Tracking Santa Claus: Locate Santa On Christmas Eve On Smartphone, Online, And Even In Your Car
Christmas is just days away and children are already asking, “Where is Santa Claus right now?” Every year, the NORAD Santa Tracker makes it easy to track the latest location of the right jolly old elf online, but thanks to modern technology and social media, there are more ways than ever for kids to locate Santa on Christmas Eve.
#NORAD‘s satellite system is so powerful it can even detect the red glow from Rudolph’s nose! #Santa
— NORAD Santa (@NoradSanta) December 15, 2014
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Santa Tracker started almost sixty years ago. When the tracking program started in 1958, children could call an 800 number to get the low-down on Santa’s whereabouts from a team of contributors who pass along the information from NORAD’s radars and satellites.
FedTech Magazine reports that 1,250 volunteers, including NORAD service members, civilians, and DOD employees, man the phone lines on Christmas Eve, but if you want to give them a break, there are several other ways to keep tabs on Kris Kringle.
Here are five ways to track Santa Claus with the help of NORAD:
- Online At NoradSanta.org — The tracking countdown clock is right on the front page of the site, but there’s plenty for kids to do while they wait for Santa to take off in his sleigh, including online games, movies, and holiday music.
- Smartphone Apps: Find the NORAD Santa Tracker app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch in the Apple iTunes store. Download the app for Android in Google Play.
- In The Car: Have an OnStar equipped vehicle? Push the blue OnStar button to get a Santa update.
- Make A Phone Call: Track Santa the old fashioned way by picking up the phone and calling 1 877 HI-NORAD (1 877 446-6723). According to NORAD, a staff member will answer and tell you Santa’s exact location at that time.
When can children start tracking Santa? NORAD reports that its interactive Santa Tracker will go live starting at 12:01 a.m. MST on December 24. Children will be able to track him as he travels around the world with his reindeer — and there are plenty of ways to do this, both at home and on-the-go.
For extra-curious children who want more details about Santa’s Christmas Eve journey around the world, NORAD reports that St. Nick will start his magical journey in the South Pacific on Christmas Eve and will be sliding down the chimney between 9 p.m. and midnight — he will make a return visit to homes where children aren’t fast asleep.
“Santa usually starts at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean and travels west. So, historically, Santa visits the South Pacific first, then New Zealand and Australia. After that, he shoots up to Japan, over to Asia, across to Africa, then onto Western Europe, Canada, the United States, Mexico and Central and South America.”
Looking for other ways to occupy your children while Santa gets ready to start his world-wide gift drop? According to a previous report from the Inquisitr, a live reindeer cam is up and running for anyone who wants to watch Santa feed his reindeer and prepare them for a long night pulling his sleigh on Christmas Eve. Once he’s done feeding Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and the rest of Rudolph’s squad, switch over to the NORAD Santa Tracker to find out how long it will be before he arrives on your roof.
