NORTH POLE (WFLA) – Santa and his elves are making final preparations before he leaves the North Pole to embark on his yearly trip around the world.
Mr. Claus will depart from the North Pole on the morning of Christmas Eve. His first stop will be in New Zealand before he drops off presents in Australia, Asia and Africa. He’s scheduled to arrive in the United States between 9:00 p.m. and midnight.
To allow children to follow his journey in real-time, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) activated its official Santa Tracker on Thursday morning.
For over 60 years, the agency has been tracking Santa’s whereabouts on Christmas Eve with satellites and radar.
“The same assets we use in our aerospace warning and aerospace control missions 24/7/365 are used on Dec. 24 to track and escort [Santa],” the agency tweeted.
NORAD is streaming “Santa Cams” on its website, so children can watch him and his elves prepare for his flight and see a 3D visual depiction of his journey.
Live phone operators will be available to take calls at 6 a.m. ET to answer children’s questions. But fewer operators will be available this year due to safety concerns with the pandemic. If you’re unable to reach an operator, you’ll get a message with information regarding Santa’s whereabouts.
Amazon Alexa users also can ask for Santa’s location just by saying “Alexa, where’s Santa?” OnStar subscribers can track Santa by pressing the OnStar button in their vehicles.
You can reach NORAD by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723).
For more information, visit NORAD’s website (www.noradsanta.org) or social media channels.
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