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 This year's Santa tracking program is the 44th conducted by NORAD and the 46th overall. NORAD's predecessor, Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), also located in Colorado Springs, started the tradition after a local store's advertisement for kids to call Santa on a special "hotline" included a misprinted telephone number. Instead of Mr. Kris Kringle, the number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The Director of Operations, Colonel Harry Shoup, received the first "Santa" call. Realizing what had happened, Colonel Shoup had his staff check radar data to see if there was any indication of Santa making his way South from the North Pole. Indeed there were signs of Santa and children who called in were given an update on Santa's position. Thus, the tradition was born. In 1957, the governments of Canada and the United States decided to create a joint air defense command for the North American continent called the North American Air Defense Command. Canada and the U.S. believed they could better defend North America together as a team instead of separately.
The Command carried out its first Santa tracking in 1957 after inheriting the tradition from CONAD. Since that time, phone calls from children have been responded to personally by Canadian and American NORAD personnel. Additionally, media from all over the world call NORAD on Christmas Eve for updates on Santa's location. Last year this website was visited by millions of people who wanted to know Santa's whereabouts. This year, the information is being provided in six languages.
NORAD relies on many volunteers to help make Santa tracking possible. Many people at Cheyenne Mountain and Peterson Air Force Base give up their own time in order to answer phones and provide Santa updates to the many thousands of children who call in. NORAD satellite information (provided by U.S. Space Command) and radar information makes our Santa tracking possible. |
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