In about 10-12 days, Christmas will arrive. That indicates that Santa Claus will arrive in town in the next few days.
Track Santa This Christmas 2022| NORAD Tracks Santa
Awaiting the location of Santa and his reindeer on Christmas Eve? You can follow Santa on his voyage around the world with a little assistance from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). In this, you will learn about “Track Santa This Christmas 2022| NORAD Tracks Santa” on the occasion of Merry Christmas 2022.
The custom began as a result of a typo in a Sears advertisement encouraging children to call Santa. (Thanks to NORAD)
Does NORAD really track Santa?
Yes, Santa is tracked by NORAD. To find out where he is, you can check his flight path online, use an app to watch footage of his movements, or just give him a call.
the NORAD Santa Tracker website
HOW DID NORAD START TRACKING SANTA?
Col. Harry Shoup, a Vietnam War veteran and World War II pilot, was nice enough to start the Christmas custom.
Every Christmas, children—and their parents—from all around the world assemble to watch the Santa Tracker from NORAD. Since this custom has been for so long, those with an interest in history may question how NORAD came to be established and where the idea came from to begin tagging Santa Claus.
The holiday custom dates back to the Cold War. A misdirected phone call to a top-secret American military command centre in Colorado was the initial trigger.
The U.S. and Canada’s joint agency, NORAD, is in charge of monitoring all air traffic in and out of the two nations. NORAD has an important mission around Christmas: Track Santa.
the NORAD Santa Tracker website
Who started the official Santa tracker?
It’s a custom that NORAD has maintained for more than 60 years and that began in 1955 by mistake.
Prior to the establishment of NORAD, the program began on December 24, 1955, as an annual event. It is said that a Sears department shop advertised in the Colorado Springs newspaper The Gazette with the phone number ME 2-6681, telling kids they could telephone Santa Claus.
After seeing an advertisement in his neighborhood newspaper, a young kid called the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center in Colorado Springs, believed he would speak to Santa.
Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup, the commander on the other end of the line, recognized his error and promised the young boy that Santa would come safely on Christmas. That evening, several kids called the unlisted number before he did.
Eventually, the custom was established and carried on by NORAD after it was founded in 1955, according to its website.
Millions of kids and those patiently awaiting Santa are now able to monitor him on NORAD’s website thanks to the Internet.
Santa is not tracked by NORAD until Christmas Eve, when their radars alert them that he has taken to the air.
When will NORAD start tracking Santa this year?
In the meantime, its popular website, NORADSanta.org, has gone live on December 1. It not only allows the little kids to track on Santa when his gift-giving journey begins but also provides information on NORAD, the tracking of Santa, and much more.
the NORAD Santa Tracker website
AN ENDURING CHRISTMAS STORY
Missile Defense Meets Santa
People from all over the world will use the official Santa Tracker on Christmas Eve to monitor his journey through U.S. military radar.
One of history’s greatest ironies is that the jolly tale of Santa Claus and his enchanted sleigh carrying presents for kids would come into contact with a military command center tasked with shielding America’s sky from missiles.
Details about how exactly the events took place have varied over time. However, the basic facts are as follows:
In Colorado’s covert Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center, staff members were conducting routine business in December 1955 when Col. Harry Shoup, the center’s commander, received an unexpected call.
Shoup enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in 1940 and served through World Wars II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War. He was a fighter pilot who received the Soldier’s Medal for preserving a fellow soldier’s life.
Three-time combat veteran Col. Harry Shoup received the surprise of a lifetime when a youngster called his desk at the CONAD command center. (USAir Force).
The CONAD phone number was private. Shoup answered the phone anticipating it to be a senior military officer. A young child’s voice inquiring if he was really Santa Claus startled him.
Shoup first assumed it was a joke. He subsequently recalled thinking, “Somebody’s pulling a joke on me and this isn’t funny.” Please repeat that, he begged the youngster.
Due to a typo in a Sears newspaper ad inviting kids to contact Santa in addition to visiting him at the mall, he learned that the call was a mistake.
Shoup diligently pretended to be Santa Claus and told his staff to “report” Santa’s location to any inquisitive children phoning the command centre.
The airmen protecting the sky from Soviet missiles were now preparing for a barrage of holiday wishes from children—and they loved it.
The Debates on the story behind NORAD version
There have been several changes made to the story throughout time, such as whether the conversation originated on Shoup’s top-secret red phone line and the precise sequencing of what happened during the initial call. Nevertheless, Shoup and his team were up to the task of following and defending Santa Claus on his Christmas voyage utilizing CONAD’s military equipment (wink, wink).
And the Tradition Begins
“CONAD, Army, Navy, and Marine Air Forces will continue to track and guard Santa and his sleigh on his trip to and from the United States against possible attack from those who do not believe in Christmas”, according to reports that Shoup asked his public relations officer to announce CONAD’s Santa tracking initiative to the press.
And thus the entire tradition began as a result of a misprint in a Sears advertisement encouraging children to call Santa. (Thanks to NORAD)
The latter line, which made a veiled reference to the Soviet Union, was added for reasons other than just Cold War bravado. The “Santa tracking” project actually served as a morale booster for the general populace at a time when Cold War tensions were at an all-time high and many common people were concerned about the potential of a Soviet attack.
The Santa Colonel
The holiday custom persisted even after CONAD changed to NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command). On Christmas Eve, it is encouraged for kids to call and ask where Santa is.
As for Shoup himself? He became affectionately known as the “Santa Colonel.” His family says that it was his proudest achievement.
A Team Effort
Santa tracking is a significant undertaking that starts in November when families start contacting NORADSanta.org with their questions. More than 1,500 uniformed soldiers, Department of Defense civilians, and their families give their time on Christmas Eve to answer the children’s inquiries regarding Santa’s whereabouts. Around 70 government and nongovernment contributors assist with setting up the website, applications, and phone lines.
The fact that Shoup’s goodwill in returning a child’s misdirected phone call still spreads holiday cheer to servicemen and women and members of the public, despite changes to the legend throughout time, cannot be denied.
And Shoup by himself? He earned the nickname “Santa Colonel,” which people took to heart. According to his family, it was his finest accomplishment.
The Inside Story
The tradition’s origins were discussed by Shoup’s children Terri Van Keuren, 65, Rick Shoup, 59, and Pam Farrell, 70.
Terri recalls that her father had two phones, one of which was red, on his desk. She claims that only her father and a four-star general at the Pentagon knew the number.
Rick explains, “He would have been the first to know if there was an attack on the United States. This was the 1950s, this was the Cold War.
One day in December 1955, the red phone rang, and according to Pam, Shoup picked it up. “And then a little voice simply said, ‘Is this Santa Claus?”
Shoup was furious and upset by the phone and assumed it was a joke, according to Terri, but then the small kid started crying. His children remember him as straight-laced and disciplined.
Her sister explains, “And Dad recognized that it wasn’t a joke.” “He spoke to him, hooted, asked whether he had been a nice boy, and said, “May I talk to your mother?” You haven’t seen the newspaper yet? The mother then entered the conversation. Santa has a phone number that you may call. The Sears ad has it. When Dad looked it up, his red phone number was displayed. And as the kids kept ringing, he sent a few airmen to answer the phones and pretended to be Santa Claus.”
“At the command center, it started to become a big joke. The old man has really lost his cool this time, you know. We’re responding to Santa’s calls “Terri opined.
When planes arrived, the airmen would follow them using a large glass board that had the United States and Canada on it, according to Pam.
And on Christmas Eve 1955, Rick recalls, “there was a sketch of a sleigh with eight reindeer coming over the North Pole, and when Dad stepped in, it was there.”
“What is that, said Dad? “Colonel, we’re sorry,” they say. We were merely cracking jokes. Would you like us to remove that? After giving it some thought, Dad called the radio station and announced, “This is the commander at the Combat Alert Center, and we have an unidentified flying object.” Why, it appears to be a sleigh. Well, he would get calls from radio stations asking where Santa was every hour or so.” Terri says.
Since then, NORAD has faithfully informed millions of kids and families across the world of Santa’s location on December 24. NORAD Tracks Santa has survived for more than 65 years thanks to the help, assistance, and resources kindly donated by volunteers, our government, and corporate sponsors.
In fact, what began as a typo has grown into one of the Department of Defense’s most significant community involvement initiatives.
Call to Track Santa
More than 200 nations and territories around the world send millions of unique visitors to the NORAD Tracks Santa website each year. Over 130,000 calls a year from kids all over the world are generally answered by volunteers at the NORAD Tracks Santa hotline.
Children and the young-at-heart can track Santa through these mobile apps and social media sites in addition to the phone number and website.
Dialing Santa at NORAD
The call center opens on December 24 at 6 a.m. EST. To find out where he is, children can dial NORAD personnel by dialing 1-877 HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) to inquire about Santa’s precise location or send an email to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com. Nevertheless, NTS representatives cautioned that Santa only visits homes where children are asleep, so make sure they go to bed early so he doesn’t pass by.
Does Norad Santa Tracker have an app?
Children can now follow Santa using apps, email, Skype, Twitter, Facebook, and other methods besides dialing in to talk.
Santa Tracker – Norad Tracks Santa
The NORAD Santa App is the official app of the NORAD Tracks Santa program. Watch the days countdown to the start of Santa’s Yuletide journey around the world! You can also play games, read stories and more!
Andriod App on Google Play
How do I track Santa NORAD?
In addition to the mobile apps, phone line and website, children and the young-at-heart can track Santa through social media platforms:
(Courtesy of NORAD)
Is Santa Tracker Free?
It costs nothing to download and use Santa Tracker. Additional functions can be unlocked by purchasing an in-app item.
What is the best Santa Tracker?
You’ll find both services here:
NORAD Tracks Santa (https://www.noradsanta.org/en/)
Google Santa Tracker (https://santatracker.google.com/)
How do Santa trackers find Santa?
Old Santa Tracking Technology from NORAD
NORAD’s Santa tracking technology is explained in depth on an entire page, including how it locks-on to Santa using:
- 47 radar systems; satellites that can detect Rudolph’s nose with infrared sensors; high-speed Santa Cams; fighter jet intercepts;
That’s a four-tier structure that has been refined over the course of almost 60 years.
New Santa Tracking System from Google
Google has just started following Santa. Based on the information provided by NORAD, it plotted Santa’s whereabouts on Google Maps and in Google Earth. Later Google created its own Santa tracking program utilizing its own Santa location data, much like how Apple started using its own data for Apple Maps.
Google has not disclosed the source of the data. It did say that it created a “new route algorithm to chart Santa’s voyage,” but it didn’t say how it obtained the information for that method.
In particular, Google likely gets a handle on his location using:
- Wifi hotspots
- Cell towers
- IP address
Have fun finding him, and don’t forget to give the reindeer some carrots along with Santa’s milk and cookies.
Image Courtesy: military.com pexels google NORAD