NORAD’s Santa Tracker, the beloved decades-old tradition of virtually following Santa Claus as he delivers gifts to children around the world, returns Christmas Eve for its 69th year.
NORAD starts tracking Santa’s movements every year around 4 a.m. EST on Christmas Eve through its website and app. Starting at 6 a.m. EST, operators stand by for children to call and hear the latest on Santa’s whereabouts. You can call toll-free at 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723).
What is NORAD?
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a United States and Canada bi-national organization that conducts aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning for North America.
As stated on its website, NORAD's mission is to prevent air attacks on North America and to address any unidentified, unwelcome, or unauthorized aerial activity.
NORAD continuously monitors all air traffic within North American airspace, operating 24/7 throughout the year.
History of the NORAD Santa tracker
NORAD started tracking Santa’s whereabouts in 1955 when a young child tried to call Santa after seeing a misprinted department store ad from a local newspaper.
"Instead of calling Santa, the child called the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colo." NORAD said on its website. "Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, the commander on duty that night who answered the child’s phone call, was quick to realize a mistake had been made and assured the child he was Santa."
An influx of children called the agency in search of Santa, so they assigned a duty officer to answer the calls. The tradition continued when CONAD became NORAD in 1958.
What else can you do on the NORAD Tracks Santa website?
The NORAD Tracks Santa website features Santa’s North Pole Village, providing a holiday countdown, games, a movie theater, festive music, an online store, and additional content.
The website is available in nine languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese and Korean.
If you’d rather track Santa on your mobile device, the official NORAD Tracks Santa app is in the Apple App and Google Play stores.
NORAD Tracks Santa is also available on other digital media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X, and on contributor platforms, Amazon Alexa, Bing, SiriusXM and OnStar.
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