It’s the night before Christmas, and children around the world are eagerly awaiting a visit from Santa Claus. But how can they know when the jolly old elf is getting close to their home? Luckily, there are a couple of handy ways to keep tabs on Santa’s globe-trotting journey and pinpoint exactly when he’ll be dropping off presents.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command, better known as NORAD, has been tracking Santa’s Christmas Eve travels for over 60 years. The tradition began in 1955 when a misprinted phone number in a newspaper ad led to children calling NORAD’s predecessor, asking to speak to Santa. Amused staff members played along, giving Santa’s location as he delivered toys around the world. NORAD has carried on the tradition ever since, fielding calls from kids and providing up-to-the-minute updates on December 24.
These days, NORAD relies on a mix of radar, satellites, and fighter jets to monitor Santa’s whereabouts. Starting at 2 a.m. MT on Christmas Eve, their Santa Tracker website activates, allowing anyone to watch an animated Santa fly over various countries. Phone volunteers also answer calls to the NORAD hotline, giving the latest intel on Saint Nick’s global trek to advise anxious children.
According to NORAD’s site, Santa gains access to children’s homes by stopping time ever so briefly – allowing him to deliver presents without being seen. His reindeer can also travel at the speed of light, letting Santa visit millions of homes in just one night. The United States Air Force helps provide NORAD with Santa stats like the weight of gifts at 4,000 tons and the number of cookies consumed at 70 million.
For high-tech children, Google also offers a way to pinpoint Santa this Christmas Eve with their Santa Tracker. Starting on December 1, their festive website allows visitors to play holiday-themed games and learn fun facts about Saint Nick. Once December 24 hits, the site activates a countdown clock and GPS map tracking Santa’s gift deliveries across the globe in real-time.
Users can also ask “Hey Google, where’s Santa?” to get an update on his coordinates from any Google Assistant-enabled device. The tracker follows Santa’s village launch, travels to far-flung countries, and eventual return to the North Pole once his present deliveries are complete. Families can even call Santa from the site and hear a recorded interactive message.
Between NORAD and Google’s high-tech tracking tools, children can rest easy knowing exactly when Santa will arrive at their home. Armed with up-to-the-second location data, kids can finally get to sleep on Christmas Eve knowing when they’ll need to spring out of bed to see what gifts await underneath the tree. Rather than stressing about when Santa will show up, they can relax with the peace of mind that comes from modern Christmas Eve tracking technology.
