When will Santa reach Canada? Follow his sleigh with these trackers
Canadians who are eagerly awaiting a visit from Jolly Old Saint Nicholas have plenty of Santa tracker options this year.
Technology has surely come a long way since Big Red’s fourth-century origins, and arguably one of the most entertaining and whimsical uses of it is the invention of the Santa tracker.
Families in Canada who have made it a tradition to follow Saint Nick’s sleigh around the world will be pleased to know that Minister of Transport Steve MacKinnon has cleared Santa for travel in Canadian airspace.
“I’m delighted to authorize Santa and his crew for travel in Canadian airspace. As Minister of Transport, ensuring a safe and efficient aviation system is a responsibility I take seriously, especially at this magical time of year,” he shared in a statement on Christmas Eve.
“Transport Canada will be working around the clock to make sure Santa and his reindeer have a safe and jolly trip as they deliver presents to children across our country.”
With Santa cleared for landing in Canada, there are lots of ways to keep an eye on him, depending on the experience you’re looking for.
The most popular is the NORAD Santa tracker, which has an animation of Saint Nick and his reindeer cruising above the globe. As of 1 p.m. EST, the North Pole resident was spotted in Armenia and is headed over to Iran. He has delivered over 2.4 billion gifts.
NORAD
The tradition of tracking Santa began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD commander-in-chief’s operations “hotline.ā
The director of operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, which started the tradition.
In 1958, the governments of Canada and the US created a bi-national air defence command for North America called NORAD, which then took on the tradition of tracking Santa.
Since that time, NORAD men, women, family, and friends have selflessly volunteered their time to personally respond to phone calls and emails from children all around the world.
Another Santa tracker is Google’s, which also has fun activities that let you make your own elf and give Saint Nick a makeover.
Airplane and airspace enthusiasts may want to opt for Flight Radar’s Santa tracker. It includes clever details like his aircraft type (sleigh), his registration (HOHOHO) and his flight number (R3DN053). You can also see all of the other flights Saint Nick has crossed paths with.
Flight Radar
So far, Santa has visited countries like Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Kazakhstan. According to Google, at the time this story was published, Santa is set to arrive in Canada in about 11 hours.
With files from Amir Ali