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There Might Be No Christmas
$39.95
Add intrigue to your next party with this mystery game, set at a the North Pole.
Format:
30 Minute Mystery
Setting:
The North Pole
Time:
30+ minutes
Ages:
Family / Children
Players:
Play with Printed Sheets or the App
Hosts have the choice of playing the game with printable documents or using the PWM Party Assistant app
View app gameplay guide
Play In-Person or Over Video Chat
You can host this game in-person or over video chat. The game is built to be run either way!
Santa’s presents are gone! We need them back tonight!
Backstory
Your guests will play the roles of various inhabitants of the North Pole, including elves, reindeer, snowmen, and other creatures from Christmas folklore. Santa Claus has summoned everyone to his workshop. The normally jolly old man has a stern look on his bearded face as he solemnly tells us that his workshop has been broken into and his magic sack of Christmas presents has been stolen! Without the sack, there can be no Christmas.
Solving the Mystery
Santa has called everyone to gather because they are under suspicion of theft! One of the helpers is responsible, and the group needs to find out who. There’s no time to spare; it’s Christmas Eve, and if the sack of toys isn’t recovered soon, Santa won’t be able to deliver presents to all the good little boys and girls!
There are 8 primary characters in this game. Read the "How to Play" section for instructions on how to play this game with more than 8 people.
* = Optional character
- Donner: One of Santa's eight tiny reindeer, Donner is well known for his frequent complaints regarding the difficulty of the Christmas sleigh flight.
- Ivan Blizzard: Lead Foreman at the Toy Factory, Ivan is an enthusiastic go-getter whose utter devotion to Christmas has never been questioned.
- Ernest Winters: One of Santa's elves, Ernest's enthusiasm for Christmas has notably waned in the past six months.
- Kristina Kringle: Also known as the Christmas Fairy, Kristina Kringle was once a famous holiday icon; some suspect that she is bitter that Santa Claus has stolen her glory.
- Caroline Claus: Mrs. Claus is Santa's wife and second-in-command; she is one of the most beloved inhabitants of the North Pole.
- Tonya Baum: A beautifully decorated singing Christmas tree planted outside the Toy Factory, Tonya is a gentle soul who always has a kind word and a Christmas carol for any passersby.
- Jacky Frost: An animated snowwoman brought to life by an enchanted hat, Jacky Frost is responsible for imbuing all of Santa's toys with a dash of Christmas magic.
- The Krampus: Santa's least-beloved helper, the Krampus is the monster who brings coal and switches to the children on Santa's "naughty" list.
Extra Players
- *Investigator: If you have more than 8 players, additional players have the option of playing the role of "Investigators". In this role the players are not suspects and do not have character backgrounds but can question the suspects and try to solve the mystery along with the other players.
This game kit includes:
- Hosting guide – Guidebook that takes you through all the steps for running the game
- Character sheets – Information sheets for eight unique characters and one generic “Investigator” character
- Name cards – Printable name cards that can be placed in front of players for in-person games (optional)
- Introductory Handout – A brief description of the game that can be sent to your guests ahead of the event (optional)
- Invitation template – Printable template that can be used to send paper invitations to your guests (optional)
Our line of 30 Minute Mysteries is specially designed for fast setup and easy play, whether your playing in-person or virtually over video chat.
All you need to do is:
- Gather a group of players
- Distribute character sheets
- Follow the party guide instructions
If you’re playing in person, you have the option of printing out the hosting script and character sheets, or you and your guests may view them on your electronic devices.
Best of all, the party facilitator can choose whether they join in the game and solve the mystery along with the other guests!
Playing the Game
While this mystery has 8 primary characters, it is designed to accommodate any number of additional players. See the “Expanded Game for Large Groups” section below if you have more than 8 players.
Each of the players will be assigned a character and given a character sheet that explains who or what their character is, what information their character knows, and how their character should respond to events that occur during the game.
The game will progress in rounds.
Round One will start with the party’s host or hostess reading a script that explains the nature of the mystery that is afoot. After the introduction is read, each player at the table will share a piece of information from their character sheet, which will often be met by a response from another player.
Round Two begins with the host sharing a clue that should shed further light on the mystery. After the clue is revealed, the players will once again go around, providing another piece of information.
Round Three, the final round, begins with the host sharing the last clue. The players then go around the table a final time, sharing their last piece of information.
By this point, the players should have enough information to piece together a theory about who was responsible for the crime. Everyone will vote for the culprit, which the host will then reveal. Any player or couple who correctly guessed the identity of the killer is declared a winner.
From start to finish, the game typically requires half an hour to complete.
What Do I Need in Order to Play?
Our 30 Minute Mysteries are specifically designed to not require very much in the way of supplies. All you need is:
- Playing area
- In-person – Table to sit around or large playing area where the guests can sit in a circle
- Virtual – Video chat room (links to 3rd-party providers like Zoom included in game)
- A group of players (minimum 8 people)
- Access to a printer or electronic device (so you can distribute game materials)
Expanded Game For Large Groups
If you have more than 8 players, there are three ways that you can accommodate everyone:
- Investigator Role – Using this method, eight guests play the primary characters while the remainder of the guests each play the Investigator role. Players in this role are not suspects and do not have character backgrounds but can question the suspects and try to solve the mystery along with the other players.
- Teams – Each primary character can be played by 2 or more people that work together as a team. This works well if you’ve invited several couples to your event, but also works if you break up your guests into eight larger teams of 3 or more guests.
- Multiple Groups – If you have 16 or more guests, you can break them up into groups of 8 players and run multiple instances of the game on their own. This method is best for large events (e.g. fundraisers) where each table of people can play through the game independently. This method goes well with the Investigator method, which allows you the flexibility to add more than 8 people to any group.
Both the standard and expanded games are included with the purchase of any game kit.
Corp Event –
Headline : Lots of laughs at a corporate event
Nickname : Corp Event
Menu Highlights : Was fun way to end our Holiday team meeting.
Theme Highlights : Provided bio of character the day before the team meeting to each of the participants; provided hats for each of the participants and some even brought their own props and improvised.
We did this at our team Holiday party (about 35 people) and it was very engaging and lots of laughs. The members that were selected to play active roles really got into their parts and were great at improvising which further engaged the “investigators”. We grouped investigators to work as teams by tables and they really got into it as well.
ISG –
Headline : Everyone had a great time this year!
Nickname : ISG
At our Company Christmas Party this year, we used this as the entertainment mixer. It worked really well. We had two males and two females on each of the eight character “teams” to allow all 32 people to play. No couple was allowed to be on the same team so it worked as a great mixer. Some teams had one person who played the character throughout and others that all team players took lines. Both concepts worked well to get all involved. We will definitely try this again in the future!
RockyATV –
Headline : Fantastic
Nickname : RockyATV
Menu Highlights : We did a traditional Thanksgiving Feast
We did this for a department party and it was perfect! Everyone had a blast and laughed so hard.
Jessica –
Headline : Christmas presents gone on a Christmas Party!
Nickname : Jessica
It was such a successful Christmas Party with playing this game . We had a lot of fun..
We got some equipment for the roles like hats, masks, wings etc. and it was a perfect way to play it like we did. We were 39 people and I put envelopes under the seats without any purposes so in total 8 as there are 8 roles for “There will might be now Christmas”. So, we started the welcome, explained and then told them to look if they have an envelope under their seats, so these persons had to play the roles and put on their equipment’s. It was also so funny as a man had the role of the fairy and he had to wear wings and a face mask. It just went and we laughed so much.
Wanda –
Headline : There Might Be No Christmas
Nickname : Wanda
Menu Highlights : We all brought finger foods so we could nibble all during the game.
Theme Highlights : For us dressing the parts was the most fun. Some people went all out! Hilarious! Letting the kids dress up as elves and reindeer was so cute! They loved getting to ask questions of their own too! We took short breaks between each round so the kids could get a better understanding of what was happening. Then when the toys were found they went wild! We all loved it! We made signs and put them up on doors to designate Santa's workshop, toy factory, etc. Bought a saint sack and put the toys in them to bring out at the end. Santa was the star of course! This was perfect for our family Christmas Eve gathering!
First time to do one of these and best time we have had as a family in a long time!
Cathy –
Headline : There might be no christmas
Nickname : Cathy
Played this on Christmas Eve. Exactly 8 if us, so it was perfect. I went to the Dollar store and purchased Costumes to wear to get all participants “into character”. Very easy to follow the script for each character. We all had a great time.
Cindy –
Headline : Christmas Party Fun
Nickname : Cindy
I run an after school program at a school with children from four to twelve. We decided to do a mystery party for something different. What a success!!! The children loved it. We had a few parents arrive early and the children refused to leave. We had lots of fun accents tried out and lots of fun acting. The children embraced their roles and thoroughly got into the storyline. After Christmas vacation I had several parents tell me how their children didn’t stop talking about the mystery they solved. We will definitely be doing another one soon.
Christie –
Headline : FUN AND LAUGHS
Nickname : Christie
Menu Highlights : We had chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes and green beans.
Family get together, we had lots of fun and everyone got into character. It was nice because it was not too long and just enough to keep our attention and we had time to get to church service.
It was great to include our teenagers.
Jean –
Headline : There Might be No Christmas
Nickname : Jean
This was a family get together that included both adults and children. First time mystery party for all but two, but after the first round even the kids got into role playing their part. All had a good time and can’t wait to do another.
Jennie –
Headline : Church Christmas Party
Nickname : Jennie
Menu Highlights : We did a Christmas dinner and had lots of desserts!
Theme Highlights : The suspects all dressed up in character - Reindeer Antlers for Donner, elf ears for Ivan and Ernest, wings for Kristina, etc...
I was put in charge of the church Christmas party and wanted to do a mystery dinner (but not a murder mystery, because I didn’t want to scare any children). This worked out perfectly! Instead of passing out multiple packages to each table I recruited 8 "actors" from the church congregation to be each of the suspects and narrated myself in front of everyone (making everyone else investigators). I put the clues on each table in envelopes, so they could open them after I shared what we found to make it a little easier to retain the information and so they could review it after the round. The actors looked at their lines beforehand, but still did not know who the culprit was. We spaced out the mystery over the course of the evening – so at the beginning, I announced someone stole Santa’s sac of toys and we needed everyone’s help to figure out who. Once dinner started I announced the suspects, why each one was on the list, and went through round 1. After most people were through the food line, I announced that we found a clue and did round 2. After another 15 minutes or so announced we found another clue and did round 3. I allowed 15 minutes or so for people to make their guesses, and then shared the more funny guesses along with the correct answer with everyone. It was a lot of fun and I think people enjoyed doing something a little different.
Jake McDowell –
Headline : There might be no Christmas!
Nickname : Jake McDowell
Menu Highlights : None. Only did a test run at home.
I did a test run at home with a few friends and my spouse before using it at our employee Christmas party. When we finished, I asked the test group and got the same response….it just fell flat of exciting. I didn’t feel like it would work for our group. I’m willing to try again with another group, and see how it goes but this time it was a no-go. I also wish there had been a way to change who was the culprit so it could be used more than once but I’m not sure how that would be possible. I do think it was a great idea and wished that it had worked for better enjoyment!
Dana Cooke –
Headline : Girl Scout Troop Party
Nickname : Dana Cooke
Menu Highlights : Appetizers, munchies & sodas after introducing everything but before Round One let the girls think about their parts and get into character.
Theme Highlights : Costumes for each character were easy to find a the dollar store, and everyone asked to take their costume home. When we do this in the spring, I’ll send out parts ahead of time and they’ll get their own costume. I would definitely recommend this game for a fun party!
Our Girl Scout Junior troop (eight 9 & 10 yr. olds) hadn’t done anything like this before. I got costumes at the dollar store and printed each characters profile for them. I stapled their profile and a sheet of paper for notes inside manila folders for each girl. My husband played the starting part of Santa. It took the girls through Round One to really get into the roles and follow where to see the parts they were to read and their responses. But after that, they followed it just fine and changed their voices and started improvising questions and alibis. Only one of the seven (other than the guilty character) figured it out, and she had logical reasons for her accusation. All in all it was a good experience and we may do another mystery party in the spring.
Jeannie –
Headline : Family Christmas Party
Nickname : Jeannie
Menu Highlights : after dinner
Theme Highlights : Costumes and voices of characters
We had our Family Christmas this year centered around enjoying "The Experience" of fun with each other rather than the stress of present giving for a such a large family as ours. The Mystery Party was a perfect addition to our Family Christmas this year. Everyone was given their parts ahead of time, so they showed up in full costume for their character. Everyone fully embraced their role with accents that reflected their person…Ivan (Arnold Schwarzenegger) Jack Frost (Ted "Theodore Logan) Ernest ( Gruff voice) Kristina ( High pitched fairy ) Donner (lazy slow- no energy) Tonya (sings all her lines) Krampus ( sounds like Groot) We all laughed so hard while saying our lines…Needless to say We had a Blast! This was a Christmas we will all remember!!!
Pat Krause –
Headline : CWL Christmas Party
Nickname : Pat Krause
Menu Highlights : Catered Christmas Dinner
Catholic Women’s League of Canada, Prince Albert Council held their annual Christmas Party with around 55 attendees. It was a mix of middle to senior women and men.
After Dinner, we heard several greetings, and thank-yous from various sources. We then played a few quizzes and games.
We presented "There Might Be No Christmas" in its simplest form, with 8 Characters and the Hostess. The balance of the quests were the Inspectors and had every opportunity to ask questions of the suspects.
It was the highlight of the evening. The characters played their parts to the hilt and the "inspectors offered penetrating questions and insights.
I am very pleased with the results and all the happy feed back. Thank-you.
Bill –
Headline : Staff/Spouse Holiday Party
Nickname : Bill
Theme Highlights : No props. Just handed out envelopes for everyone to read their character when the game began.
At our annual holiday party we wanted to do something a little different than a trivia game. But we needed something that could be done in 30-45 minutes with 45+ people. This was perfect. No prep work on the participants part and each dinner table became its own game. Prizes awarded to 1)if the culprit was able to fool eveyone and 2)those that guessed who the culprit was.
Overall great night. Everyone enjoyed the story and acting out their characters around the tables. Hope other story lines can be developed that don’t center around murder.
Laurie –
Headline : Christmas Time
Nickname : Laurie
We had so much fun we did two parties. The game was perfect for family of all ages as well as friends during a cocktail party.
J-9 –
Headline : Investigators in Training!
Nickname : J-9
Brought this on my annual Christmas trip home to play with my nieces and nephews. We paired up some non-readers with a couple of aunts and included uncles and grandparents as well! I was surprised how seriously the kids took the task of finding out who stole Christmas – even writing notes and pointing fingers!! Such a great Christmas activity – it will be a new tradition for our extended family!
Heather –
Headline : Family "who dune it" event
Nickname : Heather
We had a blast! We had people from all different age groups. Grandparents, grandkids, & great grandkids! It was great for everyone. We are trying to do more "intergenerational" events at our church and this worked great. I will be using this company again.
Librarian Hamm –
Headline : Awesome Reading Party
Nickname : Librarian Hamm
Menu Highlights : The students decorated over 200 Christmas cookies! (from the ovens of Mrs. Claus)
Theme Highlights : We used little decoration, other than a projector and screen with the "evidence" and other decorative slides. But fun, zany costumes helped set the tone.
As an end of the semester award, grades K-5 students who consistently met reading goals were invited to participate in this Christmas mystery. High school drama students led the action with fantastic costumes and much personality. A mystery show is all in what you can make it. Improv is a must, and these kids had it down. The large group was broken into detective teams of 8. They worked together to solve the mystery. We also danced to and sang Christmas songs in between each round.
Haefner Familly –
Headline : There Might Be No Christmas
Nickname : Haefner Familly
Our family loves to play games. Every Christmas we look for something new. When we came across this game, we just new we had to try it. As soon as we had the "script’ in our hands we knew this would be perfect for our family. There was a character for everyone. We played the game in pairs because we have some people who are a little bit shy and may not feel comfortable role playing. We picked the teams and put together people who otherwise would not pair up. This worked out perfectly. Some people jumped right into their roles. Others took a little longer to warm up. By the end of the game everyone was into their role. We had some really good laughs. The only issue was that the mystery was to easy to solve. Everyone guessed the right answer. It was still a lot of fun. We are already planning to do another party. Everyone wants to be a part of it. For this particular game, nobody knew about the mystery until they came to our Christmas party. For our next game we are going to give everyone their roles ahead of time so that we can all be in character at the start of our party. We can’t wait.
Peggy –
Headline : Offcie Christmas Party 2016
Nickname : Peggy
Our office was in charge of the Building Christmas Party this year and we performed this mystery in a play style to our audience. Each character put their own spin on their performance. We had someone play the inspector who was Lt. Columbo. Everyone enjoyed it. I did a lot of work rewriting it in a form that had to come off without a hitch.
Nathan –
Headline : Not Exactly a Griswold Family Christmas
Nickname : Nathan
Menu Highlights : Typical Christmas fare; but lots of crock pot dishes which kept food good and warm all day.
Theme Highlights : Having a couple of props (Christmas wearables) really helped people get into character.
At my in-laws Christmas celebration we had 10 adults and 17 kids (under the age of 12). I purchased "There Might Be No Christmas" upon finding out that there weren’t really any planned activities for the day. It was really easy to run and coordinate the activity. However, like any "mystery" game the participants need to be focused and engaged in the game to really have it go well. As a result I felt the game fell a little flat at different moments. Best part of the game were the extremely varied characters/personalities that guests get to act out. I read the script prior to the party which I really recommend if you want to get the most out of the experience. Though I didn’t get to participate as an investigator or character it allowed me to assign roles better and keep the game moving when/if people were struggling. If you have expectations of Clark W Griswold for this event you’ll likely be disappointed. However, its a better gift/treat than the "jelly of the month club".
k fox –
Headline : holiday get together
Nickname : k fox
family get together with all ages (12-72), used "costumes" from party city (antlers, santa hats, tie for foreman, etc) to help get everyone acting/ sounding their parts. I participated myself so it was fun but I was surprised that the "who dunn it" person knows right off the bat and has to conceal that the entire game. Not sure if one of the younger kids would have been able to keep the secret – glad it worked out in our group. We are planning on doing another one but want to make sure this time its a Murder mystery as this one was just a Christmas thief mystery:))
Ashley RS –
Headline : Teen Christmas party
Nickname : Ashley RS
Menu Highlights : Christmas cookies, candy and sweets galore!
Theme Highlights : Sat around the Christmas tree, played "santa's workshop" music.
I work with kids at a residential treatment facility, we did this for Christmas break and they absolutely loved it!! They loved the goofy characters, and each broke into an accent/ attitude to match their character!
Rachel –
Headline : Family Fun playing "there might be no Christmas"
Nickname : Rachel
Our family of 9 get together on Christmas Eve for fingers foods and a pajama party. Family consists of grandmother, adult married children with spouses and children aged 10 to 22. I was host and family members were characters. I had minimal props and costumes, most items I found at home. Kids helped make some costumes ahead of time which peaked their excitement. Costumes mainly consisted of funny hats or headbands, etc. since game is played sitting around table. I presented each person with a folder containing character sheet and pen for taking notes. Folder helps keep notes and character sheet hidden from others. Very easy preparation for game, easy to understand for all ages and a lot of fun. Would definately do this again!
Noreen –
Headline : There Might Be No Christmas
Nickname : Noreen
Menu Highlights : Our menu did not match the theme of the party but was still festive!
Theme Highlights : The costumes that the guests created were amazing. They went way over the top.
This was our family way of celebrating Christmas without having to exchange gifts. Everyone had a great time. Only a few people guest the thief.
Cheryl –
Headline : there might be no Christmas
Nickname : Cheryl
I was having some friends over for our annual Christmas gathering of "framily" and I thought I would add a little game to the mix. We normally play games after dinner but this way it started out as a game and we were able to stay in character. I found this just a few days before our dinner and ask everyone how they would feel about it and they all seemed excited. One thing led to another, after I sent out the character sheets we decided to dress come as our character. A couple of our friends couldn’t make it till late so they didn’t dress in character but they at least played the game with us when they got here. It was so much fun! From the singing Christmas tree entering my house in song to Donner donning a reindeer hat we laughed all night. They were remnants of the Christmas tree decorations my friend was wearing all over the house. It was a fun game and easy game and great for eight people. It would’ve been better had we have had nine or 10 because Santa is character needed to be read but I was the hostess so I read his part. We took our characters went by script and went off script and had a ball! Highly recommend it !!
Carol –
Headline : There Might Be No Christmas!
Nickname : Carol
Menu Highlights : Chrstmas brunch with some bubbly, quiches, waffles, fruit salad and cookies were enjoyed at the North Pole.
Theme Highlights : Dinner the lazy reindeer had his ears on, Ernest the elf wore his hat to show off his elf ears, Tona the singing Christmas Tree wore her tree with a star and sang to everyone, Mrs Claus had her cape and mittens on, Kristina Kringle was dressed as a fairy with purple hair and a tutu, Jacky Frost couldn't be missed, others shared accessories to bring their character to life.
Santa summoned everyone from the North Pole to solve where all the missing toys went … all had reason to be under suspicion … thank goodness it didn’t take long and we are able to share "Merry Christmas " to all and to all a good night!
Melissa –
Headline : Christmas Birthday Mystery Dinner
Nickname : Melissa
Menu Highlights : We had MANY appetizers, spiked eggnog, coquito, lasagna, meatballs, & birthday cake.
Theme Highlights : Eggnog and seasonal drinks were great. Also did peppermint Jell-O shots with bits of candy cane on top.
We were celebrating my birthday and instead of just going out to a restaurant, I thought a mystery dinner party would be fun. I spiced the storyline up a bit by having Mrs. Claus have an affair with Ivan. I also gave Ivan a gold digging wife. Everyone was nervous about taking on their roles and didn’t know what to expect, but everyone had a blast. I gave out the roles a few days in advance, so people could get into character. Tonya Baum was dressed perfectly as a tree and brought her own microphone and serenaded us all night. Ivan decided he was Russian and wore a blonde wig and Russian hat. Tons of fun!
Teri W –
Headline : Christmas Party
Nickname : Teri W
This was a great ice breaker for an adult Christmas party. It was quick and easy to facilitate and only a few people guessed the right culprit.
It would have been nice to have a few more characters, as the investigators don’t do as much as the rest.
I would definitely recommend There Might be No Christmas and look forward to trying another party soon.