NORAD's Santa Tracker went live as he took off from the North Pole last night -- the kids can
CLICK HERE to stream videos on the website as Santa makes his way over various locations.
And most fun of all, one of over 1,200 live phone operators can be reached by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723). They will be in radio contact with Santa (from their 2,000 sq. foot make-shift operations center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado), of course, but it's unclear if they are able to take last minute gift requests ... never hurts to ask though!
Additional ways to track Santa this year are also:
- Emails can be sent to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com
- There are social media feeds galore, and you can even download an App
- Or you can Chat with Radar too!
About NORAD
For 60 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s flight. The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.
In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, which then took on the tradition of tracking Santa.
