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Murder Mystery Advent Calendar: A Clue a Day Until Christmas
A murder mystery advent calendar gives you one new clue every day from 1 to 24 December. How it works, who it suits, how to turn it into a gift, and a printable one to try.
An ordinary advent calendar gives you a chocolate a day. A murder mystery advent calendar gives you a clue a day: open a door each morning in December, read a few lines of the story, rule out a few more suspects — and on Christmas Eve, only the killer is left.
It has become one of the most-searched Christmas gift ideas for puzzle lovers, and for good reason. Here's how they work and how to get the most out of one.
How a murder mystery advent calendar works
Before December starts you get the case: a crime, a set of suspects or records, and the question you have to answer. Then, from 1 December:
- Open one door a day. Each door holds a short piece of story and one new clue.
- Apply the clue. Cross out everyone and everything the clue rules out.
- Check your count. Good calendars tell you how many suspects you should have left, so a slip on day 6 doesn't ruin day 20.
- On 24 December only one answer remains. Name it — and open the sealed solution on Christmas Day.
The daily sessions are short — ten or twenty minutes over breakfast — which is exactly what makes it a ritual rather than a chore.
Who it's for
- Couples who want a small shared thing every day of December.
- Families with teenagers: one person reads the door, everyone argues about the clue.
- Solo puzzlers who like a slow-burn mystery instead of a single long evening.
- Long-distance friends: you each open the same door and compare notes by text.
If you'd rather not wait, most calendars can also be binged in a weekend — any time of year.
Physical or printable?
Boxed murder mystery advent calendars look beautiful and cost accordingly. A printable one has three advantages:
- It arrives instantly — useful on 30 November.
- You choose the format: print and fold the doors, or open them on a phone or tablet.
- You can make it a gift for less than the price of a box of chocolates.
Our printable advent calendar mystery
The Parcel Post Poisoner is set in a Vermont post office at Christmas 1952. A man has been poisoned, an innocent woman has been arrested, and the killer has hidden the evidence in the one place nobody may search: the Christmas mail. Three hundred hand-drawn parcels sit on the snowbound shelves until the mail train leaves on Christmas Eve — and the judge will sign a warrant for just one of them.
- 24 door cards to print, fold and seal — or open on a screen
- 300 illustrated parcels: stars, holly, ribbons, string, stamps and wax seals
- A count on every door, so you always know you're on track
- Exactly one answer, checked by computer, and a twist on Christmas Day
The Parcel Post Poisoner
Christmas 1952 at a Vermont post office: open one door a day — a new clue every morning — and unmask the poisoner on Christmas Eve.
1–4 solvers, 1–24 December
See it on EtsyHow to give one as a present
- Print the door cards on card stock and fold them as the instructions show.
- Number a small box or a ribbon line from 1 to 24 and clip the doors on.
- Seal the solution in an envelope marked "Do not open until Christmas Day".
- Add the case file and a pencil — and, if you're feeling generous, a box of chocolates for door 24.
Tips to keep it fun all month
- Pick a time: same breakfast, same cup of tea, every day.
- Missed a day? Just open two doors tomorrow. The clues don't care about dates.
- Don't peek ahead. It's very tempting on day 19.
- Use two colours of pen: one for crossing out, one for suspicions.
More Christmas mysteries
If you'd rather solve a case in one evening, try a Christmas case file or a full party game for the family — see our guide to Christmas murder mystery games for family. And for a free ten-minute mystery every day of the year:
Room for Murder Daily
A new floor-plan murder mystery every morning: place the suspects, find who was alone with the victim. No sign-up, works on phones.
Play today's caseWe make the games mentioned in this guide — that's why we know them well. Links to Etsy go to our own shop, Midnight Motive.