“The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that Saint Nicolas will soon be there.”

You too can track Santa through his journey around the world.  Visit www.norad.com on Christmas Eve for Santa’s latest stops.

NORAD (Northern America Aerospace Defense Command) has it website up and running for all to enjoy even before the big night.  You will find games and fun activities for children and adults to enjoy.

NORAD has been tracking Santa’s adventures for 52 years.  In 1955, a Colorado based Sears store ran an advertisement telling kids that they can call Santa on a special hotline on Christmas Eve.  Unfortunately, the telephone number was printed wrong and the children were calling CONAD (Continental Air Defense) instead.  With the first call, officials were annoyed and thought it was a joke, but they soon realized that a mistake had happened.  Colonel Harry Shoup quickly instructed his staff to tell any child who called where Santa’s location was.

NORAD was formed in 1958 when America and Canada combined their national air defenses and the Santa tracking tradition continued.   Many people now enjoy the convenience of tracking Santa’s movement. There are over 800 volunteers who work very hard on Christmas Eve fielding calls and answering emails from curious little ones.  Most of the volunteers come from Peterson Air Force Base and Cheyenne Mountain.

In 1997, the Santa tracking program was expanded to the web.  NORAD receives thousands of emails on their Santa site.  Over 180 countries have checked in on his whereabouts.  Currently the website gets over a billion hits.

As you are preparing for the jolly ole sole in the big red suit, remember the reason for the season! 

Merry Christmas everyone!