GCHQ Christmas Challenge

I've solved all the puzzles I think - but can't get the seasonal message.
Apparently it's for kids - I'm 41 and quite enjoyed it :)

https://www.gchq.gov.uk/news/xmaschallenge2022

Just went through the puzzles, not too bad.

Q: what is a GCHQ employee’s favourite game
A: eye spy

Atsa cracker

had trouble just locating the puzzles
don't think i'm cut out for them

then understanding the questions

You downloaded something from GCHQ?

Yes, the Christmas code challenge linked above.

You downloaded something from GCHQ?

This. Times a million!

what's wrong with downloading something from GCHQ?

.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/dec/14/get-cracking-work-as-a-team-to-solve-our-festive-puzzle-says-gchq

It's here as well if you don't want to download something

Someone tell me the solution to the maths one? Doesn't seem very mathematical to me

It’s not, but spelled backwards the words contain the numbers.

HTWORG
TSIXE
GNINEPO

https://www.gchq.gov.uk/news/xmaschallen­ge2022

Answers:

https://www.indy100.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=32349789&width=1500&quality=100
https://www.gchq.gov.uk/files/The%20GCHQ%20Christmas%20Challenge%202022_Answers.pdf

That took me longer than I would have hoped. Was stuck at the final hurdle for a little while (forgot to zoom out 🤦‍♂️)

what's wrong with downloading something from GCHQ?

Yeah...surely the self-selecting type of people who download their Christmas puzzle are unlikely to be of any interest to GCHQ, and if you were of interest to them they've probably got your number already. I'd have thought, but what do I know. LFGSS could be a cunning front to gather data on all of us.

I never heard of this previously but got sent this years challenges today. I got 4 of the 7 and was hopefully on the right lines for 2 of the others, one I was making a stupid error (then once that was pointed out I solved quick) and the other I think needs various alphabet shift ciphers and I cba to work through them. The fact they all follow the word Christmas is helpful as that narrows the pool of possible answers down considerably.

I was never going to get the word association one, my lack of geographical knowledge of the northern counties and their various small towns and villages let me down there. But also I wouldn't associate sticky with the word they do.

1, 2, 4 & 5 were all ok. The fact that there was only one possible (and fairly obvious) solution for the first line of 4 made it a relatively straightforward logic puzzle but I take issue with 6 being described as "effectively binary" in the solution when it's not binary at all. The numbers in the clue are powers of 2 and that's the only link to binary. The "1s and 0s" part of the clue is completely irrelevant to finding the solution.

I looked at the solution for 7 and I still can't see how you're supposed to crack the code, maybe it's not a logical solution and just required trial and error and I CBA. Maybe the punctuation should have given it away - or at least a starting point?
Anyone who has solved it care to shed any light?