Christmas Event 2025
Games Overview
Event: 30 shows throughout December 2025
Capacity: 100 guests per night
Venue: Same location as Blackwood Manor
COMPLETE GAMES ✓ READY
Progressive difficulty trivia during meal service. Tables 1-2 eat while Tables 3-4 play Set A, then switch. 3 rounds per session, 5 questions + audio bonus per round. Self-grading honor system.
Materials: Answer sheets, host interface, 5 question sets (A, B, + 3 backups), host guide
Location: Great Hall
Post-dinner full-room bingo game where all tables compete simultaneously. Classic bingo mechanics with Christmas theming. Multiple winning patterns (single line, four corners, blackout). Fast-paced, high-energy group activity.
Materials: 150-200 unique bingo cards, daubers/markers, bingo cage or number generator, verification checklist, prizes
Budget: $105-195
Location: Great Hall
Players receive riddle answer sheet with clues pointing to hidden word cards throughout the venue. Visit rooms in any order, use riddles to find hidden word cards, collect all words to reveal a secret Christmas message from Santa. Turn in completed sheet for prize.
Materials: Riddle answer sheets, hidden word cards, answer key, operations guide
Location: Multi-room throughout venue
8 mystery boxes with ventilation holes containing Christmas scents on cotton balls. Players smell to identify: Peppermint, Cinnamon, Pine, Vanilla, Orange, Clove, Woodsmoke, Gingerbread. Self-grading answer sheet.
Materials: 8 mystery boxes, essential oils, cotton balls, answer sheets, signage, operations guide
Cost: $131-187 one-time (lasts all 30 shows)
Location: Dedicated station
8 location-based puzzles requiring problem-solving. Quest card distributed by Game Master during dinner. Self-guided exploration solving riddles, ciphers, math challenges, navigation puzzles. Turn in completed card for verification and prize.
Materials: Quest cards, 8 puzzle signage posters (7 printed, 2 use existing decor), operations guide
Difficulty: Medium-hard (designed for gamers/puzzle enthusiasts)
Location: Multi-room throughout venue
Three-component experience: (1) Unmanned letter writing station in Post Office room with fancy paper, pens, envelopes. (2) Wax sealing station in Photo Room (line manager performs sealing ceremony). (3) "Official Filing" backstory - sealing magically registers letter with Santa. Guests take letters home as keepsakes.
Materials: Letter writing supplies, wax melter, brass seals, fragrance oils, signage, line manager script
Staff: Uses existing Photo Room line manager (no extra staffing)
Location: Post Office (writing) + Photo Room (sealing)
Static display station with 10 estimation challenges (quantity, measurement, visual counting). Guests write guesses on answer card, staff verifies against valid ranges. Christmas-themed displays: candy canes in jar, jingle bells, ornaments, wrapped candies, gift tower height, ribbon length, stocking weight, wreath circumference, snowflakes on garland, lights on tree.
Materials: 10 display items, answer cards, answer key, operations guide, signage
Budget: $185-335
Location: Dedicated station (TBD room)
Players reach into mystery boxes and guess what Christmas items are hidden inside using only touch. 10 Christmas items (no food): candy cane, jingle bells, pine cone, ornament, gift box, mini stocking, snowflake decoration, ribbon bow, pine branch, fake snow. Self-grading or staff verification.
Materials: 10 mystery boxes/sacks, 10 tactile Christmas items, answer sheets, answer key, prizes
Budget: $65-125
Location: Dedicated station (TBD room)
IN DEVELOPMENT ⚙ IN PROGRESS
Set in Candy Cane Factory room with giant illuminated candy cane tubes and vintage control panels. 8 stations total (2 Easy, 2 Medium, 2 Hard, 2 Expert). Players receive challenge at button station, explore venue to find clues, return and enter button sequence. Correct sequence lights candy cane green, incorrect lights red. Auto-resets.
Difficulty Levels:
• Easy (The Toy Building Order): 4 buttons, press all 4. Direct observation in one room. Ages 5-8 with family help. 3-5 min.
• Medium (The Gift Count): 4 buttons, press all 4. Count colored gifts in 4 rooms, order least to most. Ages 8-12 and families. 5-8 min.
• Hard (The Hidden Treasures): 8 buttons (4 colors × 2 duplicates), press 5 specific buttons. Find 5 hidden objects throughout venue (each numbered #1-#5). Object type distinguishes duplicate colors. Teens and adults. 10-15 min.
• Expert (The Master Code): 8 buttons, TWO-PHASE challenge. Phase 1: Decode cipher at station (5 presses). Phase 2: THREE escalating memory sequences (3, 5, 7 presses). Total: 20 button presses. Adults and serious puzzle enthusiasts. 8-15 min.
Technical: Arduino-controlled button panels, LED candy cane tubes, display screens. 5 LED colors available (RED, GREEN, BLUE, YELLOW, ORANGE).
Status: ALL FOUR DIFFICULTY LEVELS COMPLETE - Full design documentation created
Materials: 4 challenge design files (easy, medium, hard, expert), game overview file
Location: Candy Cane Factory room + clues throughout venue
4'×6' wall panel with 10 constellations (200 LEDs total). Players use 8 toggle buttons to light target constellations. Challenge: each button controls segments across MULTIPLE constellations. 3 difficulty levels (2-5 targets). Self-guided, zero staff required. Player instructions signage (11×17").
Status: Concept phase, interactive button mapping created
Budget: $160-200
Location: Wall-mounted in TBD room
3'×4' world map with 45 Hall effect sensors at cities/landmarks. Players plot Santa's optimal delivery route by placing 12 magnetic tokens on correct locations. Route challenge cards with different difficulty levels. Sequential unlock: solve one route to reveal next. Wall-mounted, self-guided. Player instructions signage (11×17").
Status: Concept phase, world map layout created
Budget: $80-130
Location: Wall-mounted in TBD room
Self-guided play stations scattered throughout various event rooms. Where elves blow off steam between shifts! 6 self-guided stations with gross motor games: Sleigh Part Maze (collaborative tilting platform), Reindeer Wreath Decorating (ring toss), Snowball Toss (bean bag throw), Toy Part Assembly Line (color sorting), Present Shuffle (skee-ball style), Blind Building Challenge (communication game). Zero staff required. Mixed difficulty levels.
Status: Stations finalized, distributed throughout venue (not single room)
Location: Scattered across multiple rooms
Educational scavenger hunt in Great Hall featuring posters about Christmas celebrations from around the world. Guests read posters to learn about specific items/traditions from different cultures, then find and take selfies with those items in the Great Hall. Submit photos for display or contest.
Status: Awaiting poster content (countries, traditions, items)
Location: Great Hall
Toy factory theme confirmed. Gameplay mechanics TBD.
Status: Room theme confirmed, gameplay in development
Location: Dedicated room
CONFIRMED ELEMENTS (Details TBD)
• Mocktail Bar - Drink station
• Hot Cocoa Station - Beverage activity
• Cookie Decorating - Crafting activity
• Slime Making - Crafting activity
• Santa Photo Room - Live Santa for pictures + wax sealing station
• Outdoor Projection Light Show - Brett's QLab project