Where is Santa? Here’s how to track him

Nexstar will livestream the NORAD Santa Tracker in the video player above from 6 a.m. ET on Saturday until 1 a.m. ET on Sunday.

(NEXSTAR) — The stockings have been hung by the chimney with care, which can only mean that St. Nicholas will soon arrive with his sleigh full of toys.

Unlike Christmases of yore, we can track Santa and his reindeer as they come into town.

As it has for over six decades, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) — a joint organization between the U.S. and Canada, is responsible for tracking everything flying in and around the two countries — will be tracking Santa this Christmas. The tradition began as an accident in 1955 but has remained a beloved mission ever since.

NORAD doesn’t start tracking Santa until their radars let them know Santa has taken to the air on Christmas Eve, roughly around 4 a.m. ET. You can track Santa’s movements around the world on NORAD’s website.

NORAD also offers a phone line that remains open for 23 hours starting on Christmas Eve. Last year, the call center fielded over 53,000 calls, according to Lt. Sean Carter, the NORAD Tracks Santa Program Manager.

Google will also begin tracking Santa Claus at around 5 a.m. ET.

Unlike the balloon that entered U.S. airspace earlier this year, Santa is expected to travel safely and securely this Christmas, according to the Pentagon.

“I’m sure he’ll be on time and in place for Christmas,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said last week.

He may not, however, find much snow when he arrives. This winter’s El Niño could be one of the strongest in 70 years and is likely to cause warmer-than-average temperatures and increased precipitation across parts of the U.S. That combination could give way to rain rather than snow this Christmas.