A handful of kids calling to pinpoint Santa's progress on his Christmas Eve journey may have been surprised to hear Michelle Obama's voice on the other end of the line.

The first lady is vacationing with President Barack Obama and their daughters in Hawaii, but spent about a half-hour Tuesday manning the phones for the North American Aerospace Defense Command. The agency's NORAD Tracks Santa program takes calls each Christmas from children wanting to ensure their presents are on track for timely delivery.

Around the time Mrs. Obama was taking calls, NORAD's tracker showed Santa and his reindeer making their way through Europe. NORAD started tracking Santa around 7 a.m. ET Christmas Eve morning. He was making good time most of the day, according to NORAD.

Children can track Santa by phone, Twitter, Facebook or email. Everything more you have ever wanted to know about NORAD's Santa tracker program can be read here.