Google now lets you invite a giant AR Santa into your home for the holidays

You don’t have to wait until the early hours of Christmas morning to see Santa bumbling about your room — now you can just invite the jolly old chap straight in via your smartphone.

As part of Google’s usual festive update, which includes games, videos and the annual Santa Tracker, the search engine has also added a feature that allows you to view a giant augmented reality (AR) Santa through your phone’s camera lens.

To summon Santa, all you need to do is:

1. Google “Santa Search” on your phone

2. Tap “View in 3D” under the top result

3. Hit the AR button and tap Santa into existence

When I tested the feature out Santa’s head was scraping the ceiling (see above), but he did appear suitably jolly.

Google’s festive features can all be played and viewed here, including the latest version of the Santa Tracker, which is essentially a live view of the big man’s annual journey around the globe.

The map comes complete with an estimated number of gifts delivered, information about Santa’s current destination, and — best of all — a countdown to when he’ll be clambering down your very own chimney.

Godspeed, Santa. We’re all counting on you.