Knowing [MENTION=97077]iserith[/MENTION], though, it'll undoubtedly be super-cheesy, which isn't really what I'm looking for. I don't mind a bit of humor in my games, but I dislike breaking the fourth wall.
Good point, I can think of a couple scenarios and I guess it depends on how much time you're looking to spend on it.
In terms of prep or in terms of play time? Our host has offered to give us dinner, so we'll be starting earlier than usual. This could theoretically mean that we end earlier than usual, but it could also mean that we play for longer, so I might need something that can cover 5-7 hours of playtime maybe.
To be honest, as they'll only be 5th level, I think the Prince of Frost would probably be a bit too overpowering for them. I might have to leave him till *next* Christmas. I like the idea of digging deep and running something that harks back to the grim and gritty origins of things like Christmas - something a bit more visceral, like Discworld's
Hogfather novel, rather than something hokey with Santa and tinker gnomes and red-nosed reindeer and what-have-you. I don't want to do that if I can help it. I wouldn't mind having a Santa-like figure in the adventure, so long as it's not painfully obvious that that's who he is - so like a pre-Coca Cola Santa who wears reds, browns and greens rather than red, white and black. That being said, having "Santa" give the PCs some presents at the end of the adventure would no doubt go down well with my players.
And yet I could also see myself doing something along the lines of Discworld's
Wintersmith novel - focusing more on winter and that sort of thing than on the Christmas holiday itself. Sigh ...