# GCHQ Christmas Challenge

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gchq-christmas-challenge/976507>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Tags:** board-card-word-game\
**Created:** [December 14, 2022, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gchq-christmas-challenge/976507 "2022-12-14T13:11:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2024, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gchq-christmas-challenge/976507/42 "2024-12-12T13:04:18Z")

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> [@Robot\_Arm](#):
>
> Thanks. So the left-to-right order of the animals (unicorn, owl, etc.) doesn’t mean anything.

The ordering of the animals does make a difference in the end

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**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2024, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gchq-christmas-challenge/976507/43 "2024-12-12T19:25:48Z")

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> [@colinfred](#):
>
> I don’t know why Americans seem to think we say Happy Christmas by default, (I’ve seen this in several threads now). The expression is always “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year”.

Probably from some combination of BBC sitcoms and things like Tracey Ullman wishing everyone a “Happy Christmas” before being “corrected” by the rest of the cast and crew of her Fox series back in the late 1980s.

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**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2024, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gchq-christmas-challenge/976507/44 "2024-12-14T13:15:17Z")

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And the John Lennon song.

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**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gchq-christmas-challenge/976507/45 "2025-12-18T13:46:52Z")

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Here’s the 2025 challenge!

[![](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/LaPltYl9XtOIut_8Jd96qw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNjcwO2NmPXdlYnA-/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-12/dd322870-d5ee-11f0-9feb-d74b3031af06) ](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/LaPltYl9XtOIut_8Jd96qw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNjcwO2NmPXdlYnA-/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-12/dd322870-d5ee-11f0-9feb-d74b3031af06)

> **[gchq%20christmas%20challenge%202025.pdf](https://www.gchq.gov.uk/files/gchq%20christmas%20challenge%202025.pdf)**

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**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gchq-christmas-challenge/976507/46 "2025-12-18T18:12:56Z")

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Thanks for posting that

I like there are three different front covers

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