The Night before Christmas

(14 customer reviews)

$39.99

The Night before Christmas is a downloadable Christmas-themed murder mystery game for 12 to 15 guests and a host. This Christmas Eve certainly won’t bring goodwill to all men as blackmail, theft and betrayal occur at a glittering 1948 Massachusetts cocktail party. This includes, free of charge, a non-holidays-themed version of the game. Written by Tracy Bose. Recommended for ages 15+.

The Night before Christmas is a murder mystery game for 12 to 15 guests and a host. It is set at a Christmas Eve family party, in 1948 Massachusetts. Download the free introductory pdf file.

The Night before Christmas is an innocent family gathering, with a few friends and strangers added to make the party go with a swing. However, not everyone is as they seem – some have dark secrets they need to keep hidden... and someone is the killer! Your guests will be in the middle of the action, and it will be up to them to wheel and deal to get what they want. Will they achieve their goals, keep their secrets hidden, and survive The Night before Christmas?

The Night before Christmas comes bundled with Dazzled to Death – it's the same game, but without the Christmas theme, so you can use it at any time of year!

"The Night before Christmas was a terrific party. The story line was sophisticated enough to engage everyone but not so complicated that we didn't all get into it. My family had a blast and wanted to do it again the very next day (not practical). I'm sure we will be doing other events of this type in the future when we can get everyone together. Good fun was had by all."
Nancy Wakeman, United States

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See stories and pictures from The Night before Christmas

Read the Boston Times

It is December 24, 1948. The socialite Evington-Browne family and guests are preparing for the annual Christmas Eve cocktail party, held by tradition at the family's hunting lodge in the White Mountains north of Boston. Snow has been falling for days – a blizzard has now set in – and the party finds itself cut off from the rest of the world. This is unfortunate, as the valet of one of the guests has been found dead in the kitchen! It looks like a heart attack – but is it murder? Can you achieve your goals, keep your secrets hidden and survive The Night before Christmas? It's up to you.

In The Night before Christmas you will discover the following:

  • Who has been wearing a Santa Suit to sneak around?
  • Who will inherit the Brilliant Diamonds?
  • Would the infamous cat-burglar 'the Puma' dare to strike here?
  • Are the Evington-Browne family in danger of losing their money, their reputation in society and their sanity?
  • Can anyone keep control of Tracy's pet monkey?
  • ... and, of course, who killed the valet?

Find out in The Night before Christmas!

The Night before Christmas lasts for about four hours and is suited to an evening. It is often played over a meal – a finger buffet if possible, to allow guests to circulate and talk in private.

"I loved The Night before Christmas – the pdf packet included everything I could have possibly needed to run the game smoothly. And I liked that there was more to the story than just solving the murder. With the multiple storylines, everyone got the chance to have a key role."
Kylie Speirs, United States

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Beginner-friendly
One of our more straightforward murder mystery games, suitable for beginner hosts.

Includes rules for the use of poison.
Includes rules for the use of poison.

The free introductory pdf file contains an introduction to the game, a cast list of all the characters, and a copy of the Boston Times.

Cast of characters

  • John Evington-Browne III: Respected businessman and head of the family.
  • Rose Evington-Browne: John’s much-loved wife.
  • Patrick Evington-Browne: John and Rose’s studious 20-year-old son.
  • Evie Evington-Browne: John and Rose’s willful 21-year-old daughter.
  • Tracy Evington-Browne: John and Rose’s mischievous 16-year-old daughter.
  • Priscilla Evington-Browne: John’s elderly and often forgetful aunt.
  • Agatha ‘Aggie’ Marbles: Priscilla’s elderly English friend and allegedly famed detective.
  • James Pemberton: Rose’s brother. Art dealer and traveler.
  • Charles Pemberton: James’s son, currently a student at Harvard.
  • Dr. Bruisyard: Retired family doctor and friend.
  • Miles Earnshaw: Unexpected guest, friend from Rose’s youth.
  • Reggie Haven: Young socialite friend of Evie’s.
  • Christy Crompton: Student friend of Patrick’s.
  • Soames: Butler/Housekeeper.
  • Dinah Peters: Cook (temporary stand-in for usual cook).

The Night before Christmas is for 12 to 15 players:

  • 12 players (4 male, 6 female, 2 any)
  • 13 players (5 male, 6 female, 2 any)
  • 14 players (5 male, 6 female, 3 any)
  • 15 players (5 male, 6 female, 4 any)

You also need a host – someone to organize the party and ensure everything runs smoothly. That can be a separate person – or the host can also play one of the characters in the game. It's up to you.

How Freeform Games murder mystery games work

The Night before Christmas is unlike other murder mystery games. Although the game starts with a murder, each character has several goals they must try to accomplish. While they may want to solve the murder, The Night before Christmas contains plenty of other plots and secrets to keep everyone busy. The Night before Christmas isn't scripted, and lets the players decide how to achieve their goals and thwart their enemies.

"The Night before Christmas was brilliant! Our first murder mystery game, but definitely won't be our last."
Trish Thornby, United Kingdom

On the evening of the game the guests are met by the organizer, the Waiter, and welcomed to the party.

They then receive their detailed backgrounds – including dark secrets, goals, and items. The fun then begins as players form alliances, blackmail each other, steal items and maybe even resort to murder!

Finally, the game concludes and everyone finds out how they did, and what secrets everyone else was concealing.

Recommended for ages 15+

We recommend The Night before Christmas for those aged 15+, as it refers to a child born out of wedlock, although this is handled delicately.

Extra characters

Sometimes you have too many guests and need more characters. So most games have free extra characters (written by us or previous hosts) included in the download when you purchase the game.

  • 'Ginger' Roberts and Jules Cameron – freelance reporter and event photographer. (Any)
    (by Freeform Games and Larry Weixel)
  • Angelique Gemini – Priscilla Evington-Browne's paid companion. (F)
    (by Michele Scott)
  • Beryl Sutton – Rose Evington-Browne's cousin. (F)
    (by Jenni Malloch)
  • K.C. Warburton – internationally acclaimed artist. (Any)
    (by Steph Mann)
  • Mephisto Lustig – Harvard friend of Charles Pemberton's. (M)
    (by Michele Scott)
  • Reverend Maxwell Reagan – pastor of the First Church of Boston. (M)
    (by Larry Weixel)

Please note that we haven't always tested these – and they may not tie in exactly with our games.

IMPORTANT – you shouldn’t add too many of these characters in to your game as they haven’t been designed to work together (unlike the main game characters). If you add in several, they may make your game chaotic and incoherent. You should probably instead choose a larger game. If you still want to add several extra characters (four or more), we recommend having an extra host to help.

"Thank you for a great site, fantastic games, good service and very quick reply. Keep up the good work." Ole Martin Brodwall, Norway

Cast Iron Guarantee

We offer a Cast Iron Guarantee on all our murder mystery games. If you're not completely satisfied with The Night before Christmas then please let us know within 30 days and we will refund you. See our full terms and conditions, and our refund policy.

Trouble downloading? If you have trouble downloading the game files, please first check your spam folder. If you still can't find the download email, contact us with the name of the game and the email address you used to purchase it, and we'll resend it.

14 reviews for The Night before Christmas

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    Sandie D.

    We were all first time players. Obviously there were things that experience would have improved, but we all had a great time

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    Stephen Buck

    The Night before Christmas was our 8th mystery game. We’ve tried several different formats and felt like we had a pretty good grasp on things. Then we tried Freeform. Oh My Goodness!!! We had such a blast. From the time I downloaded our characters until… well even now…the excitement just kept building. As the host, I was afraid that I wouldn’t feel involved enough during the event. BOY was I wrong. The host, for this mystery knows everything, but I was so busy during the event working in my role as the ‘waiter’ that I found I didn’t have time to walk around and serve items as I’d planned. My friends were thrilled with all the goals that needed to be accomplished. Even those that don’t normally figure out ‘who done it’ still were engaged from the time I said welcome until the solution was read. And the evening didn’t stop there. 3 days later folks are still commenting and speculating on the stories and plots that were within the game. We are already planning our next event utilizing this format. ABSOLUTELY TRY THIS FORMAT. If you’re here trying to figure out if it will work for you. It will. Everyone is involved. People will be ‘assassinated’ during the event giving you additional murders to solve, and new folks get caught up in the flow and have as much fun as seasoned sleuths. We had 5 new players this time and they were all in character and having a riot!!! Take a chance. You’ll be incredibly glad you did.

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    Holly Graf

    The Night Before Christmas was a great way to kick off the holidays with a Christmas party. The guests (cast) really enjoyed the experience. The game was fun, involved everyone, and the subplots became more interesting than who actually done it! The recommendations on your website for how to host/play a murder mystery were critical to success of the event. I had never hosted one, and my guests had never played one either. Thank you!

    Image #1 from Holly Graf
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    A Customer

    This was our first time to host a game ever. So glad we picked yours. We had so much fun and the kids were asking when we were going to do the next one!

    We hosted The Night Before Christmas for my daughter’s 18th birthday. All of her friends came dressed for a cocktail party, served “mocktails” and trays of appetizers. The whole night was such a success.

    Thank you for your outstanding product!

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    Chris Higginbotham

    The Night before Christmas was the first ‘whodunnit’ night that I had attended, and it was initially a daunting task thinking about how to organise everyone/everything.
    The information sent in the pack was, however comprehensive, and the evening went off brilliantly.

    Everyone really enjoyed themselves (although they didn’t all guess the murderer correctly), and they all want to know when the next one is going to be!

    Of the people who attended, a couple had been to other similar evenings, but yours was rated as the best, due to the level of interaction and improvisation involved.

    Many thanks for a great night!

    Image #1 from Chris Higginbotham
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    Jeff B.

    This is the fourth Freeform Game that I have hosted and the second time that I have run The Night Before Christmas.

    This motley crew is getting their feet wet in your Murder Mysteries and has a ball. We used the extra characters and half of the cast had played one of the Freeform Games before and the other half was getting their first taste.

    The House was decorated, with lots of period holiday music setting the atmosphere. The night ended in hilarious fashion with “Evie E-B” throwing herself to the floor in despair crying “Daddy, do something” as “Great Aunt Priscilla” decided to… [censored to preserve a game secret! – Mo & Steve].Like the other games that I have run, everyone left the house asking when the next one will be run…

    Your games are great, I’ve run this one twice, plus A Dead Man’s Chest (had to write 15 extra characters due to high interest, I don’t recommend 40 person casts) and Casino Fatale with the expansion pack to give this new group a taste of what your games are all about. Thanks for your eye to detail and support. We will be doing one of these every couple of months.

    Image #1 from Jeff B.
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    Valerie Delzer

    My daughter wanted to do a Murder Mystery Game for her 14th Birthday Party so she searched the web and came up with a couple of choices for me to view. I chose to buy The Night Before Christmas with Freeform Games, kids version, and it was a fabulous hit! I had never done a Murder Mystery Game before so I had no idea how it was going to turn out. I was worried that the kids would be confused or not willing to participate but I was completely wrong. They took to it pretty fast after I handed out their character packets and that’s when the laughs started… they also took to moving around the house in pairs while they questioned each other for clues & answers. (I’d find them giggling in the laundry room or pantry for example..) it was all great fun and there was a lot of improvising as we went along. Half the time I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say or do but I would either “make it up” as I went along or show the character my cards depending on if I wanted that character to know all my secrets, etc. I would recommend this game to other Moms & Dads wanting to host a party for their teens. (We had 12 teens attend, ages 13–14.) They all dressed up in nice clothes (boy, I wasn’t sure my daughter was going to be able to convince them not to wear jeans! but it worked) We had loads of finger food throughout the game and we even stopped at one point (prior to Aunt Priscilla’s announcement) to sing Happy Birthday and light the cake.

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    Russell Peters

    I’d just like to drop you a line to tell you our experiences of The Night before Christmas.

    I was part of a group of sixteen friends who had hired out a manor on the south coast of Dorset over New Year, and for one of the evenings we played the game. Whilst it wasn’t actually Christmas Eve, the house was still decorated, and was obviously ideal for the game. (Antlers on the walls, roaring fires, that sort of thing. It also had still functioning servants’ bells that were connected up around the house.) This was the first time that any of us had taken part in a freeform version of the murder mystery (some of us hadn’t played out one at all) but everyone threw themselves into it. I had an enormous job on hand to try and keep everything under control, especially with the acting and drama backgrounds of a lot of the group.

    It did come to a head, however, when I was called into the hall. I’d decided to let people have the whole use of the downstairs, so there was much to-ing and fro-ing from room to room. When I got to the hall, there were [Character A] and [Character B] standing face to face with two pistols raised at each other that they had taken out of one of the display cases! Whilst I managed to talk them out of waving the guns around, they were insistent on a gun fight to the death, so we had them walk ten paces and turn round and shout bang. [B] being the underhand guy that he is turned round on 6 and shot [A] in the back.

    Whilst this had been going on, [Character C] and [Character D] had been playing a game of ‘swap the painting’. I had three postcards of The Mona Lisa, and had signed them differently as suggested, giving one each to C and D, and placing one on the mantelpiece in the lounge area. The original went missing, and C arrested D thinking he had done it, found the second fake on him and kept that for himself. I told them that he couldn’t really be arrested for taking something that’s worthless, so they got let go. C then swapped fake 1 for fake 2 on the fireplace, which D found out about, then he got possession of the original thinking it was a fake, and swapped it with the one on the mantelpiece. So now both D and C had fakes, and the original was back where it had been for all these years.

    After this, there was not an awful lot left to mediate on, No-one was left poisoned, so there was no dying swan acts (which I was fairly thankful for after everything else). With a dead Character A, there was no-one to pin the murder on, but most people had guessed it was him after his pockets were turfed out to find a bottle of poison when he was shot. The non-fake necklace was returned to its rightful place (it was a quiet night with this) and given to [Character E]. [Character F] had a bit of a sulk and stormed out, disowning her family, the world and anything else she could think of.

    All in all, everyone really enjoyed it, and we didn’t get finished up ’til gone midnight. (We did have a couple of ‘sort the children out who were in bed’ breaks, though.)

    I really think we benefited from being in an environment such as the one we were in. I did ‘um and ah’ about the original purchase, as there are similar ideas that can be downloaded free from the net if you look hard enough. I have to say it was worth paying for, as the free versions do not tie in as well / less planned out, etc. Thanks again, and we’ll definitely be buying another, though we might have to tone down for our more humble surroundings.

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    Robin Goracke

    I started having a Christmas party last year with a murder mystery, one you had to read a script and we all had a good time, but this year I tried a freeform game, The Night before Christmas, and everyone loved it. Everyone really got into costume. I sent out everyone’s part to them well in advance I knew everyone was coming. I myself gave the welcome speech and a toast I had Dinah the cook set up to scream as soon as I said cheers and everyone came rushing into the kitchen to see why she was screaming and discovered the dead body. Someone said where is the Dr and of course the Dr came rushing in and pronounced our dummy dead, and this was the start of the game. They all absolutely loved it. Before I knew it John was telling Rose how he just didn’t know the woman he married and someone called her a slut. I had so much fun myself just watching them acting out their parts. There were times I was laughing out loud and had to cover my mouth. Some of my guests were already talking about next year’s party. This type of game is much better then the type you read. We loved it and will play again.

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    Robin Goracke

    We loved it and will play again.

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    Extremely Satisfied Mystery Lover

    Thank you very much for your quick response to my question. The Night before Christmas was our first murder mystery game and we had a great time. Everything was well planned and laid out and everything we needed was included in the kit. We enjoyed it so much that we are doing it again (with a different group) for Valentine’s Day!

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    Liz Gore

    Just before Christmas this year, my sister and I decided to host a Murder Mystery Party for close friends and family. As we had quite a large group to invite, The Night before Christmas was the best solution. We had previously enjoyed many of the boxed Murder Mystery games, but found that the unscripted element made for a more exciting evening (including one rather dramatic death scene). Everyone threw themselves into their characters and thoroughly enjoyed the evening. There were even requests to make it an annual event!

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    Carey

    The Night before Christmas is my 2nd party I’ve done – the first was A Dead Man’s Chest. I am amazed at how great they turn out! The first game, I had people back out, and had to recast for the very minimum crew of people for that party. But this one I had more than enough people — everyone found out, and I had to promise I’d have another one, for the ones I couldn’t invite to this one. Everyone who comes just loves it!

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    Larry Weixel

    Many thanks for all your help, and for providing such an entertaining murder mystery in The Night before Christmas! The party was a huge success! Definitely takes a lot of planning, but in the end it was well worth it. Other friends found out about the one I held on Dec 15, and they wanted me to do another one for them… so I’m having another one this Saturday! I’ll definitely be back for more murder and mayhem! Thanks!

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