The Vanishing Bell of Hollyberry Lodge: Family Christmas Mystery Game (Printable, Instant Download)

The family Christmas mystery for ages 7 to 70, at the same table.

4–8 players (up to 12 with Detective Teams) · ages 7+ with a partner, 8+ on their own · about 60 minutes · nobody gets hurt · the host plays too · instant download

It's Christmas Eve. A snowstorm has buried the only road to Hollyberry Lodge. At 7:30 the power goes out. At 7:40 the lights come back, the little glass case on the mantel is standing open, and the 100-year-old silver sleigh bell is gone.

Nobody left the lodge. So someone at your table took it. Maybe even you.

Our 14-day promise: if something is wrong with your files or the game doesn't work for your table, write to us through our Contact page within 14 days and we'll fix it or refund you.

Not sure yet? Play our free 10-minute warm-up mystery first: Who Took the Star? (free download)

No murder, nothing scary: the "crime" is a missing bell and a lodge full of embarrassing little secrets. The kids find the clues, the grown-ups connect them, and the youngest detective's puzzle answer is a real clue the whole table needs.

Meet the suspects

• Gran (or Gramps) Hollis: owner of the lodge and keeper of the bell. Has been acting very strange about January.
• Professor Marlow Tinsel: antique bell collector. Has tried to buy the bell three times. Calls it a coincidence.
• Ivy Frost: the ice sculptor booked for the midnight show. Calm, quiet, and says she never makes mistakes.
• Noel Wrapley: cousin and gift-wrapping champion, with a suspiciously bell-sized box under the tree.
• Chef Clem Crumb: the lodge cook. Nobody touches the cookie tin. NOBODY.
• Juni Pine: the lodge helper who notices everything, and keeps slipping out to the barn.

Playing with 7 or more? Add Posty Penwick, the mail carrier snowed in mid-route, and Belle Carroll, the choir leader who saw everything from the window. Well. Most things.

Every role works for any age and any gender. Gran can be Gramps. Professor Tinsel can be nine years old.

The host plays too

The host guide has no clues and no answer in it. The clue cards print with only a round and a number on the side you see, and the solution stays sealed until everyone has accused. You set it up in about 25–30 minutes, then you take a booklet and play like everyone else.

How it plays

1. Pick your characters from the booklet covers. Each booklet has a costume idea, an intro line, your character's story, a secret to keep, goals for each round, and a Simple Script box for younger players. (The second picture above shows a sample booklet with a character who isn't in the game.)
2. Round 1: The Empty Case. What happened, and when?
3. Round 2: Where Were You in the Dark? Who could have reached the bell? Whose story doesn't hold up?
4. Round 3: The Trail in the Snow. Who took it, why, and where is the bell now?
5. Accuse! Everyone (the host too) fills in a slip and reveals it at once: "3, 2, 1... I accuse!" Then you open the sealed envelope and read the ending aloud.

The fair-play rule: clue cards never lie. Characters may fib to protect their secret, so catching someone in a fib doesn't mean they did it. Every clue you need is in the game, and nobody can prove the answer before Round 3.

Junior Detectives: each round has a Junior card that sends a kid to a puzzle sheet (spot the difference, match the footprint, crack the code). Their answer is a real clue the grown-ups need.

Good to know before you buy

• Players: 4 to 8 characters. 9 to 12 players: Detective Teams, where extra players pair up and share a character (kid + grown-up, two grandparents, two teens). With 4 or 5 players, the characters nobody plays become Absent Guests: still suspects, and the host reads their lines from a card.
• Ages: 8 and up on their own. 7 and up with a partner who shares the booklet. Littler ones can do the bonus snowplow maze and still wear a Junior Detective tag.
• Time: about 60 minutes (60–75 with a chatty table, about 75 with Detective Teams).
• Your evening: 5 minutes of welcome and introductions, three 15-minute rounds, 10 minutes to accuse and open the envelope.
• Prep: a day or two before: print, cut, sort the cards into 3 envelopes, seal the solution in a 4th. About 25–30 minutes with a double-sided printer; allow closer to an hour with a single-sided printer and the fold-over cards. No need to read anything first. In fact, please don't.
• Printing: everything prints fine in black and white (the red and green details just turn gray). The only full-color page is the cover, and you don't need to print it. About 37 sheets for 6 players and about 42 for 12 (booklets and clue cards double-sided, the rest single-sided). US Letter; A4 works with "Fit to printable area".
• No double-sided printer? The clue cards come in a fold-over version for single-sided printers. The character booklets are one sheet per character, printed on both sides: on a single-sided printer use your print dialog's "print on both sides manually" option (you feed the stack through twice), or a library or print shop can do it in a few minutes.
• Print size: the booklets use regular, fairly small print so each character fits on one sheet. If a player struggles with small print, a partner can read their booklet with them (Detective Teams work at any table size).
• Format: digital download (PDF). Nothing is shipped. Print as many copies as you like for your own family and friends.
• When: made for Christmas Eve, but it works any evening of winter break, or on New Year's Eve.

What's inside (63-page complete PDF, plus each part as its own file)

• Host guide (8 pages, spoiler-free): print list, casting by number of players, Detective Teams for 9–12, a minute-by-minute game-night plan, the opening scene and round intros to read aloud, hard mode, and spoiler-free nudges if the table gets stuck
• 8 character booklets (6 core + 2 optional), one double-sided sheet each, with a Simple Script box for younger players
• 30 clue cards in 3 rounds, including 3 Junior Detective cards (double-sided, plus a fold-over version for single-sided printers)
• 3 Junior Detective puzzle sheets and a bonus snowplow maze
• Detective notes sheets with a suspect grid and a blackout timeline
• Accusation slips with simple scoring
• Name tags for every character, plus Detective Team and Junior Detective tags
• Round envelope labels and Absent Guest cards (for 4–5 players)
• Sealed solution envelope with a read-aloud reveal and scoring help
• 4 certificates: Master Detective, Best Suspect Performance, Sharpest Junior Detective, Most Festive Costume

You need: a printer (black and white is fine), scissors, pens, 4 envelopes. Optional: costumes from around the house (a cardigan, an apron, a paper chef's hat, a gift bow on your head). Ideas are on each booklet.

FAQ

Can the host really play? Yes, that's the point. The host guide has no clues, no secrets and no answer. When you print, the safe side (card fronts, booklet covers) comes out on top, and the guide tells you how to handle the stack without looking. The solution has its own STOP covers and goes into a sealed envelope. Want zero risk? Ask a teen to print, cut and sort.

Can an adults-only group play it? You can, but be honest with yourself about what you're buying: this is a family-level mystery, written so a 7-year-old and a grandparent can play at the same table. With adults only, expect a lighter, cozy whodunit of about 45–60 minutes. Hard mode (in the host guide) makes it tougher.

Is it hard enough for teens and grown-ups? Kids find the clues, grown-ups connect them. Nobody can prove the answer before Round 3, every innocent can be cleared by at least two different cards, and everyone's little secrets keep them looking guilty for a while.

Is there anything scary in it? No. Nobody gets hurt, no romance. The "crime" is a missing bell and a few embarrassing fibs.

How do I get it? Right after checkout you get a download link on screen and by email. If you can't find it, write to us through our Contact page and we'll help, usually within 2 business days.

What if it's not right for us? If something is wrong with your files or the game doesn't work for your table, write to us through our Contact page within 14 days and we'll make it right or refund you.

Not sure yet? Try our free 10-minute warm-up mystery, Who Took the Star?, first. Get it free here

Who made this

The Vanishing Bell of Hollyberry Lodge was made by the Oakbright team. Oakbright makes simple printable kits for family life, from the paperwork to game night. Every page was checked before release, and the case was checked so that exactly one suspect fits every clue.

Questions? Use our Contact page.