NORAD Celebrates 60 Years Tracking Santa

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado is celebrating the 60th Anniversary of tracking Santa’s journey. 

It all started back in 1955 when a local media advertisement directed children to call Santa on a special 'promotions' number but instead of reaching the Santa the published number rang through to the Crew Commander on duty at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center. In good humour, the Commander fielded calls from keen children and a tradition was born. When NORAD was created in 1958 they inherited the phone line and have been taking calls every year since.

On 1 December this year, NORAD launched the NORAD Tracks Santa website, www.noradsanta.org. It features Santa’s North Pole Village and includes a holiday countdown, games, activities, and more. 

For Australian kids wanting to track Santa the site will kick off at 4.01pm (AEDT) on 24 December 2015 (it starts at 12.01  US EST). They'll be able to watch Santa make preparations for his flight. NORAD’s “Santa Cams” will stream videos as Santa makes his way over various locations. Then, at 8 pm AEST, trackers can email 'Santa's helper' on [email protected] to inquire as to Santa’s whereabouts. There is also a US toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723).

For the mobile-savvy, a swag of official NORAD Tracks Santa apps are available in the Windows, Apple and Google Play stores, so parents and children can countdown the days until Santa’s launch on their smartphones and tablets! Also, new this year, the website features the NORAD Headquarters in the North Pole Village and highlights of the program over the past 60 years.