By Hastkaari
Image Credit: pexels.com, google.com, noradsanta.org, military.com December 12, 2022
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).
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.
Does NORAD really track Santa?
The custom began as a result of a typo in a Sears advertisement encouraging children to call Santa. Col. Harry Shoup, a Vietnam War veteran and World War II pilot, was nice enough to start the Christmas custom.
HOW DID NORAD START TRACKING SANTA?
It's a custom that NORAD has maintained for more than 60 years and that began in 1955 by mistake. 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.
Who started the official Santa tracker?
After seeing an advertisement in his neighbourhood newspaper, a young kid called the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center in Colorado Springs, believing he would speak to Santa.
Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup, the commander on the other end of the line, recognised 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.
AN ENDURING CHRISTMAS STORY
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.
Shoup diligently pretended to be Santa Claus and told his staff to "report" Santa's location to any inquisitive children phoning the command centre.
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 call centre opens on December 24 at 6 a.m. EST. To find out where he is, children can dial NORAD personnel by dialling 1-877 HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) to inquire about Santa's precise location or send an email to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com. (Thanks to NORAD)
Dialing Santa at NORAD
Children can now follow Santa using apps, email, Skype, Twitter, Facebook, and other methods besides dialling in to talk. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noradsanta Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoradSanta YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/NORADTracksSanta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noradtrackssanta_official NORAD Tracks Santa Website: https://www.noradsanta.org NORAD Tracks Santa Newsroom: https://noradsantanews.com/newsroom (Courtesy of NORAD)