
It’s back! In what has become an annual ritual for millions on Christmas Eve, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, is tracking Santa Claus’s journey from the North Pole to deliver gifts to children across the globe.
NORAD’s Santa Claus tracker website — NORADSanta.org — includes a map that allows users to track Santa’s location in real time. The site attracts tens of millions of visitors every year.
Beginning at midnight on Christmas Eve, the site utilizes satellite mapping technology and digital animation to simulate the route of Santa’s reindeer and sleigh.
The tracker also features a live count of gifts delivered by Jolly Old St. Nick. At the time of this publication, that figure was more than 1.3 billion.
NORAD’s history of tracking Santa
The practice began in 1955 when a child accidentally called the unlisted number of what was then the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center, asking for Santa Claus.
Not wanting to disappoint the young caller, Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, the command center’s director of operations, “instructed his staff to check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole,” according to NORAD. Each year since, NORAD has dutifully reported Santa’s location on Dec. 24 to millions of children and families.
The binational military organization, based in Colorado Springs, Colo., eventually enlisted volunteers to answer a dedicated phone line to give updates on Santa’s whereabouts. In recent years, those volunteers have included pop stars, presidents and first ladies.
And the hotline still exists: You can call 877-HI-NORAD (877-446-6723) to reach one of the call center’s operators. (President Trump is scheduled to field NORAD Santa calls from Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday afternoon.) Last Christmas Eve, it logged more than 300,000 calls.
Just don’t ask when Santa will arrive at your house.
“NORAD tracks Santa, but only Santa knows his route, which means we cannot predict where and when he will arrive at your house,” the organization explains on its FAQ page. “We do, however, know from history that it appears he arrives only when children are asleep!”
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Former 'Bachelorette' welcomes 1st baby via emergency c-section - 2
Sahel coups push Africa to top of global democratic declines, report finds - 3
French ship crosses Strait of Hormuz in first Western European transit during Iran war - 4
Recalled "super greens" supplement linked to dozens of salmonella cases, CDC says - 5
Colleges say foreign students feel 'unwelcome' in the U.S. amid big drop in international enrollment, new survey finds
Study finds humans were making fire 400,000 years ago, far earlier than once thought
WHO suspends Gaza medical evacuations after contractor killed by Israeli troops
If someone's always late, is it time blindness, or are they just being rude?
When fake data is a good thing – how synthetic data trains AI to solve real problems
Chief of Staff Zamir warns IDF will collapse due to lack of manpower, raises 'ten red flags'
False fuel prices in fabricated graphics circulate in Malaysia as Iran war continues
Home Plan Tips for Seniors
Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson hospitalized, family requests prayers
Vote In favor of Your Number one Kind Of Food Conveyance Administration













