NORAD’s customary route starts over the Pacific, with the South Pacific region first—but the official 2025 materials do not identify a first country. A U.S. Army description says Santa usually travels west from the International Date Line, reaching the South Pacific before New Zealand and Australia. That is a broad, historical route description, not a verified country-by-country itinerary for Christmas Eve 2025.
What NORAD’s route description does—and does not—tell us
The best-supported answer to “Which country will Santa Claus visit first?” is that no specific country is confirmed. NORAD’s 2025 announcement and media kit explain the season and ways to follow Santa, but do not name his first country. The U.S. Army’s description of the customary route places the South Pacific first, followed by New Zealand and Australia; it also says that after takeoff, the route is Santa’s to determine. Read the Army’s route description.
So, “the South Pacific” is the responsible regional answer. Naming a country based on its proximity to the International Date Line or its time zone would go beyond what these sources establish.
How to follow NORAD Tracks Santa on Christmas Eve
NORAD’s November 28, 2025 announcement said the website would launch December 1 and Santa tracking was scheduled for December 24. The 2025 season marked the program’s 70th anniversary. These are dates and details for the 2025 season, not a confirmed schedule for future years. See NORAD’s 2025 announcement.
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The announcement listed these ways to follow the tracker in 2025:
- Website: NORAD Tracks Santa, with a North Pole Village featuring a countdown, games, a movie theater, music, and a web store.
- Mobile app: The official app was listed in the Apple App Store and Google Play.
- Social platforms: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X.
- Other access: Amazon Alexa, SiriusXM, and OnStar. The 2025 media kit also named Bing as an access option.
The 2025 announcement said the site was available in nine languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, and Chinese. Platform and language availability can change by season, so check NORAD’s current instructions rather than assuming every 2025 option remains available. The official tracker landing page is noradsanta.org.
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Do you need to buy anything?
No purchase is needed to use the website or app. An Alexa-enabled smart speaker is an optional way to ask for Santa’s location, not a requirement; NORAD’s materials do not specify a required speaker model. Availability of voice access should be checked for the season and device in use.
How NORAD describes its tracking systems
NORAD’s 2025 media kit says its holiday program depicts Santa’s whereabouts using radar, satellites, and NORAD aircraft, including the North Warning System. These are descriptions of how the seasonal tracker presents Santa’s journey; they are not independent verification of the fictional premise. Read the 2025 media kit.
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Why NORAD tracks Santa
NORAD says the tradition began in 1955, after a child trying to call Santa misdialed a number in a department-store newspaper advertisement and reached the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center in Colorado Springs. Air Force Col. Harry Shoup answered and told the child where Santa was. The tradition continued when NORAD was formed in 1958. This origin story is NORAD’s own account. NORAD’s history and program page.
The command’s 2025 announcement described Christmas Eve tracking as an additional mission: “On Dec. 24, NORAD has one additional mission: tracking Santa Claus as he makes his way across the globe, delivering presents to children.”
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What the 2025 program figures represent
NORAD’s 2025 media kit reported operational figures from 2024, so they should not be mistaken for 2025 results:
- 975 volunteers — NORAD figure for 2024, reported in the 2025 media kit.
- 380,000 calls received on December 24 — NORAD figure for 2024, reported in the 2025 media kit.
- 32 million website views — NORAD figure for 2024, reported in the 2025 media kit.
- More than 50 corporate contributors — described in the 2025 media kit as supporting phone lines, the website, Santa-cam video, and live tracker updates.
NORAD’s general program page has also cited an older figure of more than 130,000 calls. It is a separate historical figure, not a replacement for the media kit’s 2024 call count.
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