Each day during Advent we'll post a new clue on our home page (here). The first letter of each answer is a different letter of the alphabet - in ascending order - and each of the clues lead to a Christmas-related answer.

And yes, we missed out 'Q'. There are only 25 days from December 1 to December 25, so something had to go! The clue for 'Q' might have been "Fourths, which when he heard them all heralded the Three Spirits for Scrooge? (8)". We'll reveal the solution on December 25th.

.... and here is that answer: Quarters. Scrooge heard all the quarters between 12 and 1 before the first Spirit arrived. A fourth is, of cousre, a quarter.

1st

Advent

Clue: Promotion before opening in pre-Christmas season

A promotion is an 'ad(vertisement)'; + 'vent' = opening. Advent is the time leading up to Christmas

2nd

Brussels sprouts

Clue: Vegetables which Belgian capital shoots

Brussels is the capital of Belgium. Shoots 'sprout' from plants. And yes, officially the vegetable is a 'Brussels sprout', not a 'Brussel sprout'. You'll find it on many Christmas dinner plates

3rd

Chimney

Clue: My niche, tidied up, creates an access channel for presents?

'Chimney' is an anagram (a 'tidied up' version) of 'my niche'. Santa, of course, traditionally comes down the chimney

4th

Decorations

Clue: Are this month's speeches hung up?

Decorations are an integral part of the Christmas season - yours may not be up yet, but shops, streets and other public places are full of them!

5th

Elves

Clue: Santa's helpers are in to be seen in steel vests

The word 'elves' is hidden in the words 'steEL VESts'; Santa's helpers are elves - in fact, he is often said to be one himself

6th

Frost

Clue: Following rime, other snowy types start like this frozen dew

Frost (depicted on many Christmas cards) comes in various types, including 'rime', 'hoar' (now called 'radiation') and 'advection' frost. Sometimes it looks like 'snow'; sometimes it's effectively frozen dew. The word is made up of the first letters of the first five words of the clue!

7th

Gabriel

Clue: Could grail be resolved for this angelic visitor?

Gabriel visited the Virgin Mary to tell her that she was to have a baby; Gabriel is an anagram of 'be grail'

8th

Home Alone

Clue: In with no one else? That's the stuff of movies!

'Home Alone' is an iconic 1990 Christmas movie (set at Christmas, rather than dealing with a Christmas theme). 'In' means '(at) home'; if no else is there you're 'alone'

9th

We will reveal today's answer tomorrow. If you haven't worked it out yet, why not do so now by visiting our home page?

10th

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11th

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12th

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13th

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14th

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15th

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16th

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17th

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18th

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19th

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20th

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21st

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22nd

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23rd

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24th

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25th

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