Hello dear Santee!
This year I decided to bless you with a once in a lifetime opportunity: A vacation around the globe. You will be spending time all around the world, but if you want me to pay all expenses for you, you will need to establish the connections between our holiday destinations yourself! The luxuries of this opportunity include:
Well, hope you are ready for the ride! I wish you the best of Christmas, dear Santee! Merry Christmas!
-Santa
(Disclaimer: You might be tempted to look at further puzzles to try and get help for a previous puzzle, which may be helpful; however, all puzzles are sequentially logically solvable without requiring extra thought from upcoming puzzles.)
Puzzle 1) Testing the Waters
Rules: Place the digits 1-9 into each row, column and box without repeats. (Classic Sudoku)
Progression: Once you solve the puzzle, enter the digits in yellow cells into corresponding positions for Puzzle 2. Those will be your Nurikabe clues. The pink cell is relevant for puzzle number 3, check instructions on next page.
Puzzle 2) Boat and Beach Tour in the Philippines
Rules: Shade some cells to create an orthogonally connected shaded area which divides the grid into unshaded areas. No 2x2 area is entirely shaded. Each unshaded area contains exactly one clue, and that clue indicates the size of the island. (Nurikabe)
Progression: In puzzle 3, for each row, enter the column number in which the Nth instance of unshaded cell appears in the Nurikabe grid, where N is the value in the pink cell of Puzzle 1. (Example: If pink cell has value of 2 and in puzzle 2 the 2nd unshaded cell of Row 1 (from left to right) appears in the 4th column, place 4 in the pink colored cell of Row 1 in puzzle 3.)
Link: Penpa+
Puzzle 3) Playing Go In Tokyo
Rules: Normal Sudoku rules apply. Place the digits 1-9 into each row, column and outlined box without repeats.
Digits along a white dot are consecutive. Digits along a black dot are in a 1:2 ratio. Not all dots are given.
Progression: Once you solve the puzzle, enter the digits in yellow cells into corresponding positions for Puzzle 4.
Puzzle 4) Practicing Art Paint in Türkiye
Rules: Shade some empty cells to create a single connected wall. Numbers in a cell indicate the length of consecutive shaded blocks in the neighboring cells. Cells with numbers cannot be shaded, and the shaded cells cannot form a 2×2 square anywhere in the grid. (Tapa)
Clarifications: There are no multi clued cells in this puzzle due to the nature of the previous puzzle. R4C1 and R4C9 are pre-given as unshaded.
Link: Penpa+
I hope you enjoy solving this present!
Solution code: Shading of Column 5 in the Tapa grid, S for shaded cells, U for unshaded cells.
on 17. January 2024, 00:14 by RubberMittens
Puzzle 1 was the hardest for me to solve. Great puzzle pack!
on 29. December 2023, 03:38 by Myxo
Very enjoyable set of classic puzzles :)
on 27. December 2023, 18:49 by Niverio
Updated Penpa+ link of 3rd puzzle because of a missing clue.
on 27. December 2023, 16:37 by Playmaker6174
What a fun journey, thanks! I'm sure that your Santee would enjoy this greatly given their wishes :)
on 27. December 2023, 16:33 by MicroStudy
nice beaches (unbiased)