I made an "Alternative Christmas" word search for my extended family in lieu of a crossword.  A representative quote: "Kyle's cheating and looking at my chickens!"

NEKCIHCCNCNCHICKEN
CECHICHHHEHHNIHNCE
CHKICHIIKIKECHIEHK
NHICHICCCNKCHINKIC
​​​​​​​EIIKIKIHECCHICECKI
KCHEEHCKINHICHKIEH
CIINCNCHICNNKCCHNC
IHNCHICCINKNEIHCEH
HCIEHCCHICKENKHHKI
CHICKENINHKCNICICC
HINEKCIHCIHECHIIIK
ICHICEICIKCKNEKEHE
KCHIKENHHNEKCIHCCC
NENEKCIHCNKICHENEN

In what country do people rollerskate through the streets of Caracas on their way to Christmas Mass?

What substance with atomic number 82 was used to manufacture tinsel until its use was discontinued in the 1970s due to health hazards?

The version of "Pennies From Heaven" featured in the movie Elf  is by what singer also known for voicing King Louie in The Jungle Book (1967)?

What ancient Lycian port city (located in modern Turkey) was the birthplace of Saint Nicholas?

Eowyn, a shieldmaiden of Rohan,
Pining for the king without a crown...
Who can kill the Witch King?
He'll say "No man".
But she can do the job when he is down.

Later on, things are dire.
Frodo stands by the fire.
His friends are betrayed,
But Gollum's repaid
Falling with the One Ring in his hand.

The winning team had 9 players in flagrant violation of the rules, but we're not going to file a formal protest over a free appetizer, right?

What 2014 film directed by Damien Chazelle tells the story of Andrew Neiman, who attends the fictional Shaffer Conservatory?

What vocal group was formed by the 1961 merger of two friendly rival groups, Otis Williams & The Distants, and The Primes?

What Confederate city was captured after the decisive battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip?

What are the two non-Ivy "Colonial colleges"?  [10 other schools have historical roots predating the American Revolution and are excluded from the list on bogus technicalities​​​​​​​ because they were not formally chartered as colleges with degree-granting powers, but we're not going to complain about that, either.]

What poem by T. S. Eliot includes the line "Do I dare to eat a peach?"

What country, formerly known as French Sudan, once controlled an empire led by Mansa Musa?

What Shakespearean comedy includes the "All the world's a stage" monologue by Jaques?

What month lends its name to the 1825 revolt in St. Petersburg​​​​​​​?

The miniseries Daisy Jones & the Six is based on what rock group known for their off-stage drama in the 1970s?

Aleppo's ghar soap is handmade from what ingredient used in cooking?

Disney Parks guests can pay extra to spend less time in line using what alliteratively-named virtual queuing system?

The Allen wrench (or "hex key") was named for the Allen Manufacturing Company, based in what New England city known for its insurance industry?

With the help of my daughter, My Favorite Team was victorious.

What girl's name is the title of a 2016 song by The Lumineers and part of the title of a 2025 song by Taylor Swift?

What board game genre, characterized by the in-game purchase of components to be cyclically accessed later, was popularized by Dominion ?

What Shakespeare play begins with"Now is the winter of our discontent" spoken by the Duke of Gloucester, who is "determined to prove a villain" ?

What famous lawyer gave an eight-hour speech at the sentencing hearing of the murderers Leopold and Loeb, and later defended John Scopes in the "Monkey Trial" ?

The Griswolds pulled ahead in music trivia and My Favorite Team couldn't catch them at the end.  

What TV anthology, first aired in 1991, features a teenage group called the Midnight Society that tells stories around a campfire?

What is the real name of the Colorado hotel that inspired The Shining  by Stephen King?

What does the Spanish word "brujas" mean in the Halloween expression "Día de las Brujas" ?

What real-life fungus that zombifies insects is the scientific basis for the plague in The Last of Us​​​​​​​ ?

We borrowed this movie from the library and I remarked that Nicole Kidman was still married to Executive Producer Tom Cruise when it was being made.

B:  "What?  This movie isn't that old!"

Me:  "Yep, it was released in 2001."

B:  "What?!?"

Me:  [spooky finger waving] "Wooooooooo!"

My Favorite Team led at halftime, but cratered late. 

When the Seattle Mariners reached the American League Championship Series in 2025, what AL Central team then had the longest current ALCS appearance drought?

Giuseppe Zangara, Samuel Byck, and Francisco Duran are A) attempted presidential assassins, B) champion F1 drivers, or C) Nobel-winning physicists?

What software company, publisher of Call of Duty and Guitar Hero, was purchased by Microsoft in 2023?

Of the 11 elements whose symbols do not feature letters from their common English names, which one has the lowest atomic number?