In a world where military installations are typically on high alert for threats to security, there is a peculiar exception each year on Christmas Eve. As children nestle snug in their beds, volunteers at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) switch from scanning for potential dangers to offering updates on a very different type of airborne activity — the global journey of Santa Claus. According to CBS Austin, this festive tradition has NORAD personnel fielding queries from eager children around the globe, all asking when St. Nick will shimmy down their chimney.
It's a tradition that throws opens a window, allowing a brief pause in the seriousness of a defense command's day-to-day responsibilities. At least 100,000 kids reportedly reach out to NORAD annually to inquire about Santa’s whereabouts with millions more monitoring the path online in multiple languages. "There are screams and giggles and laughter," remarked Bob Sommers, a civilian contractor with NORAD, in an interview cited by CBS Austin.
The beginning of this unexpected role for NORAD can be traced back to an incident in 1955, when a Colorado Springs newspaper typo directed a child's call for Santa to the Continental Air Defense Command, the NORAD predecessor. The boy expected to hear the voice of Santa Clause, yet instead, he reached the stern Colonel Harry W. Shoup. The experienced military man, softening to the innocent surprise on the other end of the line, decided to play along. "Have you been a good boy?" Shoup asked the child, in a move that inadvertently launched what would become a long-standing tradition, as CBS Austin elaborated.
That tradition has, over the years, outlasted not only the Cold War, which provided its initial backdrop, but also various government shutdowns. NORAD's Santa tracker has endured as a rare and resonant addition to Santa's story, one that infuses the character's mythos with modern technological capabilities and links it, endearingly, to the instruments of state power. Air Force Lt. Gen. Case Cunningham told CBS Austin, "That's when the satellite systems we use to track and identify targets of interest every single day start to kick in," referring to the mythical heat signature of Rudolph's nose as a clever twist on the use of military-grade technology.
With the advent of digital connectivity, tracking Santa on Christmas Eve has become more accessible than ever. Through the official website, www.noradsanta.org, and accompanying app, families can follow Santa's sleigh from the early hours of Christmas Eve into the night. Those preferring a more personal touch can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to speak with live operators, who, in keeping with the whimsy of the season, will be standing by to provide updates on Santa's progress.
