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Santa wars: Google and Microsoft both tracking St. Nick's flight

The Santa wars are on. Yes, this Christmas Eve, tech-savvy kids will have to choose between Microsoft and Google to keep track of St. Nick as he races across the globe. 

Other children, presumably, will be forced to use their imaginations.

On Tuesday, Microsoft announced it was teaming up with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) for their second annual joint Santa Tracker, a website devoted to playing games and keeping tabs on Santa Claus on Dec. 24. On Wednesday, Google entered the fray with its own Santa Tracker that will let users "track Santa’s sleigh with the most advanced maps and holiday technology available," the company said in a blog post. Instead of NORAD's radar, however, it will utilize Google Maps. 

Like Microsoft's site, Google's Santa Tracker will also feature games, with a new one available every day until Christmas Eve. Kids will also be able to monitor Santa's route with an app, which they can access with the Android smartphone or tablet they found under the tree last Christmas morning, as well as on their TVs with Google Chromecast. 

Keith Wagstaff writes about technology for NBC News. He previously covered technology for TIME's Techland and wrote about politics as a staff writer at TheWeek.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @kwagstaff and reach him by email at: Keith.Wagstaff@nbcuni.com