Santa Tracker 2021: When St. Nick Arrives In Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, NC —While some may opt to forgo the large family dinner or gathering, there’s at least one tradition that remains untouched by the coronavirus pandemic — seeing whether Santa Claus is en route to Charlotte with a sleigh full of Christmas gifts.

Thankfully, Santa is immune to any illness.

Pandemic aside, watching Santa make his annual trek around the world is a tried-and-true way to bring an extra spark of cheer to kids this holiday season. If you’re a parent, it’s also a good incentive to get the kids tucked into bed so you can finish prepping for Santa’s arrival.

So how do you tell when Rudolph’s red nose is trained on your house and Santa is, in fact, on his way?

One way to track Santa is through the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, which keeps count of the number of gifts children who went to bed on time have received.

The U.S. military command charged with protecting the nation’s airspace also tracks Santa’s trajectory. In fact, NORAD radar picked up St. Nick’s sleigh as it departed the North Pole around 4 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday.

With luck and good wind, Santa should arrive in Charlotte right after the kids are tucked in and fast asleep.

Before they doze, kids can also keep their eye on Santa’s path using the Google Santa Tracker.

Another way to keep your little ones amused is to compare the differences between the two trackers.

You can find them below:

Google Santa Tracker

NORAD Tracks Santa