You can use the same kit as a play for 8 to 16 guests or download even more characters and use it as a “meet and mingle” kit where everyone mingles and talks about their Santa clue(s) and then hears some Reports.
You can also use it for a quick 30-40 minute party or school classroom activity by skipping Acts 2 and 3 and just doing Act One and reading out the Reports.
Shorter clues (so easier to read).
This mystery has been used and enjoyed by adults and teens!
Select which items you want below by adding “1” on the left.
One of the best Christmas party games available! A real Christmas murder mystery!
This mystery party game is perfect for Christmas parties at the office or at home. The host’s guide contains decor ideas for your Xmas party. Perfect for Xmas holiday parties!
Samples:
Downloadable Base Kit for 8 guests (4 female and 4 male but “Reg” can be male or female with Reg being short for Regina) ($24.95):
Overview of the Christmas murder
The portly gent who dresses in red won’t be going down any chimneys this year. He is dead – possibly murdered – yes, it’s scandalous but true. It happened just before the company Christmas party being held at Chatties Restaurant. Did someone not want him to be there? Was it revenge for an unwanted present from Santa last year? Or was it just old age catching up with him?
We’re here to find out the real juicy truth. The media are also here. But this time they aren’t just reporting what happened. They are suspects too.
Nick Finn:“Santa’s got such a great job – playing with toys all year and delivering them at Christmas. I want his job! Why not? The position’s vacant now, isn’t it?”
“We were skeptical we could pull off a murder mystery party for 45 people, but we did it!! This was such an affordable and well designed game. We are based in the UK but this didn’t matter as all the information sent was sufficient! Thank you for providing what has been dubbed ‘the best christmas party ever’.”
Adrian Hafner (verified) – December 2, 2018
Adrian gave it a 5 star rating.
JUDY WILLIAMSON (verified owner) – January 14, 2021
“It was fun and everybody had a great time!”
Johnson and Jones Advertising Agency, Mississippi, USA
We wrote “Who killed Santa?” for a Mississippi advertising agency Christmas party. We based it on the actual staff, clients and suppliers of the ad agency. We received this feedback:
“Our party was today and it was a success!!! Thank you very much. We have told people about you and your services and we may be doing business in the future with you for some of our clients. They were very impressed. Thanks again!!!”
Jennifer Jones”
Sue Riggle, USA
“Thanks for a great evening!
Dear friends at Merri Mysteries Inc.,
Just wanted you to know that your murder mystery “Who Killed Santa?” was a hit here in Marion, Illinois. Our church always has a family night of fun and games on New Year’s Eve, ending with a service of communion at midnight. This year we wanted to jazz it up, and your script was a hit! My husband and I served 37 people ranging in ages from 5 to 85. The meal was elegantly done (my husband is a great chef so the part of Lorenzo fit him perfectly) and the guests really enjoyed being dramatic. All came dressed in costumes as best they could, and were not shy about “hamming it up.” As hosts, we did not read any of the clues or the answers before hand, so were able to play along with everyone else. No one guessed correctly who murdered Santa.
Thanks again for your creativity. The fact that your script was appropriate for all ages even in a church setting was very much appreciated. This New Year’s Eve celebration will be remembered for a long time to come!
Sincerely,
Sue Riggle
First Presbyterian Church
Marion, Illinois, USA”
Helen Cross
Helen had never held a mystery dinner before, but she found that running “Who Killed Santa?” was no problem.
“Thank you so much! Everyone had a blast! The night was a success. Everyone came in character and to make it a little more fun I made some women play male roles. Gibson Downs was especially funny being played by a woman.
Thanks again for all of your help!
Helen Cross”
Della Archambo
“We just had a birthday party for our now 13 year old daughter. We did “Who Killed Santa”. We all had a wonderful time. It was an easy party to host and everybody said they had a great time. A couple of people told me that it was the best party they had ever been to.
We had about 35 people there from ages 18 months to 70 years old. It was great how everybody mingled and talked to each other, adults talking to the kids and teenagers and vice versa.
Everybody came in costume and did such a WONDERFUL job of that. Since Josh Frasier was into his monopoly money, he gave the killer a get out of jail free card at the end and Santa’s lawyer offered her services for half off.
We originally had told people that steak and lobster was on the menu, because nothing was too good for our precious daughter. When Santa died Lorenzo announced that he was too frazzled to prepare the steak and lobster, so he opened the salad bar to an all you can eat buffet. We had prepared deli trays and a big arrangement of produce for salad. It was great.
I can’t say enough good things about the evening. I know it will be a party that my daughter will never forget. My other daughters plan on having the same kind of party when they turn thirteen. Thanks for everything. I will be recommending you to all of my friends and will be buying parties from you in the future.
Della Archambo”
Donna Pelletier
“Stephanie, I just had my Christmas party for 45 people and your Mystery was a huge hit!!! Each year I do a theme party and this one was the best yet. Everyone had a great time and could not wait to find out “Who done it”….Your online support was the best, and I appreciate you helping in every way that you did. You’ve made this year Christmas Party one that everyone will remember for years to come.
THANK YOU!!!!!!
Donna Pelletier”
Teri Reid
“STEPHANIE
MY PARTY WAS THIS PAST FRIDAY NIGHT IT WAS THE MOST FUN WE HAVE HAD IN A LONG TIME.
IT WAS AMAZING – THE WAY THE QUIETEST MOST RESERVED FRIENDS WE HAVE – BECAME THESE WILD OUTSPOKEN CHARACTERS. THE PARTY TOOK ON A LIFE OF IT’S OWN. ONCE IT W AS SET UP – I JUST STOOD BACK AND WATCHED THE MYSTERY UNFOLD. PEOPLE CAME IN COSTUME, IN CHARACTER (a few have adopted the personalities as their own).
IT WAS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE BEST PARTY I HAVE EVER HOSTED. WE WILL TALK ABOUT THIS NIGHT FOR A LONG TIME.
AS FRIENDS WERE LEAVING, THEY ASKED WHEN THE NEXT MURDER MYSTERY PARTY WAS BEING HELD.
THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL IDEA, SCRIPT, ENTIRE PACKAGE.
(we did have someone guess the murderer.!)
STILL LAUGHING
TERI REID”
Brenda Wedderspoon-Gray, USA
“Stephanie, I just want to tell you that we did our company Christmas party last Saturday (12/14) and did the murder mystery – Who Killed Santa and it was fantastic!! Nobody knew what we were doing and we handed out bags with their character, clues, props, etc. In the 16 years of our Christams parties, this was way far from the norm and everybody loved it. Their remarks were – this is the best party yet, this was so much fun, awesome, etc!!!!
Everybody had a blast. No negative responses from anyone – even those who you might think wouldn’t want to stray from the norm as far as our Christmas party goes. It made all that attended have to talk with each other. Normally at our parties there are tables that kind of stick together and don’t always mingle with everybody else. This made everyone mingle and nobody minded! For the next week at work we were all calling each other by their character names! It was GREAT!
So I just want to thank you for your help and let you know how it went. I’m sure we’ll do it again! In fact we may do one as a fund raising event to raise money for the American Cancer Society. If you have any ideas – let me know!
Have a safe and happy holiday!
Sincerely,
Brenda Wedderspoon-Gray, NY”
Kelly Hilmer, USA
“We just had our Mystery on Saturday night and thought I’d let you know we had a great time! There were several people that got into their roles and wore great costumes to enhance their part. There were several skeptics before the event and we weren’t sure how it would turn out. In the end everyone had a great time, and the skeptics are still talking about what a great time they had. We even had one person guess the killer!
As for the photo contest, I’m submitting a picture of one of our technicians, Weldon Barnett. He played the part of Bert McGill, motorcycle shop owner. Keep in mind that Weldon has to be one of the most conservative of all our our staff, so we were all quite shocked to see him in his costume. We just worked with him on Friday (when he had hair) and on Saturday night he showed up with a SHAVED HEAD! Wow! He got INTO IT! It was great.
Thanks for a great time!
Kelly Hilmer
Director of Online Services
www.atra.com”
Linda Hurley, USA
Linda sent in this feedback about her party (see photo no.1 above):
“Dear Stephanie,
Here are the promised pictures from the “Who Killed Santa” party, it was a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed themselves.
Thanks for your help,
Linda Hurley”
Aeran Schmid, Canada
Aeran sent in this feedback about his party(see photos no.2 and 3 above):
“My name is Aeran Schmid. I purchased your “Who Killed Santa?” Murder Mystery package back in November and we (Cropper Motors) just had our party on December 12th. It was SO MUCH FUN!! We had quite the dramatic group of people. Everything went smoothly and I thank you for making the preparing process very easy to follow. Maybe next year, we’ll look into getting another one of your party packages.
I attached some picture of our party and I would also like you to submit them in your contest. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed our Christmas party.
Thank you,
Aeran Schmid”
Lori Hennessey, USA
Here is Lori’s feedback on her party (see photo no.4 above):
“My company played the murder mystery game “Who Killed Santa?” at our company Christmas party this year. What an absolute riot!!! We had so much fun. We enticed our employees to “dress and play” the part by offering a $50 cash prize for the best character portrayal. Wow, that did the trick! Not only did people dress in character, some had props, accents,…many added flair and personality to their character. When it came time to reveal the killer we had several people with the correct answer and had to draw a winner for another $50 prize.
So glad we chose to play this game at our Christmas party. We would do it again. Everyone was involved, there was much laughter and jokes throughout the evening! I would highly recommend this to any company looking to do something fun at a party.
Lori Hennessey,
Office Mgr.
Trudell Consulting Engineers, Inc.”
Beverly Michaels, USA
Beverly sent in this feedback(see photo no.5 above):
“I purchased your “Who Killed Santa” kit for our annual holiday function at work. Every year it is very challenging to try to come up with a group/team-building activity so that all may attend and enjoy themselves at the same time. This was perfect! Our environment is not typical in that we’re composed of mostly scientists (which tend to be introverts) so it was great to see many folks come out of their shells and really get into their character. This was such a success that I’m not sure how I am going to top the next holiday function!
I’ve attached pictures of folks dressed in their characters. There were way too many to attach but I wanted to pass along our sincere thanks. We hope you come up with more ideas for future events!
Thanks again,
Beverly R. Michaels“
Characters
The people present at the party are:
Suspects
Nick Finn
I run the business. I spend a lot of my time just making sure everyone is pulling their weight and everything is under control. In my spare time, I like to do sign language and play classical guitar. That’s why my nails are long. I’m a bit edgy because I’ve just given up smoking.
Winnie Bailey
I run the company’s office by day and at night I run my husband. I’m the mother of two non-toilet trained individuals. I’m also a softball player. I’ve worked here ever since I left school. I’m very good at shorthand and can type 100 words a minute. I expect everyone else to be as efficient as me, but they never are.
Glenda Drake
I’m a graphic artist. I’m one of the most creative people alive today. I’m also a mother.
Ebony Sutherland
I’m the production manager. I have an eye for detail. I love animals.
Josh Fraser
I am an account executive and I’m a cool dude that the ladies love. I take care of the client liaison for the organization. My good looks and charm have won many hearts and attracted clients to the business. I am a great asset but they don’t seem to realize that.
Barret Norcott
I’m the “fix it” man who repairs the company’s computers and backs up all the data. I spend most of my time indoors and could do with a bit more exercise. I’m in love with Mrs Claus.
Reg Wells
I’m the President of Gas Plus More convenience stores and gas stations. I’m a great pilot and I love flying planes. I’ve been a friend of Martina and Nick for years and their company gets their gas from us.
Rosemary Piper
I’m the boss of SDX TV station. The company advertises on our TV station. I’m into natural remedies but that doesn’t mean I’ve got my head in the clouds. I’m a very effective and firm boss. I just believe everybody should eat healthy natural foods and drink lots of herbal teas. My children are teenagers now.
Readling Level
<3>Reading level: 7</3> Note: The reading levels of each kit (not just “page” as it says below) were determined by copying and pasting the kit (the play version), into The Readability Test Tool (see www.read-able.com).
2 reviews for Who Killed Santa? Murder Mystery Holiday Party Game (Base Kit For 8 But Expandable To 104 Guests)
Rated 5 out of 5
Sharon (verified owner)–
The directions for how to set up everything before the party were helpful. We were 22 people with “kids” as young as 16. We ALL had a great time! Definitely a fun way to spend a night together and have your guests mingle with everyone!
Rated 5 out of 5
melissa slaughter-swingler (verified owner)–
I used this with my fifth graders. I had three classes each with between 15 to 21 students. I modified it to make it appropriate for this age group. I could not have them up moving around because they would get hyper and start running around the classroom. So I arranged the desk into groups of two and three. I set a timer for 4 minutes. It was like speed dating. I put three different color sticky notes on their desk. When the buzzer went off only one person in the group ( maybe the yellow sticky notes) would move to a new group. Each student had a name tag and a script and they shared their information. They also can share any news that others had shared with them. In the end I had eight stations around the room representing the suspects. They had to place a sticky note at a station of the person they thought was guilty with a brief explanation. They did not find out the answer until the next day!
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
We had a blast. The presentation and order of the forms could be more organized. If I had not been involved in a similar game in the past, it would have been very frustrating to figure out how to host it. I was confused in how to best coordinate the evening; the story and characters were fun and we had a good time. We are planning on making it a yearly event. [EDITOR: We will fix these issues.]
Do you have to purchase the add on characters in order. For example SAFA first, then SAFB, SAFC, etc? Or can you just pick any add on character kit, like only SAFD?Jolyn asked on November 21, 2024
You can buy any character sets. But we have put some of the more important characters in the first sets (e.g. police to report the police report, doctors to read the forensics report and a lawyer to read out the will).
Stephanie Chambers answered on November 22, 2024store manager
(0)(0)
Add an answer
I am looking to do this in an office setting, but make it last all month long. Would I be able to string clues out 2x a week in order to keep people engaged?Brittany Bell asked on October 28, 2024
You could release clues little by little and then at the end when everyone is together, have the reports read out. There are 108 clues in total, but keep in mind that some are questions of suspects and line with the corresponding number is the suspect's answer to that question.
Stephanie Chambers answered on October 28, 2024store manager
(0)(0)
Add an answer
Who is the murderer? From other Murder Mysteries I have done, we picked suspect or murderer from a bucket. Only that person knew. This one seems that the murderer is already decided?Brandi asked on December 14, 2023
A particular suspect is the one who did it. But they don't know they did it, so they too can fully participate in working out who did it. And if you are careful not to read the Who Did It pages, you too - as host - can fully participate.
Stephanie Chambers answered on December 14, 2023store manager
(0)(0)
Add an answer
How do I know if I'm doing version A, B or C? Do I omit certain clues depending on which version. I'm hosting a meet and mingle large party do I hand out all the clues provided?Kim asked on December 10, 2023
The main version is "Version A". There are extra lines in the reports for the other versions B and C. And extra sections in the "Who Did It" sections.
Stephanie Chambers answered on December 12, 2023store manager
(0)(1)
Add an answer
Does each character have a script?Anna asked on November 9, 2023
Everyone gets at least one clue to talk about for a large "meet and mingle" party. For a small party - using it as a play, people get more lines to say (depending on your number of guests). They can say their line in their own words as long as they don't change the meaning.
Stephanie Chambers answered on December 12, 2023store manager
Sharon (verified owner) –
The directions for how to set up everything before the party were helpful. We were 22 people with “kids” as young as 16. We ALL had a great time! Definitely a fun way to spend a night together and have your guests mingle with everyone!
melissa slaughter-swingler (verified owner) –
I used this with my fifth graders. I had three classes each with between 15 to 21 students. I modified it to make it appropriate for this age group. I could not have them up moving around because they would get hyper and start running around the classroom. So I arranged the desk into groups of two and three. I set a timer for 4 minutes. It was like speed dating. I put three different color sticky notes on their desk. When the buzzer went off only one person in the group ( maybe the yellow sticky notes) would move to a new group. Each student had a name tag and a script and they shared their information. They also can share any news that others had shared with them. In the end I had eight stations around the room representing the suspects. They had to place a sticky note at a station of the person they thought was guilty with a brief explanation. They did not find out the answer until the next day!