NYT Strands Hints and Answers for December 20, 2025 (#657)
Spoiler-safe hints for the NYT Strands puzzle of December 20, 2025: the theme clue first, then first letters, word lengths, the spangram, and the full grid.
Stuck on the Strands puzzle of December 20, 2025? Start with the theme, take one rung at a time, and stop as soon as the grid opens up. Nothing below is revealed until you tap it.
Hints for December 20, 2025, one rung at a time
ThemeToday’s theme
All the trimmings
Start from the clue “All the trimmings”. Once you see what the 6 theme words have in common, the grid opens up quickly.
Hint 2First letters
Sorted alphabetically, the first letters are A, L, O, R, S, T.
Hint 3Word lengths
The theme words are 4, 5, 6, 6, 6 and 8 letters long. The shortest is 4 letters, the longest 8.
SpangramThe spangram
CHRISTMASTREE
It is a single word of 13 letters and it touches two opposite sides of the board.
Starts with C, ends with E.
AnswersAll theme words
- STAR4 letters
- ANGEL5 letters
- LIGHTS6 letters
- RIBBON6 letters
- TINSEL6 letters
- ORNAMENT8 letters
BoardThe completed grid
Theme wordSpangramEach line follows one word; the small number is that letter’s place in it.