| 100% | JAN | 3 | New Year month to send a wish that is highlighted in this puzzle, for short |
| 40% | DEC | 3 | Month that leads to a brand new year, for short |
| 38% | PEACE | 5 | State of calmness that is often wished for in the New Year |
| 37% | NODOFF | 6 | At midnight when I'm still writing clues for the puzzle that absolutely has to be in Florida by 8:00 am, I have a tendency to do this |
| 36% | YOUR | 4 | "How to Train ___ Dragon," 2010 animated film ... or part of a New Year's wish highlighted in this puzzle |
| 34% | DEC | 3 | Month that leads into a brand new year, for short |
| 33% | SMS | 3 | Protocol that was first used to send the text "Merry Christmas," for short |
| 32% | EGO | 3 | Word hidden in this clue that might be a detriment to negotiations |
| 32% | DOORWAY | 7 | Portal represented 20 times in this puzzle that lets you in and out of a confined space (Note: These special letters, reading left to right, row by row, will produce an apt four-word phrase) |
| 32% | BANDE | 5 | Burglary, for short ... and a hint to this puzzle's four longest answers |
| 32% | ADS | 3 | Commercials that are a usual break-time sight in most stadium sports, for short |
| 32% | QTR | 3 | There are four in a year, for short |
| 31% | RUDOLPH | 7 | Who's depicted in this puzzle when the circled letters are connected from A to Z and back to A |
| 31% | RRXING | 6 | Intersection with flashing lights and bells, for short, and a hint to this puzzle's circles |
| 31% | JAN | 3 | New Year month, for short |
| 31% | MARCH | 5 | Month that was the first of the new year in early 3-Down calendars |
| 31% | ROAR | 4 | Hit song by Katy Perry that was nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year in 2014 |
| 31% | FIREWORK | 8 | Hit song by Katy Perry that was nominated for a Grammy for Record of the Year in 2012 |
| 31% | METS | 4 | M.L.B. team that was the first to trade a player for himself (Harry Chiti in 1962) |
| 30% | MAY | 3 | "To Whom It ___ Concern," 2016 film starring Wilmer Valderrama ... or the start of a New Year's wish highlighted in this puzzle |
| 30% | DREAMS | 6 | "Field of ___," 1989 film starring Kevin Costner ... or part of a New Year's wish highlighted in this puzzle |
| 30% | HRS | 3 | There are 24 of these in a day, for short |
| 30% | DEC | 3 | Month that ends a year, for short |
| 30% | ANTS | 4 | “What is this? A center for ___?” (Zoolander’s reaction to a scale model, in “Zoolander”) |
| 30% | THIS | 4 | "___ Means War," 2012 film starring Chris Pine ... or part of a New Year's wish highlighted in this puzzle |
| 30% | PBJ | 3 | Lunchbox sandwich made from the brands in this puzzle, for short |
| 30% | ROSE | 4 | ___ Parade, annual New Year's Day parade in California that is known for its floral-covered floats and marching bands |
| 30% | DREAM | 5 | "Teenage ___," third studio album by Katy Perry that was nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2011 |
| 30% | GUAC | 4 | Dip that can be made in a molcajete, for short |
| 30% | ENDZONE | 7 | In American football, the area behind the goals that a ball must cross for a touchdown to be awarded |