History of the NORAD Santa Tracker & A Few Interesting Facts
Every year, children worldwide watch in anticipation as the team at NORAD tracks Santa’s sleigh as he delivers presents. However, the online tracking page for Santa Claus didn’t start as a planned project. In 1955, Sears ran a Christmas ad that included the direct phone number for Santa Claus so the local kids could call and talk to him. However, the Continental Air Defense Command’s phone number was accidentally printed in the Colorado Springs local newspaper instead. The phone number was supposed to be top secret and only used in a national emergency, but when Colonel Harry Shoup heard a small girl’s voice on the other end of the phone asking to speak to Santa Claus, he couldn’t dampen her Christmas spirit. Instead, he pretended to be Santa and spoke to the girl for a few minutes. In the days leading up to Christmas, the Colonel had his airmen answer the phone and pretend to be Santa, much to the children’s delight. Then, on Christmas Eve, the Colonel and his men updated the children according to real airplanes flying over the United States. Since then, the Continental Air Defense Command changed its name to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and adapted to changing technology.
The NORAD tracking program begins every year at midnight on December 23rd to track Santa Claus and his reindeer around the globe. Although the program claims to use radar and other advanced technologies to follow Saint Nick, it is only a simulation. During the days leading up to tracking Santa around the world, NORAD’s website is a winter wonderland of music, movies, and a countdown to December 23rd. Below are some interesting facts about the NORAD Santa Tracker.
1. The Reason for the Red Phone
When the Colonel’s phone rang, he answered not as Santa Claus but as a military man. The red phone was only meant for national emergencies since the Cold War was ongoing. If the red phone rang, it was supposed to signal a missile attack. However, when the Colonel answered the phone and heard the little girl, he calmed his nerves and talked to her as Santa.
2. NORAD is Corporately Funded
Taxpayer dollars are not used to fund the NORAD Santa Tracker at all. Instead, corporate sponsors keep the Christmas spirit alive and updated every year. Microsoft is one of the main sponsors and works closely with NORAD to provide website support and satellite maps for the project.
3. Staff is 100% Volunteer
Each year, more than 100,000 phone calls are handled entirely by volunteer staff. The U.S. government steps in to help with the publicity, but the people answering the phones and running the tracker are all volunteers. Some volunteers are uniformed personnel and their families, but most are civilians. However, some celebrities choose to help out. Michelle Obama was one of those volunteers from 2009 to 2016. Each volunteer has an 11-page playbook that helps them provide answers to all the questions a kid could ever ask. Remembering everything about Santa isn’t easy, so NORAD works diligently to ensure Santa is consistent year after year.
4. Available in 7 Languages
Microsoft helped to update the website with HTML5 and assisted in offering the site in seven languages. As a result, the Santa Tracker is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, and Japanese.
5. Google Maps Used to Help
In previous years, satellite imagery and maps were provided by Google. However, Google decided to launch its unique version of the NORAD Santa Tracker, so its maps were no longer available. Instead, NORAD uses Bing maps, which Microsoft powers.
6. Rudolph Appears on Infrared
NORAD uses a multi-radar system that includes infrared to track Santa’s sleigh accurately. Since Rudolph’s nose shines bright even in the thickest of snow storms, the volunteers at NORAD can always provide accurate updates on Santa for everyone.
7. NORAD Santa Tracker has Social Media
You can easily find NORAD on Facebook, where they have almost 2 million fans, or on YouTube, with 34.5 thousand subscribers. Their Facebook page contains videos from volunteers, updates regarding their website, and general information about their tracking program. On YouTube, NORAD shares fan videos and tracking footage worldwide. The NORAD Santa Tracker can even be found on Twitter! Over 210,000 followers tune in to NORAD’s tweets about Santa’s location. On Instagram, they have almost 17k followers.
8. Kids Can Email to Check-In
NORAD allows kids to communicate electronically with the tracking team every year. Although the online tracker is more popular, NORAD still receives over 12,000 emails annually from kids around the globe. To email a team member at NORAD for an update on Santa’s location, send the request to [email protected], and a volunteer will respond with Santa’s last known location!
9. There’s an App for NORAD Santa Tracker
The Santa Tracker is available on mobile devices, too! So instead of sitting around a computer, everyone can track Santa on their smart devices. “NORAD Tracks Santa” is free on all platforms and includes games, a countdown tracker, and live progress of Santa’s flight beginning on December 24th.
10. Santa Didn’t Stop for COVID
Back in 2019, the NORAD website received over 8.9 million visitors. Unfortunately, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, fewer volunteers were allowed to help operate the Santa tracker. With fewer people answering the phones, some callers in 2020 received an automated message with an update on Santa’s location. On their website, NORAD depicted Santa wearing a mask while delivering presents. Even in tough times, Santa and the volunteers at NORAD make it a point to spread Christmas cheer.
Conclusion
What started as a simple typo in a local newspaper has exploded into a yearly event that brings joy to children around the globe. NORAD makes its Santa Tracker website available on the first of December and closes it around the 29th of December. Although the live imagery of Santa isn’t available until Christmas Eve, there are plenty of festive games and activities on their site.
