A Bit of Holiday Cheer

1. A classical ballet by Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
3. The first name of Macaulay Culkin’s character in Home Alone.
4. Often made from wool, linen, silk, and cotton, it’s worn to warm your neck and face; it’s even warmer when homemade.
5. The number of reindeer that pull Santa’s sleigh each year.
6. Nine of these adorn a menorah, one for each night of the Hanukkah holiday.
9. A 2004 animated movie about a train that takes children to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.
10. A rich heated drink made with chocolate and milk/water and is often garnished with marshmallows.
12. A type of Christmas tree that fell out of popularity after A Charlie Brown Christmas premiered.
14. Deck the halls with boughs of this.
15. These are hung from the chimney with care.
18. A baked good flavored with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon that is often shaped into houses or people.
19. A four-sided spinning top played with during Hanukkah.
21. A British steamed, cakelike dessert that is mentioned in “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
23. Something we’d like to avoid; a heavy snowstorm.
25. An intentionally gaudy, tacky, or over-the-top garment worn during the holiday season.
26. The Grinch’s heart grew this many sizes that day.
27. A type of calendar that counts the days in anticipation of Christmas; a door is opened each day and can have treats or small gifts hidden within.
28. The first U.S. state to declare Christmas an official holiday.

2. These are roasted over an open fire during the holiday season.
3. The annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1.
7. The shortest day of the year; occurs on December 21.
8. An assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials constructed to form a circle.
9. The dill-flavored ornament hidden when decorating a Christmas tree.
11. Striped, peppermint crooks that first appeared in the United States in 1847.
13. Name of the Grinch’s one-antlered dog.
16. Game of Thrones alum that played a “South Pole elf” in the movie Elf.
17. Acronym for the defense force that tracks Santa each year.
20. The only Mogwai in the movie Gremlins that refuses to be evil.
22. A vibrant red flowering plant associated with Christmas (and is also notoriously difficult to spell).
24. Used for Frosty the Snowman’s nose.