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Santa Claus and his reindeer have begun their journey around the globe, with billions of stops to make in less than 24 hours.
Father Christmas is currently steering his sleigh through the Pacific, having already delivered hundreds of millions of gifts.
Every Christmas Eve, Norad – the North American Aerospace Defense Command – provides real-time tracking of Santa’s sleigh as it navigates the skies.
The cherished tradition dates back to 1955 when a misprint in a department store advert led a young child to call a Colorado military command center asking to speak to Santa Claus.
Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup, who picked up the call that night, played along and assured the child he was Santa. As more calls poured in, he assigned an officer to handle the queries, starting a festive custom that Norad continued after its creation in 1958.
For decades, Norad has swapped its usual airspace monitoring duties to answer children’s questions about Santa’s journey and his astonishing present-delivery operation.
Each year, at least 100,000 kids call into the organisation to inquire about Santa’s location. Millions more follow online – in nine languages – as St Nick swoops along the earth’s meridians.
Stay tuned for updates as we follow Santa’s magical route across the world.
More than 300 million gifts have already been delivered
Santa has been busy, having already delivered more than 300 million gifts to children eagerly awaiting his arrival.
He is currently steering his sleigh through the Pacific, with his next stop being Chatham Island, New Zealand.
Tara Cobham24 December 2024 11:53
Father Christmas now heads for New Zealand where it is already Christmas Day
Father Christmas and his sleigh is now headed for New Zealand.
Their first stop there will be Auckland, where it is nearing 1am on Christmas Day.
Tara Cobham24 December 2024 11:46
Santa was just spotted in Samoa
Santa Claus was just spotted in Samoa.
He and his reindeer made a stop in Taga, as they have already delivered almost 250 million gifts.
Tara Cobham24 December 2024 11:42
Santa leaves Russia for next stop — the Pacific Islands
He will soon make it to Wake Island, US Minor Outlying Islands.
Tara Cobham24 December 2024 11:25
What is the time in Russia where Santa is currently delivering gifts
Santa is less than a minute away from Esso in Russia, where it is close to midnight.
The time in the village is 23.21 on Christmas Eve (GMT+12).
Tara Cobham24 December 2024 11:22
Santa heads for Russia
Santa is heading for Russia.
His first stop in the country will be Uelen.
He and his reindeer have already delivered almost 50 million presents.
Tara Cobham24 December 2024 11:08
Santa Claus and his reindeer have officially taken off
Santa Claus and his reindeer have begun their journey around the globe.
They are set to make billions of stops over the next 24 hours.
Tara Cobham24 December 2024 11:03
