‘Tis the season to keep tabs on what Santa Claus and his little elves are up to, as well as to check when the jolly fellow will be flying by your house on Christmas Eve.

If tracking Santa is what keeps the spirit of Christmas alive, then check out these five apps and services that not only track the white-bearded, gift-giving, jolly man, but also delivers some interesting ways to pass the time waiting for the big guy to arrive.

NORAD Tracks Santa

Tracking Santa for 60 years, NORAD has been around long before any of the other trackers, and it all started with a phone number misprint. From just answering calls from eager kids wanting to know where Santa is, NORAD now offers various activities on its site. From different games every day, movies that tell how Santa tracking got started, an online shop that sells NORAD goodies and exploring the NORAD HQ, there’s enough to keep site visitors busy until Santa climbs down their chimney.

For the original Santa Tracker, check the NORAD Tracks Santa here. There are also available apps for iOS and Android.

Google’s Santa Tracker

Leading up to Christmas Eve, when anyone can track Santa’s flight, Google offers a lot of content on its Santa Tracker service. From games that allow users to pass time and even learn how to code, to learning different holiday traditions and languages all over the globe, and more, there is a lot kids and adults can do while waiting for Santa to arrive. And for older kids who want to make Christmas extra special, they can donate on the site.

For those who want an advent calendar along with the Santa Tracker, check out Google’s Santa Tracker here. The Google Santa Tracker app is only available for Android devices.

emailSanta.com

Writing to Santa has been made easier. Site visitors to emailsanta.com can now simply write an email to him instead of mailing it. Aside from writing an email to Santa, users can also read what he’s been up to, listen to Christmas songs, play games, see who is naughty or nice, and get their funny bones tickled with some elf jokes.

Users can also view live video feeds from other people who want to share their Christmas activities (remember to pre-screen videos before showing it to the kids, and never leave children alone with a video cam turned on) and track Santa come Christmas eve using the Santa Snooper. Check out emailSanta.com here.

ReindeerCam

Ever wondered what Santa’s reindeer are up to or just want to see a real, live reindeer? Wonder no more, as ReindeerCam offers just that with a live video feed of reindeer. If conditions are right, site visitors will see reindeer just chilling out and doing reindeery stuff. Visitors can also add their name to the nice list so Santa knows not to give them a lump of coal.

Check out ReindeerCam here or use the app for iOS, Android or Windows to check what the reindeer are up to when they’re not helping Santa deliver presents.

Santa Update

Some celebrate Christmas through the entire month of December, and others even start putting up trees after Halloween. But true Christmas enthusiasts celebrate it the whole year, and they have Santa Update to help them with that. Santa Update has been around since 1991, and it offers different fun activities, such as naming a baby reindeer, emailing Santa or his elves, finding out if you’re on the naughty list or becoming Santa’s spy to help him keep track of who’s naughty or nice. And, of course, site visitors can track his whereabouts all year long. Check out Santa Update here.

Photo by kevin dooley