NORAD’s Santa Tracker, the beloved decades-old tradition of virtually following Santa Claus as he delivers gifts to children around the world, returns Christmas Eve for its 69th year.

FILE – NORAD Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Charles D. Luckey takes a call while volunteering at the NORAD Tracks Santa center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., Dec. 24, 2014.

NORAD said Santa got back to the North Pole shortly after 5 a.m. EST. Santa's arrival times. Although the NORAD tracker reflected where Santa was at different points on his route around the world ...

The Christmas tradition has become nearly global in scope: Children from around the world track Santa Claus as he sweeps across the earth, delivering presents and defying time. Each year, at least ...

FILE – NORAD Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Charles D. Luckey takes a call while volunteering at the NORAD Tracks Santa center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., Dec. 24, 2014.

NORAD ‒ North American Aerospace Defense Command ‒ tracks Santa each Christmas Eve using a combination of radar, satellites and aircraft from the United States and Canada.

NORAD's "Track Santa" website went live Dec. 1 but the real fun began on Christmas Eve, which is when visitors will be able to track Santa's route from 4 a.m. to midnight MST / 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. EST.

NORAD’s annual tracking of Santa has endured since the Cold War, predating ugly sweater parties and Mariah Carey classics. The tradition continues regardless of government shutdowns, such as the ...

NORAD also has an online tracker for children to watch Santa travel across the world in real-time. This year’s website launched on December 1, and it currently shows a village in the North Pole ...

NORAD’s Santa Tracker, the beloved decades-old tradition of virtually following Santa Claus as he delivers gifts to children around the world, returns Christmas Eve for its 69th year.