Game image is for illustration purposes only. Final product design and appearance may vary. Featuring original cast members Sam Hussey, Anna Hussey, Jane Beesley, Suze Avery and Abi Linnartz.
Murder of a Christmas Elf
This mystery has already had an audience. Now it needs detectives.
Murder of a Christmas Elf began life as our 2025 Christmas dinner-theatre production. Our audiences met the characters, listened to their stories, followed the clues and tried to work out who was telling the truth — and who most definitely wasn’t.
And we loved watching what happened.
People compared notes. Suspected perfectly innocent people. Changed their minds. Changed them back again. And became increasingly determined to prove that their theory was the right one.
We wanted to find a way to bring that same MurderedForMoney experience into people’s homes.
So we took the story, characters, secrets and clues from the original theatre production and began turning them into something completely new: a Detective Case File that puts the investigation into your hands.
Solve the whole case in one sitting — or turn it into a 24-day murder mystery Advent calendar, opening a new numbered evidence envelope each day in the countdown to Christmas.
There are no actors standing in front of you this time. Instead, you’ll meet the characters through their witness statements, letters, clues, photographs, reports and other evidence.
You’ll decide what matters. Who you believe. What doesn’t quite add up.
And, eventually, who committed the murder.
Same mystery. A completely new way to investigate it.
The Setting
Christmas is just days away, and the North Pole is filled with excitement.
For months, Santa’s most promising Christmas elves have been competing to be named the Best Christmas House Elf. Each finalist has spent time living with a human family — standing perfectly still whenever humans are watching, finding a new hiding place every night, delighting children, and secretly reporting their observations back to Santa.
After countless challenges, only three elves remain. The winner is about to be announced when a shocking discovery brings the competition to a halt. A crime has taken place at the North Pole, and suddenly no one is above suspicion — not the finalists, not Santa, not Mrs Claus, not even Rudolph.
The competition is over. The investigation has begun.
Now It’s Your Turn to Investigate
The case is in your hands.
Inside your Murder of a Christmas Elf Case File, the evidence you need to uncover what happened is waiting inside 24 numbered envelopes — witness statements, letters, photographs, official documents, maps, receipts, personal notes and more. You’ll also receive your own North Pole Detective Notebook for keeping track of your thoughts and theories as the investigation unfolds.
But having the evidence and knowing what it means are two very different things.
Who is telling the truth?
What doesn’t quite add up?
And which apparently insignificant detail could change everything?
Examine the evidence. Reconstruct the timeline. Uncover the motives and, when you’re ready, name the murderer.
Investigate alone or gather your fellow detectives around the table and solve the case together.
AI-generated illustration showing the three ways to play.
Three Ways to Play
One game. One mystery. Three unforgettable ways to play — including a 24-day murder mystery Advent calendar.
🔍 The Classic Investigation
Gather your fellow detectives — or tackle the case solo — and solve the mystery in one session. Search for clues, question the evidence and see if you can uncover the killer.
🎄 Advent Calendar Format
Turn your investigation into a 24-day murder mystery Advent calendar. Open one numbered evidence envelope each day from 1 December to Christmas Eve and watch the mystery gradually unfold as Christmas approaches.
🎁 Play over the 12 days of Christmas
Keep the mystery alive long after Christmas. Spread the investigation across the 12 Days of Christmas, opening two numbered evidence envelopes each day from Christmas Day through to Twelfth Night. It’s a unique festive tradition and the perfect Christmas gift for mystery lovers.
Recommended for ages 14+.
Christmas. A Murder. And Everyone Thinks They’re Right.
Someone will spot a clue everyone else missed.
Someone will become convinced they’ve solved it far too early.
Someone will change their suspect three times.
And there is every possibility that somebody will accuse Santa.
Murder of a Christmas Elf is designed to give families and friends something to do together — talking, laughing, comparing clues and defending increasingly elaborate theories around the table.
Play it at a Christmas get-together, give it to the mystery lover in your life, or start a completely new festive tradition.
The only problem may be getting everyone to agree on who did it.
🎄 The Rewards
Choose how you’d like to join the investigation.
From the complete Detective Case File to family extras, serious detective tools and some rather unusual ways to become part of MurderedForMoney yourself, there’s a reward for every kind of detective.
Images are for illustration purposes only. Final product design and appearance may vary.
🕵️ The Detective Edition — £25
Everything you need to solve the murder.
Receive the complete Murder of a Christmas Elf Detective Case File, including your North Pole Detective Notebook, containing the evidence, documents and clues you need to investigate the crime and uncover the killer.
Play it in one sitting, through Advent or across the 12 Days of Christmas.
The complete mystery. The case is yours to solve.
Images are for illustration purposes only. Final product design and appearance may vary.
🎁 The Christmas Family Edition — £35
⭐ Our recommended edition
The Perfect Festive Investigation Night
Make a Christmas occasion of the investigation.
Includes the complete Murder of a Christmas Elf Detective Case File and North Pole Detective Notebook, plus:
🪪 Six Detective Name Cards
🎖️ Six North Pole Detective Badges
⚖️ Six Detective Verdict Cards
Gather your detectives, hand out the badges and verdict cards, and settle down to investigate together.
Follow the clues, compare your theories and decide who you think committed the murder.
Whether you’ll all agree on who did it is another matter.
Images are for illustration purposes only. Final product design and appearance may vary. 
⭐ The Master Detective Edition — £45
For the detective who takes their investigations seriously.
Includes the complete Murder of a Christmas Elf Detective Case File and North Pole Detective Notebook, plus:
🗂️ Detective’s Companion — your investigation workbook for organising suspects, evidence and timelines
✒️ Limited Edition Master Detective Pen, presented in its own box.
🏅 Official North Pole Detective Certificate
Record your discoveries, follow the evidence and keep track of those little details that might turn out to matter rather more than you first thought.
Then, when you’re ready, make your accusation.
Image is for illustration purposes only.
🎭 In-Game Immortality — £350
Your name. Our next mystery.
Ever fancied finding your name in a murder investigation?
We’ll turn you into a key witness in a future MurderedForMoney Detective Case File, giving your name a permanent place in one of our mysteries.
Also includes the Master Detective Edition of Murder of a Christmas Elf.
Only 3 available. Must be aged 18 or over. Backers will need to meet the participation requirements for this reward. Full terms and conditions apply.
Behind the scenes filming a MurderedForMoney virtual murder mystery.
🎬 Appear in a Future Virtual Mystery — £700
This time, you become part of the story.
Step into the MurderedForMoney world and appear as a character in a future virtual murder mystery production.
You’ll work with our team, learn your script and film alongside members of the MurderedForMoney cast during a weekend production in Southampton.
We’ll tailor the role to your experience, so you don’t need to be a professional actor — just willing to step into the mystery and have some fun.
Also includes the Master Detective Edition of Murder of a Christmas Elf.
Only 1 available. Must be aged 18 or over. Filming will take place in Southampton, England. Backers will need to meet the participation requirements for this reward. Full terms and conditions apply.
🎁 Add a Little Extra
Want to add something extra to your investigation? Choose from additional detective essentials and a special keepsake from the original Murder of a Christmas Elf cast.
Available separately:
📓 Extra North Pole Detective Notebook — £5
Record your theories, discoveries, and important clues as you work through the case.
🏅 4 Extra Detective Badges & ID Cards — £7
Perfect for larger investigation teams or groups who want every detective to have their own official badge.
📸 Signed Cast Photograph — £8
A signed cast photograph featuring Mr & Mrs Santa, the Elves and Rudolph, personally signed by the actors pictured. A festive keepsake from the live show that became the Detective Case File. Cast photograph designs are currently being prepared and will be revealed during the campaign.
🗂️ Detective’s Companion — £10
Your investigation workbook for organising suspects, evidence and timelines as you work through the case.
✒️ Master Detective Pen — £15
A limited edition Master Detective Pen, presented in its own box, perfect for recording your theories, suspects and discoveries as you work through the case.
🔍 Vintage-Style Detective Magnifying Glass — £20
A beautifully crafted magnifying glass inspired by classic detectives. The perfect companion for examining clues, and uncovering the truth.
Optional Hints
If you ever need a little guidance, optional online hints are available to keep your investigation moving.
Each hint is carefully designed to reveal only what’s needed—never the solution.
🔍 A gentle nudge when you’re stuck
🔍 Just enough information to keep investigating
🔍 No spoilers, so the satisfaction of solving the case remains yours
Whether you use every hint or none at all, the mystery is yours to solve.
Why Kickstarter?
For years, we’ve created murder mysteries for people to experience together.
Murder of a Christmas Elf is our first opportunity to take one of those original productions beyond the theatre and turn it into a MurderedForMoney investigation you can enjoy at home.
The mystery is written. The characters have already stepped onto the stage. And we’ve spent months working out how to tell their story in a completely different way — through the evidence you will hold in your hands.
Now we need to produce it.
That’s where you come in.
Backing the campaign will help us professionally print and produce our first Detective Case File and bring Murder of a Christmas Elf from the stage to tables across the country.
And if our first investigation succeeds, we hope it won’t be our last.
We have rather a lot more murders where this one came from.
🔓 Investigation Upgrades
The Murder of a Christmas Elf Case File is already a complete mystery to solve. If we raise £1250 via Kickstarter, the game version will go into production. As more detectives join the investigation, we can unlock additional extras to make your experience even more immersive.
🔓 £2,000 — North Pole Classified Files
It appears the North Pole has been keeping a few secrets of its own…
If we reach £2,000, we’ll add a collection of bonus North Pole documents to every Murder of a Christmas Elf Case File.
These won’t contain clues needed to solve the murder. Instead, they’ll give you a little more insight into the characters and the rather less-than-perfect world they inhabit.
Completely unnecessary to the investigation. Far too interesting to remain classified.
🔓 £3,000 – Behind the Investigation
How do you take a murder mystery performed by actors in front of a live audience and turn it into a Detective Case File that can be solved at home?
If we reach £3,000, we’ll create an exclusive digital Behind the Investigation booklet, taking you behind the scenes of Murder of a Christmas Elf — from the original theatre production to the Detective Case File you now hold in your hands.
We’ll share some of the decisions, ideas and inevitable head-scratching that went into transforming characters, clues and moments from the live show into an investigation that works without an actor in sight.
A peek behind the curtain at how we took a murder off the stage and put it into your hands.
📦 Shipping & Delivery
Murder of a Christmas Elf will be shipped from the UK, with delivery available to backers in the UK, European Union and USA.
Shipping will be charged after the campaign through Kickstarter’s Pledge Manager. An estimated shipping cost will be shown when you pledge, with the final amount confirmed and charged through Pledge Manager before fulfilment.
A note for our EU detectives: Your case file will be travelling from the UK. Applicable VAT will be calculated and collected through Kickstarter’s Pledge Manager where applicable. Import duties and/or local handling fees may also apply and are separate from VAT collected through Kickstarter.
USA backers: Applicable sales tax will be calculated and collected through Kickstarter’s Pledge Manager. Any applicable customs or import requirements will be handled in accordance with the shipping service used at the time of fulfilment.
We’ll keep backers updated throughout production and let you know when your case file is ready to begin its journey from the North Pole — with a little help from Southampton.
Some of the MurderedForMoney cast and creative team — the people behind the suspects, secrets and suspicious goings-on.
🎄 The People Behind the Murder
We have spent years creating original murder mysteries and watching audiences do something we never tire of seeing — become completely absorbed in trying to solve them.
Murder of a Christmas Elf was written by MurderedForMoney founder Bridget Wilkinson and first performed by our actors as a live Christmas dinner-theatre mystery in 2025.
Creating our first Detective Case File has meant finding a completely new way to tell one of our stories, and our cast have come along for the journey — bringing the characters from the original production into the world of the game.
This is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.
We’re very excited — and, if we’re truthful, just a little nervous — to finally put our first case into your hands.
Thank you for helping us give this murder a life beyond the stage.
🎄 The case is waiting.
Launching on Kickstarter on 1st September 2026
Be among the first detectives to investigate Murder of a Christmas Elf.
Follow the link below to back the Kickstarter and be notified the moment we launch
Can you catch the Christmas culprit before Christmas is cancelled?
