Merry Christmas! Here’s a loosely festive-themed easy-medium crossword to try.

If you’re new to American-style puzzles, you might find this blog post helpful.

Hints

2 Across (Latin for 'say'...) A ruler with total power is a ___ator, and to contra___ is to assert the opposite.

25 Across (Letter opener?) What word opens a letter?

27 Across (In a festive gift trio) The trio of gifts in question are those delivered by the Three Wise Men.

57 Across (Festive season) Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Make the ___ gay.

10 Down (On the road?) Think the literal surface of the road.

16 Down (When to go bowling?) You're looking for a bowling pun relating to getting all the pins down in two.

27 Down (In a festive gift trio) On the third day of Christmas...

61 Down (7 in 7 AD, maybe) How would 7 be written in ancient Rome?