Google’s Santa tracker was recently updated to show a COVID smart Santa and Mrs. Claus wearing protective masks in addition to several new games. Now that the elves have had some fun, it’s time for the real work to begin. You can now track Santa as he treks across the globe delivering presents, and he’s got some new tricks up his sleeve this year.
In years past, the Santa Tracker existed only in Google Maps on Christmas Eve, but now it’s built right into its own web app! In addition to a cute little Santa hat on the top right of the screen that will center his position on the map, there’s also a live feed that shows what he, the elves, and Mrs. Claus are up to in real-time. From eating ice cream and playing basketball to trying to figure out what the heck is going on in a Jackson Pollock painting (like the rest of us), it’s hard to believe that old Chris Kringle has enough time to sleigh around the world while taking a break to ride on a narwhal and to do other extra-curricular activities (maybe he has an Amazon Prime partnership).
Google also took advantage of the opportunity to add in some Local Guides cards to get users interested in what’s going on around the world. The cards will change based on where Santa is in the world at that time, so take some time to explore them! Lastly, there’s a green box on the tracker that shows you exactly how many hours it will be until Saint Nick arrives in your chimney, where he currently is, how long he’s staying there and how many gifts he’s delivered in total.
As of writing this, he’s up to 4,063,445,658 gifts which makes me wonder how the United States government hasn’t gotten involved in his operation at any point in the year to advocate for elves rights and fair treatment as they tirelessly piece together licensed, name-brand toys without modern machinery or lawsuits. I suppose that’s a mystery for another day – Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night (or afternoon, or morning depending on where you are in the world while you’re reading this)!
