Santa begins his journey around the world, according to NORAD Tracker

As the sun sets on Christmas Eve, thoughts inevitably turn to the following morning. Children begin to wonder when they must be in bed if they want to avoid spoiling their chance of receiving presents. 

Thanks to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the agency responsible for monitoring the skies over the United States, it is possible to know precisely where Santa Claus is at any given time.

NORAD operates a Santa Tracker each year, showing the agency’s live estimate of Saint Nicholas’s location. The tracker will be active until the end of the night.

The program began 69 years ago via telephone. NORAD still answers over 100,000 calls each year from children inquiring after Santa’s whereabouts.

The website also includes information about the locations over which the sleigh passes, as well as animated videos of Santa delivering presents in various locales.

As of this writing, Santa is over the Caribbean, and has delivered more than five billion presents.