Longtime Sunday Paper readers might remember how much I love Puzzle Mania, the New York Times’ annual puzzle extravaganza that comes in the print edition of the Sunday Times every year around the holidays.

About my only issue with Puzzle Mania is that it seems to come out at a different time every year.

I remember it starting in December when it first came out (this year is the 11th edition - hard to believe I’ve been doing this for eleven years), but slowly it seems to have crept earlier and earlier.

Last year I missed it entirely and discovered that I could order the puzzle edition (not the entire paper) through the mail.

And this year, I happened to be in New York on the weekend before Thanksgiving, and I didn’t even know that was the day Puzzle Mania was in the print edition until Sunday night, well after when I’d be going to the store.

(It had been on my mind all day to check because before I left home that morning I sorted through the Boston Globe and they had a kind of poor man’s version of puzzle mania [lowercase] with some puzzles and a larger-than-usual crossword and I wondered if that meant it was time for the big-boy Times version.)

My brother said he would check when he went out that night if there were any Timeses laying around (he didn’t)…so first thing Monday morning I ordered my Puzzle Mania.

It arrived the day after Thanksgiving, in much less time than I was expecting.

But I am glad I had it for Thanksgiving weekend.

The centerpiece of Puzzle Mania - and the best part, for my money - is the Super Mega Crossword, which is always fun to do.

And then on top of the crossword itself is a puzzle embedded within the crossword that is a contest - you email your answer and 25 lucky correct entries get prizes.

I’m pretty sure every year I’ve completed both puzzles, though I’ve never been one of the lucky 25.

Last year I discovered the mail-to-home Puzzle Mania late in the process and I was worried I would miss the deadline.

This year I have plenty of time - I started Super Mega on November 28, and I have until January 7 to figure out the contest answer.

Puzzle Mania is a highlight of the holiday season for me - it gives me something to do at night between dinner and bedtime - and any free time I have in between.

I love starting with the huge empty grid and seeing it slowly fill in.

It’s come to be one of those things that helps me pass the days until the December holidays, almost like an Advent calendar in crossword puzzle form.

December, to me, is Puzzle Mania and bowl games. The bowl games don't start for a while yet…but until then I have Puzzle Mania and my Super Mega Crossword to get me through.