How do I solve 1 across in Express Cryptic 20260521?

Question

Accepted Answer

1 across reads "Festival spread its charms" (9 letters); the answer is CHRISTMAS. It's an anagram clue: the answer is a rearrangement of letters supplied by the clue itself. Look for an indicator like 'mixed', 'broken', 'cooked', or 'wild', and find a phrase whose letters add up to the answer's length. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

Festival spread its charms (9)

1A — Festival spread its charms (9) — CHRISTMAS