Across
Drug, one fuelling a short run (7)
Maverick adoring Zeus or Freyr? (4,3)
17a
Crime award inspiring small informal gathering (4-4)
Newton, for one, claims the ground (9)
Heading off rats, bull (5)
In this, essentially head's torment (8)
Ultimately ungulates best, Santa employing reindeer, say? (4)
Runner in early event not starting back (5)
See 9
Stay flexible also in motion (8)
Sticky and coarse (5)
Drink after drink — one attempting to lift another? (9)
See 12 down
Teller of jokes — one of which in here? (7)
See 2
Down
Drink in plaudits, audience standing (4)
5d
Christmas favourite, almighty drunken fight? (4,4,7,2,4)
Crime, through having bagged Yuletide threesome up (6)
Floosie put paper up to decorate spruce (8)
See 2
Kick-start (4)
Romantic joiner confined to cell, panicking over sex (9)
22a
Unpredictable choice between 24 and 20 down? (3-2-4)
Scrawny neck, but no stuffing, put in place (5)
Scrooge's Boxing Day uplifting? That's not the right word (8)
Love collecting first of caterpillars in spring after climbing tree (8)
Upper limit raised in money for holy office (6)
Country bumpkin (6)
Father Christmas, I remembered stocking? (4)
Only part of 6 (4)
Type letters or click words in the clue