Christmas is almost here and Santa Claus is ready for his journey. Here’s how you can track him on his way to bring your gifts and stuffed animals!
Sixty years ago there was a small mistake in a newspaper ad, which led to calls to the predecessor of the North American Aerospace Defense Command from children who wanted to talk to Santa. The command center director that day, Col. Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for signs of Santa making his way south from the North Pole and gave kids updates on his location, Microsoft says.
This has become a long standing tradition and it has it’s own special website. It is here where you can explore the North Pole and Santa’s workshops. Then you will be able to track him in real time as he makes his way around the globe delivering toys, stuffed animals and other presents. On the site there are links to the special NORAD Santa Tracker apps for Android and iOS so that you can follow him even when you are on the move, too.
“This year we’ve got Bing, Cortana, Microsoft Edge, Windows Maps coming together, and again, Microsoft is partnering with NORAD to bring children and their parents a delightful experience,” says Santanu Basu, senior product manager for Bing marketing. “They’ll discover games throughout December, and then they’ll track Santa on the 24th as he’s going around the world, and discover more about those cities he’s visiting.”
The Microsoft Edge experience is new to the site, and gives kids opportunities to color in a maze, Christmas tree, presents, a wreath, reindeer, bells, snowflakes, snowmen and a sleigh. If you have a Windows 10 device, your kids will be able to ask Cortana, “Where is Santa?” Cortana will answer back and show visuals of Santa on his annual adventure. Android and iPhone users who have downloaded the Cortana app can do the same. Around Dec 24th Cortana will also provide an automatic update on Santa’s location.
