T’was a death before Christmas
Christmas Themed Murder Mystery
From: £22.99
- Virtual Video Inspector
- Instant download option available
- Can be played in person & Virtually
- Easy to change number of players after purchase*
Interactive Christmas Themed Murder Mystery Party Kit:
T’was a death before Christmas, our Christmas Themed Murder Mystery Dinner Party Game Kit for 6 to 20 Players, is available as a downloadable print-at-home kit, and has been carefully crafted to involve both yourself as host and all of your guests.
T’was a death before Christmas Storyline:
Every year in the small country village of Mid-Trimming the residents come together to sing carols through the village streets. At the end of their night of wassailing, tradition dictates that they all gather somewhere for a final Christmas party before the big day itself.
This year the carol singers descended on Mid-Trimming Manor, owned by the wealthy miser, Bob Scratchitt. Everyone was surprised when he agreed to play host, but they were even more amazed when he was discovered dead in his own lounge!
So much for being a season of goodwill and glad tidings; this Christmas it looks as though someone had some very ill will indeed! The question is: who?
Play our Christmas themed murder mystery T’was a death before Christmas to find out!



Download our Free Editable Invitation
To make planning your party easy we have created a Free invitation download customised for each game.
- Ready and easy to edit PDF
- Download and fill in your guest names and event information
- Save and send by email or messenger
- Fill in digitally and print
- Print and fill in by hand

Video Inspector Included in all Murder Mystery Kits
Meet your detective
Each round your detective revels clues and helps you solve the case.
Video detective is included in all our games as an option the detective can also be played by a guest the host or as an audio recording.
Download Samples
Introducing the suspects
Robin Redbreast – Retired teacher. (Gender Neutral)
Bookish, with half-moon specs and dark clothing, Robin Redbreast has a stern countenance and perfect pitch.
Jack Frost – Butcher. (Male)
Straight from work and still in his blue striped apron or white coat, Jack is burly, cheery and friendly and throws himself into any party.
Holly Reath – Postmistress. (Female)
Decked out in festive colours and a Santa hat, Holly is not as prickly a character as you might expect, though she does love to poke her nose in where she isn’t wanted.
Declan Halls – Baker. (Male)
A friend to all, Declan finished work early this afternoon and has come in his winter woollies, prepared to eat, drink and be merry.
Gaye Buntin – Newspaper shop owner. (Female)
Fond of bling and bright colours, Gaye just loves Christmas and really gets into the festive spirit with flashing earrings and reindeer antler headgear.
Chris Tingle – Grocer. (Gender Neutral)
Always armed with seasonal fruit as gifts, Chris Tingle is fond of Arran sweaters.
Robin Redbreast – Retired teacher. (Gender Neutral)
Bookish, with half-moon specs and dark clothing, Robin Redbreast has a stern countenance and perfect pitch.
Jack Frost – Butcher. (Male)
Straight from work and still in his blue striped apron or white coat, Jack is burly, cheery and friendly and throws himself into any party.
Holly Reath – Postmistress. (Female)
Decked out in festive colours and a Santa hat, Holly is not as prickly a character as you might expect, though she does love to poke her nose in where she isn’t wanted.
Declan Halls – Baker. (Male)
A friend to all, Declan finished work early this afternoon and has come in his winter woollies, prepared to eat, drink and be merry.
Gaye Buntin – Newspaper shop owner. (Female)
Fond of bling and bright colours, Gaye just loves Christmas and really gets into the festive spirit with flashing earrings and reindeer antler headgear.
Chris Tingle – Grocer. (Gender Neutral)
Always armed with seasonal fruit as gifts, Chris Tingle is fond of Arran sweaters.
Silvia Bells – Chair of the local Amateur Dramatics Society. Female)
Larger than life and twice as glittery, Silvia is a thwarted actress with class, darlings.
Noel Nowell – Scout leader. (Male)
Dressed in khaki, with a neckerchief and woggle, Noel takes his scout leadership very, very seriously and is never off duty.
Robin Redbreast – Retired teacher. (Gender Neutral)
Bookish, with half-moon specs and dark clothing, Robin Redbreast has a stern countenance and perfect pitch.
Jack Frost – Butcher. (Male)
Straight from work and still in his blue striped apron or white coat, Jack is burly, cheery and friendly and throws himself into any party.
Holly Reath – Postmistress. (Female)
Decked out in festive colours and a Santa hat, Holly is not as prickly a character as you might expect, though she does love to poke her nose in where she isn’t wanted.
Declan Halls – Baker. (Male)
A friend to all, Declan finished work early this afternoon and has come in his winter woollies, prepared to eat, drink and be merry.
Gaye Buntin – Newspaper shop owner. (Female)
Fond of bling and bright colours, Gaye just loves Christmas and really gets into the festive spirit with flashing earrings and reindeer antler headgear.
Chris Tingle – Grocer. (Gender Neutral)
Always armed with seasonal fruit as gifts, Chris Tingle is fond of Arran sweaters.
Silvia Bells – Chair of the local Amateur Dramatics Society. Female)
Larger than life and twice as glittery, Silvia is a thwarted actress with class, darlings.
Noel Nowell – Scout leader. (Male)
Dressed in khaki, with a neckerchief and woggle, Noel takes his scout leadership very, very seriously and is never off duty.
Missie Le’Toe – Clothing retailer. (Female)
Specialising in fashion from Europe, Missie Le’Toe has a cultivated French accent and is always dressed flamboyantly.
Scott Spine – Policeman. (Male)
Just off duty, Scott is still wearing dark blue trousers and a white shirt. After a day roaming the village, he is more than ready for a drink and is already quite merry!
Robin Redbreast – Retired teacher. (Gender Neutral)
Bookish, with half-moon specs and dark clothing, Robin Redbreast has a stern countenance and perfect pitch.
Jack Frost – Butcher. (Male)
Straight from work and still in his blue striped apron or white coat, Jack is burly, cheery and friendly and throws himself into any party.
Holly Reath – Postmistress. (Female)
Decked out in festive colours and a Santa hat, Holly is not as prickly a character as you might expect, though she does love to poke her nose in where she isn’t wanted.
Declan Halls – Baker. (Male)
A friend to all, Declan finished work early this afternoon and has come in his winter woollies, prepared to eat, drink and be merry.
Gaye Buntin – Newspaper shop owner. (Female)
Fond of bling and bright colours, Gaye just loves Christmas and really gets into the festive spirit with flashing earrings and reindeer antler headgear.
Chris Tingle – Grocer. (Gender Neutral)
Always armed with seasonal fruit as gifts, Chris Tingle is fond of Arran sweaters.
Silvia Bells – Chair of the local Amateur Dramatics Society. Female)
Larger than life and twice as glittery, Silvia is a thwarted actress with class, darlings.
Noel Nowell – Scout leader. (Male)
Dressed in khaki, with a neckerchief and woggle, Noel takes his scout leadership very, very seriously and is never off duty.
Missie Le’Toe – Clothing retailer. (Female)
Specialising in fashion from Europe, Missie Le’Toe has a cultivated French accent and is always dressed flamboyantly.
Scott Spine – Policeman. (Male)
Just off duty, Scott is still wearing dark blue trousers and a white shirt. After a day roaming the village, he is more than ready for a drink and is already quite merry!
Angela Onnatree – Riding school owner. (Female)
Never seen out of her beige jodhpurs, Angela has a distinctly upper-class accent, but is actually really down-to-earth.
Ivor Cracker – Landlord of the local pub. (Male)
In shirtsleeves and dark trousers with a tea-towel still hanging out of his back pocket, Ivor has just finished a shift at his local to join the wassailing.
Robin Redbreast – Retired teacher. (Gender Neutral)
Bookish, with half-moon specs and dark clothing, Robin Redbreast has a stern countenance and perfect pitch.
Jack Frost – Butcher. (Male)
Straight from work and still in his blue striped apron or white coat, Jack is burly, cheery and friendly and throws himself into any party.
Holly Reath – Postmistress. (Female)
Decked out in festive colours and a Santa hat, Holly is not as prickly a character as you might expect, though she does love to poke her nose in where she isn’t wanted.
Declan Halls – Baker. (Male)
A friend to all, Declan finished work early this afternoon and has come in his winter woollies, prepared to eat, drink and be merry.
Gaye Buntin – Newspaper shop owner. (Female)
Fond of bling and bright colours, Gaye just loves Christmas and really gets into the festive spirit with flashing earrings and reindeer antler headgear.
Chris Tingle – Grocer. (Gender Neutral)
Always armed with seasonal fruit as gifts, Chris Tingle is fond of Arran sweaters.
Silvia Bells – Chair of the local Amateur Dramatics Society. Female)
Larger than life and twice as glittery, Silvia is a thwarted actress with class, darlings.
Noel Nowell – Scout leader. (Male)
Dressed in khaki, with a neckerchief and woggle, Noel takes his scout leadership very, very seriously and is never off duty.
Missie Le’Toe – Clothing retailer. (Female)
Specialising in fashion from Europe, Missie Le’Toe has a cultivated French accent and is always dressed flamboyantly.
Scott Spine – Policeman. (Male)
Just off duty, Scott is still wearing dark blue trousers and a white shirt. After a day roaming the village, he is more than ready for a drink and is already quite merry!
Angela Onnatree – Riding school owner. (Female)
Never seen out of her beige jodhpurs, Angela has a distinctly upper-class accent, but is actually really down-to-earth.
Ivor Cracker – Landlord of the local pub. (Male)
In shirtsleeves and dark trousers with a tea-towel still hanging out of his back pocket, Ivor has just finished a shift at his local to join the wassailing.
Candy Cane – Local actress. (Female)
After appearing as an extra in a few TV soaps, Candy has grasped her actress title with both hands and nearly always overdresses for any occasion.
Felix Navidad – Church bellringer. (Male)
Complete with festive jumper and warm greetings for all, Felix often brings sleighbells with him to liven up the singing.
Robin Redbreast – Retired teacher. (Gender Neutral)
Bookish, with half-moon specs and dark clothing, Robin Redbreast has a stern countenance and perfect pitch.
Jack Frost – Butcher. (Male)
Straight from work and still in his blue striped apron or white coat, Jack is burly, cheery and friendly and throws himself into any party.
Holly Reath – Postmistress. (Female)
Decked out in festive colours and a Santa hat, Holly is not as prickly a character as you might expect, though she does love to poke her nose in where she isn’t wanted.
Declan Halls – Baker. (Male)
A friend to all, Declan finished work early this afternoon and has come in his winter woollies, prepared to eat, drink and be merry.
Gaye Buntin – Newspaper shop owner. (Female)
Fond of bling and bright colours, Gaye just loves Christmas and really gets into the festive spirit with flashing earrings and reindeer antler headgear.
Chris Tingle – Grocer. (Gender Neutral)
Always armed with seasonal fruit as gifts, Chris Tingle is fond of Arran sweaters.
Silvia Bells – Chair of the local Amateur Dramatics Society. Female)
Larger than life and twice as glittery, Silvia is a thwarted actress with class, darlings.
Noel Nowell – Scout leader. (Male)
Dressed in khaki, with a neckerchief and woggle, Noel takes his scout leadership very, very seriously and is never off duty.
Missie Le’Toe – Clothing retailer. (Female)
Specialising in fashion from Europe, Missie Le’Toe has a cultivated French accent and is always dressed flamboyantly.
Scott Spine – Policeman. (Male)
Just off duty, Scott is still wearing dark blue trousers and a white shirt. After a day roaming the village, he is more than ready for a drink and is already quite merry!
Angela Onnatree – Riding school owner. (Female)
Never seen out of her beige jodhpurs, Angela has a distinctly upper-class accent, but is actually really down-to-earth.
Ivor Cracker – Landlord of the local pub. (Male)
In shirtsleeves and dark trousers with a tea-towel still hanging out of his back pocket, Ivor has just finished a shift at his local to join the wassailing.
Candy Cane – Local actress. (Female)
After appearing as an extra in a few TV soaps, Candy has grasped her actress title with both hands and nearly always overdresses for any occasion.
Felix Navidad – Church bellringer. (Male)
Complete with festive jumper and warm greetings for all, Felix often brings sleighbells with him to liven up the singing.
Faye Reelites – Landscape gardener. (Female)
Rarely out of wellies and work clothes, Faye has gathered all she might need to celebrate Christmas in her special winter tool belt, including scissors, tape and alcoholic miniatures.
Reg Oyce – Gift shop owner. (Male)
Short of a festive jumper, Reg has turned to his haberdashery at the gift shop to add bling to his ordinary clothes, trimming them with stick-on bows and baubles.
Robin Redbreast – Retired teacher. (Gender Neutral)
Bookish, with half-moon specs and dark clothing, Robin Redbreast has a stern countenance and perfect pitch.
Jack Frost – Butcher. (Male)
Straight from work and still in his blue striped apron or white coat, Jack is burly, cheery and friendly and throws himself into any party.
Holly Reath – Postmistress. (Female)
Decked out in festive colours and a Santa hat, Holly is not as prickly a character as you might expect, though she does love to poke her nose in where she isn’t wanted.
Declan Halls – Baker. (Male)
A friend to all, Declan finished work early this afternoon and has come in his winter woollies, prepared to eat, drink and be merry.
Gaye Buntin – Newspaper shop owner. (Female)
Fond of bling and bright colours, Gaye just loves Christmas and really gets into the festive spirit with flashing earrings and reindeer antler headgear.
Chris Tingle – Grocer. (Gender Neutral)
Always armed with seasonal fruit as gifts, Chris Tingle is fond of Arran sweaters.
Silvia Bells – Chair of the local Amateur Dramatics Society. Female)
Larger than life and twice as glittery, Silvia is a thwarted actress with class, darlings.
Noel Nowell – Scout leader. (Male)
Dressed in khaki, with a neckerchief and woggle, Noel takes his scout leadership very, very seriously and is never off duty.
Missie Le’Toe – Clothing retailer. (Female)
Specialising in fashion from Europe, Missie Le’Toe has a cultivated French accent and is always dressed flamboyantly.
Scott Spine – Policeman. (Male)
Just off duty, Scott is still wearing dark blue trousers and a white shirt. After a day roaming the village, he is more than ready for a drink and is already quite merry!
Angela Onnatree – Riding school owner. (Female)
Never seen out of her beige jodhpurs, Angela has a distinctly upper-class accent, but is actually really down-to-earth.
Ivor Cracker – Landlord of the local pub. (Male)
In shirtsleeves and dark trousers with a tea-towel still hanging out of his back pocket, Ivor has just finished a shift at his local to join the wassailing.
Candy Cane – Local actress. (Female)
After appearing as an extra in a few TV soaps, Candy has grasped her actress title with both hands and nearly always overdresses for any occasion.
Felix Navidad – Church bellringer. (Male)
Complete with festive jumper and warm greetings for all, Felix often brings sleighbells with him to liven up the singing.
Faye Reelites – Landscape gardener. (Female)
Rarely out of wellies and work clothes, Faye has gathered all she might need to celebrate Christmas in her special winter tool belt, including scissors, tape and alcoholic miniatures.
Reg Oyce – Gift shop owner. (Male)
Short of a festive jumper, Reg has turned to his haberdashery at the gift shop to add bling to his ordinary clothes, trimming them with stick-on bows and baubles.
Carole Singer – Choir leader.(Female)
In her winter woollies and carrying a lantern to enable the reading of the sheet music, Carole is ready to lead anyone in another song.
Wayne Amanger – Farmer. (Male)
Dressed as a shepherd because he had the wrong day for the nativity pageant, Wayne is full of fun and festive cheer.
Robin Redbreast – Retired teacher. (Gender Neutral)
Bookish, with half-moon specs and dark clothing, Robin Redbreast has a stern countenance and perfect pitch.
Jack Frost – Butcher. (Male)
Straight from work and still in his blue striped apron or white coat, Jack is burly, cheery and friendly and throws himself into any party.
Holly Reath – Postmistress. (Female)
Decked out in festive colours and a Santa hat, Holly is not as prickly a character as you might expect, though she does love to poke her nose in where she isn’t wanted.
Declan Halls – Baker. (Male)
A friend to all, Declan finished work early this afternoon and has come in his winter woollies, prepared to eat, drink and be merry.
Gaye Buntin – Newspaper shop owner. (Female)
Fond of bling and bright colours, Gaye just loves Christmas and really gets into the festive spirit with flashing earrings and reindeer antler headgear.
Chris Tingle – Grocer. (Gender Neutral)
Always armed with seasonal fruit as gifts, Chris Tingle is fond of Arran sweaters.
Silvia Bells – Chair of the local Amateur Dramatics Society. Female)
Larger than life and twice as glittery, Silvia is a thwarted actress with class, darlings.
Noel Nowell – Scout leader. (Male)
Dressed in khaki, with a neckerchief and woggle, Noel takes his scout leadership very, very seriously and is never off duty.
Missie Le’Toe – Clothing retailer. (Female)
Specialising in fashion from Europe, Missie Le’Toe has a cultivated French accent and is always dressed flamboyantly.
Scott Spine – Policeman. (Male)
Just off duty, Scott is still wearing dark blue trousers and a white shirt. After a day roaming the village, he is more than ready for a drink and is already quite merry!
Angela Onnatree – Riding school owner. (Female)
Never seen out of her beige jodhpurs, Angela has a distinctly upper-class accent, but is actually really down-to-earth.
Ivor Cracker – Landlord of the local pub. (Male)
In shirtsleeves and dark trousers with a tea-towel still hanging out of his back pocket, Ivor has just finished a shift at his local to join the wassailing.
Candy Cane – Local actress. (Female)
After appearing as an extra in a few TV soaps, Candy has grasped her actress title with both hands and nearly always overdresses for any occasion.
Felix Navidad – Church bellringer. (Male)
Complete with festive jumper and warm greetings for all, Felix often brings sleighbells with him to liven up the singing.
Faye Reelites – Landscape gardener. (Female)
Rarely out of wellies and work clothes, Faye has gathered all she might need to celebrate Christmas in her special winter tool belt, including scissors, tape and alcoholic miniatures.
Reg Oyce – Gift shop owner. (Male)
Short of a festive jumper, Reg has turned to his haberdashery at the gift shop to add bling to his ordinary clothes, trimming them with stick-on bows and baubles.
Carole Singer – Choir leader.(Female)
In her winter woollies and carrying a lantern to enable the reading of the sheet music, Carole is ready to lead anyone in another song.
Wayne Amanger – Farmer. (Male)
Dressed as a shepherd because he had the wrong day for the nativity pageant, Wayne is full of fun and festive cheer.
Ginger Bredouse – Nurse.(Female)
Attending the carolling directly from work, Ginger has trimmed up her uniform with tinsel and done her best to look festive.
Tim Sell – Plumber. (Male)
Dressed in a boiler suit and carrying his tools, Tim was attending to a broken pipe emergency and only arrived just in time for the last chorus.
FAQ's
How long does it take to play a murder mystery game?
How long a murder mystery game takes to play depends on the number of players, the format (virtual or face-to-face), and other factors like eating and drinking consumption.
- Virtual games: Approximately 10 minutes per suspect (e.g., 1 hour for 6 players, 80 minutes for 8 players). A 20-player game on Zoom can be finished in 2 hours with a faster pace.
- Face-to-face games: Typically take 2–3½ hours when combined with a meal, but can vary depending on how relaxed the dining is. Adding ad-libbing, general conversation, can extend the duration.
- Quick large-group games: Custom “suspect/witness” split formats can reduce game time and maintain pace.
On average, dinner party muder mystery games take 2–3½ hours depending on circumstances.
You can find a more in-depth answer with more examples here.
Can the host play a Murder Mystery Game as well?
Yes the host can play. We designed our games to give you options when using our murder mystery games as a host you can decide to either
- Play the inspector
- Play a character
- Play a character AND the inspector.
- Just play host and use the recorded Video or Audio inspector.
How long will it take for my murder mystery game to arrive?
For downloadable kits delivery is instant. As soon as you clear check out you’ll be able to download your order.
If you order a CUSTOM version of a game – the first kit you will be able to access will be the original order. This is because we manually sit and adjust the games in the office when they’re ordered, so any customsation requires human input. This means the customisation will be done as soon as we can do it. Usually this is within 2 working days and once finished we email it to you. However we know how people like to plan… so the website delivers the original game immediately and we follow this up manually with an adjusted copy as soon as we’ve finished the work!
We are sensitive to the environment so rather than cutting down thousands of trees and holding stock, we print on demand.
This means printed order requests are handled within 24-48 hours and they’re usually dispatched as soon as they’re printed.
We work a 5 day week in the retail team. This means orders are shipped Monday through Friday.
Can I play this game with an odd number of guests e.g. 7 or 9 etc?
Yes, our games can be played in odd group sizes. We have a few options on how to do this:
- One guest can play as the inspector. In this case, a game for 8 players would suit a party of 9, for example. The option for a guest to play the inspector is included in all our Murder Mystery game kits.
- Ask us to adjust the game for you. We can make a number of changes to our games to fit your party; in most cases, this is by removing a character. There is a charge for this service, and it can be ordered when buying your game. Just order the size bigger than you need and use the customise game option to choose to remove one character.
- Get creative with your casting; people can share roles, or someone can play two characters.

Pre-Printed box set
Whats in the box
- Character Booklets
- Invitations & Envelopes
- Full instructions with hosting guide
- Theme and recipe suggestions
- Inspector script also available as MP3 and video
Need something bespoke?
Customise this game
This game can be customised to fit your event for an additional fee.
It’s hard to give “ball park” figures for what different customisations would cost however we’ve attempted to HERE.
Please do contact us for a free quote if you would like any customisations on your game before purchase.
Remember… if you just need 1 extra person, or 1 less person, why not have someone play the inspector role?
The inspector can usually be male or female as the “for real” inspector can simply invent a new name for themselves.
Some hosts prefer to play the inspector role as it means they can work on the catering while the round plays out amongst their guests.
Game Age Rating

Teen
This Game Contains
A murder – violence suggested.
Alcohol Reference – Reference to and/or images of alcoholic beverages.
Comic Mischief – Depictions or dialogue involving slapstick or suggestive humor.
Suggestive Themes – Mild provocative references or materials and sexual innuendo. Acting as if attracted to particular characters is suggested in the character backgrounds.
Other Murder Mystery Kits you might like
Blood on the Silver Screen
Hollywood Glamour Themed Murder Mystery
From: £22.99
Murder in Paradise
Death In Paradise Themed Murder Mystery
From: £22.99
Murder Within Tent
Camping Themed Murder Mystery
From: £21.99
A Bad Vintage
Wine Themed Murder Mystery
From: £22.99
9 reviews for T’was a death before Christmas