Submitted by Jon Reed on
It has been a longstanding Christmas tradition to track Santa's progress as he makes his way around the world, delivering gifts from his flying-reindeer powered sleigh. With the help of NORAD, local news stations have been tracking Santa for years now, much to the delight of children across the U.S. Of course now you don't have to wait for your local newscast to prove to your children that Santa is in fact on his way, and that they had better get to bed before he arrives. There are several ways to track the jolly fellow's progress right from your iPhone or iPad:
NORAD - There is no shortage of apps to track Santa with, so why not go with the pros - the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the same defense command that's been tracking Santa on the news for the past umpteen years. Yes NORAD has its own app for tracking St. Nick on Christmas Eve. While you won't be able to track Santa until Christmas Eve, the app offers plenty to do in the meantime. You can explore the North Pole village where you will find a gift shop, an arcade that is basically an advent calendar with a new game opening every day of December, a library and theater where you can learn about both Christmas traditions and NORAD, a music stage where you can listen to classic Christmas music performed by the US Air Force Academy band, and of course NORAD headquarters. If you'd rather not download the app, you can access all the same content (with a nicer interface) at the website.
Google Santa Tracker - Google's tracker currently doesn't have an app available for iPhone, but the website is a feast for the eyes that is sure to keep children entertained for a while. It offers a plethora of entertaining videos, activities and games like "Wrap Battle", "Santa Selfie", "Elf Maker", "Map Quiz" and a drawing activity called "Santa's Canvas" to name just a few. There are educational activities as well, including learning to code with elves, a "Map Quiz" and activities aimed at learning holiday traditions from around the world, including translations of common holiday greetings. A countdown clock to Christmas Eve lets you know when the tracking begins.
