NORAD staff will once again be watching the skies as they track Santa on his Christmas Eve journey. Photo provided

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is once again at its post as it celebrates the 60th year of tracking Santa’s journey across the planet.

The NORAD Tracks Santa website, www.noradsanta.org, launched on Dec. 1 and features Santa’s North Pole Village that includes a holiday countdown, games, activities, and more.  The website is available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Chinese.

Apps are also available in the Windows, Apple and Google Play stores along with opportunities on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+. Just type in @noradsanta into each search engine to get started.

Also new this year, the website features the NORAD Headquarters in the North Pole Village, and highlights of the program over the past 60 years.

Starting at 12:01 a.m. MST (2:01 a.m. EST) on Dec. 24, website visitors can watch Santa make preparations for his flight.  NORAD’s “Santa Cams” will stream videos on the website as Santa makes his way over various locations. Then, at 4 a.m. MST (6 a.m. EST), trackers worldwide can speak with a live phone operator to inquire as to Santa’s whereabouts by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) or by sending an email to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com. Any time on Dec. 24, Windows Phone users can ask Cortana for Santa’s location, and OnStar subscribers can press the OnStar button in their vehicles to locate Santa.

NORAD Tracks Santa is truly a global experience, delighting generations of families everywhere.  This is due, in large part, to the efforts and services of numerous program contributors.