Track Santa's progress around the world as he delivers toys

Children around the world are currently tracking Father Christmas' whereabouts via US military radar.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has been monitoring Santa's journey for the past 61 years, following a case of mistaken identity.

In 1955, an advert for Sears misprinted the number to call to speak with Father Christmas – giving the top-secret number for the Continental Air Defense Command, which is now NORAD.

When a military commander answered, he initially thought it was a joke – but after speaking to a child, and following a string of calls from other excited children, he instructed several airmen to act as Santa and speak to the children, NPR reported.

Years later, NORAD has now made it possible to monitor Santa's route by logging onto NoradSanta.org, which has a map featuring icons that show where St Nick has landed, and a counter that shows how many presents have been delivered.

Kids looking at the site can also watch footage of Santa's sleigh landing in different places all over the globe.

"Based on historical data and 60 years of NORAD tracking information, we believe that Santa Claus is alive and well in the hearts of children throughout the world," the website reads.

It added, of St Nick's journey throughout the night: "Santa would never rush the important job of distributing presents to children and spreading holiday cheer to everyone.

"So the only logical conclusion is that Santa functions within a different time-space continuum than the rest of us. Santa is a true mystery to us all."