Christmas

DING DONG MERRILY ON HIGH (2A), SEE AMID THE WINTER’S SNOW (118), ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID’S CITY (1) and WHILE SHEPHERDS WATCHED (19) are the opening words of Christmas carols, as are ‘I saw three ships come sailing in’. SIGHT (53) and ROUND WINDOW (8/92) each define ‘eye’, which sounds like ‘I’; GANG (39), PIT (72) and SEE (110) may each precede ‘saw’; KINGS (75), WISE MONKEYS (95/54D) and GRACES (97) are associated with ‘three’; CRARE (37), GALLEASS (52A), GRAB (4), DROMON (43), SAIC (47D), PRAM (68), BRIGANTINE (74) and TERN (107) are ‘ships’; ‘come’ is part of LOCOMEN (57), UNCOMELY (77) and COMEDIC (99); ‘sailing’ is an anagram of ‘nilgais’, defined as LARGE INDIAN ANTELOPES (34/62/35); and IN is an abbreviation of ‘Indiana’, the NINETEENTH STATE (6/91D). SAILING, diagonally in the grid from above 54 to above 27, was to be shaded. The winners’ names are listed in the next article.