Santa Tracker: Google, NORAD Apps Follow Rudolph's Route To GA

ATLANTA, GA — Tracking Rudolph and Santa's progress around the world on Christmas Eve has been going on for decades, but the technology behind the annual event has kept up with changing times and is cell phone friendly. This year, if you want to track the jolly old elf's path across Georgia on Christmas Eve, there are Google and NORAD apps for that, or you can ask an Amazon Alexa for an update.

If your children are getting antsy about the arrival of Santa Claus, you can point them to the online Santa Tracker, which launched earlier this month in its 62nd year with help from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

Or your family can use Google's Santa Tracker to get boots-on-the-ground info straight from the sleigh's GPS. Search for Santa directly on Google Maps or click here for real-time updates and street views of the neighborhoods he's visiting.

For more than 60 years, NORAD has tracked Santa's whereabouts on Christmas Eve using satellites, jet fighters and secret Santa cameras. The 2017 NORAD Tracks Santa website and apps went live Dec. 1, offering a Christmas countdown, games and other activities, in addition to NORAD's iconic reports on Santa's travels on Christmas Eve.

If you're going to be out and about on Christmas Eve and want to track Santa from your smartphone, official NORAD Tracks Santa apps are also available in the Apple and Google Play stores, according to the agency.

Here's a general timeline of what you can expect:

• Beginning at 2:01 a.m. EST on Dec. 24: website visitors can watch Santa make preparations for his flight. NORAD’s “Santa Cams” will stream videos on the website as Santa makes his way over various locations.
• Beginning at 6 a.m. EST: trackers worldwide can speak with a live phone operator to inquire as to Santa's whereabouts by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) or by sending an email to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com. Any time on Dec. 24, Amazon Alexa users can ask for Santa’s location through the NORAD Tracks Santa skill for Amazon Alexa, and OnStar subscribers can press the OnStar button in their vehicles to locate Santa. Bing and Cortana users can also find Santa's location on Dec. 24.

And for you parents, here's a fun fact about how the Santa Tracker first began back in 1955, according to NORAD:

It all started in 1955 when a local media advertisement directed children to call Santa direct – only the number was misprinted. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone rang through to the Crew Commander on duty at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center. Thus began the tradition, which NORAD carried on since it was created in 1958.

According to Lt. Marco Chouinard, the NORAD Tracks Santa spokesperson, more than 1,500 volunteers help NORAD track Santa over a 23-hour period on Christmas Eve.

Image via Shutterstock