Murder at the Ugly Sweater Party
The Snowflake Lodge is all set to bring back the much-loved Ugly Christmas Sweater party this season. The residents of Snow Falls are buzzing with anticipation for this festive event, a highlight where the elite come together to flaunt their most outrageously tacky holiday wear.
Lately, the air has been thick with whispers of blackmail, greed, and plots for revenge among some attendees. Yet, there's a shared optimism that the cheer and goodwill of the holiday season will prevail, smoothing over any rifts just in time for a joyous celebration at the party.
With your ticket in hand, the quest for the ultimate tacky holiday sweater begins. Your adventure starts now, diving into the heart of Snow Falls' holiday festivities.
Guest List
DECEMBER PORTER
Petting Zoo Owner
Hailing from Bundenbach, Germany, December Porter is a ruthless petting zoo owner. December’s zoo includes unusual pets like reindeer, camels, turtle doves, penguins, and even a baby polar bear, which many townsfolk are concerned about, given his recent size. December is adamant that the polar bear is safe, and will cop an attitude when questioned about it.
This hypocritical activist has recently joined various animal rights organizations and is organizing a protest in front of a local seafood restaurant that maintains an aquarium full of live lobsters for diners.
With an undying weakness for rescuing stray animals, December has eight cats, six dogs, four exotic birds, two snakes, two hamsters, and an aquarium of fish. December has a home zoo. Alas, some townies consider December to be a hypocrite by keeping so many animals as pets.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. Wear an animal hat to show your love for animals. Or wear an animal onesie/costume or a zookeeper costume underneath your sweater.
PAT PUFFS
Pastry Chef
Pat Puffs is a friendly baker who is intensely afraid of the government. Pat continually rants about conspiracy theories, and the other chefs at the bakery speculate that Pat wraps everything possible in aluminum foil to prevent the feds from spying. Let’s all hope the foil stays out of the cupcakes.
Pat's bakery is currently on the outskirts of town and has delicious offerings. But it's only a matter of time before another bakery pops up in a more convenient location and shuts down her bakery. Pat's working against the clock to find a better location before that happens. For now, the bakery's customers are willing to drive across town to listen to Pat's latest rants about how the government is plotting to end society as we know it.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. A chef’s hat or uniform (underneath) is optional. You can bring samples of pastries as props. Bring aluminum foil and wrap random things in it to protect them during the game for more laughs.
GIGI ELFMAN
Astronaut
Gigi Elfman is a seasoned astronaut who sincerely believes that she has the highest IQ in the entire galaxy. Watch out for this brainy diva, as she’s known to be quite grumpy if things don’t go her way.
Gigi tells everyone she is a genius and goes on and on about her 158 IQ. If she indeed was that smart, why would she need to brag about it? The Snow Falls rumor mill has the thought that she's not what she claims. However, she did graduate from Harvard with an engineering degree before completing an internship at a top-secret rocket engineering laboratory.
Did she cheat her way through it all? Maybe - don't rule that out.
Gigi strongly dislikes the sound of chewing and will hum loudly to block out the noise if anyone is eating within earshot. Gigi often attends local trivia nights with a group of friends. It's peculiar that this group usually ends in dead last.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. Astronaut uniform/helmet is optional.
AXI DENTE
Professional Victim
Axi Dente is an imaginative professional victim. This clumsy diva is a meticulous and impatient woman. She earns her way in this world by mysteriously causing accidents and winning lawsuits. The townsfolk of Snow Falls have grown tired of this queen of misfortune.
Many people have tried their best to film Axi while she either sets up a scenario to become a victim or pretends to be a victim. Unfortunately, nobody has caught the right footage yet. She wears various bandages and has perfected a convincing limping routine that she continues while at home - just in case private investigators are watching. She's a serious con artist.
This litigious fraudster is a sinister, brooding woman who never laughs. She remains stone-faced in all situations as if she is calculating her next move.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. Bandage your hands, forehead, etc.
ELIZABETH WINTER
Food Inspector
Elizabeth Winter is a blatantly honest food inspector. The food vendors of Snow Falls fear her, as she is a no-nonsense federal culinary detective. She’s shut down her share of restaurants in town and will hand out costly violations for trivial infractions. On a personal level, Elizabeth is known to be unapologetically truthful.
To no surprise, she doesn't have many friends and doesn't know how to sugarcoat things or give compliments. Her brutal honesty is off-putting, but she cannot stand to be around fake people. Also, her reputation for putting people out of business certainly doesn't make her likable. If you make Elizabeth an enemy, it's a death sentence if you own a restaurant, if a family member owns a restaurant, a good friend owns a restaurant, or even someone who speaks highly of you owns a restaurant. Elizabeth is not above holding grudges and getting revenge.
She sometimes refers to herself in the third person, which makes having conversations with her difficult. For this reason, people tend not to take her seriously.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater.
MEYER YULE
Massage Therapist
Originally hailing from the UK, Meyer Yule traveled to America to fulfill a lifelong desire to own a luxurious day spa. Meyer made the dream a reality by opening a spa named Tranquility, in a prime spot in the middle of Snow Falls Town Square. Meyer’s a bit of a one-upper, but this relaxation guru makes customers feel like royalty.
Meyer is an entrepreneur and remains open to joining new business opportunities. With a limited income as a massage therapist - partially due to the high rent that's paid for the ideal location, Meyer wants to reach the stars but realizes that massaging clients isn't going to be enough to achieve the goal. Meyer is searching for a golden ticket but hasn't stumbled upon one yet.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. Creating and printing flyers with coupons for your spa is optional.
ISABELLA RUDOLPH
Town Gossip
Isabella Rudolph is a zany homemaker and neighborhood watch coordinator. She recently moved to the tiny town of Snow Falls, and in no time, she was labeled the town gossip. Everybody is afraid to be around Isabella, as she doesn’t keep secrets. Isabella comes from old money and dedicates her time to charities and party planning.
Isabella wants nothing more than to rise to the top of the social ladder and become a socialite. However, in her short time in Snow Falls, she has already found herself served with papers for a lawsuit. Maybe if Isabella kept her nose in her own business, she would stay out of trouble. Is being popular worth the stress?
Isabella has a bad habit of compulsively interrupting someone telling a story if she has heard it before and knows what is coming next. This annoying habit tends to anger others.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater and as many tacky holiday accessories (i.e., a crazy Santa hat, elf ears, etc.) as you can find.
ALEXIS HARMONY
Choir Director
Alexis Harmony is the clueless director of a girls' choir known as the Snow Falls Angels. Alexis sings like a sick alley cat, but nobody has the heart to tell her about her horrible singing voice. It’s good that she has many other voices in the choir to hide her abysmal crooning—until it is time for her dreaded solo performance. Nobody knows why Alexis only schedules herself to do the solo pieces during the performances.
Alexis is a bit of a humanitarian and tries to do the right thing in most cases. But Alexis isn't innocent by any means. She is known to spread gossip and start trouble between her mutual friends. Alexis is one of the peacemakers of her family, but she does have a threshold. She can only take so much nonsense.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. It is optional to have music sheets or use other musical-themed props.
TENDO CLAUSE
Toy Developer
Tendo Clause is a self-indulgent toy developer who loves to talk about one thing and one thing only—Tendo Clause. A former high school nerd, Tendo openly admits to refusing to grow up. This toy developer is one of the most immature adults you’ll ever meet but is also the best toy developer in the country, possibly the world.
Tendo Clause is self-loving but also tender and caring. This toymaker will be the first to support a friend's accomplishments without jealous undertones. Tendo won't hesitate to give food and money to the homeless and frequently volunteers at local animal shelters.
Lately, Tendo has been having trouble at work because information leaked about a toy under development. The toy was kid-friendly but not well-liked by most parents. Alas, even with all the stress of the job, Tendo is always smiling.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. It is optional to have examples of toys that you are working on as props.
EVA EVERGREEN
High School Principal
Is it Principal Evergreen or Principal Loony? Well, the latter is what the kids not-so-lovingly nicknamed her at Snow Falls High School. Teens beware: rumor is that not everyone sent to Principal Evergreen’s office makes it back to class. However, Eva has a softer side as the doting mother of 11-year-old twin girls.
Being an educator, Eva has a strong maternal side for any former student of the high school. She has open ears to listen to problems and a shoulder to cry on. She is one of the best people in Snow Falls to go to for advice.
On the other hand, Eva can be a bit preachy at times. If she gets on a soapbox, her shoes tend to fuse to the surface, so it will be a while before she can come down. She is judgmental and takes counseling sessions too far. For these reasons, some people avoid her, like the flu.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater A ruler and apple are optional props. Underneath, wear a traditional teacher costume or an English Nanny/Mary Poppins costume (optional).
DONNOR COURIC & THE RBC NEWS CREW
News Reporter
Donnor Couric is an ambitious investigative reporter for the RBC Television Station and will stop at nothing to get the scoop. This reporter is the source of breaking news in Snow Falls and often breaks stories as they unfold. Donnor is a workaholic and is rarely seen without a troupe of colleagues from RBC News, saying that a news team can never be too prepared. Unfortunately, the rumor is that recently, some marbles may have loosened in Donnor’s cranium.
Donnor's family is worried about all the strange behavior lately and has urged this TV personality to go on an extended vacation to relax. Unfortunately, this dedicated reporter refuses to take a break from work, fearing the competition will move in and gain an edge. There is an open prime-time anchor position at the station that the execs are accepting applications for, and this probably has everything to do with working seven days a week.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. Optional to have a pen and pad as props to take notes on things you hear & see – you’re out for a story. Wear a reporter costume underneath your sweater - i.e., solid suit/dress.
PARKER MISTLETOE
Roxy Rich's Assistant
Parker Mistletoe is Roxy Rich's disgruntled personal assistant. Parker wears a permanent grimace, and claims in private that Roxy is not the easiest person to be around, is demanding, overly emotional, and doesn’t give others respect. With a facade of dedication and loyalty, this assistant pretends to enjoy being Roxy's assistant, but is currently seeking employment elsewhere. Curiously, Parker can't seem to land a position worth taking. Or, is there another reason Parker is still with Roxy? Maybe it's all a ruse for attention? Who knows.
Currently living with a grandmother, Parker claims to be more than willing to relocate far away from Snow Falls. Parker's grandfather recently succumbed to an untimely death, and ever since then - Parker has been challenging to be around.
A former happy-go-lucky soul, Parker is preoccupied, often forgets the most simple things, and rarely cracks a smile.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. A butler costume (black suit) is an alternative, but wear a Santa hat to be festive.
SAM SUGARPLUM
Hollywood Icon
Sam Sugarplum became an overnight sensation with the release of the hit movie Gingerbread Man. Not too long ago, Sam was a long-time barista in Snow Falls. Everyone in town was shocked to see such a quick rise to fame from the person who was making their morning coffee. Rumors flew around town that Sam had paid someone off to reach that level of fame so quickly. However, no substantial evidence of bribery, blackmail, or other scandal has emerged. It seems that Sam lucked into a movie role and rose to the top like cream. None of the locals even knew that Sam was interested in acting!
After the rise to fame from latest Christmas blockbuster, Sam just landed the lead role in a movie about a crazed psychopathic serial killer, Kill Them All, which is set to start filming in January. Sam, a self-proclaimed method actor, has been angrily walking the streets of Snow Falls, mumbling and glaring at the townsfolk, refusing to apologize, and claiming to be studying for an upcoming role.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. Hair (and makeup for a female) should be over-the-top glamorous. Wear something glamorous (sequin gown or tux/flashy suit) underneath.
BRAD CAROLS
Banker
Originally from France, Brad Carols is a quiet personal banker at Frost Financial, the largest bank in Snow Falls. Gossip-mongers spread strange rumors about Brad since nobody truly knows him. The Snow Falls grapevine recently received information that Brad might be under investigation, but nobody can confirm if this is true. Is it federal? Is it state? Is it local? Is it at the bank? Nobody knows! The local gossips have concocted crazy stories about why Brad would move from France to Snow Falls - from Brad being a wanted murderer to being a con artist. He contends that he just wanted a fresh start, away from family drama, and to have a chance at the American Dream. Brad is a nervous person who is constantly distracted and twiddles his fingers. Is he just overwhelmed or plotting the next scandal? Brad has been considering a career change, and thinks he might want to pursue a career in law enforcement. He maybe should do that before he has any charges filed against him, though. But even then, it might be a short-lived career once they are filed.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. Bank statements, bank bags, and a calculator are optional props. Wear a festive business suit underneath.
FROSTY JACK
Homicide Detective
Frosty Jack is a famous homicide detective. A reality television crew follows Frosty’s every move for the show Snow Falls Cops. Frosty’s fans love it when he talks in clichés and performs song lyrics while arresting the bad guys! Frosty is also addicted to karaoke and is a regular at Singsong Night at the Snow Falls Lounge. Frosty has thrown fits if he's not called to the stage in a timely manner. Does Frosty want to be a singer instead of a law enforcer? He won't admit it, but those closest to Frosty say that he'd definitely bite at the hooked worm of pop stardom if given the chance. Frosty loves being famous and craves for more of the limelight. His worst fear is not being hurt in the line of duty - it's his show being canceled.
Frosty Jack takes social media seriously and boasts about the number of followers on various accounts. He is angry that the accounts haven't been verified with blue checkmarks but keeps hounding the show's producers to assist with that, to no avail.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. A toy detective badge and a toy gun are optional accessories. Wear a Sherlock-inspired costume underneath.
GREG JINGLES
Jeweler
If you looked up narcissism in the dictionary, Greg Jingles’ picture would be plastered by the description. Greg is a self-loving neighborhood jeweler with an exaggeration problem. Greg’s great-grandfather founded the store Jingles’ Jewels, and the business has great family pride. His father recently retired, leaving Greg as the managing owner.
With all the elders retired and being the one in charge, Greg is under much pressure to protect the family's reputation as the go-to spot in Snow Falls for fine jewelry. Greg's grandmother has nothing but time on her hands and has infiltrated the town's gossip rings. For that reason, Greg is a great resource if you are looking to find any skeletons in someone's closet. Greg is constantly snapping his fingers. Those closest to him say it helps him think.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. Costume jewelry pieces to show the other guests as optional accessories.
EBENEZER NIGHTSHADE
Local Actor
Ebenezer Nightshade is a brilliant actor on stage, but in person, he’s the most reserved person you’ll ever meet! Ebenezer’s sultry Italian accent wins over the ladies, but the theater is Ebenezer’s true love. During social gatherings, Ebenezer can’t help but break out into random Shakespearean monologues! For this reason, many of the townsfolk are worried that Ebe's presence at the ugly Christmas sweater party might be a big distraction for everyone. Nobody wants to have to stop chatting and having fun to watch another spontaneous medieval monologue. For those reasons, Ebenezer's name is often left off the guest list of the parties in town. However, when Ebenezer later hears about the missed fun - smoke almost literarily billows from his ears. Ebenezer has vowed to start hosting exclusive VIP-only bashes. However, on an actor's salary, he's finding that quest to be difficult. Nevertheless, Olly Joy, the Snowflake Lodge's manager, refuses to ban anyone from attending the ugly sweater party, as that is not in line with the spirit of Christmas.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. Or, opt for a Scrooge costume - suit or nightgown.
NOEL VIBES
Radio Disc Jockey
Noel Vibes is a hard-working radio disc jockey and a master of deceit. A compulsive liar even when the truth is better, this fast-talking record spinner is also a cheater at board games. He is a klutz, so give this accident-prone radio personality some space.
Noel will lie when the truth is better, so believing anything that he says is not suggested.
Noel gets angry when locals call the morning show and comment or ask questions. This controlling DJ prefers to stick to programming and only talk about current events. Well, maybe not completely current, as Noel usually brings up the topic of his 22-year-old poodle named Rufus who was recently run over via a hit-and-run accident. The poodle had far outlived his lifespan, had viciously attacked (or peed on) half the town, was rumored to have a rare case of rabies, among 20 other medical conditions, and possibly or probably died and had a funeral five years ago - but Noel won't hear of it.
A local blogger made this page about Rufus before his, as Noel calls it, 'untimely' death.
Noel isn't good with improvisations, despises the town gossips, and refuses to laugh. A rumor has circulated about town that Noel gets the giggle snorts, so that is why laughter is suppressed.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater.
WALTER WONKA
Chocolatier
Walter Wonka is a super-paranoid chocolatier. Walter is the founder of Wonka Chocolates, a world-famous line of candy. This candy maker is convinced that someone nefarious is watching his every move, but what interest would anybody have in a quirky chocolatier? Walter often spews conspiracy theories about pending alien invasions. Many of the townsfolk claim he's lost his mind, but those closest to Mr. Wonka disagree. He has many folks in town who agree with his line of thinking. Maybe there is some truth to his theories? Only time and a handful of buzzing saucers in the sky will tell..
Walter often makes terrible jokes about things, followed by a noisy fit of laughter. Walter might be the only one in the room who finds himself funny.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. Chocolate samples are optional props. You can also opt for a Willy Wonka costume with a Christmas accessory, like a Santa hat.
ROXY RICH
Heiress
Roxy Rich is an heiress, and her iconic family owns most of the real estate in Snow Falls. She is a drama queen, so have tissues on hand for this emotional diva! Choose your words carefully around her if you don’t want to make her cry or throw a tantrum! Roxy gets what she wants and is always seen with her seemingly loyal assistant, Parker Mistletoe.
Roxy often pretends she doesn't know people she has been introduced to many times. This is her way of making others feel small. Roxy also isn't close to her family, which has caused strife and disdain among them over the years. Maybe she's a bit of a chaos junkie? This diva loves to flaunt her money and makes jokes about those who aren't as affluent as her. This certainly doesn't make people want to be friends with her. Albeit, many ladder climbers in town will take anything she dishes out. She has helped many people advance their careers in town - but not without a simultaneous benefit to her.
Suggested attire: Tacky Christmas sweater. However, you will remove the sweater moments after your arrival and unveil a fabulous holiday dress. Wear elaborate costume jewelry (of course, you'll say it's real), and have fake money pouring out of your costume.