It’s Christmas Eve and Santa Claus is on his way.

For the 64th time, the North American Aerospace Defense Command otheriwse known as NORAD, is keeping tabs on the jolly old elf as he makes his way around the world.

In addition to their day-to-day mission of defending North America,they will be tracking Santa as he travels along his yuletide flight path.

The satellites and interceptors used to track Santa are the same ones that help defend Canadian and American airspace from threats.

This holiday traditon all started in 1955 when a local newspaper ad told children they could call Santa directly.

Due to a christmas mishap, the contact number was misprinted. So instead of reaching Santa, the phone rang through to the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center, the predecessor to NORAD.

The commander on duty quickly figured out what was going on and from then they made sure kids were able to get in touch to Santa and the tradition began.

Each year since, NORAD has reported Santa’s location on Dec. 24 to millions of children and families.

There are lots of ways to keep up with Kris Kringle throughout the day (just click on the links below):
— NORAD Tracks Santa website
— Email: noradtrackssanta@outlook.com
— Toll-free hotline (starting at 6 a.m. ET on Dec. 24): 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723)
–They also have Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter