December 24, 2025

Title: REINDEER GAMES

Constructors: Olivia Mitra Framke & K. J. Sarr

Editor: Amie Walker

Theme synopsis:

• CAPTAIN COMET (19A: DC Superhero with adventures on Earth and in space)
• LADY CUPID (37A: Winged woman with a heart-fletched arrow in "Rhythm Heaven")
• MAYSILEE DONNER (54A: She was the original owner of Katniss' Mockingjay pin, in "Sunrise on the Reaping")

REINDEER GAMES: The last word of each of the theme answers is a name of one of Santa's REINDEER: COMET, CUPID, and DONNER.

And now a word from one of today's constructors:

Olivia: Earlier this year, after getting our Halloween puzzle and my Thanksgiving puzzle accepted, I thought, wouldn't it be great if we could also get a Christmastime puzzle on the books? So here we are, triple holiday puzzles in 2025! This theme idea really took off when I realized the new Hunger Games book provided a great third entry to this theme. Thank you to K.J. for contributing all the wonderful clues and to Amanda and Amie for the sharp edits. And a Merry Christmas to all the lovely readers of Sally's Take!

What I learned from today's puzzle:

• LAU (13A: K-pop singer Henry) Henry LAU is a Canadian singer-songwriter based in South Korea and China. He is a former member of the K-pop boy band Super Junior-M. He released his debut solo EP, Trap, in 2013. 
• IRAN (14A: Home to the Golestan Palace) The Golestan Palace is located in Tehran, IRAN. It is one of the oldest groups of buildings in Tehran and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the 19th century, the Golestan Palace was the royal residence of the Qajar family that ruled IRAN from 1789-1925. 
• CAPTAIN COMET (19A: DC Superhero with adventures on Earth and in space) The DC superhero CAPTAIN COMET first appeared in the comic book Strange Adventures #9 in 1951. He is a mutant metahuman, meaning he was born with his superpowers. Those powers include superhuman strength, super speed, telepathy, teleportation, and invisibility. The mutation that resulted in his powers were triggered by a COMET passing overhead when he was born. As a Midwesterner, I was intrigued to learn that CAPTAIN COMET has Midwest roots. For a time he was a librarian in Midwest City (great name for a town!). 
• LADY CUPID (37A: Winged woman with a heart-fletched arrow in "Rhythm Heaven") Rhythm Heaven is a video game developed by Nintendo. Rhythm Heaven contains a number of different rhythm games, and LADY CUPID is a character in some of these games 
• MAYSILEE DONNER (54A: She was the original owner of Katniss' Mockingjay pin, in "Sunrise on the Reaping") I recognized this clue as a reference to The Hunger Games franchise, based on the novels by Suzanne Collins. However, I haven't yet read the 2025 novel Sunrise on the Reaping, the second prequel novel to the original The Hunger Games trilogy. MAYSILEE DONNER, a character in Sunrise on the Reaping was the aunt of Madge Undersee, Katniss's friend who gave her the mockingjay pin. It's revealed in Sunrise on the Reaping that the pin originally belonged to Madge's aunt, MAYSILEE DONNER. I was thankful for crossing answers here, as well as the knowledge that the last word would be a REINDEER name.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• KIMI (4A: ___ Watanabe-Finster ("Rugrats" character) Rugrats is an animated TV series centered on the lives of a group of toddlers. KIMI Watanabe-Finster is one of those toddlers.
• PHI (43A: ___ Beta Kappa) PHI Beta Kappa is an academic honor society founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. There are currently 293 PHI Beta Kappa chapters. The group's members include select arts and sciences students who are usually inducted in their senior year of college.
• LESBIAN (48A: Many a Dinah Shore Weekend participant) Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend, also known as "The Dinah," is a five-day festival catering to the queer women/non-binary/LESBIAN community. The Dinah takes place in Palm Springs, California. The festival is named for singer, TV personality, and golfer, Dinah Shore. Although Dinah Shore was not a LESBIAN, the festival originated around the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle women's golf tournament in the late 1980s. The celebration, which will be held next in 2027, includes music, pool parties, celebrity meet and greets, and many other festivities.
• APR (51A: National Cat Lady Day mo.) and INDOOR (7D: Like some cats or pools) Not just one, but two cat-related clues. That makes my INDOOR cat, Willow, quite happy. In case you're interested in celebrating National Cat Lady Day, it is observed on APR. 19. Because there are two cat clues, we have two cat photos today! Here's a photo of Olivia's cat, Whiskey. Perhaps she's trying to be a Christmas present sitting in that box? And in keeping with the Christmas-y theme of this puzzle, here's a photo of Willow sitting on our in-progress puzzle Advent calendar. She's so helpful.

Whiskey

Willow

• OTTO (61A: "Lord of the Rings" actor Miranda) Miranda OTTO portrays Éowyn in The Lord of the Rings movies.
• RENE (64A: "Velvet Buzzsaw" actor Russo) Velvet Buzzsaw is a 2019 satirical horror movie. RENE Russo portrays Rhodora Haze, owner of an art gallery and former member of the punk rock band Velvet Buzzsaw.
• VAMPIRE (2D: "Buffy the ___ Slayer") The TV series Buffy the VAMPIRE Slayer originally aired from 1997 to 2003. Sarah Michelle Gellar portrayed the titular VAMPIRE slayer.
• KIWI (4D: New Zealand fruit or bird) The KIWI is a flightless bird endemic to New Zealand. They have small wings that are hidden under their brown hair-like feathers. The fruit known as the KIWI is native to China, but it was first grown commercially in New Zealand. Prior to the 1960s, the fruit was known as the Chinese gooseberry. The fruit began to be called KIWIfruit because its fuzzy appearance is reminiscent of the KIWI (bird). In 1974, the name KIWIfruit was commercially adopted. In New Zealand, the word KIWI is used to refer to the bird, or as a nickname for a New Zealander. The fruit is referred to as KIWIfruit.
• MARCH (6D: Pi Day's month) Pi day is celebrated on MARCH 14 (3-14).
• ADA (10D: Mathematician Lovelace) ADA Lovelace (1815-1852) was one of the first computer programmers, and is considered to be one of the first to recognize the full potential of computers. In the 1840s, ADA Lovelace translated an article by Luigi Menabrea (an Italian military engineer who later became Prime Minister of Italy) about the Analytical Engine. She supplemented the translation with her notes, and one of her notes contains what is considered to be the first computer program. I'm always happy to see a reference to ADA Lovelace in the puzzle.
• SCOTT (16D: Composer Joplin) SCOTT Joplin (1868-1917) was a composer and pianist dubbed the "King of Ragtime." Ragtime is a musical style characterized by syncopated rhythm. SCOTT Joplin's ragtime compositions include "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer."
• MAS (26D: Opposite of "menos") "Menos" is Spanish for "less," and "MAS" is Spanish for "more."
• PINE TAR (43D: Sticky stuff from an evergreen) This feels a little bit like a bonus, since many Christmas trees are PINE trees.
• DONE (57D: "She gets the job ___" (Chappell Roan lyric)) "She gets the job DONE," is a line from Chappell Roan's 2025 song "The Giver." Chappell Roan performed "The Giver" on Saturday Night Live in November 2024. 
• OP-ED (58D: Slanted column?) The question mark in the clue alerts solvers to expect wordplay. The clue is not referencing an architectural column that's leaning, but a newspaper column that's slanted (i.e. expresses an opinion) – an OP-ED.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
• RACECAR (31A: Palindromic rally vehicle)
• SLED (67A: Vehicle for going down a snowy hill)
• MUST-READ (9D: Book that might be an instant classic)

After yesterday's "Stocking Stuffers" puzzle, we're continuing in the Christmas spirit with REINDEER GAMES. This puzzle has me singing, "You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen / COMET and CUPID and DONNER and Blitzen..." Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate! Thank you, Olivia and K. J. for this delightful puzzle.