Christmas celebrations have kicked off across the globe and Santa Claus has already begun his traditional gift-giving journey. According to a report in The Sun, millions of people worldwide are tracking Santa's trip in real time through the 'NORAD Live Tracker'. Children everywhere are going to bed imagining Santa flying through the night sky, inching closer to their homes. While watching Santa and his reindeer with the naked eye is almost impossible, technology now allows people to follow his magical journey with just a click.
When does Santa start delivering gifts?
Santa lives at the North Pole, but his Christmas Eve voyage covers almost every part of the world. Most traditions say that Santa begins his journey from the International Date Line, halfway across the world from London. For people in the United Kingdom, Santa starts distributing gifts around noon on Christmas Eve. In New York, Santa's journey begins at 9 am, which means he arrives after children have gone to sleep. According to NORAD, Santa reaches the South Pacific islands first, followed by New Zealand and Australia. From there he travels to Japan, continues through Asia, flies over Africa, moves through Western Europe and finally heads towards the Americas to distribute more presents.
How to track Santa in 2025
There are several exciting ways to track Santa this year. The NORAD Santa Tracker is the most famous option. The North American Aerospace Defense Command has been tracking Santa since 1955, making this the 70th year of the service. The tradition began when a child accidentally called NORAD after misdialing a phone number published in a newspaper advertisement. Colonel Harry Shoup, the officer in charge, picked up the call and instructed his team to check the radar for Santa's movement. The official NORAD Santa Tracker is available at "www.noradsanta.org" and the NORAD Santa Tracker app can be downloaded on both iPhone and Android devices.
Santa's movement visible in the night sky
Using these tracking apps, people can follow Santa's movements across the night sky. The Google Santa Tracker is another popular choice. Google launches a countdown every year until the tracker goes live on Christmas Eve when Santa begins delivering gifts. The Google website also features fun festive games for users of all ages. Santa can be tracked through "santatracker.google.com" and related portals.
How Santa's magical journey excite children
The excitement of tracking Santa has rapidly grown worldwide. In one heartwarming moment from Mumbai, a little girl sat with her brother in the living room lit up by a sparkling Christmas tree. Their parents had told them, "Go to bed early or Santa will not come." But the girl could not sleep. She opened the Google Santa Tracker on her tablet. A bright map showed Santa's sleigh glowing red. "Look! Santa is in Russia now. He has delivered thousands of gifts," she told her brother. He replied excitedly, "Check NORAD too!" She opened NORAD's website and saw a 3D map with Rudolph's red nose shining. The brother said, "NORAD has been tracking Santa since 1955. This year marks 70 years." They watched the tracker for hours as Santa moved from the South Pacific to New Zealand, Australia, Japan and then towards Asia. The girl shouted, "He is about to reach India!" For millions of children like them, the joy of following Santa turns Christmas Eve into a magical experience.
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