This did not start out as a Christmas puzzle. It was just another meta, and the metanism has nothing to do with the holiday. But the alert MMM editorial staff (i.e., @Clark E. Tripe, to whom much thanks) saw that if we dressed it in a Santa suit, asked the redoubtable @Joe Ross to put a wreath in the grid, and hung a few ornaments on the clues, it might serve a seasonal purpose.
The metanism is not complicated, but its interpretation may be a slight challenge, and some solvers may be temporarily distracted by unintentional red herrings.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Nudges the day after Boxing Day.
The answer (five letters) is something found under many Christmas trees.
Ah Holy Night
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