| 100% | STOCKING | 8 | * Long foot covering hung by the fireplace for Santa to fill with 13a, 17a, 46a, 13d, 29d, 44d or 51d |
| 30% | SOCK | 4 | (4/10) "Let's cozy up the fireplace with a red ___ (foot warmer) or two for Santa to fill with small gifts!" |
| 22% | END | 3 | *"As the night came to an ___, they gathered by the fireplace, holding hands, with hearts full of gratitude..." |
| 21% | RIGHTYTIGHTY | 12 | With 36-Across, mnemonic device for turning 54-Across … or a hint to the answers to the starred clues |
| 21% | MADLIB | 6 | Story with blanks to be filled in by the reader |
| 19% | LIMO | 4 | Long transport to the Emmys, for short |
| 19% | SNOW | 4 | With 19-Across, place for kids to play in the winter |
| 19% | STOCKINGUP | 10 | After filling the last one, Santa hung the __ |
| 19% | STAYHOME | 8 | Forgo the bar to hang out with your cat, maybe |
| 19% | GAS | 3 | (Check) Station to fill up your RV or car and get a few snacks for the road trip |
| 18% | TWOSTEPSFORWARD | 15 | With 57-Across, metaphor for nonlinear progress depicted by the circled letters |
| 18% | TRUCK | 5 | *Transport for 16a that's driven with care, and with sirens ringing it arrives to fight the flare!" |
| 18% | INITIAL | 7 | With 36-Across, first encounter, or what the answers to the starred clues make? |
| 18% | CARAVEL | 7 | The Niña or the Pinta, but not the Santa Maria, by design |
| 18% | ENDIN | 5 | Conclude with, and a phonetic hint for the answers to the starred clues |
| 18% | SLICED | 6 | With 57-Across, deli offering ... or a hint to the circled letters |
| 18% | AMMO | 4 | Some military supplies transferred by the U.S. to Ukraine, for short |
| 17% | GODOWNIN | 8 | With 47-Down, fail spectacularly ... or what the answers to the starred clues do? |
| 17% | CONCUR | 6 | To agree with or be of the same opinion |
| 17% | RAFTERS | 7 | Ceiling beams, or a three-word hint for the answers to the starred clues |
| 17% | TEA | 3 | Hot beverage celebrated by Brits today or a hint for 19a, 25a, 35a, 46a, 1d and 39d |
| 17% | PRIME | 5 | With 66-Across, peak evening hours ... or a hint to the answers to the starred clues |
| 17% | SUN | 3 | "Fun" day of the week, for short (start to 13a, 18a, 28a, 18d, and 35d) |
| 17% | STAMINA | 7 | The ability to keep on going for a very long time |
| 17% | ITSRAINING | 10 | With 63-Across, the opening lines to a nursery rhyme suggested by this puzzle's circled letters |
| 17% | ASABOVE | 7 | With 41-Across, philosophical principle in which Earth mirrors heaven … or a hint to the shaded squares |
| 17% | NINERS | 6 | San Francisco-based athletes with a team name inspired by the California Gold Rush, for short |
| 17% | SPLIT | 5 | With 41- and 45-Across, go Dutch, or what the answers to the starred clues do? |
| 17% | DISOWNED | 8 | Refused to see or care for any longer |
| 17% | RAP | 3 | "___ or Go to the League," 2019 hit album for 2 Chainz |