Norad Santa tracker – live: Follow Santa Claus and his reindeer around the globe
Santa makes his entrance by boat to bring gifts to kids in the Amazon region of Brazil.
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Each Christmas Eve, Norad, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, offers live updates on Santa's sleigh as it makes its way through the sky.
This beloved tradition began in 1955, when a typo in a department store advertisement prompted a young child to reach out to a military command center in Colorado, hoping to talk to Santa Claus.
On that night, Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup answered the phone and decided to play along, telling the child he was indeed Santa Claus. As the calls kept coming in, he assigned another officer to manage the inquiries, which initiated a holiday tradition that NORAD upheld after it was established in 1958.
For many years, Norad has set aside its regular task of monitoring airspace to address children's inquiries about Santa's travels and his incredible gift-giving activities.
Every year, over 100,000 children reach out to the organization to ask where Santa is. Additionally, millions of others track his journey online in nine different languages as he travels around the globe.
Keep an eye out for new information as we track Santa's enchanting journey around the world.
Track Santa's Journey With NORAD This Year!
NORAD has a website where kids can follow Santa as he journeys around the globe in real-time. The site went live on December 1 and features a North Pole village along with a countdown to Christmas Eve.
The site will show Santa's whereabouts starting at 4 a.m. Eastern Time on Christmas Eve and will continue until 2 a.m. on Christmas Day.
Families can get the NORAD Santa Tracker app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. If you want to reach NORAD by phone, you can call 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) on December 24 between 8 a.m. and 2 a.m. on Christmas Day (Eastern Time).
Google is set to launch its own Santa tracker on December 24. Like NORAD's version, this tracker features a countdown to Christmas Eve and offers a range of games to enjoy while waiting for Santa's journey to begin.
Tom Murray, December 23, 2024, at 11:01 PM.
Join The Independent's Live Santa Tracker!
Greetings and Merry Christmas! Santa Claus is on his way to town, and we’re excited to follow his journey in real-time as the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) tracks his travels around the world once more.
In just 10 hours, he’ll be leaving, so get ready. Turn on some Christmas music and join us as we get ready to send him off.
Tom Murray, December 23, 2024, at 10:37 PM
