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 hearty partner (4)
70 Proper organ, not grand (4)
72 Not wholly patriotic group (4)
73 One relatively unaltered? (4, two words)
74 Fellow in bad temper to blow out steam (5)
75 Everybody nearly shut out voice (4)
76 Deplores crude spotlight (5)
78 Reproach to women is some irony only (6)
79 Hundreds of herrings in grass (5)
84 Lad, rich, keeps diamonds in personal store (7, two words)
87 Wrong approach to include unknown spurious works (9)
88 Refuge in a yard in squalid English area (6)
90 He’s caught lift to Scotland (5)
91 Favour good spikes to sprint (5)
93 Try cycling: one won’t go by air (4)
96 By boat’s prow in cove, try to sell blubber (7)
98 Whimper, with a faulty heart (4)
99 Little violin; is it in bag? (3)
102 Jolly confusing finally to follow contrary directions (6)
104 Jaunty knight throwing gnome around river (6)
108 Jolt judge with lightweight appeal (6)
109 Keeping promise the French hate (6)
111 Weary, stout, one visitor loses way (7)
112 One looking approving as sister covers maximum distance (6)
113 See earache pills prepared in roundish shapes (8)
114 More can move to Spanish city (7)
116 Commotion awaiting attention? (4, hyphened)
117 Dance is old-fashioned, extremely uncool (7, two words)
Down
2 Assigned railway guard (6)
3 Realise chilly northerner’s checking temperature (6)
4 Frequency of performance by a car firm (9)
5 Composer pulling out a green for painter (7, two words)
7 Meanwhile I’m off to be put to rest (5)
9 Ancient harp’s appearance is in fashion (6)
12 Value collecting European water-crowfoot (5)
13 In centre of boat catch perhaps is clumsy (6)
14 Greek gods busy vaulting over the poles (6)
15 One in five love a food plant (6)
18 Indirectly refer to lakes in département (6)
23 Bud beginning to grow on girl (5)
26 As patron of the arts, remain very liberal (7)
31 Go away to do field sports briefly (4)
32 ...
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