NORAD's Santa Tracker: 70 Years of Christmas Eve Surveillance

For the 70th consecutive year, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) monitored the global flight of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. NORAD is the joint U.S.-Canadian military command responsible for air and space defense. Since 1955, it has used its advanced technology to publicly track Santa's journey. The tradition began by accident after a misprinted phone number in a department store ad. Children calling for Santa reached NORAD's operations center. The officers on duty gave them Santa's reported location, starting a new holiday custom. This year, volunteers at a dedicated center in Colorado answered thousands of phone calls and emails from children worldwide. They provided updates on Santa's location as he delivered gifts. The program is a celebrated annual event. It transforms a military command known for serious defense operations into a source of global Christmas magic.