Having already made his list – and having checked it twice –Santa Clausis coming. You can track his progress onChristmas Eve.
For 70 years, theNorth American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)has made a holiday tradition ofits Santa Tracker, which follows St. Nick across the globe.Santa surveillancereportedly began when the agency, then called the Continental Air Defense Command, began getting calls from children looking for Santa after Sears goofed and printed the command's secret number, Air Force Col. Harry W. Shoup toldThe Associated Press in 1999.
Since then, NORAD has upgraded its Santa-tracking technology by installing Santa cams in space to monitor the jolly old elf, the agency says. "NORAD tracks Santa, but only Santa knows his route, which means we cannot predict where and when he will arrive at your house," a senior NORAD official said in anews release.
This year, the NORAD Tracks Santa YouTube channel is also displaying Christmas celebration videos submitted by families. "Their excitement reflects the spirit that has made NORAD Tracks Santa a worldwide favorite for nearly seventy years," according to thechannel.
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How to follow NORAD's Santa tracker 2025
TheNORAD Tracks Santa websitebegan tracking Santa's progress at 6 a.m. EST/4 a.m. MST on Wednesday, Dec. 24, better known as Christmas Eve. Want a live update? Operators at NORAD will also be taking calls about Santa's trip on 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) until midnight MST or 2 a.m. EST on Christmas Day. You can follow the NORAD Santa Tracker on USA TODAY in the link below.
You can also download the NORAD Santa Tracker app fromGoogle PlayandApple's App store.
The site, which went live on Dec. 1 with games, videos and other holiday activities, also has information about NORAD, which the United States and Canada collaborate on to monitor each country's airspace. The site is available in English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish.
When does Google's Santa tracker go live?
NORAD isn't the only one tracking Santa.Google's Santa trackerhas been on thecase since 2004.
The company's Santa tracker website is providing animated real-time information on where St. Nick and his sleigh is across the globe. There's also a bundle of holiday-themed games and activities; the site is available in dozens of languages. You can also watch the Google Santa Tracker using an app available in theGoogle Play store.
Flightradar24's Santa tracker
Global flight tracking serviceFlightradar24, which delivers real-time information about thousands of aircraft worldwide, also tracks Santa. You can watch Santa's progress on theFlightradar24 websiteor itsYouTube channel.
Flightradar24 has also given Santa a boost, having "worked closely with Santa's workshop to ensure the sleigh is outfitted with the latest tracking technology," thetracking firm says.
Reindeer warmed up ✅Presents loaded on the sleigh ✅Cruising altitude ✅🎅 Santa has begun the long journey south to begin his round-the-world delivery of presents.Follow Santa on Flightradar24 athttps://t.co/7A0DpIV9u0pic.twitter.com/93z9kl0Dtv
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24)December 24, 2025
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him atmikegsnider&@mikegsnider.bsky.social&@mikesnider& msnider@usatoday.com
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Where is Santa? Use live trackers to follow him on Christmas Eve 2025
