Cold hermit saves desperately for when stockings go up? (9,3)
I believe the answer is:
christmas eve
'when stockings go up?' is the definition.
(stockings are hung at Christmas Eve)
'cold hermit saves desperately' is the wordplay.
'cold' becomes 'c' (eg on taps).
'desperately' indicates an anagram.
'hermit'+'saves'='hermitsaves'
'hermitsaves' with letters rearranged gives 'hristmaseve'.
'c'+'hristmaseve'='CHRISTMAS EVE'
'for' is the link.
(Other definitions for christmas eve that I've seen before include "Twenty fourth of December" , "December 24th" , "Time to hang up stockings" , "Seventeen days ago" , "today" .)