His journey started in his home village, which is located on the Arctic Circle in Finland.
A video clip shows Santa Claus preparing to deliver gifts by reading letters he has received from children around the world. He began his annual Christmas trip aboard a reindeer-pulled sleigh.
Ahead of his departure, he said, “This Christmas I hope that we all keep in mind that we have one world.” He went on to say: “I hope this Christmas we could take a moment to think about how could Christmas bring us closer to each other. How could we all live in peace together around the world?”
Meanwhile, aerospace defense officials in the United States and Canada are tracking and live-streaming Santa’s trip around the globe.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, carries out this special mission every year at this time.
On Wednesday night, the tracker showed Santa Claus traveling around Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East. He was delivering presents to children.
More than 1,200 soldiers and volunteers will respond to thousands of calls and emails from children all over the world inquiring about Santa’s whereabouts.
