The tree is up, the presents are wrapped and the excitement is building up for Santa's arrival on Christmas Eve.
Remember the days when you would sit by the window afraid to blink, searching the sky hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus as he travelled around fulfilling wish lists for little boys and girls across the globe?
It was the highlight of my night as a nipper but that tradition seems to be dying out thanks to modern technology as we now live in a world where we can watch him carry out all his deliveries before our very eyes.
There are various websites providing minute-by-minute updates available on desktops, tablets and by phone pinpointing Santa's exact locations on December 24th but there are only two you really need to know about.
NORAD Santa tracker
For over 60 years, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, has followed Santa's magical journey from the North Pole to deliver presents to children around the world.
While most data collected by NORAD is top secret, volunteers share data on Christmas Eve using state of the art technology. In fog, an infrared sensor can detect heat signatures from Rudolf's nose to provide accurate tracking of the sleigh as it sails across the sky. NORAD also use satellites, Santa Cams and fighter jets to track Santa's sleigh during his annual trip.
Tracking Santa since 1955, the official website receives nearly fifteen million unique visitors from more than 200 countries each year. and offers games, videos and various other activities to keep the whole family entertained over the festive period.
Google Santa Tracker
Following the success of NORAD's Santa tracker, Google decided to spread some holiday cheer with their own Christmas countdown app. Complete with educational and interactive activities for all ages, Santa's Village is the perfect place for families to celebrate the season as the excitement builds up for his arrival.
First launched in 2004, Google's version of the Santa tracker encourages family time, promotes creativity, celebrates different traditions around the world and even teaches kids as young as three how to code.
On December 24th, the vibrant digital village transforms into a super cool tracking experience where children young and old can follow Santa's progress as he delivers thousands of presents travelling at 1,800 miles per second.
A Santa version of Where's Wally, Penguin Dash and Present Bounce are just some of the many free games live on Google's Santa Village with many more to be added over the coming days.
Google's Santa Tracker users can learn about different Christmas practices around the world like in France, people put their shoes by the fireplace on Christmas Eve and hope to wake up with them filled with presents or in Iceland, where families gift each other warm clothes.
