As 2023 draws to a close, we’re continuing our tradition of sharing the Artichoke Cryptic Christmas Puzzle to help raise money for another important cause. Over the past two year, through your generosity, we raised nearly £3,000 for charity. This year we’re supporting the National Autistic Society, a UK charity which aims to create a society that works for autistic people. Click the button below to download this year’s quiz. There is no expectation, but if you would like to give something, you can do so via our Christmas Puzzle Just Giving fundraiser.

Please do share the puzzle to friends and family as well if you think they might enjoy it!

About the quiz

For this year’s Christmas Puzzle Santa has decided to pop a few sweets and chocolates in the children’s stockings and those clever elves have worked out a way to spell their names using the names of the sweets. As in previous years, the clues will provide you with letters to fit into the answer grid below, spelling out 28 children’s names. In each case you need to enter letters from the answer, indicated by the numbers in square brackets after the letter count. In as many cases as possible this will include the first letter, but not always. For example, for the clue ‘ PHONEY LEFT INSIDE ’ ( 5 : [1, 3 ] ) , the answer might be FLAKE (FAKE [= PHONEY ] about the letter L for LEFT) : You would then need to enter into the grid the first letter – F – and the third – A . General knowledge, a mildly cryptic approach and a good dictionary should provide most of the answers

When you have worked out as many clues as you can, or if you would like to be sent the solutions after the closing date, send your answers by email to: AbdemonPuzzles@gmail.com

Closing date: January 8 2024

The winner to be chosen at random from the entrants with the most correct answers.