It's time for the Christmas Eve Strands puzzle, and you might be wondering if today's puzzle will be holiday-themed or not. If you're stuck and looking for help with this challenging puzzle, you can find everything you need in the guide below.

In this article, we provide spoiler-free general hints for this engaging mobile puzzle game, individual word spoilers if you don't want to use in-game hints, an explanation of the puzzle's clue and theme, and even the complete solution if you need it.

The NYT Games Strands Puzzle #296 - December 24, 2024

Today's Strands puzzle has the clue Who on Earth...?. There is one Spangram and six themed words to find, making a total of seven items to search for.

New York Times Games Strands Clues

Looking for helpful tips without spoiling too much of this challenging puzzle game? The three sections below contain just that: little hints to get you closer to today's theme.

General Hint 1

Hint 1: People that live on earth.

General Hint 2

Hint 2: Natural first names.

General Hint 3

Hint 3: Names that are things in nature.

Spoilers for Two of the Words in Today's Strands

Each of the two sections below has one spoiler for this innovative puzzle game, along with a screenshot showing where that word fits in the puzzle. Only open these if you want individual spoilers for today's Strands.

Spoiler 1

Word 1: Brook

Spoiler 2

Word 2: Willow

The Answer to Today's New York Times Games Strands

The full solution to this free puzzle game, similar to Wordle, is inside the section below. If you open it up, you will see all the themed words, the Spangram, and a screenshot of where each belongs in the grid.

The category for today is NatureNames. The words are Holly, Willow, Brook, Laurel, River, and Clementine.

Today's Strands Explained

If you don't get this puzzle, look below. Inside this expandable section, you will find a breakdown of how the clue, the theme, and all the words fit together.

Each of the themed words in today's puzzle are Nature Names, or first names that are also things that appear in nature, like River. The clue Who On Earth fits because the "who on earth" is all about these earthly names.

Want to play? Check out the New York Times Games Strands website, available on almost any device with a browser.