It is almost time for Santa Claus to start delivering presents to children across the world, and all eyes will be on Father Christmas as the world heads into 25 December.
If you're wondering whether you can track Santa's journey around the world, worry not—the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has you covered.
Yes you heard that right. Despite being a body that focuses on airspace defence and homeland security matters, NORAD actually tracks Santa, a tradition that goes back 70 years.
The story behind NORAD's Santa Tracker
It's natural to ask how NORAD, which was set up during the early years of the Cold War, came to start a Santa Tracker.
The story goes back to 1955, when the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), the precursor to NORAD, was in operation.
On a cold December night, US Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup was on watch at CONAD as the body scoured the skies for signs of a possible nuclear attack from the then-Soviet Union.
On Shoup's desk sat the Red Phone, correcting him directly to a four-star general at the Strategic Air Command.
As the phone rang out, Shoup may have expected some dire update, but instead heard a child's voice on the line, "Is this Santa Claus?"
Finding it difficult to break the child's heart, Col. Shoup played along, as per The Atlantic, which in 2015, reported on the story behind NORAD's Santa Tracker.
But how did a child get the number of a defence phone line? Turns out, a newspaper advertisement urging children to call Santa and speak to him on his "private phone" had made a typographical error, resulting in the number of the Red Phone being made public.
Understandably, calls kept pouring in, and Col. Shoup indulged the callers, assigning his staff to play Santa and provide them with updates on the location of Father Christmas' sleigh.
And so, the NORAD Santa Tracker was born, and has been in operation ever since.
How to track Santa Claus using NORAD's tracker
NORAD maintains a dedicated tracking link for those intereted in Santa's journey.
Not only does the platform all users to see a 3D model of Santa and his reindeer travelling around the world, it also has a counter for gifts delivered by Father Christmas.
Although the tracker went live weeks ago, the real action begins on 24 December, with Santa all set for Christmas.
To check the where Santa is now, you can watch the live video below:
Alternatively, you can click here.
