Welcome to the 2025 Cozy Extravaganza! This year’s 12 Days of Cozies Instagram Photo Challenges are inspired by the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie.
INSTAGRAM CHALLENGES
12 Days of Cozies runs December 1st to December 12th. Each day of the celebration has a photo prompt honoring the Queen of Cozies. If you especially love taking cozy photos, there are bonus prompts too!
DAY ONE | Celebrating Cozy Mysteries
Agatha Christie is the Queen of Crime & Cozies!
She is credited with creating the subgenre we all know and love. Miss Marple was the original small-town amateur sleuther who happened to knit while investigating murder.
What was the first cozy mystery you ever read?
If you can’t remember the exact title, no worries! What was the first cozy mystery that made an impression on you as a reader?
DAY TWO | Five Stars
Do you have a favorite Agatha Christie novel?
If you have never read an Agatha Christie story, what is your (current) favorite cozy mystery? I put current in parentheses because my personal favorites are always changing, depending on what I most recently read or if a certain trope is calling my name. If you have more than one favorite cozy mystery, share the two, three, or twelve titles!
DAY THREE | Cozy Companions
Agatha Christie didn’t write a lot about animals. However, there were a few animals throughout her stories such as Hannibal and Terry. But Bob was the most famous. He witnessed a murder! And, he helped to solve the case in Dumb Witness! Other times, animals inspired the book’s title such as Cat Among the Pigeons, The Under Dog, Elephants Can Remember, and The Pale Horse.
Do you have a favorite animal-themed cozy mystery?
DAY FOUR | St. Mary’s Mead
As a book club, we have discussed a number of places such as Lighthouse Cove from A Fixer-Upper Mysteries, Rudolph from The Year Round Christmas Mysteries, Carsley from Agatha Raisin, Lake Eden from Hannah Swensen, Lawerenceton from Aurora Teagarden, Clover Ridge from The Haunted Library Mysteries, Miracle Springs from The Secret, Book, and Scone Society Mysteries, Wagtail from The Paws and Claws Mysteries, Fallingbrook from The Deputy Donut Mysteries, and Raven Creek from The Witches’ Brew Mysteries. Technically, there is a Murder, She Wrote book series. Cabot Cove could be your answer.
What is your favorite fictional cozy mystery location?
If a fictional town doesn’t come to mind, is there a real life location you enjoy reading about in cozy mysteries?
DAY FIVE | Unpredictable
Agatha Christie broke the mystery genre rules. She went against the known genre expectations for a number of her stories. Examples Include: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Endless Night, and Mousetrap. Have you ever read a cozy mystery that completely took you by surprise? If so, what was the book?
If you would like to be spoiler-free, please share a cozy mystery that kept you guessing throughout the entire story or a cozy mystery that had a great red herring.
DAY SIX | Reading, Reading, & Reading!
Agatha Christie was prolific. She penned 66 novels and 15 short stories.
Is there a long-running cozy mystery series that you especially enjoy?
DAY SEVEN | Tommy and Tuppence
Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot are Agatha Christie’s most well-known creations. However, she wrote about other fictional sleuthers such as Parker Pyne, Harley Quin, and Tommy & Tuppence Beresford.
What is your favorite underrated cozy mystery or a cozy mystery that you wished more people knew about?
DAY EIGHT | TV & Film Adaptations
Cozy mysteries have been gracing the silver and big screens for years. Examples Include: Miss Marple, Father Brown, Agatha Raisin, Aurora Teagarden, Hannah Swensen, and Murder, She Wrote. Agatha Christie’s stories have become a staple in film and television, too.
What is your favorite cozy mystery adaptation?
You can feature the DVD case, a photo of your laptop streaming the film, clip-art collage, or whatever else comes to mind to answer the question. If you don’t have access to the film, you can feature the book that inspired the movie.
DAY NINE | Going Green
Agatha Christie’s favorite color was green. In honor of the holiday season, which typically showcases the colors green, red, and white, please share a green cozy mystery book cover and or green book spines.
DAY TEN | Agatha Christie Inspired
Cozy mysteries often pay homage to Christie and her work. And Then There Were None inspired Eve Calder’s cozy mystery title And Then There Were Crumbs. Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire is the first book in the Christie Bookshop mystery series. In the story, the family’s cat is named Agatha and a suspicious character goes missing just like the real life Agatha Christie mirroring her experience. Other times, cozy mysteries mention Miss Marple in dialogue or compare the protagonist to her. #Marpling
Do you have a favorite Agatha Christie-inspired cozy mystery or reference?
If you aren’t familiar with Agatha Christie and her works, what is your favorite pun-inspired cozy mystery title?
DAY ELEVEN | Ariadne Oliver
Agatha Christie wrote a version of herself into the Hercule Poirot mystery series. Enter, Ariadne Oliver. In the series, she ate lots of apples and wrote mysteries starring a Finnish detective that made her famous. Similarly, Miss Marple’s nephew, Raymond West, was a famous mystery novelist. Agatha Christie enjoyed creating her fictional authors.
Do you have a favorite book-themed or author-themed cozy mystery?
DAY TWELVE | Book Club
We’ve read two Agatha Christie titles (Murder at the Vicarage and The Mysterious Affair at Styles) for The Cozy Mystery Book Club. As we are nearing the end of 2025, what was your favorite Cozy Mystery Book Club read of the year…or of all time?
If you are new to the book club, we have a December Buddy Read, A Nutcracker Nightmare by Christina Romeril. Plus, the 2026 titles have been announced. Please feel free to share a photo of our most recent TBR title or what book(s) you anticipate enjoying the most next year.
BONUS PROMPTS
1. Arthur Hastings: Every Hercule Poirot needs their Arthur Hastings. Do you have a favorite Arthur Hastings story? If you are unfamiliar with Hastings, who is your favorite sleuthing sidekick?
2. Autobiographies: Agatha Christie wrote an autobiography. Have you read it? Do you have a copy close by? If so, please share a photo!
If you don’t have Christie’s autobiography at hand, is there another autobiography that you enjoyed reading? (It doesn’t have to be an author.)
3. Cozy Companions: Do you have a copy of Agatha Christie’s Dumb Witness? If so, please share a photo of your book. If you don’t own Dumb Witness, do you own another animal-inspired book by Agatha Christie?
4. Sleuthing on the Road: Agatha Christie enjoyed exploring new places. Her characters Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple both love to travel. The two characters visited numerous countries and continents over the years. What is your favorite international cozy mystery?
5. POISON! Agatha Christie loved using poison to kill characters. Share a cozy mystery that featured poison as the murder weapon. If you want to be spoiler-free…is there a cozy mystery that features the word “poison” in the title?
6. Pen Names: Agatha Christie had a pseudonym! She was also Mary Westmacott. Is there a cozy mystery author, that you enjoy reading, who has more than one pen name? If so, please shoutout the author.
If you read a Mary Westmacott, and own the book, please feel free to share a photo of the title!
7. Historical: What is your favorite historical cozy mystery? We’ve read a few for The Cozy Mystery Book Club such as Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen. Does another historical cozy mystery come to mind? If so, which one?
8. Literary Inspiration: Agatha Christie loved using poems, songs, and other works for book titles. What is your favorite homage?
9. The Mousetrap: Have you seen The Mousetrap performed? If so, please share a photo of your visit. If you haven’t seen the play, have you read it?
10. Cozy Mystery-Inspired Swag: Agatha Christie’s titles have inspired numerous designs and items over the years: pajamas, pillows, pens, notebooks, blankets, purses, and so much more. Do you own anything inspired by Agatha Christie and or her books?
11. Fun Fact: Christie dedicated Dumb Witness to her dog, Peter. If you can, please take and share a photo of your cozy companion alongside a mystery novel. If you don’t own an animal, you can share a photo featuring a teddy bear, stuffed animal, yourself wearing a shirt with a dog pattern holding a cozy mystery, etc. Feel free to get super creative!
12. Agatha Christie in Real Life: Have you visited an Agatha Christie-related location? Sightseeing statues in Europe? Attended the yearly Agatha Christie Festival? A unique bookstore display dedicated to the Queen of Crime? A murder mystery dinner party inspired by the stories of Christie?
