The North American Aerospace Defense Command is ready to track Santa’s yuletide journey.
The NORAD tracks Santa website, www.noradsanta.org was recently launched featuring a mobile version, a holiday countdown, new games, daily activities, and more. The website is available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Chinese.
Starting at 12:01am MST on 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 4am MST (6am 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 find Santa.
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 has carried on since it was created in 1958.
