Santa is getting ready for the big ride on Christmas Eve and the NORAD Santa Tracker already has him on their radar.

The SantaTracker site tells children and parents just how close the man with the presents is from them on Christmas Eve. For now though, children can explore North Pole Village, which features the NORAD headquarters. The site also has a handy holiday countdown (as if the children aren’t already keeping track), games and activities.

For 60 years NORAD has been tracking Santa, which started after a newspaper told kids to call Santa direct and misprinted a phone number. Those trying to contact Santa ended up reaching the crew commander instead and that’s how NORAD got into the Santa tracking business.

Looking for something fun to do with the kids. Play our city-wide treasure hunt around the city. Win prizes, be a tourist in your own town and support local business in our Racine County Eye Spy Holiday Jam Game.

Denise Lockwood has an extensive background in traditional and non-traditional media. She has written for Patch.com, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine and the Kenosha News.