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JBSA News
NEWS | Dec. 8, 2017

NORAD is ready to track Santa’s flight

By 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., is celebrating the 62nd Anniversary of tracking Santa’s yuletide journey.

The NORAD Tracks Santa website at http://www.noradsanta.org launched Dec. 1 and features Santa’s North Pole Village, which includes a holiday countdown, games, activities, and more. The website is available in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Chinese.

Official NORAD Tracks Santa apps are also available in the Windows, Apple and Google Play stores, so parents and children can countdown the days until Santa’s launch on their smart phones and tablets! Tracking opportunities are also offered on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Google+. Santa followers just need to type “@noradsanta” into each search engine to get started. 

Starting at 2:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time Dec. 24, website visitors can watch Santa make preparations for his flight. 

NORAD’s “Santa Cams” will stream videos on the website as Santa makes his way over various locations. Then, at 6 a.m. EST, trackers worldwide can speak with a live phone operator to inquire as to Santa’s whereabouts by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) or by sending an email to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com.

Any time on Dec. 24, Windows Phone users can ask Cortana for Santa’s location, and OnStar subscribers can press the OnStar button in their vehicles to locate Santa.

NORAD Tracks Santa is truly a global experience, delighting generations of families everywhere. This is due, in large part, to the efforts and services of numerous program contributors.

It all started in 1955 when a local media advertisement directed children to call Santa direct – only the number was misprinted. 

 Instead of reaching Santa, the phone rang through to the crew commander on duty at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center. 

 Thus began the tradition, which NORAD carried on since it was created in 1958.