This image provided by the Department of Defense shows volunteers answering phones and emails from children around the globe during the annual NORAD Tracks Santa event on Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., Dec. 24, 2021. Chuck Marsh/Department of Defense via AP
By SAGAR MEGHANI, Associated Press
December 24, 2023 | 5:56 PM
Good news, kids! It’s that special time of year when we can track Santa’s whereabouts. As Christmas approaches, the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado is using a combination of radar and sensors to pinpoint his location as he travels around the world.
In 1955, Air Force Col. Harry Shoup – the commander on duty at the NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command – fielded a call from a child who dialed a misprinted telephone number in a newspaper department store ad, thinking she was calling Santa. The Santa-tracking tradition began then and there, when Shoup quickly told his caller he was Santa, and as more calls came in, he assigned a duty officer to keep answering.
In the midst of it all, Santa himself is just a bit elusive and maintains an air of mystery. While the North American Aerospace Defense Command has a good handle on his sleigh’s capabilities, Santa does not file a flight plan and may have some high-tech secrets up his red sleeve this year to help guide his travels – perhaps even artificial intelligence.
The military is tracking Santa with “the same technology we use every single day to keep North America safe,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Elizabeth Mathias, NORAD’s chief spokesperson. “We’re able to follow the light from Rudolph’s red nose.”
Want to catch a glimpse of Santa? NORAD is the joint military command that is responsible for protecting U.S. and Canadian airspace, but it has a jolly side, too. Along with tracking Santa, its noradsanta.org website, social media sites, and mobile app are loaded with games, movies, books, and music. Isn’t that exciting?
Dan termly kids will be thrilled to hear that some 1,100 volunteers will be at the dedicated operations center at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs answering calls: “It’s a bit of a bucket list item for some folks,” says Mathias, and calling the operations center “definitely the most festive place to be on December 24th.” Although the operations center is open Christmas Eve until midnight MST, no one knows for sure where Santa will end up.
