For many, the first time they ever hear about NORAD is this time of year, when the military organization grabs the spotlight and awakens the child in us all with updates—passed along via social media or the local TV weatherman—about Santa’s travels starting Christmas Eve.
Seriously, it’s a joint Canadian-U.S military group based in Colorado. Tracking Santa.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command’s (NORAD) full-time job is keeping eyes on the skies, monitoring aerospace for any threatening or active aircraft, spacecraft or missiles. But during December, it takes on the job of tracking Santa’s yuletide journey.
That’s a big job, considering there are more than 7.2 billion people in the world, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But Santa isn’t going to visit ALL those people because, you know, the naughty list and all.
Santa tracking started in 1955 by mistake. A Colorado Springs-based company ran an advertisement directing children to call Santa directly … but the number was misprinted. Instead of calling Santa, the phone ran through to the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center. The director of operations at the time had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. So children who called were given updates on his location, and thus a tradition was born, according to the NORAD Tracks Santa website.
In 1958, the Continental Air Defense’s successor—NORAD—was created, and it continued the Santa-tracking tradition.
Sixty years later, the Santa tracker remains popular. On Twitter, @NoradSanta has some 151,000 followers. Last year, the NORAD Tracks Santa website reached 21.8 million visits for December from people in 234 different countries and territories. Their team of more than 1,500 employees answered more than 134,000 phone calls and 6,500 emails in 23 hours.
NORAD starts tracking Santa on Dec. 24. Staffers look at their radars, following him from the North Pole with the aid of infrared from Rudolph’s nose. Thanks to the Santa Cams that were installed in 1997, NORAD is able to snap pictures of Santa on his journey.
OK, so there are photos to prove it. But are we REALLY to believe he can deliver all those presents in a single night? Lt. Marco Chouinard, NORAD spokesman, says Santa takes advantage of the time zones and his super-fast sleigh—which, in case you didn’t know, is faster than the speed of effing starlight.
“Santa does not experience time the way we do. He functions within his own space-time continuum,” Chouinard said. “For us it may seem like 24 hours, but for him, it could be a few days, a week or even a month he spends delivering presents to children all over the world.”
Getting the scoop on Santa’s route is tough; only he knows it and adjusts it depending on the weather.
So what does NORAD have to say to the non-believers?
“We’ve been working with Santa for 60 years, and we’ve seen that he’s very much alive and well in the hearts of kids and adults alike,” Chouinard said.
