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Santa Claus and his reindeer have begun their journey around the globe, with billions of stops to make in less than 24 hours.
Father Christmas is currently steering his sleigh through the Pacific, having already delivered hundreds of millions of gifts.
Every Christmas Eve, Norad – the North American Aerospace Defense Command – provides real-time tracking of Santa’s sleigh as it navigates the skies.
The cherished tradition dates back to 1955 when a misprint in a department store advert led a young child to call a Colorado military command center asking to speak to Santa Claus.
Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup, who picked up the call that night, played along and assured the child he was Santa. As more calls poured in, he assigned an officer to handle the queries, starting a festive custom that Norad continued after its creation in 1958.
For decades, Norad has swapped its usual airspace monitoring duties to answer children’s questions about Santa’s journey and his astonishing present-delivery operation. Each year, at least 100,000 kids call into the organisation to inquire about Santa’s location. Millions more follow online – in nine languages – as St Nick swoops along the earth’s meridians.
Stay tuned for updates as we follow Santa’s magical route across the world.
Next stop International Space Station
Santa Claus is now bound for the International Space Station (ISS) - in orbit around 250 miles above earth’s atmosphere.
There are seven crew members currently at the ISS awaiting Santa’s sleigh: Alexey Ovchinin, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Ivan Vagner, Don Pettit, Aleksandr Gorbunov, and Nick Hague.
Alexander Butler24 December 2024 18:41
First stop in Africa!
Santa Claus and his nine reindeers have made their first stop in Africa. They touched down, bearing gifts, in Mogadishu, Somalia, just now.
Mogadishu has a population of around 2.5million. It is the capital of the East African country and has served as an important trading city for millennia - something Santa well understands.
Alexander Butler24 December 2024 18:17
Next stop Tehran
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph, and Santa Claus, are now heading to Tehran.
The Iranian capital is home to around 10million people. Iranians who have converted to Christianity from Islam can only practise their faith in secret.
Alexander Butler24 December 2024 17:51
Santa reaches Pakistan
Santa Claus has now reached Karachi, Pakistan. It is the largest city in Pakistan and 12th largest in the world, with a population of over 20million.
This is about 13million short of New Delhi, where Santa visited earlier, but still a huge amount of people to deliver presents for.
Alexander Butler24 December 2024 17:17
To the Maldives!
Santa Claus is now heading further south to the Maldive Islands, and archipelago with a population of around 500,000 people.
It is made up of an impressive 1,192 islands but is still the smallest country on the entire Asian continent, with a land area of 298 square kilometres.
Alexander Butler24 December 2024 17:02
Full speed to Sri Lanka
Santa Claus is now speeding ahead across the entire Indian subcontinent to Sri Lanka - a small island nation located at the southern tip of India.
He will stop at the capital city of Colombo, a place home to just under 1million people. A small city compared to New Dheli, but still many presents for Santa to deliver in time for Christmas Day.
Alexander Butler24 December 2024 16:57
Next stop India!
Santa and his by now, surely hungry reindeers, have just landed in New Dheli, India. The capital city is home to a whopping 34million people - so a lot of presents for those who have been nice this year.
Alexander Butler24 December 2024 16:53
Santa lands in Kazakhstan
Santa has now reached the Kazakhstan capital Astana. He will now make his way to Kyrgyzstan, a land-locked central Asian country bordering China.
Alexander Butler24 December 2024 16:36
Santa and his reindeers fly over Russia
Santa is now flying over Russia after dropping presents off in Norilsk, a closed city some 300km north of the Arctic Circle.
It is 2,4000km from Santa’s home in the North Pole. He is now flying south to the Burmistrovo, a settlement in Russia.
Alexander Butler24 December 2024 16:31
Santa has reached Tibet!
Santa has just flown across Myanmar and landed in Lhasa, Tibet. He will now be heading to Zhangye, the northern Chinese city near the border with Mongolia.
Alexander Butler24 December 2024 16:15