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Sunday Puzzle: Christmas Capitals

Sunday Puzzle
NPR
Sunday Puzzle

On-air challenge: I'm going to read you some sentences about Christmas. For each one, change one letter in one of the words to reveal a state capital.

Example: I'm a lover of the whole Christmas season. --> DOVER (Delaware)

1. The kids made a lot of noise unwrapping their presents.

2. Did you hear Santa Claus landing on the roof?

3. Christmas is a season of traditional sacraments.

4. The little sock hanging by the fireplace is my baby brother's.

5. You'll have to pierce the packaging to get out the Christmas ornament.

6. Julys and Augusts are when stores place their Christmas orders.

7. Is this the same Santa we ran into at the other mall?

8. I can't wait for the after-Christmas sales.

Last week's challenge: This challenge came from listener Steve Baggish, of Arlington, Mass. Using only the letters in the phrase RIDE ON — repeating them as often as necessary — you can spell 1) the one-word proper name of a famous fictional animal, and 2) a word for what kind of animal it is. What's the name of the animal, and what's the word?

Challenge answer: Donner or Donder & Reindeer

Winner: Phoebe Simmons from Boise, Ida.

This week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Dan Pitt, of Palo Alto, Calif. Take the name BUENOS AIRES. Remove one letter. The remaining letters can be rearranged to name two things that many people wish for around this time of year. What are they?

Submit Your Answer

If you know the answer to next week's challenge, submit it here by Wednesday, Dec. 23rd, at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners who submit correct answers win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: Include a phone number where we can reach you.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz has appeared on Weekend Edition Sunday since the program's start in 1987. He's also the crossword editor of The New York Times, the former editor of Games magazine, and the founder and director of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (since 1978).