Day 1
Someone raided the cookie plate before Santa even got a taste. Can you sniff out the culprit before Day 2?
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 1, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
How your calendar works
Open a present. Solve a mystery.
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A present that opens each day
Your calendar lives online. Every night at midnight from December 1, a new present opens with that day’s story, the puzzle files and a place to check your answer. Twenty-five cases, one a day, all the way to Christmas.
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Twenty-five real mysteries
Each day is its own original case, not one big puzzle cut into pieces, and each one is a proper 15+ minute solve. The same elves and reindeer turn up all month, so you’ll soon have opinions about every one of them.
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Print it, or don’t
Every case comes as a printable page and an on-screen version. Pencil and paper, a tablet, or a bit of both. Nobody has to print 25 pages.
Your invitation to the workshop
The elves have a problem. You have a case to solve.
Santa’s workshop is meant to be preparing for Christmas. Instead, cookies are disappearing, supplies are going missing, and everyone is pointing a mitten at someone else.
That’s where you come in.
Each day brings a short story and a new mystery featuring the workshop’s wonderfully chaotic elves and reindeer. Follow the clues, work out who is responsible, and watch the December trouble build toward a Christmas Day finale.
Bring your curiosity. The workshop has enough glitter.
— The Workshop Investigations Unit
How do you solve a case?
Each case is a short elimination logic puzzle in one of three styles: a lineup of suspects, a list of possible codes, or a small logic grid that matches up who was where. The clues help you rule out everything that does not fit.
- Read the case. Find out what has gone wrong at the workshop.
- Use the clues. Cross off every suspect, code, or pairing that does not fit the evidence.
- Find your answer. Keep narrowing the possibilities until only one answer remains.
That’s the satisfying part: turning “it could be anyone” into “it has to be you.”
Every daily case stands on its own. You do not need yesterday’s answer to solve today’s puzzle.
A peek inside your December
Missing cookies. Tangled harnesses. Twenty-five chances to crack the case.
Here are three of the mysteries waiting at the workshop. The daily cases share one Christmas world, with a fresh puzzle to solve each day.
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Day 1
Day 1
Someone raided the cookie plate before Santa even got a taste. Can you sniff out the culprit before Day 2?
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Day 2
The Tangled Harnesses
Somebody’s been “practicing” a little too hard near the tack room. Today’s case: who tangled the harnesses?
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Day 3
The Vanishing Stocking
The workshop’s fanciest stocking is missing, and its resident gossip has gone suspiciously silent. That never happens.
A short case, a set of clues, and possibilities to cross off. This is the kind of daily detective work waiting in your calendar.
Your December detective kit
One calendar. Twenty-five cases. A whole month of “Who did that?”
Your purchase includes:
- 25 Christmas elimination mini-puzzles, released one per day from December 1–25, 2026.
- A short workshop story with each daily case, featuring a recurring cast of 16 elves and reindeer.
- Printable and digital versions of each puzzle, available through your calendar as the cases unlock.
- Hints and a solution for every case, accessed through the Puzzle Vault.
- A Christmas Day finale, included as Day 25 of the calendar.
- An instant How to Play & Access Guide PDF, with instructions, your calendar link, and your access code.
The complete calendar: $29.99About $1.20 for each day’s mystery.
Get My Advent Calendar — $29.99
Your purchase provides access to the full 25-case calendar. The access guide is delivered immediately; the puzzle files release on their scheduled December dates.
Buy once. Open a new case each day.
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Get your access guide
Purchase through Etsy and download your How to Play & Access Guide PDF. It explains how to open your calendar and includes the link and code you need.
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Visit your calendar
Use the details in your guide to enter the calendar for buyers. You will see 25 wrapped presents, with the daily cases waiting inside.
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Start investigating on December 1
A new case unlocks at midnight, Central Time, each day through December 25. Open it to read the story, download your puzzle, and find the hints and solution.
Miss a day? Your case will wait. Released days stay unlocked, so you can catch up when December gets busy.
Buying before December? You can get your guide and visit the calendar ahead of time. The first puzzle opens on December 1, 2026.
Who’s taking the case with you?
Make it a quiet solo challenge with your morning coffee. Share a case over cocoa with your partner. Or let everyone at home offer their very confident theory before you follow the clues.
If you enjoy mysteries, logic puzzles, and Christmas mischief, this gives you a small, satisfying reason to pause each day.
The hardest part might be resisting the urge to accuse your favorite elf.
The usual suspects
Meet the crew. Trust the clues.
Sixteen elves and reindeer keep turning up in these files. They have strong opinions, questionable explanations, and plenty of workshop drama.
- TinselElf
Can’t finish a job without doing it three ways better than asked.
- NutmegChief Elf
Never met a rule she didn’t bend.
- JinglesElf
Loud, cheerful, and always the first to find (or start) trouble.
- CloveElf
Keeps a ledger of everyone’s promises, including the workshop’s.
Meet All 16 Workshop Characters
- FrostElf
Ice-cold under pressure, warms up only for reindeer.
- PeppermintElf
Sweet-talks her way out of anything, sweet-talks her way into more.
- HollyElf
The workshop’s unofficial rule-enforcer, self-appointed.
- ChestnutElf
Forgets everything except the one thing you wish he’d forget.
- SnowdropElf
Quiet, watches everything, says nothing until it matters.
- WickElf
Always “just fixing” something that wasn’t broken.
- CranberryElf
Holds a grudge longer than the naughty list holds a name.
- ThistleElf
Prickly on purpose, softer than she lets on.
- JuniperElf
The workshop’s biggest gossip, worst secret-keeper.
- SprocketElf
Built a machine for it before anyone asked if they needed one.
- Comet Jr.Reindeer
Trying to live up to a very famous last name.
- BlitzReindeer · Vixen’s cousin
Convinced he’s the fastest, never actually timed.
Explore the case files
A new mystery behind every present.
Tap a present for a spoiler-free story preview. When you buy the calendar, each day’s full story, puzzle files, hints, and solution become available on its December release date through your buyer calendar.
Before you take your first case…
What exactly am I buying?
The North Pole Files is a digital Christmas advent calendar with 25 short elimination logic puzzles, daily workshop stories, printable and digital puzzle versions, and hints and solutions. One case unlocks each day from December 1 through December 25, 2026.
Will a physical calendar arrive in the mail?
No. This is a digital product. You receive a PDF access guide and use it to visit your calendar online. If you enjoy solving on paper, download and print the puzzle files as they unlock.
What do I receive immediately after purchase?
Your How to Play & Access Guide PDF. It contains instructions, the calendar link, and the access code. The 25 puzzle cases release on their scheduled dates; they are not all available to download immediately.
How do I get my calendar after I buy?
Digital product; no physical calendar is shipped. Your access-guide PDF is available immediately after purchase. The daily puzzles unlock December 1–25, 2026.
When does the calendar start?
Day 1 opens on December 1, 2026, at midnight, Central Time. A new case opens each day through December 25.
How long does a puzzle take?
Every case is designed for 15+ minutes. Your solving time may vary, and some cases give you a little more to think about.
Do I need to be an experienced puzzle solver?
The method is straightforward: read the clues and cross off whatever does not fit, whether that is a suspect, a code, or a pairing on a logic grid. You can see the format in the puzzle previews, and hints are available if you would like a nudge.
Do I need a printer?
A printable version and a digital version are included for every case. Choose the printable file for pencil-and-paper solving, or download the digital file for use on a tablet or computer.
Do I need internet access?
Yes, to visit the calendar, open newly released days, download the files, and use the Puzzle Vault. Once you have downloaded and printed a puzzle, you can solve that paper copy offline.
What if I miss a day or start late?
Released cases stay unlocked. If you join during December, you can access the days released so far and catch up at your own pace. Future days continue to open on their scheduled dates.
Does each puzzle depend on the previous answers?
No. The cases share a cast and setting, but each daily puzzle can be solved independently. You do not need to solve every earlier case correctly to enjoy the finale.
What if I get stuck?
Every case has hints and a solution in the Puzzle Vault. Use a hint when you want help, then check the solution when you are ready.
Is this one purchase or a daily charge?
One purchase covers all 25 cases. You do not buy each day separately.
How much does it work out to per day?
The full calendar is $29.99 for all 25 cases, which comes to about $1.20 a day.
How do I get help with access or a file?
Email creative@frenikadevon.com and describe what you need help with.
A look inside
Story Previews
The Tangled Harnesses
Somebody’s been “practicing” a little too hard near the tack room. Today’s case: who tangled the harnesses?
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 2, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
The Vanishing Stocking
The workshop’s fanciest stocking is missing, and its resident gossip has gone suspiciously silent. That never happens.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 3, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 4
The wrap station is out of tape and the wrapping crew is panicking. Somebody has some explaining — and some shelves — to do.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 4, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 5
Someone with a key and a conscience got to the Naughty List overnight. Even Chief Nutmeg is stumped — or is she?
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 5, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 6
The tree topper’s been swapped for something that hums. We have theories. We have one very obvious theory.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 6, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 7
A reindeer’s day-off request has mysteriously vanished mid-delivery. Convenient. Very convenient.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 7, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 8
Somebody’s cousin just made the Nice List without a committee vote. We have a prime suspect and she’s very charming about it.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 8, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 9
The music box is playing the wrong song and nobody, including our prime suspect, can remember the right one.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 9, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 10
The good candy canes are gone, and somebody’s still a little sore about last year’s party.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 10, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 11
The good scissors are missing during peak wrap-crunch, and someone’s being awfully cagey about a secret project.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 11, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 12
The sleigh bells are gone the night before test-flight. Somebody’s been awfully quiet about where.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 12, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 13
The display case’s favorite snow globe is in pieces, and our quietest suspect has never looked more guilty of anything.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 13, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 14
The one gingerbread man everyone was told not to touch is missing, and our loudest rule-follower has gone suspiciously extra today.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 14, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 15
The Christmas Eve roster got shuffled overnight and half the workshop showed up in the wrong place. Somebody was trying to do a nice thing. Somebody failed spectacularly.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 15, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 16
Somebody swapped their Secret Santa assignment on purpose. We have a suspect with a very strong reindeer preference.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 16, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 17
The workshop door was left wide open all night. Somebody had a very good reason. It’s a terrible reason.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 17, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 18
An urgent letter to Santa got lost in the mail room, and our fastest suspect swears speed wasn’t the problem. It was.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 18, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 19
Somebody’s been “borrowing” Rudolph’s shine without asking. Today’s question: who, and why the sudden need to sparkle?
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 19, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 20
The cocoa’s ruined, doubled up on cinnamon by someone who just couldn’t leave a good recipe alone.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 20, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 21
Wrapping paper turned up in the wrong stall entirely, and somebody’s latest invention is the prime suspect.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 21, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 22
The holiday station’s been silenced. Somebody finally cracked, and honestly, we kind of get it.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 22, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 23
The good pen’s out of ink and swapped for a lookalike. Somebody’s too embarrassed to admit the mix-up.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 23, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 24
The final gift count is one short with less than a day to go. No pressure. (There is a lot of pressure.)
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 24, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Day 25
The sleigh won’t leave the ground on the biggest night of the year. This is it, Detective — the case that closes the whole month.
Story preview only. The full case unlocks for buyers on December 25, 2026, at midnight, Central Time.
Your December could use a little more “Aha!”
Twenty-five small mysteries. One wonderfully chaotic workshop. A new case to look forward to each day.
Put the cocoa on and give your Christmas countdown something to solve.
The North Pole Files · All 25 cases for $29.99
Get My Advent Calendar — $29.99 Digital calendar. Instant access-guide PDF. Daily cases unlock December 1–25, 2026.