Ahead of Christmas, Google and NORAD are making it easier for people to track Santa as part of a tradition that the two companies have followed for several years now. The North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) has been tracking Santa for 65 years as he delivers presents across the globe, while Google’s Santa Tracker came much later in 2004.
So, how does NORAD tracks Santa’s flight across the world? According to the website, it takes advantage of its North Warning System radar system that has 47 installations strung across Canada’s North and Alaska. “NORAD makes a point of checking the radar closely for indications of Santa Claus leaving the North Pole every holiday season,” the page read.
How to track Santa on NORAD, Google
Even though NORAD claims to track Santa so closely, it admits that it can not predict where Santa goes next as only he knows his route. Santa can be tracked using the NORAD website or through its app, available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store for free. On the www.noradsanta.org website, one can find Santa’s village where there are different games to play, Christmas songs to listen to, and holiday traditions to explore.
At the bottom of the page is a Santa tracker countdown so that those interested can head to the page on December 24 to track Santa’s flight around the world. Separately, users can also drop in a mail at noradtrackssanta@outlook.com or simply call 1-877-HI-NORAD to find out more about tracking Santa.
Meanwhile, Google‘s Santa tracker is live at santatracker.google.com. Users can also download Google’s Android app as well as the extension for Chrome, which are free to use. Similar to NORAD’s, Google’s map also shows where the countdown to Christmas, along with where Santa has already been and an estimate of gifts delivered.
Google has Santa’s Village as well, where people can play games and learn about Christmas traditions around the world. Some of the games include Santa Selfie and Elf Maker. Also part of Google’s Christmas activities is Code Lab, where children can learn coding. There’s also drawing and more fun activities to explore on Google’s Santa Tracker page.
