Santa Claus might be way too busy checking his Twitter feed and is unlikely to send out many tweets. But, you can track his trip on Christmas Eve via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instragam and YouTube.

Additionally, this month the Department of Defense (DoD), launched noradsanta.org for its 2021 Santa Tracking website. This site featured holiday music and games. Children can join the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Santa Tracker, which was launched at 4AM ET on Christmas Eve.

The NORAD tracking of Santa Claus began in 1955 as an accident. A call was received from a young child calling to inquire about Santa’s location. Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, who was working the evening shift, took the phone call from a boy who had followed the directions in a local department store’s newspaper advertisement that told children how to call Santa — except the number had been printed incorrectly, and instead was for the operations center.

Shoup was not a scrooge. He and his team responded quickly to the first child as well as many others who called that Christmas Eve. This started a new holiday tradition. The role of tracking Santa then continued when NORAD was formed in 1958, and it’s been getting more popular and more technologically-savvy ever since. Children can not only call in and talk to Santa, but they also have the option to use social media or a mobile application to track him.

Google’s Santa tracker will feature an interactive map with Santa’s exact location, the number of gifts that have been delivered and an estimated arrival time. Both boys and daughters know that Santa will arrive when they are asleep.

Santa’s Long Night

DoD claims that as Santa travels around the globe, satellites follow his movements by sensing Rudolph’s nose. Rudolph emits an infrared signature, similar to one from a missile. NORAD tracks Santa using F-15, F-16, F-22 and CF-18 fighter aircrafts of the U.S. Air Force.

Santa is welcomed to North America by fighter pilots who meet off Newfoundland on Christmas Eve. He is then safely escorted through North American aviation until he returns the North Pole. This call center was opened on December 24, at 6 AM EST. For children, call 1-877-2-HiNORAD (446-6723) to locate Santa or access the mobile app, website or social media.