Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
While on watch for threats to the U.S., NORAD command helps children and families track Santa on Christmas.
PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. - If parents need a little help getting kids into bed on Christmas, NORAD offers a radar tracking of Santa on Christmas.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is celebrating the 66th anniversary of tracking Santa's yuletide journey around the globe and sharing it through the website http://www.noradsanta.org.
"Parents and children can count down the days until Santa's launch on their (computers,) smartphones and tablets," according to the NORAD public affairs officer.
The NORAD website features Santa's North Pole Village, which includes a holiday countdown, games, holiday music, and more, stated the public affairs officer.
The website is available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Chinese.
Cellphones can be used too. The official NORAD Tracks Santa app is also in the Apple App and Google Play stores.
At 6 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), trackers can call to inquire as to Santa's whereabouts by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723).
Tracking Santa has been a tradition since 1955 when a newspaper advertisement told children they could call Santa directly. The problem was the phone number was misprinted.
Instead of reaching Santa, the phone rang through to the crew commander on duty, U.S. Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup, at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center, the predecessor to NORAD.
"Shoup was quick to realize a mistake had been made and assured the child he was Santa. Shoup then assigned a duty officer to continue answering calls. Thus, a holiday tradition was born, which NORAD has carried on since," stated the officer.
Each year since, NORAD has reported Santa's location on Dec. 24 to millions of children and families around the world.
Bill Stevenson is the former editor of the Whitman County Gazette, Colfax Daily Bulletin and Franklin Connection. He has nearly 30 years of journalism experience covering news in Eastern Washington.
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