Christmas murder mystery kits compared
Choose a kit by guest count, age line, format and the price the seller publishes. Ho Ho Homicide has a visible $35–$110 player-band range; the itch.io advent is $12. For a free family activity, use the original printable.
| Name | Seller | Format | Players | Length | Age | Price | Status | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ho Ho Homicide | Night of Mystery | Digital instant download (print-at-home) | 6–20+ (variants: 6-8, 8-12, 10-15, 15-20, 20+) | — | Adult, Adult Clean, Teen, All-Female and LGBTQ+ versions sold separately | USD 35–110 (checked 2026-11-14) | 1 source | Source 1 (2026-11-14) Source 2 (2026-11-14) |
| Who Slayed Santa | My Mystery Party | Digital download and boxed kit editions | — | — | — | — | 1 source | Source 1 (2026-11-13) |
| Bad Santa | My Mystery Party | Digital download | — | — | — | — | 1 source | Source 1 (2026-11-13) |
| 'Twas the Night Before Murder | My Mystery Party | Digital download and boxed kit | — | — | Family-friendly (no minimum age published in the snippet) | — | 1 source | Source 1 (2026-11-13) Source 2 (2026-11-13) |
| Kringel's Block Party | My Mystery Party | Digital download and boxed kit | At least 8 | — | 14+ | — | 1 source | Source 1 (2026-11-13) Source 2 (2026-11-13) |
| Ugly Christmas Sweater Murder Mystery Party | My Mystery Party | Digital download and boxed kit | At least 8 | — | 14+ | — | 1 source | Source 1 (2026-11-13) Source 2 (2026-11-13) |
| Crazy Christmas Catastrophe | My Mystery Party | Digital download and boxed kit | — | — | 12+ | — | 1 source | Source 1 (2026-11-13) |
| Masters of Mystery Christmas Murder Mystery Kit | Masters of Mystery | Digital download (print-at-home) | 4–20 | — | — | — | 3 publishers listed · field evidence varies | Source 1 (2026-11-13) Source 2 (2026-11-13) Source 3 (2026-11-13) |
| Masters of Mystery Unsolved Christmas Cold Case File: Where is Santa? | Masters of Mystery | Cold case file (printable/boxed detective pack) | — | — | 15+ | — | 3 publishers listed · field evidence varies | Source 1 (2026-11-13) Source 2 (2026-11-13) Source 3 (2026-11-13) |
| Solve the Case Before Christmas — One Clue a Day | Mojo Hill (itch.io) | Printable PDF advent calendar (30 kB download) | — | 25 days, one clue per day, 1–25 December | — | USD 12.00 (checked 2026-11-14) | 1 source | Source 1 (2026-11-14) |
| Christmas Mystery (board game, BGG 369814) | — | Board game | — | — | — | — | Listing only · fields unavailable | Source 1 (2026-11-13) Source 2 (2026-11-13) |
How to read the blanks
My Mystery Party and Masters of Mystery storefronts returned rate-limit pages when the research pass asked for machine-readable product records on 13 Nov 2026. I kept the names, formats, and age lines that ordinary product pages did print, and I left price empty. Guessing a Shopify price from a blocked response would be worse than a dash. Night of Mystery did return a range for Ho Ho Homicide: $35–$110 depending on the player band (6–8, 8–12, 10–15, 15–20, 20+). That range was checked the same day. The itch.io file Solve the Case Before Christmas — One Clue a Day was $12.00, a 30 kB PDF, one clue a day from 1 to 25 December. Both prices were rechecked on 14 Nov 2026; each comes from its seller alone.
| Price / file detail | Checked | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Ho Ho Homicide $35–$110 | 14 Nov 2026 | 1 publisher source · Night of Mystery |
| Solve the Case Before Christmas $12 / 30 kB PDF | 14 Nov 2026 | 1 publisher source · Mojo Hill |
What each format is for
Print-at-home digital kits are the default. You buy a file, print clues, and host. Boxed editions show up on some My Mystery Party titles (Who Slayed Santa, 'Twas the Night Before Murder, Kringel's Block Party, Ugly Christmas Sweater, Crazy Christmas Catastrophe) where the page said both a download and a box. I still do not have player counts for Who Slayed Santa or Bad Santa. Kringel's and the ugly-sweater party say at least 8 players and 14+. Crazy Christmas Catastrophe says 12+. 'Twas the Night Before Murder is the family-friendly row, and the page did not print a minimum age.
The cold-case row is Masters of Mystery Unsolved Christmas Cold Case File: Where is Santa? Age line 15+. The product text says players try to show a convicted person is innocent, break an alibi, and name the person the clue points to. It is not a dinner script. That is why it does not grow a menu page.
Christmas Mystery on BoardGameGeek entry 369814 is a board game with no publisher, player count, or time, because the public record for that entry did not return those fields on 13 Nov 2026. The row stays so the name is not confused with the video games.
After you pick
Hosting steps that are not tied to one rulebook are on how to host. If you want a free file written for this site instead of a paid kit, go to printables.
Questions
Why is there no star rating?
I have not played these kits. A rating would be a costume for a guess. The table is seller, format, players, age, and price.
Is Christmas Dinner Case File a kit?
No product by that name turned up. The cold-case file already in the table is the nearest real item, and it is not a dinner script.