Tracking Santa on Christmas Eve via NORAD …

Well, it’s almost Christmas Eve and it won’t be long until Santa begins his epic journey and travels around the globe to deliver presents to boys and girls everywhere. It’s such an exciting time for littlies everywhere, but did you know there’s a way to follow and track Santa’s journey?

If you visit this site: www.noradsanta.org you and your kids will be able to follow Santa’s journey as he leaves the North Pole and flies south around the world. Santa is tracked by radar, satellite, Santacams and he’s even escorted by Canadian and American fighter pilots who fly with Santa and his reindeer as they move through North America.

So what’s the background and how did this “tracking” come about? The story dates back 60 years to 1955 when the Sears Department Store in America advertised the opportunity for children to call the store and talk to Santa. Unfortunately, they mistakenly printed the wrong phone number and the calls went through to the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) where they were answered by Colonel Harry Shoup, the Director of Operations. Realising what had occurred, Colonel Shoup instructed his staff to answer the calls and advise the children of Santa’s current radar position as he made his way south from the North Pole. CONAD eventually became NORAD in 1958 and NORAD stands for The North American Aerospace Defense Command, which is a joint operation between the United States and Canada responsible for aerospace safety and warning … and a tradition was born.

There is a list of frequently asked questions on the site with loads of valuable information for the kids but the best question and advice (as quoted directly from the site) is this:

“WHEN WILL SANTA ARRIVE AT MY HOUSE?

NORAD tracks Santa, but only Santa knows his route, which means we cannot predict where and when he will arrive at your house. We do, however, know from history that it appears he arrives only when children are asleep! In most countries, it seems Santa arrives between 9:00 p.m. and midnight on December 24th. If children are still awake when Santa arrives, he moves on to other houses. He returns later…but only when the children are asleep!”

Tracking Santa via NORAD was something we started doing years ago and even though my girls are now older, it’s a bit of a tradition for us to log on to the site on Christmas Eve and track Santa’s progress.

So for a bit of fun, why not log on tonight and create some magic for the kids.

Merry Christmas, everyone!