How to track Santa on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac!

Track Santa Claus on Christmas Eve as he makes his gift-giving journey with NORAD, Google, and more!

Santa Claus is coming to town (at least for those who celebrate the jolly ol' spirit of Christmas), which means loads of children waiting in nervous anticipation for his arrival. Quench their curiosity by letting them track Saint Nicholas' journey across the world!

Santa Claus riding in his sleigh

Track Santa Claus with Google

While Google has already unlocked a number of activities on its Santa Tracker website, now that it's Christmas Eve, you and your family can follow Santa's journey around the world!

Follow Santa on his gift-giving journey with Google's Santa Tracker!

The Santa Tracker shows you where Santa is, along with his next destination. You'll see a running tally of presents delivered, along with Santa's distance from your location. From the tracker website, you can also access Santa's Village, which is full of games and videos, along with areas to learn about holiday traditions around the world and a code lab.

In addition to the tracker website, you can also search for "Santa Claus" on Google Maps on your iPhone and iPad to watch the jolly elf's flight.

Track Santa Claus with NORAD

NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, is keeping up with traditions by once again tracking Kris Kringle on his annual journey. You can visit NORAD's Santa Tracker site or download the official NORAD Tracks Santa app from the App Store to follow along.

Track Santa with NORAD's site

The app features a countdown timer that shows just how long you'll have to wait until Santa takes off from the North Pole. You can also visit the Library to learn more about Santa and his tools, play games, watch videos, listen to music, and check out NORAD HQ for more information about the organization itself.

NORAD Tracks Santa Claus - Free - Download Now

Bonus Yuletide fun!

Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf runs around a revolving door

A Call from Santa!

Your child can get a personalized call from Santa himself, courtesy of A Call from Santa!. Santa will know your child's age, name, and some personal interests, too! It's very convincing.

The app lets your child leave a voicemail for Santa — it's a modern way to write him a wish list — and you can track his progress right from the app, too.

Last but not least (because we live in the future), your child can send text messages to Santa Claus. I don't know about you, but I'm kind of curious what wireless carrier Mr. Claus uses.

A Call from Santa!

Santa Call & Tracker - North Pole Command Center

You can make and receive calls and text messages from Santa with Santa Call & Tracker - North Pole Command Center, much like the aforementioned app. It's also got lots of apps and activities, including a built-in feature that lets you add a beard or elf-like features to a photo.

My personal favorite is the Naughty Nice Scanner, which determines whether the person being scanned by the app is naughty or nice!

Santa Call & Tracker - North Pole Command Center

Happy Holidays!

A famiy listens to music next to a Christmas tree

Happy Holidays to you and yours! Good luck tracking down the festive Father Christmas, and may all your holiday dreams come true!

Updated December 2017: Our Santa tracking guide has been revamped just in time for Christmas 2017! Keep track of the jolly ol' fellow and have the happiest of holidays!

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