Track Santa with these three festive apps

Christmas is fast approaching and that means it's time to prepare for Santa's yearly pilgrimage around the globe. Christmas Eve is an exciting time as parents help their kids get ready to welcome Santa. You've got the cookies and milk all planned out, but what about the big event itself? There are a lot of top-notch websites and apps out there that will keep your kids entertained both in the days leading up to Christmas and Christmas Eve itself. Here are our top recommendations. 

Santa Call & Tracker has a database of thousands of names, so you can arrange for your kids to get personalized "phone calls" directly from Santa. Children can also send text messages, and there's a naughty or nice scanner to keep them on the right track. When the time comes to follow Santa's travels, there are a number of "Cam" options to watch Santa's sled or check out the world map.

NORAD's been at this for a while. Since 1955 in fact. In my day, we had to call NORAD on the phone to get the latest details on what Santa was up to on Christmas Eve. Now you need only download their handy Santa Tracking app which does all of that tracking business for you, but it also has a number of fun mini-games to keep the young'uns engaged. 

The Google Santa Tracker takes the prize with a host of well-designed mini-games (some of them even educational), quizzes, and, of course, Santa tracking capabilities. If you don't have an Android device, you can access most of the services on the Google Santa Tracker website, which features an adorable advent calendar filled with new goodies for each day leading up to Christmas. 

Sure, these apps are for the kids, but it sure is fun to share a little bit of that holiday magic. No matter what you're age, these little tools are the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit.