NORAD Santa tracker: Where Father Christmas is now and when he'll be in England

It's only one more sleep until Christmas and children across the world will be struggling to snooze with the excitement of Santa's visit tonight.

For the second year in a row, December 25 might feel a bit different for a lot of us.

The pandemic didn't stop Father Christmas from visiting last year - and it looks like he is set to make his annual journey across the world again for 2021.

But what better way of putting your child's mind at ease than by tracking his arrival?

READ MORE: Where are Santa's grottos in Greater Manchester this Christmas 2021?

To help your little ones nod off worry-free, parents can let them know that Santa is definitely on his way with their presents - all with the help of a clever tracker.

Each Christmas, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) use their multi-billion dollar satellites and high-tech tracking equipment to follow Father Christmas' journey across the globe.

While NORAD usually keep an eye out for missile attacks, once a year they turn their attention to tracking Santa on his mission - and they've been doing so for 66 years.

And they're not the only ones - Google, with their eagle eye on the world's internet, also have their own Santa tracker so children know what time they need to make sure they're fast asleep.

Traditionally, Santa starts out in the Pacific Ocean and travels west.

He visits the South Pacific first, then New Zealand and Australia.

After that, he shoots up to Japan, over to Asia, across to Africa, then onto Western Europe, Canada, the United States, Mexico and Central and South America.

We can't give the exact time he'll be flying over Greater Manchester - only Santa knows the exact route.

However from his course, expect him in the UK between 9pm and midnight on December 24.

But remember - if you're awake, he'll skip your house and come back later.

To see exactly where Santa currently is delivering presents around the world, you can check NORAD Tracks Santa HERE and the Google tracker HERE.