With the arrival of Christmas, Google invites us again to follow the trail of Santa Claus through Google Maps. As is customary at every end of the year, the Mountain View firm has once again prepared its popular Google Santa Tracker —or Follow Father Christmas, as he is called in Spanish-speaking countries -; We refer to the application that allows to see where the Christmas icon is, while midnight reaches every corner of the world.
While it is not the only tool of its kind, Google Santa Tracker has evolved dramatically over the years to become one of the most used Christmas options. Originally based on Google Earth, and inspired by NORAD Tracks Santa, each Christmas offers us several options to keep alive the illusion of children (and not so children) with the arrival of Santa Claus.
Google Santa Tracker is part of the Santa Claus Village , a hub that the Californian company reactivates every December. From there it is possible to access different minigames, interactive stories and other entertainment. For example, users can design their own elf or take a selfie with their beloved Santa Claus. But that's not all, since educational content is also offered, such as simple exercises for the little ones to learn programming from an early age .
But in the 24 hours before Christmas, the platform changes its appearance to give a central place to the map with Santa Claus's journey around the world.
How to follow the route of Santa Claus on Google Maps with Google Santa Tracker?
Logically, the map view with the route of Santa Claus is not available in Google Santa Tracker until December 24. Upon entering the tracker's website, we can see how the character travels around different parts of the world, with animations that show him traveling or distributing gifts with the help of his collaborators. As Google explains on its website, the entire tour lasts 25 hours and the first “stop” is in the Russian Far East .
From there, as midnight — and therefore Christmas — reaches different parts of the West, Google Santa Tracker shows Santa's sleigh moving through the different countries . An important point to highlight is that the platform simulates and displays various data that make the experience even more complete:
The number of kilometers traveled by Santa Claus; How many kilometers separate him from the city from where each user is tracking the route and how long until it arrives; How many gifts have been delivered so far. It is also relevant to mention that you can follow the trail of Santa Claus directly from Google Maps on your mobile . If during December 24 you enter the Google maps app, you will see how Santa Claus shares his location in real time, with the same options on the Google Santa Tracker website.
