Hey, kids and parents everywhere!

Our own Buddy the Elf has been working hard here at Christmas Alliance, and guess what? NORAD’s famous Santa Tracker is live on our site!

Check it out here.

While kids can’t track Santa in the sky just yet — that starts midnight on Dec. 24 — they can get a Santa Countdown right now.

The site is readable in nine different languages. (We love that.) We’ll be watching Santa and his reindeer’s progress this year. Will you?

What’s the NORAD Santa Tracker?

Officially called NORAD Tracks Santa, the tracker gives realtime “GPS”-tracked updates on Santa’s progress across the globe.

The site goes live on Dec. 1, with “tracked” updates beginning at midnight Mountain Standard Time (MST) on Christmas Eve.

Once tracking begins, kids are treated to images of Santa and his rendeer flying across a 3D-style globe, with holiday music playing in the background. Last Seen and Heading To data is displayed, along with a Gifts Delivered tracker.

Here’s a realtime visual from one Youtuber from last year’s NORAD Tracks Santa event:

This just gets cuter every year, and Buddy and Elfira will be waiting with our cocoa to watch Santa’s progress. Don’t miss out!

ABOUT NORAD TRACKS SANTA

NORAD stands for North America Air Defense Command. But tracking of Santa using military tech started even earlier than NORAD Tracks Santa.

On Dec. 24, 1948, the U.S. Air Force issued a communique claiming that “north” radar had detected “one unidentifed sleigh, powered by eight reindeer” at 14,000 feet and heading 180 degrees.

Naturally, this was a hit with kids and parents alike, and calls began flooding into various arms of the military on Christmas Eve during subsequent years. While there are multiple versions of how CONAD (Continental Air Force Command) set up a hotline to call for updates, CONAD tracking as an annual event began in 1955. 

In 1958, NORAD took over, and since then, calls, letters and eventually, emails have been pouring in to find out Santa’s whereabouts every single December.

Today, of course, Norad Tracks Santa is online, with children across the globe able to watch the jolly old elf do his magic — including above cities near their own hometowns.

Enjoy tracking Santa this year, but be sure to hop into bed when he’s nearing your home. We’re sure you’re on the Nice List…so enjoy!