How to see Santa and his sleigh flying overhead in Norfolk this Christmas

Parent and grandparent alert.

We all know that Santa will be in the skies above us on Christmas Eve, but what you may not know is that he will be making a few practice runs over Norfolk before the big day and this presents a wonderful opportunity to share some Christmas magic with your little ones.

Town and Around can confirm that the reindeer have been in training for some weeks and now they are taking to the night sky with Santa’s sleigh in their final preparation for the biggest delivery schedule around in the world.

Over the next few days, if the sky is clear, you may spot the lights on his sleigh in the sky at the following times:

Friday 20^th December at 6.54am appearing 10 degrees above west-south-west and travelling east for 7 minutes reaching a maximum height of 70 degrees.

Saturday 21^st December at 6.07am appearing 10 degrees above south-west and travelling east for 4 minutes reaching a maximum height of 61 degrees.

Sunday 22^nd December at 6.54am appearing 14 degrees above west and travelling east for 6 minutes reaching a maximum height of 75 degrees.

Monday 23^rd December at 6.07 appearing 46 degrees above west-south-west and travelling east for 4 minutes reaching a maximum height of 74 degrees.

Tuesday 24^th December at 6.54am appearing 16 degrees above west and travelling east-south-east for 6 minutes reaching a maximum height of 63 degrees.

If you do see Santa’s sleigh, do give him and the reindeer an encouraging wave, they will be looking out for you.

Tips for a successful sighting

It’s a good idea to use the compass on your phone so you are looking in the right direction to spot the lights as they appear. Santa is no slouch and his sleigh travels faster than an aircraft, so keep your eyes on the moving light!

When it comes to height, the horizon is at zero degrees, and directly overhead is ninety degrees. If you hold your fist at arm's length and place your fist resting on the horizon, the top will be about 10 degrees.

Christmas morning

On Christmas Day morning itself, you can see Santa flying home for his breakfast at 6.07am for 4 minutes. Start looking in a WSW direction and see the sleigh appear about 54 degrees above the horizon, then Santa will fly in an arc reaching a maximum of 71 degrees so he can see you all before he disappears east-south-east.