UNIVERSAL CROSSWORD PUZZLE

1 Places to take a photo with Santa

6 Affirmative at sea

9 Droop, as a rose

13 Apportions

15 Coltrane’s instrument, familiarly

16 Operatic highlight

17 Start opening impatiently

18 “Go there to fill the bucket for our castle”?

20 ___ Millions

21 Actor’s part

22 Coffee alternative

23 Home videos of Nana?

27 Official with a whistle

28 Friend: Fr.

29 Sch. in Dallas

30 “Selma” director DuVernay

31 “Tall” stories

34 Italia’s capital

38 Riches that went up in smoke?

42 18-wheeler

43 Ran out of patience

44 Text before “thx”

45 ___ Vegas Strip

48 “You ___ My Sunshine”

49 Garden tool

50 Developers’ winning proposals?

54 ___ Paulo

56 Ski resort in New Mexico

57 Horse with multiple colors

58 Suddenly become charming ... or, parsed differently, the rule for formulating 18-, 23-, 38- and 50-Across?

60 What helps one get

up to speed?

63 Notion

64 Find a function for

65 Stuffed oneself, with “out”

66 Clears (of)

67 To be, in Bogota

68 “Lovergirl” singer Marie

DOWN

1 Word after “welcome”

or “wrestling”

2 Strong beer

3 Where a soft wool is produced

4 Italian actress Sophia

5 Stop developing

6 Houston baseball pro

7 “What an exciting tech company!”

8 Holds in high regard

9 “Where ___ I?”

10 Hopping mad

11 It goes from point A to point B

12 “I did it!”

14 Never get over a slight

19 One of 32 in the NFL

23 Takes without asking

24 Show with sketches and songs

25 Muck

26 Expert

32 Unit in history class

33 Camry or Accord

35 “Annie” setting

36 Cantaloupe, for one

37 Beasts of burden

39 River that may have helped ancient Egyptians build pyramids

40 Deliver via iPhone

41 “Hurry up!”

46 Wine region hidden in “Christmastime”

47 Something to like on Facebook

50 No longer paying attention, say

51 Like an unsecured screw

52 Ed who played Santa in “Elf”

53 Big

54 Mix, as batter

55 BMW competitor

59 “Illmatic” rapper

61 “Of Mice and ___”

62 Kissing on the subway, e.g., in brief