For 70 years, the North American Aerospace Defense Command—better known as NORAD—has been keeping an eye on the skies on Christmas Eve for a very special reason: tracking Santa Claus as he makes his annual journey around the world.
Lieutenant General Iain Huddleston, the Canadian Deputy Commander of NORAD, says the Santa Tracker has become a beloved tradition built on the same systems used every day to protect North American airspace.
NORAD is responsible for the aerospace defence of both Canada and the United States, using a vast network of satellites, radar systems, and fighter aircraft to monitor activity across the continent and, on December 24th, they are used to keep an eye on Kris Kringle.
According to Huddleston, NORAD begins tracking Santa as soon as he departs the North Pole, updating his progress as he delivers gifts between roughly 9 p.m. and midnight in each time zone.
Over those seven decades, it has always been smooth sailing for St. Nick, with the pilots always in awe whenever he slows down enough for them to get a glimpse.
Children and families can follow Santa’s progress in real time through NORADSanta.org, which features live tracking, games, and educational content.
The website is available in nine languages, and NORAD also offers a mobile app for easy access.
The number for the hotline is 1-877-HI-NORAD.
The call centre is staffed by roughly 1,000 volunteers who answer questions from around the world on Christmas Eve.
Last year alone, NORAD handled approximately 380,000 calls.
New this year, NORAD has expanded its accessibility even further by introducing a virtual translator capable of supporting calls in more than 200 languages.
The origins of the Santa Tracker date back to 1955, before NORAD itself officially existed.
A child accidentally dialed an unlisted number belonging to the Continental Air Defense Command operations centre in Colorado Springs after seeing a newspaper advertisement inviting kids to call Santa Claus.
Instead of turning the child away, the duty officer on shift—Colonel Harry Shoup—used the organization’s radar systems to provide an update on Santa’s whereabouts.
From there, a holiday tradition was born.