Santa's 2009 NORAD briefing at Peterson AFB (Image captured by Kyla Matton)

NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, is again preparing to track Santa's progress on Christmas Eve this year. This tradition reaches back to 1955, when there was a misprint in an ad put out by a Colorado department store. The ad offered a number children could call to speak to Santa. The problem was, the number printed actually connected to the infamous "red phone" at the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD, the precursor to NORAD.)

That red phone was the operations hotline used only for very urgent communications. Colonel Harry Shoup picked up the first call, from a little girl, expecting to hear from the Pentagon. Instead a little voice asked, "Are you really Santa Claus?"

For a moment he thought he was the victim of a prank, but quickly Colonel Shoup realized something more was going on. Rather than disappoint the child, he asked his staff to use their radar to determine the location of Santa's sleigh. As more children called, they were given updates on Santa's position. It was the beginning of a decades long Christmas tradition, which has now outlived Colonel Shoup himself.

Improved technology

Through the years technology has changed, allowing the volunteers who help track Santa every Christmas Eve to offer even more ways for children and their families to interact with NORAD. Children can still call the radar operators directly at 1-877-HI-NORAD, but they can also visit the web site or follow NORAD Tracks Santa on Facebook and Twitter. And of course, kids can use Google Earth to watch Santa's journey around the world on a map. Videos are also posted to YouTube on Christmas Eve, with commentary from NORAD personnel. If children are out and about with family on Christmas Eve, this year they can track Santa's progress from vehicles equipped with OnStar.  Simply push the OnStar button and request a "Santa Update!"

  NORAD commander General Gene Renuart with LCol. Sean Penney in a CF-18 fighter (Photo: Wendy Gilmour, in the public domain)

Canadian escort

As Santa enters Canadian airspace this year Captains Yannick Jobin and Dave Patrick of 3 Wing Bagotville, a Canadian Forces Base here in Quebec will meet him in their CF-18 Hornet fighter jets. They will escort Santa across Canada until he is met by Lieutenant-Colonel Sean Penney and Captain David Chamberlin of 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta.

   A long range radar antenna (Public domain photo)

For more info: 

NORAD is a bi-national Canadian and American organization that protects the North American airspace all year round. On Christmas Eve each year NORAD tracks Santa's journey across the globe using a combination of radar, satellites, Santa Cams and fighter jets.

Many thanks to the servicemen and servicewomen of Canada and the United States who serve their countries every day of the year, and to the 12,500 military and civilian volunteers working to make NORAD Tracks Santa a possibility!

Contact information for NORAD Tracks Santa:
Phone: 1-877-HI-NORAD (1 877 446-6723)
Web site: http://www.noradsanta.org/
Email: noradtrackssanta@gmail.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/noradsanta
Twitter: http://twitter.com/noradsanta

Children can begin looking for Santa updates from NORAD at 6 am EST on December 24.

Links of Interest:

• Why NORAD tracks Santa
• Technical data for Santa's sleigh

Santa's 2009 NORAD briefing at Peterson AFB