Christmas Murder Mystery Games

'Tis the season to make merry and party!

Our Christmas murder mystery game kits are specially-themed for fun get-togethers with friends or office colleagues. One mystery game is very family-friendly; the other game will be enjoyed by some families.

Both mystery games use our unique flexible script format. Both can be played face-to-face for a festive dinner party or party; both can be played virtually via Zoom, Microsoft Teams or another online conference app. Both are instantly downloadable and printable; boxed sets are planned.

We Have Two Murder Mystery Games Specially Themed for Christmas Parties

"Is Santa Slayed?"

A fun Christmassy mystery game for adults, teens and older children.

The North Pole is in crisis. Productivity is down at The Toy Workshop and the South Pole PLC is launching - another - takeover bid. A suspected Christmas Saboteur has stolen the Toy Workshop toys, broken Santa's sleigh and jumbled the Naughty and Nice Lists. And someone has poisoned poor Santa!

Characters: be a fearsome polar bear, a militant reindeer, an elf or a magician. Or be the glamorous Mrs Claus (a former model, darling) or the mischievous Jinxy or Merry Claus.

Players: 6-14; host can play a suspect.

Type of game: flexibly scripted - role-playing mystery with rounds and an optional mix-and-mingle introduction.

Play: face-to-face or virtually.

Gender: 1 female player (Mrs Claus); others are gender-neutral.

Age: older children + teens - 100+

Availability: instantly downloadable and printable.

Murder Involved?: jolly Mr Claus has been poisoned - but can YOU solve the mystery so Santa can survive?

See game

"Murder at the Christmas Party"

A fun mix of quirky suspects has assembled for a Christmas Party at the Rizzi Reindeer Hotel, an over-the-top festive hotel on Yuletide Mountain.

Then Scrooge Von Miser is found dead. Murdered by a poisoned present in the Secret Santa.

Characters: be a famous Italian pop star, a wannabe actress, a nerdy Professor who invents "cool" XMAS gizmos, a Goth-loving crime writer or a loud and brash Australian private detective. Or have fun being those fearsomely superior and obscenely rich villains of the mountain: the Von Misers.

Players: 6 - 14; host can play a suspect.

Type of game: flexibly scripted - role-playing mystery with rounds and an optional mix-and-mingle introduction.

Play: face-to-face or virtually.

Gender: a mix of male, female and gender-neutral characters; the planned family version will have 1 female character and the rest will be gender-neutral.

Age: most teenagers - 100+

Availability: instantly downloadable and printable.

Murder involved?: yes, but there are no gory details.

See game

What's Included in Your Christmas Game Kit?

Essential Files

Essential game kit files for "Murder at the Christmas Party"

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Host Instructions are comprehensive and easy-to-understand. Separate face-to-face and virtual instructions.

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Attractive pre-party booklets for each character.

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Party invitations supplied as editable Word documents; separate virtual and face-to-face invitations.

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Character party booklets give each character all of the information and dialogue suggestions that they need to interact with the other players.

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Attractive clues.

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Introduction and Solution audios to begin and end your party.

These Files Are Needed for the Game to Play Well

1 Host Instructions: everything you need to know to host a fantastic Christmassy party that's so easy to run you as the host can play as well. Separate virtual and face-to-face instructions. Virtual games also include tips for running a virtual party.

2 Pre-Party Booklets: each guest has their own copy of the newspaper appropriate the theme (Yuletide Mountain news or North Pole News) together with their character's bio, costume ideas, secrets etc. These booklets also contain the prompts for the optional Initial Mingling round - a fun mix and mingle session that can be played at the start of each get-together.

3 Party Invitations: special festive-themed party invitations; separate invite for virtual and face-to-face games.

4 Party Booklets: separate booklet for each character that gives them all of the prompts and dialogue suggestions that they will need during the game. Booklets are written in the form of our unique "flexible script".

5 Clues: attractively presented clues with themed background.

6 Audios: Introduction to be played at the start of the game and Solution to be played at the end. We hire professional voiceover actors (two per audio) to create high-quality products that will keep your guests entertained and informed. In case of difficulties, a printable backup file is provided.

All of the above files are provided in the first FIVE downloads of your game kit. It is obvious that they need to be downloaded as they are not labelled optional.

Optional Files and Folders

Optional party kit for Is Santa Slayed? - the evening will play just fine without these extras

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Awards certificates are styled for each theme.

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Name tags.

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Menu cards and place settings.

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Comprehensive, high-quality decoration pack.

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Theme-related entertainment pack for younger children.

These files and folders are optional extras; feel free to use them or not as you wish. All are clearly labelled "optional" for ease of understanding.

Optional Files

1 Award Certificates: festive-themed certificates for best actor, solution and costume. Virtual games also have certificates for best food and decor.

2 Themed name tags. (Face-to-face games only.)

Optional Folders

3 Decoration Pack: for both themes, we have created a good selection of posters, room signs and wine bottle labels to help you to decorate your party space.

4 Themed menu card and place setting cards.

5 As Christmas is a time for families, our festive games also include an entertainment kit to keep younger children occupied while older family members enjoy the party.

How Family-Friendly Are Our Festive Whodunnit Games?

"Is Santa Slayed?": Very Family Friendly

1 There are no mentions of affairs. We realise that different family members may not feel comfortable having fictitious affairs with each other and so we have come up with a range of other fun motives.

2 No characters get drunk - although jolly Mr Claus does like drinking Eggnog!

3 The motives are relatively innocuous and are generally suitable for most ages. There are no murders but Santa has been poisoned. Will Mr Claus survive so Christmastime can happen again? Play the game to find out ...

4 As part of the party kit, we supply some theme-related activity materials to keep younger children entertained while the older players enjoy the game.

"We played this as a family Christmas game. It is hard to find a game for only 6 people and one for kids. This one was perfect; our 9-year-old niece only struggled with a few of the words, but she still was able to keep up... We all had a very good time."

"A fantastic, festive murder mystery. Fun characters, a highly entertaining script, lots of laughs and thoroughly recommended ... A great way to spend an evening with friends or family. We all loved it."

"Murder at the Christmas Party": Main Version is Suitable for Some Families

The main version of the mystery is suitable for most teens and Great Aunt Agatha is unlikely to be offended. There are (alleged) affairs, mild flirtations and an (alleged) serial killer or two BUT the suggested dialogue is very mild. There are no embarrassing or gory details and everything is very light-hearted. The host instructions advise on inter-character relationships but guests are free to play these up or down as they wish.

An additional family version is planned. This version will have no affairs and the serial killer will be given a different motive.

The game has optional theme-related materials to keep younger children entertained while older relatives play the game. It also has an alternative version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with lyrics specially-adapted to the theme. This is an entirely optional activity that could be used to entertain guests in-between meal courses. The game will play just fine without it, however.

Awaiting review

Both Games Are Ideal for Playing With Adult Friends or Colleagues

"Murder at the Christmas Party" is a new game specifically written for grown-ups - while ensuring the characters and plot lines are acceptable for many families.

"Is Santa Slayed?" was carefully written so that the characters have enough depth, and the storylines have enough twists and turns, to hold the attention of players of all ages. The game has been enjoyed by many older groups, including office parties. Trials have shown that the solution has the right level of complexity for most adult groups.

"Very great! Played during a work event, everybody got into characters which made it very fun. The characters are amazing and it’s a real pleasure to discover “Is Santa Slayed” and its universe."

Christmas-Themed Murder Mystery Game Kits