So, your long-awaited holiday trip to visit family or friends was cancelled—for the second year in a row. It has occurred to you that, yet again, the kids will be off from school and need to be kept occupied. For a brief moment, you consider telling them to go read a book or do a puzzle, or something that doesn’t involve staring at a screen.
But then you remember that it’s the holiday season and they’re all wound up, and anxiously awaiting Christmas morning and Santa’s arrival. And because Santa’s the only visitor your household will be receiving this year, you bust out the iPad and tell the kiddos to go ahead and track Santa (that way, they’re at least learning how to use a map). Here’s what to know about keeping tabs on ol’ Kris Kringle as he makes his annual trip south.
Where to track Santa in 2021
Santa has been vaccinated, boosted, and taking daily COVID tests all week. His sleigh is well-ventilated. The old man is ready to fly. Here’s where to track his trip:
NORAD Tracks Santa
Traditionalists out there may prefer watching his journey as mapped out by NORAD—which has been providing children with up-to-date info on Santa’s arrival since 1958.
In addition to their map, NORAD’s website also provides plenty of Christmassy resources, including a library with information on holiday traditions, a playlist of some of Santa’s favorite songs, a theater with videos about Christmas, and an arcade featuring holiday games.
Google Santa Tracker
Google has all that mapping software already—might as well use it to stalk Santa. But it’s more than the map: The website features a number of other ways to stay in constant contact with Santa before and during his commute:
Call Santa: Want to check in with him directly? If you happen to have a Google Assistant-enabled device, you can simply say “Hey Google, Call Santa,” and you’ll be swiftly connected to one of the elves in his workshop. They’ll patch you through to the Big Guy.
Search for Santa: If you want to see where he is right before or after his big trip around the world, there’s a feature where you can search for Santa at places like a museum, or the beach.
Have Santa tell you a joke: Apparently, Santa is a great multitasker, because no matter what else he’s doing, you can say “Hey Google, give me a Santa joke” in the direction of your Google Assistant (if you have one), and he’ll have a joke ready for you.
By Christmas Day, your kids will know the names of all the women Santa dated before the current Mrs. Nofirstname Claus, and accidentally deep-liked a Facebook photo of his first girlfriend’s son playing soccer.