Merry Christmas Everyone!

Google is in the Christmas spirit again this year.  Last year Google started working in conjunction with the good people at Norad to bring their Santa Claus tracking map to new interactive heights through the use of Google Maps and Google Earth.  Children everywhere in the world can not only track Santa on a map, but they can also see a visualization of where he has been and where he is going as he drops presents off this Friday night.  Google/Norad’s tracker starts at 4:30am on December 24th and is up until 5:30pm on December 25th at http://www.noradsanta.org

Google has done a few more things to make Christmas fun and interactive. The first thing they’ve done is equipped Santa Claus with an Android phone, presumably one with a “red eye” (think Rudolph). On Santa’s Android phone he of course has Google Voice. Now he’s way too busy getting presents ready to talk to anybody, but never fear, you can leave him a voicemail message which will be beautifully transcribed so he he can read it while he’s driving his sleigh (evidently texting and driving a sleigh is still OK because the reindeer are actually navigating). So have your kids jump on your Android phone and give Santa a call at 855-34-SANTA.

Now make it a little more fun, have your child call Santa early this week and then you head over to http://www.sendacallfromsanta.com and have St. Nick call your child back.  It’s easy, just go to the website, enter your child’s name, your name, your relation to the child, a couple gifts and other personally known information and schedule a time for your child to receive the call. From there you can listen to the message and make sure it sounds right and voila, Santa Claus will call your child back.

And finally, AT&T Android customers can receive a text message from Santa Claus himself. Just text the word “SANTA” to 1224 and you will receive a text message back from Santa Claus on your AT&T Android device.  Standard text messaging rates apply…we have to say that.

Merry Christmas!