The magical moment has arrived for children across the United Kingdom and the world. Father Christmas has officially embarked on his epic overnight journey, and families can once again follow every step of the way thanks to the live NORAD Santa Tracker for 2025.
How to Track Santa's Christmas Eve Journey
Run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the same military organisation that defends US and Canadian airspace, the tracker is a special interactive portal. It offers families a festive window into Santa's progress with 2D and 3D tracking maps, SantaCamera videos, games, and a multi-language countdown calendar.
You can access the tracker via the official NORAD website or by downloading the dedicated app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. For a more personal touch, volunteers are standing by to answer thousands of calls on the hotline 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723). They'll provide Santa's last known location and might even encourage eager children to get some sleep before his arrival.
The Heartwarming Origin Story
This unique tradition began by accident in 1955 after a department store advertisement printed a misdirected phone number for children to call Santa. The number instead connected to the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) hotline. Colonel Harry Shoup of the U.S. Army Air Corps instructed his staff to play along, checking radar for signs of Santa and giving updates to the calling children.
When NORAD was formed, it continued the beloved practice. This year, as for nearly seven decades, volunteers will man the phones and systems, bringing festive cheer to children globally.
Santa's Route and High-Tech Tracking
Santa's journey is a logistical marvel. He is estimated to travel approximately 510 million kilometres throughout the night. His route typically starts in the Pacific Ocean, moving west to the South Pacific, New Zealand, and Australia. He then travels to Japan, across Asia, over to Africa, into Western Europe (including the UK), before heading to Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central and South America.
NORAD uses an impressive array of technology to monitor this festive flight:
- The North Warning System: 47 radar installations across northern Canada and Alaska scan for Santa's departure from the North Pole.
- Satellites: The same satellites used for missile warning, positioned 22,300 miles above Earth, use infrared sensors to spot the heat signature from Rudolph's bright red nose.
- SantaCams: High-speed digital cameras are placed around the world and activated only on December 24 to capture images and videos of Santa and his reindeer, which are then posted online.
So, as Christmas Eve unfolds, families in England can watch the tracker closely to see the exact moment Father Christmas enters UK airspace, making the magic of Christmas morning feel closer than ever.
