NORAD’s Santa Tracker will tell you exactly where he is right now in the world
Parents dealing with anxious children can visit Noradsanta.org to track Santa’s movements on Christmas Eve.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) began tracking his trip across the globe at 6 a.m. (EST) on Christmas Eve. This was after “the reindeer finished their preflight check,” according to a NORAD tweet.
“We’ve got the team and the tech to get Santa’s precise location all day long!” NORAD says.
Homes without computer access can dial 1-877-446-6723 to ask about Santa’s whereabouts. “They will either speak with a live phone operator or hear a recorded update,” NORAD says.
The tracker showed Santa delivered an amazing 30 million gifts in just the first 5 minutes of his ride.
It also keeps up with where Kris Kringle was last seen, where he is headed in the next few minutes and how long it will take him to get there.
NORAD has been tracking Santa for 66 years “just like other airborne objects in and around North America every day of the year.”
The agency credits children with helping make the Santa tracker an annual mission.
“Tracking Santa has been a tradition since 1955 when a local newspaper advertisement informed children they could call Santa directly — only the contact number was misprinted,” NORAD reports.
“Instead of reaching Santa, the phone rang through to the crew commander on duty, U.S. Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup, at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center, the predecessor to NORAD. Col. Shoup was quick to realize a mistake had been made, and he ... then assigned a duty officer to continue answering calls.”
This story was originally published December 24, 2021 at 6:52 AM.