The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is celebrating the 62nd anniversary of tracking Santa’s yuletide journey.
The NORAD Tracks Santa website, www.noradsanta.org, launched Dec. 1, features Santa’s North Pole Village, which includes a holiday countdown, games, activities and more.
The website is available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Chinese.
Official NORAD Tracks Santa apps are also available in the 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 through social media on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
Starting at 2:01am EST 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 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, Amazon Alexa users can ask for Santa’s location through the NORAD Tracks Santa skill for Amazon Alexa, and OnStar subscribers can press the OnStar button in their vehicles to locate Santa. Bing and Cortana users can also find Santa’s location on Dec. 24.
NORAD Tracks Santa is truly a global experience, delighting generations of families everywhere, say officials. 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.
