PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colorado –
The North American Aerospace Defense Command is ready to track Santa on Dec. 24 for the program’s 69th year.
NORAD monitors and defends North American airspace 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. On Dec. 24, NORAD has one additional mission: tracking Santa Claus as he makes his way across the globe delivering presents to children.
The NORAD Tracks Santa website (www.noradsanta.org) launched on Dec. 1. It features Santa’s North Pole Village, which includes a holiday countdown, games, a movie theater, holiday music, web store and more. The website is available in nine languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese and Korean.
Like many origin stories, NORAD’s mission to track Santa began by accident. In 1955 a young child, trying to reach Santa, dialed the misprinted phone number from a department store ad in the local newspaper. Instead of calling Santa, the child called the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, the commander on duty that night who answered the child’s phone call, was quick to realize a mistake had been made and assured the child he was Santa. After more incoming calls, Shoup assigned a duty officer to continue answering calls and a tradition was born, that continued when NORAD was formed in 1958.
Each year since, NORAD has dutifully reported Santa’s location on Dec. 24 to millions of children and families across the world. Because of the support, services and resources generously provided by volunteers and our government and corporate contributors, NORAD Tracks Santa has persevered for more than 65 years.
In fact, what started because of a typo has flourished and is recognized as one of the Department of Defense's largest community outreach programs.
Each year, the NORAD Tracks Santa Web Site receives several million unique visitors from more than 200 countries and territories around the world. Volunteers typically answer more than 130,000 calls to the NORAD Tracks Santa hotline from children across the globe.
Count down the days until Santa’s journey on mobile devices with the official NORAD Tracks Santa app, which is available in the Apple App and Google Play stores. NORAD Tracks Santa will also be available on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X, and on contributor platforms Amazon Alexa, SiriusXM, and OnStar.
On Dec. 24, trackers worldwide can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to ask our live operators about Santa’s location from 6 a.m. to midnight MST. Also on Dec. 24, website visitors will see Santa’s flight from 4 a.m. to midnight MST.
NORAD is a U.S. and Canada bi-national organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning for North America. NORAD prevents air attacks against North America, safeguarding the sovereign airspaces of the U.S. and Canada by responding to unknown, unwanted, and unauthorized air activity approaching and operating within North American airspace.
In addition to the phone line and website, children and the young-at-heart can track Santa through our mobile apps and our social media platforms: