Death in the Christmas Window

A printable Christmas murder mystery party game for 8 to 12 players. Instant download: 71 pages in A4 and US Letter. Plays in about three hours, with a dinner or a buffet.

A 1950s-style painting of a department store’s Christmas window on a snowy night: a sleigh and reindeer behind the glass, a red velvet curtain, a large clock and a lit street lamp.

The lights flickered at twenty to ten.

It’s Christmas Eve, 1959, at Hartwell’s, the grand old department store. The doors are closed, the staff are at their Christmas party, and at midnight the owner will unveil the famous Christmas window and announce the future of the store. But at a quarter past ten she is found behind the curtain, dead beside the sleigh. One of your guests did it.

Every guest plays a suspect with secrets of their own, from the store detective to Father Christmas. Over three rounds, the clues come out, the secrets surface, and everyone tries to work out who killed Vivienne Hartwell, how and why.

It’s set at a staff Christmas party, so it suits a work Christmas party as well as a big family Christmas or a night with friends.

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The victim

A painted portrait in a gold frame of a silver-haired woman in a green dress, with pearls and a holly brooch.

Vivienne Hartwell was seventy-one. She had owned Hartwell’s for forty years, and every evening in December she went down alone to inspect the window.

Twelve suspects. Everyone has a secret.

Every part can be played by anyone, whatever their own gender.

Lionel HartwellGeneral manager
Iris TremlettPrivate secretary
Douglas ReidChief cashier
Rosalind FairfaxBeauty and perfume hall
Margot AshbyChief window dresser
Walter HobdayStore detective
Doreen PikeTea room manageress
Bernard TillyFather Christmas
Sid BarkerNight watchman
Clara BirchToy department
Freddie MossLift boy
Ruby PennNewspaper reporter

What’s included

Host guide with the evening’s running order
Opening scene and rules to read aloud
12 invitations and 12 character profiles to send before the party
36 round cards, three for each player
9 clue cards
12 name tags
A detective’s notes page for each player
Accusation sheets
The solution, to keep sealed until the end

How the evening runs

A 1950s-style painting of a department store’s Christmas window at night, with a sleigh and two reindeer under a big clock, and a street lamp in the snow outside.

Arrival. Name tags on, Round 1 cards out, and the host reads the opening scene and the rules.
Round 1. Everyone introduces themselves and starts asking questions. Then the host reads Clues 1 to 3.
Round 2. New cards, and secrets start to surface. Then Clues 4 to 6.
Round 3. Final cards, then Clues 7 to 9, then a last debate.
Accusations. Everyone writes down who did it, how and why.
The reveal. The host reads the sealed solution aloud, then everyone says whether they reached their private goal.

Players, printing and delivery

Plays 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12. The host guide says which parts to use for your number.
Every guest also gets a private goal, scored apart from the murder.
Works as a sit-down dinner or a buffet. With ten or more, everyone takes turns round the table, then talks in small groups.
The host can play too: a friend sets it up, so you don’t see anyone’s cards or the solution early.
There’s nothing gory in it. Best for adults and older teens.
Digital download only. Print at home or at a print shop, in colour or black and white.

How it was made

The story, clues and page layout were written with help from Claude, an AI assistant, and the paintings were made with Nano Banana Pro, an AI image tool. The clues were checked with AI play-tests at 8 and at 12 players, so that a careful table can solve it fairly.

Visit our Etsy shop

Coming soon to our Etsy shop.

Hosting 6 to 8? See Murder at Hollyfield Hall.