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Here comes Santa Claus! How NORAD tracks Santa's journey

Since 1955, the North American Aerospace Defense Command has been tracking Santa's journey on Christmas Eve.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — On Dasher! On Dancer! On Prancer and Vixon! The big man and his reindeer are already on the move delivering presents to kiddos all across the world. But how do we know where Santa Claus is on his journey?

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It's all hands on deck on Christmas Eve. The elves have done their part and got all of the presents into Santa's sleigh. Saint Nick is at the ready and on to deliver the presents around the world.

Major General Huddleston with Peterson Airforce Base in Colorado said NORAD tracks him using radar feeds. 

"Well we have 1500 Canadians and our personnel," Huddleston said. "We track Santa through satellites using airborne assets like fighters.”

Huddleston said it's hard to predict when Santa will be making his rounds in the Carolinas, but recommends parents get the kids to bed quickly. 

RELATED: Reindeer roundup: 3 VERIFIED facts about the animals that inspired Santa's sleigh team

"Based on our historic tracking of Santa, he arrives in North American cities, and he arrives between 9 and midnight local times," Huddleston said.

With millions of stops along the way, the sleigh has got to be pretty heavy. Huddleston said Santa's sleigh is estimated to weigh about 60,000 gumdrops. It's a unit of measurement no one can argue. 

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Huddleston also said that Mr. Claus works in a very different kind of way. 

"Time doesn’t mean the same to Santa. he starts in the Pacific and heads west," Huddleston said.

To track Santa's path, NORAD uses the same tools the military uses. 

“We just turn our assets to Santa towards the North Pole," Major General Huddleston said.

Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on FacebookX and Instagram.

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