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Thank you Amie for a clever and fun puzzle. It was thoroughly enjoyable, and my hat is off to you for the effort. The whinging in the crossword comments section has become tiresome. If one is so inclined, fault can be found in almost anything. Try to enjoy the ride and variety, open the mind, and try to appreciate the time and effort required to construct the puzzles.

Manicured lawns, aka ecological deserts, are the true eyesores, not un-mowed lawns. Note to the editors. You insist we learn the terms and ways of seemingly every social issue under the sun. You might do the same with matters pertaining to the environment, ecology, and natural history. You know, help change the world for the better, maybe save a few species too.

Mr Schiff, fantastic construction and a clever puzzle that I found an enjoyable distraction from the nerve-wracking news. Thanks for your effort.

One of the funnest, most aggravating, fairest puzzles in a long, long time. This puzzle felt like one of those from back in the old days of 30 to 40 years ago where solving the answer to the theme clue was not an option, but mandatory in order complete the puzzle. Thank you Mr. Goldberg for this gem. Encore.

It is tough to say adios to a regular, dependable friend, even one you never actually met. Thank you very much for your inimitable style and guidance Deb. Hope the new year is full of new fun for you. Wishing you fair winds and following seas. Great puzzle today, a real treat.

Fantastic wordplay Ms Hoody. I had little more than JDS after my first pass through. Very challenging, but fair. Thank you for an amusing Saturday puzzle.

Congratulations on a fine debut, Kit!

Encore! Encore! It reminded me of the level of difficulty in the 80s and 90s. Acrobat's display, Peace sign, Low volume. That is some outstanding and enjoyable wordplay sir. I haven't had so much aggravation, frustration, revelation and fun doing a crossword in years. I hope to be enjoying more of your works soon, Mr. Spooner. Thank you.

Well done Mr. McDermott on a fine, fun, and festive puzzle. Thank you. Merry Christmas and Happy, Healthy New Year to all.

Aww Deb, I wish you luck in your new adventures upon your retirement, which will come way too quickly for me and probably way too slowly for you. You are by far my favorite Wordplay Master at The Times, and your loss from these pages will hurt tremendously. Ouch. I'll try to be more gracious and less selfish when we get close to D-Day. But, in the meantime I'll try to roll with the punches. Eye roll. "Your Direction" by Goose will substitute nicely "The Wheels on the Bus" real quickly. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoJVGpmuwm0&list=RDLoJVGpmuwm0&start_radio=1" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoJVGpmuwm0&list=RDLoJVGpmuwm0&start_radio=1</a>

Mr. Liebeskind, thank you for a perfect puzzle this Thanksgiving. I agree with Barry Ancona, the "one" was a great diversion.

Mr. Rooney, congratulations on a your fine debut, and thank you for a clever and enjoyable Sunday puzzle.

Congratulations Mr. Zhou on a terrific debut. Excellent wordplay made this a challenging yet fun puzzle. I'm looking forward to more puzzles from you. The Number discovered in the 1500s had me scratching my head for a long time. Well done.

I've loved doing the New York Times Crossword Puzzles for around five decades now. I miss doing the print edition puzzles a lot, but I've adapted to the online version after a neurological condition made it necessary. I don't remember helpful Wordplay Columns (thank you) all those years ago, but I do remember "The New York Times Crossword Puzzle Dictionary" always within reach. Those early days could see an incomplete puzzle staring up at me from the table for a week sometimes. Taunting me as I walked by. Most puzzles are a learning experience, and I like to think they help to keep up with the times as they change. Each one is unique; some are brutal while others are a piece of cake. The same puzzle might seem impossible in the morning, but a breeze later in the day. Or vice versa. Puzzles themed to television and movies and their stars have always been my personal bane. But I still love them. One thing is for certain with each one, the constructor put real effort into his creation. And that is very much appreciated.

Thank you Mr. Sharaga and Mr. Peterson for that beautiful, fun puzzle. I have not laughed and smiled so much before while doing a crossword puzzle, and I hate to admit I've been doing them for too many decades. Congratulations on a fine debut. And I hope to see more of your collaborations down the road.

Please forgive me for this off topic, but is anyone else having daily problems accessing the crossword? I keep getting the message that "Our site is playing games with us. Please try again later or refresh the page." And I go around in circles trying to get to the sword.....It is incredibly annoying. The puzzle today was fun, thank thee, Mr. Levav.

Thank you for sharing those beautiful sentiments about your Dad, Deb. You brought a smile to my face as I recalled my mom doing the crossword regularly and asking me for help occasionally. I'm very sorry for your loss, but very happy you have great memories and the all important reconciliation to appreciate in times when you feel low. Peace.

That was a very clever puzzle Alex, and very enjoyable also. Thank you.

Could someone please explain how NOFEE is "Landlord pays broker" at 30D?

Terrific, clever puzzle, thank you Mr. Hartstein and Mr. Deshong. For some reason the northeast corner stymied me for over eight minutes. Mr. Hartstein, I think it's safe to say you've got a good future ahead of you, in physics puzzles or crossword puzzles. Good luck.

That was a fun puzzle. [Dude who might be in a row], I'd never hear such things if not for these crosswords. Thanks for another good one.

This was a very tough one for me, 16 minutes over my average. Still can't figure out how an emery board is a digital file, or how the period that begins on July 23 is Leo.

What a terrific puzzle. It must have been very hard to construct, well done! I thought all the clues were fair, but I really struggled to understand the NYAD / APT connection. So thank you Deb for the explanation, and to the team for the loads of information and help all year long. Deb, how do you know how many times a word has appeared as an answer in NYT crosswords? Is there a database accessible to the public?

Ms Goldstein and Mr. Wagner, that was one of the funnest puzzles I've done in a long time. It reminded me of the clever puzzles from many years ago. That's meant as a compliment. Thank you.

Does anyone know why the Puzzle Week ends on Sunday instead of beginning on Sunday, as related to the Statistics page? Wouldn't beginning the puzzle week on Sunday make much more sense since it is considered the first day of the week in the US and it is usually the most time consuming puzzle? One would be more likely to see a whole week's worth of puzzle stats (Sunday to Saturday), eliminating the current practice of switching over for the week on Sunday afternoon when some, including this person, are just sitting down to solve the Sunday.

I liked the references to two Norwegians.

Mr. Woodford, congratulations on a fantastic debut puzzle. Your wordplay was superb and caused my brain to hurt. I think you've got us Yanks at a severe disadvantage because of your British roots. I had the pleasure of spending a few years deciphering newspaper headlines and article titles when I lived in a member nation of the British Commonwealth. Towards the end of my stay I could almost decipher them. Looking forward to more of your challenges. Good Luck.

Congratulations on your debut Mr. Hall, a fun one to solve. I must admit I never heard of HOLLA before. Is it more common in one area of the country than in others?