South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Tracking Santa’s trek around the world
Take a break from shopping, grab a glass of Christmas cheer and have a little fun online checking up on Jolly Old St. Nick.
Good boys and girls, young and old, can track Santa Claus’ journey around the world using the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s NORAD Santa Tracker.
This is the 62nd year the agency will track the movements of the guy in he red suit at NoradSanta.org.
Watch in amazement as cameras capture images and videos of Santa and his eight tiny reindeer making that magical trip starting at 2:01 a.m. on Christmas Eve. At 6 a.m., call the Santa Hotline at 877-446-6723.
In the meantime, there are fun things to do and explore on the site.
Visit the North Pole where Rudolph and crew answer pressing questions, such as “What is Santa’s favorite cookie?” and “When is Santa’s birthday?” (It’s actually a secret, but he is 16 centuries old.)
Flit from spot to spot to play more than 20 video games, visit the musical stage where you can listen to Santa’s favorite songs and even watch movies. Finally, go to the library and learn about that magical sleigh and interesting holiday traditions celebrated around the world.
The Santa Tracker began by accident in 1955 after a Colorado Sears Roebuck & Co. ad misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa, explains a post on the site. The phone number rang NORAD’s hotline. Rather than disappoint the kids, the operations director, Col. Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar and give them updates on Santa making his way south from the North Pole. They’ve been at it ever since.
Another fun option: Catch a sleigh over to Google’s amazing Santa’s Village to have more Christmas fun. There are dozens of educational games to play, artwork to paint and create, coding lessons to take and more at SantaTracker.Google.com.
Starting Dec. 24, use Google Maps to follow Santa at Maps.Google.com.
One last idea: Create a free, personalized, video from Santa Claus from the Portable North Pole at Portablenorthpole.com.
It takes just minutes to create a masterpiece. There is a cute option for kids and another sassy one for grown-ups.
Sign up with an e-mail address and password. When the box to pay pops up, just close it and proceed to the videos.
Upload a few details about naughty or nice boys and girls, preview the video, and if you’re happy with your creation, a link will be emailed. You also can share it on Facebook, of course.
Merry Christmas!