NORAD tracks everything that flies in and around North America 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in defense of the homeland. On Dec. 24, NORAD has a special mission to also track Santa, beginning at 6 a.m.
Millions of people each year visit the NORAD Tracks Santa website, www.noradsanta.org and can also join NORAD on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
There also will be operators available through midnight who can reveal Santa’s exact location at the NORAD Tracks Santa hotline: 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-466-6723).
NORAD has been tracking Santa’s annual flight since 1955 when a young girl accidentally dialed the unlisted phone number for the Continental Air Defense Command operations center in Colorado. The girl thought she was calling Santa Claus after seeing a promotion in a local newspaper, according to the command.
Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, the commander on duty that night, realized the call was a mistake but assured the child his agency would guarantee Santa a safe journey from the North Pole.
That began the tradition, picked up by NORAD when it was formed in 1958.
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