The doors have no numbers on them. That one design decision is what makes this calendar work: you don't know where tomorrow's door is until you've solved today's. Get it wrong and you're stuck.
Someone is working their way through the city, wrecking Christmas one location at a time, and the crimes are escalating. Each day you open a crime scene, find the clue the culprit left behind, and solve it — the answer tells you which door to open next. Along the way you're collecting evidence and ruling suspects out: there's only one culprit, and a confirmed alibi for even a single crime clears someone completely.
Evidence from different days links together, so nothing gets thrown away. There's a folder to cut out of the sleeve to keep it all in, and a city map, crime scene illustrations and suspect summaries to work from. By Christmas Day you need a name.
Suggested age is 14+ and it's built for one player or a team — a household can work it together over breakfast, which is how most people seem to play it. Each day runs about 5 to 15 minutes, so it's a coffee's worth of puzzle rather than an evening.
It's by Puzzle Post, a British independent, and it's plastic free and fully recyclable. We have it in at 22 Burgate in Canterbury — and if you're torn between this and the Taskmaster calendar we also stock, come in and we'll talk you through the difference. Order online for UK delivery.
What's inside
- 24 doors packed with puzzles, clues and evidence
- A city map, crime scene illustrations and suspect summaries
- Forensic-style documents, digital artefacts and hidden messages
- A cut-out evidence folder built into the sleeve
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No chocolate and nothing edible — this is a puzzle game
Key features
- A crime-solving puzzle advent calendar from Puzzle Post
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Unnumbered doors — each day's puzzle reveals where the next door is
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24 days, roughly 5–15 minutes each
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Suggested age: 14+
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Players: 1+ — solo or as a team
- A single continuous deduction game, not 24 unrelated puzzles
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Requires an online suspect board to finish the case
- 100% recyclable and plastic free
- Designed in the UK by Puzzle Post
FAQ
Is there chocolate in it?
No, and nothing else edible either. Every door holds part of a puzzle — clues, documents and evidence.
Why don't the doors have numbers?
Because finding the next door is part of the game. Solving the clue at today's crime scene tells you where the culprit strikes next, and that's tomorrow's door. It also means nobody can peek ahead.
Do I need to be online?
Yes, for one part. The suspect board you use to eliminate suspects and name the culprit is online, so you'll need a phone, tablet or computer to finish the case. The daily puzzles themselves are done on paper.
What age is it for?
Puzzle Post suggest 14 and over. It's a deduction game aimed at teenagers and adults rather than a children's calendar.
How long does each day take?
Around 5 to 15 minutes, so it fits into a morning rather than taking over an evening.
Can we play it as a family or a couple?
Yes — it's marked 1+ players and works well shared. One person opening the door and reading out while everyone argues about the answer is the usual arrangement.
What happens if we fall behind?
Nothing breaks. The chain of doors stays the same whenever you solve it, so you can catch up over a weekend without spoiling the ending.
How does it compare with the Taskmaster calendar?
Both are Puzzle Post, both £30, both 24 days and 14+. This one is a serious whodunnit built on logic and elimination, with a single case running through all 24 days. The Taskmaster calendar is comedy and physical tasks with props. Pick this if you like crime fiction and deduction; pick Taskmaster if you want to laugh.
Is it recyclable?
Yes — 100% recyclable and plastic free.
