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.

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.

Website: The NORAD Tracks Santa website provides live updates and information about Santa’s progress, beginning at 4 a.m. Eastern on Dec. 24.

NORAD volunteers also operated a phone line to help families track Santa. The number is (877) HI-NORAD or 877-446-6723. NORAD has been offering Santa tracking services in some capacity since 1958.

Dec. 24—Tonight, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) gets ready for its Christmas Eve tradition of tracking Santa Claus' annual toy run. NORAD has been assisting Santa since 1955 ...

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.

NORAD, typically tasked with defending North American airspace from foreign threats, has tracked Santa’s Christmas Eve journey since the command was established in 1958.

Santa and his reindeer have wrapped up their Christmas journey for 2024 after delivering more than 8.1 billion gifts, according to NORAD's Santa Tracker.

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’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.

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.