"Now That's a Gift!" - December 24, 2021

[MikeMillerwsj]

The contest answer is CAROLS. Each of the six starred answers begins with a past-tense verb. For each of them, the PRESENT (as suggested by 37-Across) tense can be found with one added letter as another grid answer (WERE/CARE, SPUN/SPAIN, SAW/SERE, WENT/GOO, DREW/ DRAWL, LAID/SLAY). The added letters spell the contest answer.

This was an excellent Christmas gift from Mike Shenk, who know just what we wanted (and got the size right too)! We had 1610 entries with a glittering 85% success rate. 71 of you submitted PRESENT (on the path but not all the way there) plus a few others in small numbers including REINDEER, ORNAMENT and TINSEL.

Congrats to this week's winner, Isaac Efrat of Salisbury, CT. Abundant thanks to Mike and Matt for a wonderful year of contests. See you in 2022!

[Dplass]

The contest answer is CAROLS. Each of the six starred answers begins with a past-tense verb. For each of them, the PRESENT (as suggested by 37-Across) tense can be found with one added letter as another grid answer (WERE/CARE, SPUN/SPAIN, SAW/SERE, WENT/GOO, DREW/ DRAWL, LAID/SLAY). The added letters spell the contest answer.

This was an excellent Christmas gift from Mike Shenk, who know just what we wanted (and got the size right too)! We had 1610 entries with a glittering 85% success rate. 71 of you submitted PRESENT (on the path but not all the way there) plus a few others in small numbers including REINDEER, ORNAMENT and TINSEL.

Congrats to this week's winner, Isaac Efrat of Salisbury, CT. Abundant thanks to Mike and Matt for a wonderful year of contests. See you in 2022!

DELETED

It's random, so credentials are mostly irrelevant. Except for actually solving the meta!

[ship4u]

IMHO, it woefully smacks of jealousy, which is a road better not to travel down. Enjoy the fun and camaraderie of this group and don't take winning too seriously. If I happen to win the Holy Grail one day, fine. If not, I've had experiences I would never have had without the interaction of many of the people here. So, the way I look at it, I've already won.
Cheers!

[Joe Ross]

Posting of others' personal information - whether they are muggles, here, or not - is extremely bad form. It doesn't matter if these are posts of admiration, meant as humor, or posted with whatever good intentions. I am retrocatively going to delete them & will continue to do so.

If anyone wishes to discuss this with me, please offer your availability for a one-on-one zoom session so that I can plainly state the common sense behind deleting these posts.

This behavior does not occur in this pleasant corner of the interwebs. Please stop.

[DrTom]

Oh my - there seems to be some a ripple in the force.

I have to agree with all of those who say, so what if you win a mug! What does that mean anyway, since it is a random choice and has nothing to do with expertise, number of solves, background, social status or wealth, who cares? With an apology to the sensitivities of my fellow muggles, winning the mug is no more (or less) a testament to your prowess than having the random pigeon poop on you in St. Marks' square in Venice. It doesn't matter how many times you have visited, it might be your tenth visit or your first, or how many times you have been to Italy or Europe. It doesn't matter if you are a billionaire or a pauper, male or female, young or old. If you happen to be there when the pigeon "awards" the prize, then you are the winner.

I am not saying the mug is "poopy" what I am saying is that it doesn't matter. If winning the mug moved you to the head of the line for an organ transplant, a low interest loan or an adoption I might see more concern. But even then, as long as the person who got in front of you did not do it by paying off the selection committee, curse your bad luck not their good luck. I'd love a mug, but in truth the mug I'd cherish more was one that said I was a muggle and part of a group that celebrated and applauded their fellow puzzler's success. As someone so correctly stated, I am a part of this community, I have already won the bigger prize.

[WC50]

If the odds of winning each week are roughly 1:1000, expect to submit correct answers weekly for 20 years before Nestor hands you his cup. Provided St. Peter doesn't greet you first.

I'm 5 years into this odyssey with about a 95% solve rate (including P*G**NT, but not CLOWN!) and delight in my winless streak. The thrill of the chase may indeed be more fun than the victory itself. The hourly labor rate applied to earn a $5 mug diminishes weekly and has been wholly irrational since Week 1. That common irrationality, and the civility expressed in this forum, are what make this "infinite game" so special.

P.S. The pigeons in St. Mark's missed, but their cousins in Trafalgar Square hit me about 25 years ago. So there is hope.

[DrTom]

If the odds of winning each week are roughly 1:1000, expect to submit correct answers weekly for 20 years before Nestor hands you his cup. Provided St. Peter doesn't greet you first.

I'm 5 years into this odyssey with about a 95% solve rate (including P*G**NT, but not CLOWN!) and delight in my winless streak. The thrill of the chase may indeed be more fun than the victory itself. The hourly labor rate applied to earn a $5 mug diminishes weekly and has been wholly irrational since Week 1. That common irrationality, and the civility expressed in this forum, are what make this "infinite game" so special.

P.S. The pigeons in St. Mark's missed, but their cousins in Trafalgar Square hit me about 25 years ago. So there is hope.

Well doesn't that bring an alternate meaning to my MMM puzzle - Put some English on it! Can you spot him in the photo?

One can bet that London city doves are considerably more selective than their piccioni brothers - so yes there is still hope of something else falling into your lap.

[Georgeall]

refresh.... refresh.... refresh

[LadyBird]

Not again! I cleaned out my email folder last week while waiting--now what to do?

[Begbie]

I'm with you...refresh, refresh, refresh...Come on now...

[Scott M]

Across Lite is up at https://www.fleetingimage.com/wij/xyzzy/21-wsj.html

[minimuggle]

i feel like I've got OCD refresh...refresh....

[Gman]

Argh! My finger is tired.

I'm calling class. No grid in 15 = will come back tomorrow.

[hcbirker]

My power went out. Going to try to do it on my phone if it ever drops! Worst timing ever. Almost 4 inches of rain here.

[mheberlingx100]

Across Lite is up at https://www.fleetingimage.com/wij/xyzzy/21-wsj.html

My laptop is too old to get the app to work. Wah!