More than six decades ago, kids relied merely on Santa Claus to keep tabs on their yearly goodness record, so as to be certain of a gift drop-off every Christmas. Now there are Santa trackers on Google and NORAD that can help tell exactly where Santa is on Christmas Eve, as he takes his sleigh ride around the world.
The NORAD, or the North American Aerospace Defense Command, has been going on holiday duty for 61 years now and involves around 1,500 volunteers just to help children pinpoint Santa's location in his journey of gift-giving. As to exactly how this can be done, NORAD's Jennifer Stadnyk, a United States Army Major, pointed out, "We have 47 radar installations in Northern Canada and Alaska, and they alert us when Santa actually leaves the North Pole."
Stadnyk added that they also have infrared sensors on their satellites thousands of miles above Earth. These sensors are alert to the heat signature of Rudolph's nose. SantaCams are good for taking a quick shot of red-suited Santa passing through the cities around the globe.
The NORAD Tracks Santa app can be downloaded from Google Play, the Apple store, or the Windows store, or one can visit www.noradsanta.org. NORAD is also on these social media sites: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube.
Another more recent one, from 2004 to the present, is the Google Santa Tracker which can be installed on the Google Chrome browser. Besides also being able to follow Santa Claus' circle around the globe, the search giant has fashioned Santa's Village, a winter wonderland where anyone, young or old, can go to experience Christmas traditions following the Advent calendar.
There are new games to play in it, both educational and interactive, every day. On the Google Chrome browser, users can also add the Google Santa Tracker Extension that features a countdown clock to Christmas Eve when Santa Claus begins his voyage. Installing the Google Santa Tracker in the Chrome browser is easy and takes only a few moments. Once the installation is successful, the cute Santa icon right by the search bar appears. Clicking on the icon brings users directly to the Village and allows them to frost up their desktops.
Other Santa Trackers, Santa Update and Tracking Santa, can also be used in the same manner. Tracking Santa on these apps can start a new Christmas tradition in the family.