The merry, magical season of Christmas is once again upon us, and to keep up with tradition, Santa and his trusted group of reindeer are embarking on their globe-trotting adventure to spread the holiday cheer.
Every year, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) releases their beloved Santa tracker, which follows the Big Red Guy as he covers numerous stops around the world in 24 hours.
The NORAD Tracks Santa website and app allows revelers to follow exactly where Santa is and where he will be going next.
NORAD’s Santa Tracker lets the world follow Santa’s journey around the world every year to celebrate Christmas
The NORAD Santa Tracker utilizes a combination of radar and satellites to simulate Santa’s journey across the globe.
Santa’s sleigh kicks off the journey at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean and travels westward, delivering presents to the South Pacific, then covering New Zealand and Australia before heading to Asia, Africa, and Europe before finally crossing the Atlantic to North and South America.
What’s more is that NORAD dedicates Christmas day to receiving calls from children and adults from across the world. While the website sees about 15 million visitors every year, NORAD volunteers answer more than 130,000 calls that come in via the Santa hotline.
Apart from tracking Santa, the NORAD website offers games, music, and Christmas stories to spread the holiday cheer
“When is Santa coming to my house?” and “Am I on the naughty or nice list?” the children eagerly ask.
“There are screams and giggles and laughter,” Bob Sommers, a 63-year-old civilian contractor and NORAD volunteer, told the New York Post.
When there’s an excited child on the other end of the line, Bob often tells them that Santa would only arrive after they fall asleep.
“Do you hear what he said? We got to go to bed early,” he then hears the parents say.
“When is Santa coming to my house?” children eagerly ask when they call up the Santa hotline
While tracking Santa, users on the website and app can also play games, read Christmas stories, and listen to the red-suited character’s favorite holiday tunes.
“Santa tracking is a worldwide effort,” said Becky Farmer, a NORAD spokesperson, according to USA Today. “So we know it’s very important to make the tracker accessible to people all over the world.”
NORAD has ensured that children will be able to receive the tracking updates in their native language, thanks to the efforts of Interpreters Unlimited Inc. and its network of over 10,000 interpreters.
NORAD and Interpreters Unlimited Inc. work together to ensure that children speaking different languages get to join the fun
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Official NORAD Tracks Santa! (@noradtrackssanta_official)
“When the kids see where Santa is, they can see it in their language,” said Shamus Sayed, vice president of Interpreters Unlimited.
“Inclusion and visibility are so important,” he added.
Children and adults tracking the website will have the voiceovers available in Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese and Chinese.
“There are 101 reasons kids want to see Santa” said Sayed. “This is a feel-good thing.”
“When the kids see where Santa is, they can see it in their language,” said the vice president of Interpreters Unlimited
NORAD’s Santa tracking tradition, which has been going on for decades, “brings a smile, every time,” said the father-of-two.
“It’s an escape for the kids and parents, and it brings the spirit of the holidays home and makes it tangible,” he added.
The longstanding tradition began as the outcome of an accident in 1955. A child, who came across a Sears advertisement encouraging kids to call Santa, dialed the number provided in the newspaper.
“Santa typically arrives between 9:00pm and midnight local time … when children are asleep,” an update said
However, his call didn’t reach the department store. It instead went to the Continental Air Defense Command (now NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian effort to discover potential foreign attacks.
Air Force Col. Harry Shoup was on duty at the time, and he picked up the phone to hear a tiny voice asking for Santa.
Instead of discussing how the boy got the top-secret number, Shoup mustered up a deep, hearty voice and said: “Ho, ho, ho! Yes, I am Santa Claus. Have you been a good boy?”
The longstanding tradition began after a child accidentally called the military organization in 1955, asking for Santa
“He went on a little bit, and he takes a breath, then says, ‘Hey, you’re not Santa,’” Shoup told The Associated Press in 1999.
The colonel later learned from the boy’s mother that the number was mistakenly printed on the Sears ad. He then hung up, only to have about 50 more calls coming in from excited children hoping to talk to Santa that day. And thus, a new tradition for the military organization came about.
Nowadays, NORAD volunteers find it “fun” to listen to children’s Christmas wish lists as the calls come pouring in on Christmas Day every year.
“NORAD radars and satellites are ready to track Santa!” read their latest tweet on X
Image credits: The Launch Pad
Sayed said a number of interpreters also return year after year to ensure the kids have joyful interactions.
“It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s actually a lot of fun for us,” he said. “The team on the NORAD side is awesome, and they share the same passion we do and have just as much fun.”
NORAD has been begun updating its social media pages on the status of Santa’s sleigh, and tweeted on December 24: “Current conditions at the North Pole indicate good weather for flying!!”
“Are you ready? Santa will takeoff within the hour!” read their latest tweet on X.
“Hope Santa can fit my Ferrari in the back of the sled,” one social media user joked
