
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
Newly Identified ‘Lucy’s Hunter’ Was a 15-Foot Crocodile Lurking in Ancient Ethiopia - 2
Sintana Energy flags major resource upgrade at Namibia oil discovery - 3
Europe: 4 Urban communities for a Paramount Social Experience - 4
21 Incredibly Entertaining Contemplations To Observe Consistently - 5
Well known SUVs With Low Energy Utilization In 2024 vote
Have gravitational waves provided the first hint of primordial black holes born during the Big Bang?
Are protests pushing Iran's Islamic regime toward a tipping point?
Vote in favor of your Favored Kind of Scarf
Kristin Cavallari was the teen queen bee of 'Laguna Beach.' Now she's a 'cringey' mom.
Blue Origin launches New Glenn rocket on company's first NASA-scale science mission
Planet-eating stars hint at Earth's ultimate fate
One month of war on Iran cost Arab countries up to $194bn: UNDP
Wedding trip Objections in the US
What is IDF's view on pontential long-term occupation of southern Lebanon?













