When will Santa Claus arrive in Knoxville, Tennessee? NORAD's Santa Tracker gives us clues

Knoxville News Sentinel
·2 min read

While we don't know if Knoxville will have a white Christmas this year or not, one thing is certain: Santa Claus is sure to stop by the Scruffy City this Christmas Eve.

But what time will St. Nick and his reindeer land in East Tennessee? The North American Aerospace Defense Command Santa Tracker offers some clues.

The science organization has been precisely tracking Santa's journey around the globe for more than 60 years, and its experts are gearing up for a busy 2022 season. The Santa Tracker tradition started in 1955 when a misprint in a newspaper ad led to children calling up a U.S. Air Force colonel to see when Santa was heading their way.

The 1955 Sears ad that helped start the NORAD Tracks Santa program.
The 1955 Sears ad that helped start the NORAD Tracks Santa program.

So what time will Santa arrive in Knoxville?

It's hard for the the command center to predict exactly when Santa will land in Knoxville, but past flights give us an idea of the time kids need to be in bed.

Santa Tracker tweets from 2013 and 2018 show he typically passes through East Tennessee sometime between 11:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m.

We won't know this year's time, of course, until the gift giving really heats up on Dec. 24. The most important thing? Make sure you're in bed and asleep! If you're still awake when Santa passes through, he'll skip your house and come back later once you're asleep.

Which direction does Santa take around the globe?

After taking off from the North Pole, Santa's flight pattern typically starts at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean and his team travels west, delivering 60,000 tons of gifts to families across the world, according to NORAD's data on Santa's Sleigh.

Traveling "faster than starlight," the trip lasts a mere 24 hours, although NORAD intelligence indicates Santa "somehow functions within his own time-space continuum." So while it feels like only a day for us, it might feel like days, weeks or months for Mr. Claus.

If you want to learn exactly where Santa is on Christmas Eve, you can call the NORAD Santa Tracking team at 877-HI-NORAD (877-446-6723), download the NORAD Tracks Santa app on the Apple Store or Google Play Store, or check the official website.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: When will Santa land in Knoxville? Here's what NORAD tracker says