NORAD Tracks Santa

ALTON - Christmas Eve has finally arrived here the River Bend and for the first time all year, children of all ages are actually excited to head to bed tonight so they can wake up to mounds of gifts stacked neatly under their trees courtesy of Dear Ol’ Saint Nicholas.

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Before Santa Claus can reach the River Bend, however, he must deliver toys to all of the other good boys and girls around the world first.

Fortunately for kids these days who love technology and can’t seem to stay away from their tablets, laptops and cellphones, Santa Claus’ voyage around the world is just a click or two away.

With the help of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, Google and other sites on the world wide web, kids with the knack for technology can view Kris Kringle’s trip across the world with some interactive displays and fun games while they view him fly his magical sleigh, led by reindeer, from country to country to deliver gifts.

NORAD Tracks Santa

NORAD Tracks Santa

Since 1955, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has made experiencing Santa’s magic interactive using the technology available at the time. A Sears department store advertising campaign gave excited children the number for the Colorado Springs’ Continental Air Defense Command Center so they could speak to Santa. From there, workers were instructed to give all children who called a current location for Santa Claus.

This tradition was passed on year after year until the advent of the world wide web. From there, NORAD introduced their web-based santa tracker in 1997. There, kids have had the opportunity to view Santa flying around the world and delivering millions of gifts.

The longtime Christmas tradition is always incredibly popular. The organization reported that in 2013, it logged over 19.58 million unique visitors to their site on Christmas Eve. In the same report, they noted that 1,200 volunteers answered 117,371 phone calls. It also gained a plethora of Twitter followers and millions of “likes” on Facebook.

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Google's Santa TrackerGoogle’s Santa Tracker 

For many years, Google had worked alongside NORAD in bringing their mission to the people on Christmas Eve.

On this Christmas Eve 2015, Google has decided to go out on their own and release their own Santa Tracking interface.

Visitors of their website can put in their current location and the site will figure out exactly how many kilometers Santa is from reaching their home cities. There is also an ongoing ticker of exactly how many gifts Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick has delivered so far along his journey.

In an adorable and interactive twist to traditional Santa trackers, videos of Santa’s journeys across different parts are constantly appearing on a “timeline” reminiscent of your favorite social media websites. Santa himself is posting quick status updates like, “quick pit stop for some hot chocolate!” or “feeling energized from these cookies and milk!”

Santa's status update from Google's Santa Tracker

The site also features several Christmas-themed mini games that show the hardworking elves at the North Pole cutting loose and having a good time while Santa is delivering gifts. These games are sure to entertain anyone while they wait for Santa to reach the next location.

This site is simply too adorable for words and is sure to make kids of all ages, and even the kids at heart, smile.

Santa took a selfie with some of his elves for Google's Santa Tracker.


Whichever Santa Claus tracking websites you choose to use, everyone here at RiverBender.com wishes that you have a safe and very merry Christmas!