I was thinking on a long drive the other day, that I’ve actually seen two movies where Santa Claus is killed. In both cases, it happens early on to move the plot along, so I’m not really giving anything away in naming them:
1 - The Santa Clause (accidental death; fell off Scott Calvin’s roof)
2 - The Hebrew Hammer (that Comedy Central movie about the Jew who saves Hanukah from an evil Santa played by Andy Dick. Dick becomes Santa by usurping the throne - he has the old Santa killed).
Are there any others?