NORAD Santa tracker 2022 LIVE — Father Christmas completes his journey as he delivers 7.6 billion presents worldwide

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Our Santa tracking blog is now closed, we hope you had a lovely Christmas and can't wait to see you back here next year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Who wrote The Grinch?

The creator of The Grinch is Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr Seuss.

The Grinch first appeared in an illustrated poem called The Hoobub And The Grinch in 1955.

His big debut was not during Christmas, but in the summer.

The Grinch was a con artist before becoming world-famous for stealing Christmas from the Whos of Whoville in 1957.

Silent Night started a truce

On Christmas Eve in 1914, soldiers on opposing sides of World War I briefly put their differences aside.

This is known as the Christmas Truce. The German soldiers' rendition of Silent Night and other Christmas carols reportedly caused British soldiers to start singing along, per the .

The soldiers engaged in a friendly football competition, gift exchanging, and photo-taking in the no-land man's the following day.

Meetings between the military, however, were quickly discontinued following the holiday because the truce was not widely acknowledged.

The first Christmas song to mention Santa was written in 1864

The earliest Christmas song to describe the tale of Saint Nicholas, sometimes known as Santa Claus, was Up On The Housetop, per .

The well-known 1823 poem A Visit from Saint Nicholas by Clement Moore served as a major inspiration for Hanby's song.

Christmas wasn't always on the 25th of December

Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, but the precise day has been lost to history as reported by .

The Bible makes no reference to December 25 and many historians agree that Jesus was most likely born in the spring.

According to some historians, the date was initially picked because it was on the same day as the paganism festival of Saturnalia, which celebrated and gave gifts to the agricultural deity Saturn.

Millions of Christmas Trees sold each year

Between 25 million and 30 million Christmas trees are sold annually, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

And , , , , and  are the leading states for Christmas tree production.

Best-selling Christmas single: White Christmas

The song White Christmas by Bing Crosby is the best-selling Christmas single ever, according to .

According to the world record reference guide, the song has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, at least 50 million of which are singles.

Over 49k Christmas songs exist in our time

There are over 49,000 Christmas songs in existence worldwide, according to Blokur, a music rights administration.

These include everything from Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas is You to Jingle Bells.

The London-based music technology company apparently examined tens of millions of musical compositions to determine whether songs referenced or had Christmas in the title.

Ten films to watch this Christmas

Here is a list of some great films to watch this festive season.

• It’s a Wonderful Life
• Elf
• Home Alone
• A Christmas Carol
• Die Hard
• Batman Returns
• Love Actually
• Polar Express
• The Harry Potter franchise
• Santa Claus

Is Nightmare Before Christmas a Christmas movie?

Called Nightmare Before Christmas, the title alone leads you to believe you’re about to watch a festive film.

But when the main character is called Jack Skellington, you immediately think of Halloween.

The movie was released in October 1993, NOT at Christmas.

It has sparked a debate that has long divided fans, but the evidence does seem to point to Nightmare Before Christmas being a Halloween film.

In a 2019 interview with , composer Danny Elfman sided with Team Halloween, saying: “It’s obviously about Christmas, but for me, it’s a Halloween movie.”

What is the name of The Grinch’s dog?

In Dr Seuss’ books and all adaptations, the Grinch’s canine companion is called Max.

Max appears to be the Grinch’s only friend in the movie.

Despite the Grinch’s bad moods and tirades, Max is ever-loyal to him.

He even wears reindeer antlers and pulls the sleigh full of Whoville’s Christmas gifts!

Who wrote The Grinch?

The creator of The Grinch is Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr Seuss.

The Grinch first appeared in an illustrated poem called The Hoobub And The Grinch in 1955.

His big debut was not during Christmas, but in the summer.

The Grinch was a con artist before becoming world-famous for stealing Christmas from the Whos of Whoville in 1957.

Why we shouldn’t leave carrots out for the reindeer

The reindeer fly 316million miles in just 32 hours.

It is definitely a cool snack for them, but Santa has warned and issued against leaving carrots out for Rudolph and his squad.

This is because 81 per cent of raw carrots can’t be digested by reindeer.

Instead, you could leave out cooked or baked rolled oats, cranberries, maple syrup, button mushrooms or flaxseed to help Rudolph’s nose glow.

Where is Lapland?

Lapland is actually part of Finland and is not near the North Pole.

It is however close to the Arctic Circle.

Temperatures in Lapland can drop below -30˚ Celsius in the winter, although don’t worry about visiting Santa as temperatures are normally between -15 and 0˚C in winter.

As the North Pole is so inaccessible Santa sets up an official village in Rovaniemi, Lapland, known as “Santa’s official North Pole residence”.

Santa’s journey is officially complete!

Santa has finished his annual journey, bringing Christmas cheer to billions around the world.

Mr Clause delivered over 7.5 billion presents, in the end, making children’s dreams come true this Christmas.

When did Father Christmas deliver your gifts?

Santa’s reason for living at the North Pole, revealed

According to , in the 1800s, the well-known political cartoonist Thomas Nast established Santa’s official house as the North Pole in a number of cartoons.

The North Pole was then regarded as a legendary, magical area because there had just been a number of Arctic missions.

More on the cancelation of Christmas

Christmas was not a holiday in early America as a result. The practice of celebrating Christmas was really forbidden in Boston from 1659 until 1681, the says.

Anyone showing Christmas cheer was subject to a five-shilling fine. In contrast, Captain John Smith stated that Christmas was celebrated peacefully and by all in the Jamestown settlement.

English traditions, including Christmas, went out of favor after the American Revolution. In actuality, it wasn't until June 26, 1870, that Christmas was named a federal holiday.

When Christmas was canceled

A wave of ecclesiastical reform at the beginning of the 17th century altered how Christmas was observed in Europe, per the .

Christmas was canceled as part of Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan armies' campaign to purge England of decadence after seizing power in 1645.

Charles II was reinstated to the throne in response to popular demand, and the well-liked festival followed.

The English separatists known as the pilgrims, who immigrated to America in 1620, were even more orthodox Puritans than Cromwell.

Classic Christmas movies to watch with family today

Thanks to streaming services, there is a plethora of classic Christmas movies to binge this holiday. Here's a you can watch with family:

• It's a Wonderful Life
• A Muppet Christmas Carol
• A Charlie Brown Christmas
• White Christmas
• The Sound of Music

Brenda Lee was 13 years old when she recorded Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Johnny Marks, the author of A Holly Jolly Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, composed the song in 1958.

Brenda was astonished when Johnny approached her and asked her to sing the song, the reported.

She gained national fame by performing on local TV and radio shows.

"I was only 12, and I had not had a lot of success in records, but for some reason, he heard me and wanted me to do it. And I did," Brenda told in 2015. 

Silent Night started a truce

On Christmas Eve in 1914, soldiers on opposing sides of World War I briefly put their differences aside.

This is known as the Christmas Truce. The German soldiers' rendition of Silent Night and other Christmas carols reportedly caused British soldiers to start singing along, per the .

The soldiers engaged in a friendly football competition, gift exchanging, and photo-taking in the no-land man's the following day.

Meetings between the military, however, were quickly discontinued following the holiday because the truce was not widely acknowledged.

The first Christmas song to mention Santa was written in 1864

The earliest Christmas song to describe the tale of Saint Nicholas, sometimes known as Santa Claus, was Up On The Housetop, per .

The well-known 1823 poem A Visit from Saint Nicholas by Clement Moore served as a major inspiration for Hanby's song.

Dry Christmas trees cause hazards yearly

According to the , neglected, dried-out Christmas trees start roughly 100 fires annually in the US, resulting in an average of 10 fatalities, and inflicting $15.7million in property damage.

An accidental spark can endanger nearby residents and responding firefighters in addition to ruining your getaway.

Most holly, jolly holiday used to be illegal

Anyone seen celebrating in the colonies from 1659 to 1681 would have to pay a fine, per .

By the Revolutionary War, the date had lost all meaning; in fact, Congress's first meeting was conducted on December 25, 1789.

Christmas wasn't even declared a federal holiday for nearly another century, indicating that the Grinch's perspective on the occasion was predated.