UT Tyler to Offer Holiday Mystery Adventure for Children, Families

November 17, 2025 | Hannah Buchanan

Junior Detective Academy–Operation Save Christmas will be Dec. 6 at UT Tyler HSC

The University of Texas at Tyler will offer a holiday mystery adventure for children and their families Saturday, Dec. 6. “Junior Detective Academy–Operation Save Christmas” will be 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Forensic Simulation Complex, located at the UT Tyler Health Science Center.

“Operation Save Christmas,” designed for children ages 5–12, features creative, family-friendly activities that combine hands-on science with fun. Participants will rotate through themed cottages and activity stations to help Santa’s elves save Christmas by solving clues and completing mini- forensic challenges. Cost is $10 per person or $25 per family. Registration is offered online at uttyler.edu/save-christmas and upon check-in.

“We invite the East Texas community to join us for festive fun, brain-teasing challenges and some holiday surprises,” said Dr. Danielle Bailey, UT Tyler associate professor of criminal justice and event coordinator. “Children will explore, observe and use problem-solving skills as they move through a series of holiday-themed activities designed just for them.”

The event is self-paced, but families must stay together, Bailey added. Light refreshments and additional outdoor activities, including holiday-themed lawn games and a photo booth, will be provided.

Event sponsors are the UT Tyler College of Arts and Sciences and Division of Criminal Justice. For more information, contact Bailey at dbailey@uttyler.edu.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.