Unclued lights (six of two words, one of three), correctly linked, make ten members of a seasonal set, one light doing multiple duty. Ignore one hyphen and two apostrophes. Nineteen across clues contain a superfluous word; initial letters of these words in clue order form the full name of the creator. The name of the genre is hidden in ten squares in the grid and should be shaded.
A first prize of £100, three prizes of £25 and six further prizes of Secret Service Brain Teasers by Sinclair McKay (Headline) will be awarded for the first correct solutions opened. The first four winners will each also receive a bottle of champagne. Entries by 14 January to: Christmas Crossword, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP.
Across
6 Sort of binding answer, twice over (4)
16 Securing navy, getting worse militarily (7)
17 Sinecure holder’s scheme to save fabulous money (8)
19 Jotting exact opinion (6)
20 Bird avoiding lake, being conspicuous (7)
21 Gambler’s endless blunder (5)
23 Travel involves story about ice (6)
25 Dull lake is never hot (7)
27 Again assert ease of manner (6)=
28 Troubled, presumably hard times (6)
30 WWI army head, and what he smoked? (4)
35 Guns recoiling, shooting this? (4)
38 Appearance of Rector arguing in part of church (5)
40 Rubbish smell receives fine (5)
41 Misprints in ‘Killer Rat Gets Away’ (6)
46 Separately like subordinate (7)
50 Tolerate relative taking floor back (5)
51 Dreadful groans: ugly skirt (6)
54 Vigour in country road cycling (4)
56 American flat against extra party (5)
57 Sea is the end of literary brothers (4)
60 Mare shortly running outside (4)
61 A measure of force not about to rise (4)
63 Cooked peas in recess (4)
65 In destruction German castle loses school (4)
66 Celebrating, wild teen keeps feet regularly hopping (6, two words)
69 Drag...
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