Santa’s coming to town – an app shows you which one

Children eager to track Santa Claus on his annual yuletide journey to homes across the world can download a new mobile app from the North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad). The new app for Windows 8, called Norad Tracks Santa, is part of a 57-year-long holiday tradition at Norad of tracking Santa. It will allow children to keep up with him on their mobile devices and joins similar apps for iOS, Android and web apps. “Every December 24th since 1955 we have been telling children exactly where Santa is so that children all over the world can make sure that they’re in bed on time so that Santa will deliver their presents,” explained Stacey Knott, a deputy chief at Norad, US-Canadian military organisation based in Colorado. In addition to tracking Santa’s location on Christmas Eve, the app also shows cameos from his route across major landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Great Wall of China. During the countdown to the big night, children can also use the apps to play games and watch videos. Norad’s involvement dates back to a 1955 advertisement in a local Sears, Roebuck & Co department store asking children to call Santa directly. But the phone number in the ad contained a...