 (puzzle #661) is SNUGASABUG, a 10-letter answer to the theme "Gather around". The 7 theme words are COMFY, COZY, HOMEY, PLEASANT, RELAXING, SOFT and WARM.
Where is each answer on the December 24 Strands board?
Here are all 7 theme words from the December 24, 2025 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COMFY | 5 | row 1, column 3 | row 3, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| COZY | 4 | row 5, column 4 | row 5, column 1 | right to left |
| HOMEY | 5 | row 1, column 4 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| PLEASANT | 8 | row 6, column 4 | row 7, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| RELAXING | 8 | row 5, column 5 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| SOFT | 4 | row 3, column 5 | row 2, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| WARM | 4 | row 2, column 2 | row 3, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| SNUGASABUG | 10 | row 4, column 1 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the December 24 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 8 words tile all 48 cells of the December 24, 2025 grid.
Spangram — 10 letters7 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 M-O-C-H-O-M, row 2 reads F-W-A-T-F-E, row 3 reads Y-R-M-O-S-Y, row 4 reads S-N-U-G-A-S, row 5 reads Y-Z-O-C-R-A, row 6 reads A-E-L-P-E-B, row 7 reads S-A-N-T-L-U, and row 8 reads G-N-I-X-A-G.
How hard was the December 24 Strands puzzle?
Strands #661 is the easiest puzzle the difficulty index has scored — no published Strands grid rates below it.
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 24 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #661 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Christina Iverson. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the December 24 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on December 24, 2025?
The Strands clue for December 24, 2025 is “Gather around”, on puzzle #661. It is answered by the spangram SNUGASABUG, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on December 24, 2025?
The 7 Strands theme words for December 24, 2025 are COMFY, COZY, HOMEY, PLEASANT, RELAXING, SOFT and WARM, plus the spangram SNUGASABUG.
What was the big word in the December 24, 2025 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for December 24, 2025 is SNUGASABUG, 10 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 8, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Gather around” mean?
The Strands theme “Gather around” for December 24, 2025 means SNUGASABUG — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 7 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands December 24, 2025?
Strands puzzle #661 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the December 24, 2025 Strands puzzle?
Strands #661 is the easiest puzzle on the computed difficulty index — no Strands grid published since March 2024 rates below it.
What number was the Strands puzzle on December 24, 2025?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, December 24, 2025 is #661, 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 2025, part of the full Strands archive.