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Here's when Santa is coming down your chimney, live tracking underway in Simcoe County

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The spirit of Christmas is in the air as Santa Claus begins his lasting journey to deliver presents to children around the region.

Departing from the North Pole with a sleigh full of gifts, guided by Rudolph and the rest of the reindeer crew, Santa is set to make a special delivery in Simcoe County Tuesday night, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad).

In this Dec. 24, 2012 file photo, Lizzie Solano, center, and her sister Sarah take phone calls from children asking where Santa is and when he will deliver presents to their house, during the annual NORAD Tracks Santa Operation, at the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, at Peterson Air Force Base, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (AP / Brennan Linsley, File)

On Monday, the Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, officially cleared Santa for his annual sleigh ride into Canada. "I am delighted to authorize Santa's travel in Canadian airspace as part of my duties as Minister of Transport and Internal Trade,” shared Minister Anita Anand.

While children all around the globe leave out milk and cookies and patiently wait for him to drop down their chimney, the flight crew out of the North American Aerospace Defense Command in North Bay, Ont. also wait for Santa’s magical arrival.

Believers in our region, can look forward to a promising night, as one of Norad’s live operators spoke with CTV Tuesday morning, checking his data, and confirming that Santa is expected to touch down in Simcoe County and the surrounding area between the hours of 9 p.m. and 12 a.m.

According to Norad, the team monitors and defends the North American airspace 24 hours a day, and their one additional mission every Christmas is to track Santa Claus as he makes his way across the world.

According to Transport Canada, Minister Anand met with Santa for the first time since she became Minister of Transport. Her goal was to make sure that Santa has a safe and smooth travel across the country.

Residents can track Saint Nick and his reindeer crew on the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s site on the day of Dec., 24.

As of 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Santa Claus was seen heading for Kolkata, India and was last tracked in Dhaka, Bangladesh, according to Norad.

This year marks the 69th year that members have worked to monitor Santa’s special deliveries.

This annual tradition dates back to the Cold War after one child accidentally called the Continental Air Defense Command, now Norad, and shared his Christmas wish list, kindling the tradition, according to the Aerospace Defense Command Public Affairs.

On Dec., 24, people across the region can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to speak to live operators about Santa’s location between the hours of 6 a.m. and midnight.

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