Santa Tracker 2023: When St. Nick Arrives In Pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA — For young children who are waiting for Santa Claus, tracking when he and his reindeer-guided sleigh are headed to Pennsylvania on Christmas Eve can help keep the magic going — and also help get them to bed on time.

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? These days, there are a few ways to follow his magical journey through the sky.

The NORAD Santa Tracker from the North American Aerospace Defense Command is one way. It 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, from the point he departs the North Pole on Sunday.

Kids can also keep their eye on Santa’s path using the Google Santa Tracker, which has been online since 2004. According to their records, Santa’s journey across the world (and its many time zones) takes just 25 hours in total. On Christmas Eve, Google estimates that St. Nick makes his first stop just after 10 p.m. local time in far eastern Russia — when it’s still 5 a.m. in the Keystone State.

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