As Santa prepares for his whirlwind tour of every house and chimney in the world, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) prepares to track him, just as they have every Christmas Eve for the pas 57 years!
It all began in 1955 when a Sears Roebuck & Company catalog promised a Santa hotline but misprinted the number and gave the number for what was then the Continental Air Defense Command (now NORAD) instead. When Col. Harry Shoup fielded the first call that Christmas Eve he was probably expecting the Secretary of Defense, some kind of red alert, or perhaps even the President, but instead he heard a little girl on the other end of the line asking about Santa. He immediately sprang into gear, instructing staff to check the radar of signs of Santa, and thus a tradition was born.
The official NORAD website explains how they use radar, satellites, Santa Cams, and fighter jets to track Santa in a very high-tech system that begins the moment the NORAD radar indicates that Santa has lifted off.
You can track Santa personally and check the running count of gifts delivered at NORAD’s official website by clicking this link. Your kids (or you!) can also follow Santa by emailing noradtrackssanta@outlook.com or by phone at 1-877-HI-NORAD. This year you can also download the NORAD Tracks Santa mobile app.
Happy Santa tracking & Merry Christmas Eve!
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