I was never one of those kids who tried to figure out the logistics of Santa Claus flying around the world in one night. I was just kind of like, "Yeah, OK, cool, 24,901 miles, sounds good"; then I transitioned into being really amped for presents and not so much for The Big Guy himself. But for a whole lot of you out there, imagining Kris Kringle's gifting spree is part of the whole holiday magic thing. I feel you. I am here for you. My gift to you is this list of five ways to track Santa this year, because I know you all did not grow out of those Christmas tendencies. This is a safe space. You can be honest.
One of the (many, many, many) cool things about technology is that now there are whole websites — a lot of whole websites, actually — dedicated to tracking Santa on his journey around the globe on Christmas Eve. You no longer have to sit in front of your actual globe and trace map out his trip with your little finger or whatever it is that you did. Not that you can't still do that, if that's what floats your boat; still, though. Technology is a wonderful thing, isn't it?
And, on top of not having to use a literal globe, all these really cute Santa tracker sites are nice traditions to share with baby cousins, baby nieces and nephews, or your own babies! Just babies — all babies. Share this with them! The more the merrier!
1. Google's Santa Tracker
Google's contribution to the Santa Tracker craze craze is a whole freaking Christmas village. There's also an advent calendar, with a new little game being introduced every day of December, as well as a giant counter that has tabs on Santa down to the second. Plus, it's Google, so you know this is some seriously aesthetically pleasing stuff.
2. Tracking Santa
TrackingSanta.net is a bit more old school, but hey, Santa is old school, so it works. Get text updates about good ol' Saint Nick, read up on some pre-flight news announcements (Santa's building a new sleigh!), and listen to KringleRadio.
3. NORAD Santa Tracker
The NORAD Santa tracker system is the ultimate holiday classic, because apparently it has been going on for 60 years (I know, right?!). Listen to some off-brand holiday tunes while you explore the North Pole and track Santa by the exact coordinates. There's a satellite involved. This is the real deal.
4. Email Santa
If you have sound on, the EmailSanta website greets you, without warning, with a sonorous "HO HO HO," which fully spooked me. Then it used my computer's location to let me know Santa was on his way to my parent's house in Chagrin Falls, Ohio (yes, it's a real place, and no, I don't want to hear any jokes about it). But if you have some tech-savvy kiddos, this is super personalized and presh.
5. Santa Update
Structured like a news site, SantaUpdate.com is currently alerting us all to a potential weather advisory warning for the North Pole — but don't worry. Santa is on top of it. There are also several interactive features, like helping Santa name his new baby reindeer and helping Santa name his new sleigh. It's mostly naming things.
Images: Pixabay; SantaUpdate; EmailSanta; NORAD Santa Tracker; TrackingSanta; Google Santa Tracker; Giphy
