Murder Mystery Advent Calendar Printable, 24 Day Christmas Detective Game for Adults and Teens, Murder at the Marchbanks, Cozy Whodunit

A printable 24 day Christmas murder mystery advent calendar for adults and teens. It is a digital download that you print at home: one case file a day from December 1 to Christmas Eve, 10 to 15 minutes a day, and on Christmas Eve you name the poisoner.

On the last night of November, the founder of the Marchbanks Ballet climbed to his office after the company's opening night to eat his golden sugarplum alone, as he had every opening night for thirty years. He never came down for the toast. Seven people had a reason to want him gone. By midnight the snow had closed every road in Hollin Ridge, and nobody had left the building. Detective Sergeant Mae Calloway needs a puzzle-solver. From December 1 she will send you one case file a day. On Christmas Eve, she will ask you to name the poisoner.

WATCH THE FULL WALKTHROUGH: https://youtu.be/0aXua24meQ8

INSTANT DOWNLOAD: PRINT TONIGHT, START TOMORROW

Too late for an advent calendar in the mail? Your files are ready to download as soon as your payment goes through. Print the kit tonight and open Day 1 in the morning. Starting after December 1? On your first day, open every envelope you have missed, in order, then carry on one a day.

WHAT YOU GET

5 PDF files:
1. START HERE (4 pages, then the same 4 pages in A4): what it is, how to set it up in one evening, the schedule, six ways to play, what to do when you are stuck, and a gift page with a printable gift card.
2. The Advent Kit in US Letter (60 pages).
3. The same Advent Kit in A4 (56 pages). You print one size only.
4. Hints (50 pages, then the same 50 pages in A4): two hints for every day.
5. Sealed Solution (10 pages, then the same 10 pages in A4). It opens on a DO NOT OPEN cover.

Inside the Advent Kit:
• The cover, a Do Not Read Ahead page, How to Play and the rules of the case
• The Suspect Board with all 7 suspects
• A 7 page Detective Notebook: a Fact Log with a line for each day, a Suspect Grid, two timeline sheets, a plan of the Marchbanks Opera House and a notes page
• 24 daily case files. Each day starts on a new page with its day number in large type, so the pages can be sorted without reading them
• 24 puzzles, one a day: ciphers, codes, Morse, a logic grid, timelines, a floor-plan route and more
• 24 day labels on one sheet, plus labels for the Hints and the Sealed Solution
• A fold-and-seal wrapper, if you would rather not use envelopes
• An Accusation Sheet and a Case Closed certificate

HOW IT WORKS

Set it up in one evening: print the kit in your paper size, on one side of the paper only, sort the day pages into 24 piles without reading them, and seal each day in its own envelope with its label. Every morning from December 1, open that day's envelope. Inside is a letter from Detective Calloway, the evidence she has gathered, and a puzzle. Solve the puzzle and write what it tells you on that day's line of your Fact Log. On December 24, open the last envelope, fill in your Accusation Sheet, and only then open the Sealed Solution.

THE QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK

Is it a box? No. Nothing is mailed to you. You print it at home, and you can start the same day.

How long does each day take? Most days take 10 to 15 minutes. Christmas Eve takes about half an hour.

What if we get stuck? The Hints file has two hints for every day. Tier 1 is a nudge. Tier 2 gives the answer and explains it, in a separate part of the file, so you can read a nudge without seeing an answer. A hint never names the poisoner.

Can we start late? Yes. On your first day, open every envelope you have missed, in order, then carry on one a day. You can also play the whole case as a weekend marathon, in three sittings of about two hours.

How many can play? 1 to 6 detectives, ages 13 and up. Play together with one Detective Notebook for the household, or compete with a notebook each. The Sealed Solution has a scoring table for competing detectives.

Is it gory? No. It is a cozy whodunit. The death happens offstage, there is nothing gory and no bad language, and the case never describes how the victim was poisoned.

Is it fair? Every puzzle can be solved with what is on the page and a pencil, with no outside knowledge and no internet. Every innocent suspect is cleared by a particular day's evidence, and the case is built so that nobody can be sure until the last days of Advent.

Can the person who sets it up play too? Whoever sorts the pages will catch glimpses of them. If you want to play with no spoilers at all, ask someone else to put it together. They can still play; they just should not read anything.

WHAT YOU NEED

A printer and plain paper. Black and white is fine. Print on one side of the paper only, so that no two days share a sheet. You also need 24 envelopes or the fold-and-seal wrappers at the back of the kit, tape or stickers, scissors, and a pencil for each detective. A small mirror is handy on two of the days. The day labels line up with a standard sheet of address labels (30 per sheet, 1 x 2-5/8 inch, for the Letter kit, or 24 per sheet for the A4 kit), and plain paper and glue work just as well.

WHO IT IS FOR

Families with teens, couples and friends who like puzzles and a fair whodunit, mystery readers who want a small ritual for each day of Advent, and anyone who wants an advent calendar for adults that is not chocolate. Solo players too: everything works for one detective.

WHO IT IS NOT FOR

Anyone who wants something to arrive in the mail: you print it yourself. Young children: it is for ages 13 and up. Anyone after a one-evening party game: this case is played a day at a time through Advent, or in three weekend sittings.

GIVING IT AS A GIFT

The download comes to you, not to the person you are giving it to, so the printing and sealing are your part. Print the kit, seal the envelopes without reading them, put the gift card from START HERE on top, and hand it over by November 30 so the first file can be opened on December 1. Giving it later? They can catch up on their first day.

PLEASE READ

This is a digital download. Nothing is mailed and nothing physical ships. You get 5 PDF files in US Letter and A4 to print at home or at any print shop. Black and white is fine. Questions? Send a message through Etsy.

Also in the shop: Murder at Thornwood Manor, The Secret Santa Murders, Countdown to Murder and Murder at the Copper Lily.

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AI DISCLOSURE: This item was created with the help of AI tools. NicheToolkits uses AI to help design the files, write the listing and make the listing photos and videos.