NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, will once again track Santa Claus tonight as he makes his trip around the world.
NORAD and its predecessor, CONAD – the Continental Air Defense Command, have tracked Santa since 1955.
NORAD Public Affairs Director Colonel Elizabeth Mathias says the men and women at NORAD don’t know Santa’s exact path, but do their best to predict where the man in red will go next.
To make their predictions, they rely on fighter jets, technology, and “Santa Cams” to see just where he and his reindeer are on their 24-hour, 91,000 mile journey.
Colonel Mathias says it began when a newspaper ad for the Sears store in Colorado Springs, NORAD’s hometown, misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa and instead listed the CONAD operations hotline.
A child hoping to speak with Santa dialed the wrong number and ended up on the line with Operations Director Colonel Harry Shoup, who showed the Christmas spirit by telling the child his staff would check the radar for indications of Santa.
As other children called, the Air Force staffers would give them updates on Santa making his way south from the North Pole. This year, more than 1,000 volunteers will give their time tonight to answer phone calls and emails from kids around the world.
Colonel Mathias says the volunteers are supported by more than 70 corporate contributors who pick up virtually all of the costs associated with the project
To access the NORAD Santa Tracker tonight and find out where Santa is on his trip, call 1-877-HI-NORAD (446-6723) or email noradtrackssantaoutlook.com