( CNN ) -- Think half-eaten cookies and carrots are the only way to prove it was actually Santa who put that reindeer sweater under your Christmas tree ? Think again . Thanks to Google and the North American Aerospace Defense Command , also known as NORAD , you can track old Saint Nick on his Christmas Eve journey around the globe . Log on to Noradsanta.org to view a special Google Map displaying Santa 's whereabouts . The map , which launched at 2 a.m. EST on Friday , uses little red and yellow presents to note the places Santa has already visited . Click on the presents to learn a bit about each location , like Rabaul , Papua New Guinea , where , according to the map , Santa visited at 8:16 a.m. EST on Friday . A tiny Santa icon is used to show his current location while a countdown clock below the map lets users know where he 'll take the sleigh next . But NORAD 's interactive tracker is n't the only way to follow Mr. Claus around the world on Christmas Eve . Google Earth shows Santa and his reindeer in action as they make their way across the globe , from Seattle 's Space Needle the to pyramids in Egypt and so on . Traveling on Christmas Eve ? NORADs got you covered . Search `` Santa '' using Google Maps on your smartphone , or , better yet , just ask OnStar . `` Do you have an OnStar-equipped vehicle ? '' NORAD asks on its official Noradsanta Twitter page . `` On Christmas Eve day , press the OnStar button and locate # Santa ! '' The bi-national air defense command began tracking Santa in 1955 because of a typo in a Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement , according to NORAD 's website . The ad , reading , `` Hey , kiddies ! Call me direct on my telephone , '' accidentally printed the wrong number , directing children to the phone of the former NORAD director of operations . Adding to the holiday excitement , first lady Michelle Obama teamed with NORAD to take calls Friday from children eager to know Santa 's whereabouts , according to a NORAD press release . `` Hello , this is first lady Michelle Obama with NORAD Tracks Santa . How may I help you ? '' she said , according to the release . Obama fielded the calls from Hawaii , where the first family will spend the holiday .
NEW : Michelle Obama helps kids track Santa 's journey . With Google and NORAD , you can track old Saint Nick on Christmas Eve . Log on to Noradsanta.org to view a special Google Map displaying Santa 's whereabouts . The bi-national air defense command began tracking Santa in 1955 .