Norad Santa Tracker 2010: Follow the Christmas around the world - Telegraph.co.uk

Nearly 100,000 employees in responding to phone calls and received over 140,000 e-mails from families around the world.

Santa Claus has started its journey at 09:00 GMT from its base at the North Pole. According to NORAD, Santa Claus usually begins on the date line in the Pacific and moves westward.

Usually, he attended the South Pacific and New Zealand and Australia before Japan, the rest of Asia, Africa, Western Europe, Canada, the United States, Mexico before ending in Central and South America.

"But keep in mind, road Santa Claus may be affected by weather, so it is really unpredictable," said a spokesman for NORAD.

"From the NORAD Santa's Elf coordinates with staff to confirm the departure time, but from there, called the plans of Father Christmas. We just have to trace him."

NORAD claim they use radar and satellites to track the infrared signal from the nose of Rudolph given.

"NORAD Tracks Santa Claus, but Santa knows his way, we can not predict when and where it is supposed to come to your house," he said.

"But we know from history that it seems when the kids sleep.

"In most countries, it seems Santa clock between 09:00 and midnight, December 24. If children are still awake when Santa arrives, he moves to other houses. ... He came back later but if the children are asleep. "

The tradition dates back to 1955 when a store in Colorado Springs ran an advertisement encouraging children to call a local hotline.

A printing error means that the telephone number of the director of operations at Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) issued at the place, which inundated with calls at the youth center excited.

The head of CONAD, NORAD later, his staff told the children to review the position of Santa Claus and the tradition was born.

They now offer the service of children around the world have a Google Earth map, the information in seven languages, including English, Spanish and Chinese.

Colonel John Bartholf, commander of the New York Air National Guard Air Defense Sector East (EADS), said: "I can assure any mission that EADS is essential to support all the power in his Santa Claus."

EADS Sector Operations Control Center (ECC) will monitor the time how he brings Christmas toys and gifts.