Crossword Genius

Item of clothing hard to obtain close to Christmas (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tights

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'item of clothing hard to' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'close to christmas' is the wordplay.
'close' becomes 'tight' (synonyms).
'to christmas' becomes 's' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'tight'+'s'='TIGHTS'

'obtain' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for tights that I've seen before include "Woman's garment" , "Item of hosiery" , "Pantihose" , "Ladies or theatrical hose" , "Ladies' hosiery" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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