NORAD Santa tracker 2016: 

How to follow Santa around the world on Christmas Eve

By Ben Axelson | baxelson@nyup.com
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on December 20, 2016 at 4:06 PM, updated December 22, 2016 at 8:21 AM
 

Want to follow Santa Claus across the skies as he soars around the world on Christmas Eve? The NORAD Santa Tracker is back for 2016 and ready to help.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command will carry on its 61-year tradition of tracking St. Nick on the official NORAD Tracks Santa website.

On the site you and your family can follow along as NORAD pinpoints where on Earth Santa has visited, and follows him to each destination on Christmas Eve. You can also play Christmas games, listen to songs, watch videos and learn facts about Santa, NORAD and holiday traditions from around the world.

The Santa Tracker is also available as an app for your Apple, Android and Windows devices. Twitter users can follow live updates from @NoradSanta on Christmas Eve.

The story of how NORAD first started tracking Santa goes back to 1955 when a Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement misprinted a telephone number for children to call Santa. Instead, children were connected to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The director decided to have his staff check for Santa flying down from the North Pole, and callers were given updates on his location.

The tradition was carried on the next year, and continued when NORAD took over in 1958.

Eager Santa followers can begin watching Father Christmas prepare for his journey at 2 a.m. ET on December 24. Santa's journey typically starts at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean. He then travels west through Asia, down through Africa then back up through Europe before flying across the Atlantic to visit North and South America.

Of course, if you prefer the classic approach, you can dial the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) to reach NORAD volunteers helping to track Santa.

You can also send an email to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com for updates on Santa's location.
Eastern Air Defense Sector personnel in Rome, NY, have been training hard in preparation for the big night.

Google also makes it easy to track Santa on google.com/santatracker, where you can play games, see videos and more on Google's virtual Advent Calendar.