Santa has officially taken off for Christmas, soaring through the sky with his team of nine reindeer.
As Christmas Eve unfolds, Father Christmas has commenced his journey of delivering presents to all the well-behaved children around the globe. Naturally, he’s starting in countries where the night has already progressed due to differing time zones.
St Nick is anticipated to start his deliveries in the US between 9pm and midnight, so American kids still have a chance to secure their spot on the good list!
Amazingly, Santa Claus is distributing one million gifts every 10 seconds. His elves have been busy indeed, but to maintain this pace, Santa will need to burn calories at a remarkable rate.
Consider how exhausted you get running around the playground during school lunch. Now, spare a thought for Santa. Luckily, with cookies and milk left out at each house, he can refuel before zipping through the next chimney.
Crunching the numbers reveals that St Nick consumes hundreds of millions of cookies, washing them down with vast amounts of milk.
At this point, with the assistance of his reindeer—Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph with the red nose—he’s already delivered 275 million presents. By the end of his night, that number will reach well into the billions.
So, how do we know where Santa is at any given moment?
That’s thanks to NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), which dedicates its efforts annually to tracking Santa Claus as he departs the North Pole and travels the world, delivering gifts to children on Christmas Eve.
The days of staying up late, peering out the window, and listening for hoof beats on the roof are behind us. Thanks to modern technology, Santa’s journey can now be tracked in real-time on the NORAD Santa Tracker.
The website reveals Santa’s current location and shows which cities he has already visited, offering insights into the places he’s stopped at along his way.
NORAD began tracking Santa in 1955, marking this year as the 69th occasion of monitoring his flight through the skies.
Each year, experts from the US and Canada join forces to track Santa using satellite technology, with over 1,250 volunteers ensuring the tracker remains updated throughout Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas to everyone, and remember, Santa and his elves are always keeping an eye on you, so stay good!