Puzzle Notes

Dear friends: 

Byron Walden's "Social Contract" is 3.5/5 difficulty. Enjoy it. Meanwhile, we have not one ... not two ... not four ... but THREE holiday puzzles coming to you next week! There will be xwords in your inbox on the 24th, 25th, and 26th, including a 21x21 and other good stuff. (These dates are in lieu of the usual Wednesday delivery).

Longtime subscribers know that we ask for tips only once a year -- this is the week! If you love the AVCX and want to contribute something extra, the tip jar is open. This year in particular, we're grateful for your extra contributions. The coming months are likely to see some needed updates in our digital operations, which will improve your experience in important ways. Of course, doing so will be expensive. The improvements will come no matter what, but if you can pitch in something all of us at the AVCX will be deeply thankful. Oh! And as always, if you specify a specific constructor in the note field, that constructor will get 100% of the tip.

Finally, thanks once more to those who have purchased AVCX gift subscriptions this month. You can still pick one up here for the holidays.

Thanks for solving,

Ben and the AVCX crew [avxwords.com, @AVCXWord]