Sunday Morning Puzzle #80 --- A Holiday Cryptogram

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Below is a holiday cryptogram…with modifications. Each letter block consists of two consecutive encoded words of the text, plus an extra encoded letter separating the two words.

Example:

Text: You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout.

Blocking and added letters: YOUSBETTER WATCHTOUT YOUNBETTER NOTICRY YOUCBETTER NOTKPOUT

Encoding: ZPVTCFUUFS XBUDIUPVU ZPVOCFUUFS OPUJDSZ ZPVDCFUUFS OPULQPVU

+++

Gift: In the spirit of the season, a gift has been given. In each of the red letter blocks, a single letter has kindly been decoded for you. The green letter blocks, however, are all completely encoded. The 14 already decoded letters can be rearranged to spell the author of the text.

The extra letters separating the two words in each block will spell out, when decoded, the source of the text.

Note: All six commas as well as both periods have been removed from the text.

Can you discover the holiday text, the author, and the source?

GRINCH HWQHACYSXHQXGW AHGMHKIYMAEL EGAAEHDJYYK AYNXNGSH AIHCKIYMA YDHNW GQHNAZIGCI MINEEYNYA RSANPL XHNDHXMFYSA YDIISPYSX ZGAIXAIHPMHECHM ZGAIGHNFI YAIHXMZGAI AIHAMENMYW YXPZGAI PHNPNL GASINSWA AIHGRFIYSMHM REHNMNWALLNNWQ WYXYWE ZGMIYAY** ENLEIA**
PHXXLUPNMAYMQPJ

2

Hint: The text, which does not contain the word “Christmas”, is likely familiar to our more literary attuned members.

Ho ho ho!

3

As a gift for the next solver, I’ll put the punctuation back in:
GRINCH HWQHACYSXHQXGW AHGMHKIYMAEL EGAAEHDJYYK, AYNXNGSH AIHCKIYMA YDHNW GQHN,AZIGCI MINEEYNYA RSANPL XHNDHXMFYSA YDIISPYSX ZGAIXAIHPMHECHM, ZGAIGHNFI YAIHX,MZGAI AIHAMENMYW, YXPZGAI PH.NPNL GASINSWA AIHGRFIYSMHM REHNMNWALL,NNWQ WYXYWE ZGMIYAY** ENLEIA**
And it appears to me that two letters are doing double duty; in AIHCKIYMA and GASINSWA I can’t see any already decoded letters, except the separating letters are in the already decoded state for use in both the author’s name and the source.

4

Once again, Peregrine, you have solved it! May your holiday season be filled with cheer and good spirits.

Peace on Earth and good will to all.