Free Santa tracking and messages for the little ones

Christmas is less than a week away and with the elves completing a few last-minute jobs, Father Christmas will soon be mounting his sleigh to deliver presents to children around the world.

Christmas is a magical time for little ones. And what’s more special than finding out you’re on the ‘good list’ that a personalised message from Santa or tracking the big man’s progress as he heads towards your home on Christmas day.

Well, thanks to modern technology, you can keep a track on Santa for free – or very little - on the lead up to Christmas and even have a private chat to make sure you’re on his list.

Here’s all the apps that’ll help:

NORAD Track Santa

Run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) since 1955, NORAD Track Santa uses radar and other technologies to pinpoint his exact location across the world. The programme, which also tells you the exact amount of presents Santa is delivering at any point on Christmas Eve, opens on 1 December each year and allows you to follow Santa’s pre-delivery ritual.

You can access NORAD though its website and apps for Android and iOS and they’re all free to use.

Portable North Pole - PNP

PNP is an online platform used by Santa and his elves to send personalised video messages and calls to children around the world.

Santa uses his magic to gather all the information he needs and then creates a tailor-made video message or phone call for your little ones. You can even download a HD version of your video to keep for years to come.

You can download the app for free at Amazon, with prices starting from £5.49 for personalised calls and videos.

CatchACharacter

Show your kids that Father Christmas was in their home with CatchACharacter – an app that allows parents to create free photos using images of their own home, along with stock images of Santa.

Santa can be shown leaving presents under the Christmas tree, checking his list, or even looking shocked to be caught on camera.

You can download the CatchACharacter app at Apple for free, with add-ons starting at 99p.

Message from Santa

Parents who download the Message from Santa app gets unlimited personalised calls from Santa and can surprise their kids with video messages straight from the North Pole. Kids can also leave Santa a special voicemail message or hold a text conversation with him.

It’s free to download the Message from Santa app at Apple with calls starting from £2.99 and video messages around £14.99.

Scout Eleves App

If the Elf on the Shelf visits your home each December, the chances are your children will have questioned how he gets back quickly enough in time for Christmas. Get kids involved playing games with scout elves, earning certificates for their hard work and, most importantly, watching video messages from Santa about how he trains his elves.

The app is free to download at Google Play.

ElfYourself

Half a billion people have used the app to ‘elf’ themselves. The app, which lets users turn themselves into breakdancing elves, provides brilliant entertainment for all the family and will keep the kids entertained for hours.

The ElfYourself app is free to download, and some dances are free but others require a purchase to unlock. You can buy dances individually or get a season pass that allows access to all content and removes adds for 12 months.

 Download the app at Google Play or Apple app store.