A lot of children waiting for Christmas presents want to know just exactly where Santa Claus is. Before, it would have been pretty difficult to pinpoint where the jolly, old man was flying around in his sled. However, Santa can now be tracked with the help of the Internet.
An online application from Google shows what course Saint Nick is taking on his way to deliver presents to the children who have been nice across the year. The service, which tracks Santa's route like an incoming Uber driver, was started 9 years ago when Google partnered up with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) back in 2007.
In fact, NORAD's tradition of tracking Santa Claus has traced back to longer and far more adorable roots. Way back in 1955, a local ad for the department store Sears, which offered children the chance to talk with Santa, mistakenly had the number of CONAD, the older version of NORAD. One young boy called the number with U.S. Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup picking up the phone and humoring the boy's questions.
NORAD has now dedicated Dec. 24 of every year to doing such kind gestures, with this tradition growing bigger than anyone could have ever imagined. Year after year, hundreds, if not thousands, of people volunteer to answer phone calls and e-mails from children all over the world regarding Santa Claus, Telegraph reported. After 10 years, NORAD's partnership with Gogle does not seem to be slowing down a bit either.
"On Christmas Eve we'll be proudly showcasing a Santa's dashboard, the technology that powers his sleigh during his around-the-world journey," Google says in the official website of the Santa Tracker app. "We've received this special preview from one of Santa's many developer elves, who are hard at work in the North Pole helping Santa prepare for his big day."
Even Google's virtual assistant knows where to direct someone who is looking for Santa Claus. It will automatically say what he is up to at exactly that moment upon being asked, "Where is Santa?" Google's virtual assistant even has some holiday-themed jokes to entertain during the wait for Christmas Day.
Watch the announcement of the Santa Tracker here: