NORAD’s Santa Tracker, the beloved decades-old tradition of virtually following Santa Claus as he delivers gifts to children around the world, returns Christmas Eve for its 69th year.

When does NORAD's Santa tracker map begin? The map tracking Santa's trip around the world will begin Christmas Eve. Visitors can track Santa's flight from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. ET.

This illustration photo shows the NORAD logo on a cell phone screen while the tracker follows Santa flying over New York City on a computer monitor in Los Angeles on December 24, 2023.

As it does every year, NORAD, the North American Aerospace Command, tracked Santa on his trip around the world on Christmas Eve so children and families could see where he was.

If you wish to follow Santa’s journey, you can do so through the NORAD Santa tracker map, or through the “NORAD tracks Santa” app available in both the Apple and Google Play stores. You can ...

FILE – NORAD Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Charles D. Luckey takes a call while volunteering at the NORAD Tracks Santa center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., Dec. 24, 2014.

NORAD’s tradition is one of the few modern additions to the centuries-old Santa story that have endured, according to Gerry Bowler, a Canadian historian who spoke to the AP in 2010.

Each year, at least 100,000 kids call into the North American Aerospace Defense Command to inquire about Santa’s location. Millions more follow online in nine languages, from English to Japanese.

NORAD's Santa tracker was a Cold War morale boost. Now it attracts millions of kids Each year, at least 100,000 kids worldwide call the North American Aerospace Defense Command to inquire about ...

Santa Claus is already hard at work, and NORAD is keeping track of where that "right jolly old elf" is right this second and this second and this second (you get the idea).. When you have to ...

NORAD's "Track Santa" website went live Dec. 1 but the real fun began on Christmas Eve, which is when visitors will be able to track Santa's route from 4 a.m. to midnight MST / 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. EST.

NORAD said Santa got back to the North Pole shortly after 5 a.m. EST. Santa's arrival times. Although the NORAD tracker reflected where Santa was at different points on his route around the world ...