You’ve got plenty of options this Christmas Eve to track Santa as he makes his journey delivering gifts across the United States, but they all involve the North American Aerospace Command or NORAD.
“Our main priority mission is defending the United States and North America against threats that could be coming from space or the maritime environment,” said Navy Vice Adm. Michael Dumont, deputy commander, U.S. Northern Command, and vice commander for the U.S.Element at NORAD at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, in an interview.
On Christmas Eve, NORAD’S mission also includes tracking Santa, dubbed “Big Red.”
“We're on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including Christmas and Christmas Eve," Dumont said.
NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command, first began tracking Santa in 1955 when an incorrect telephone number for children to call to talk to Santa was printed in a newspaper advertisement in Peterson, Colorado. The number printed wasn’t Santa’s but was actually CONAD’s commander-in-chief’s hotline. On duty that night was Col. Harry Shoup, who played along when the phone began ringing and provided information on Santa’s whereabouts.
Today, thousands of volunteers will carry on that tradition, by working two-hour shifts stretching from Christmas Eve into early Christmas Day.
“It’s important because it connects our military with our society,” Dumont said. “It shows the extent we go to protect North America.”
To track Santa, log onto Noradsanta.org, ask Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home where Santa is, or call 1.877.HINORAD to track the Jolly Old Elf.
"They can also search for us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube,” said “All of those are live now, as is OnStar," added Dumont.
Norad’s Santa tracker website had millions of hits last year, and 140,000 people called the hotline, he said.
“Sometimes we get cute calls from young kids who want to ask if their brother or sister is going to get a gift,” he said.
Some kids wanted to let Santa know their brother or sister has been naughty and shouldn’t get a gift, according to Dumont.
“We make it clear to them that we don’t talk to Santa,” he said. “We just make sure he makes it safely through North America.”
While only Santa knows his official route, NORAD knows how to track him.
“We do know from history and his previous travels how to track him,” Dumont said.
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