The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has made available to children eager to follow Santa’s journey on his Christmas trip, its mobile application: NORAD Tracks Santa).
NORAD Tracks Santa: The mobile application to follow Santa’s Christmas journey
This Christmas tradition of the organization, which is celebrating its 68th anniversary, allows children to follow Santa Claus’ journey closely from their mobile devices. The initiative joins others already available for iOS android and websites.
Since 1955, every December 24, NORAD has informed children about the exact location of Santa Claus around the world so that they can be in bed on time and receive their presents. This was explained by Stacey Knott, deputy head of NORAD, a Canadian and US military organization based in Colorado.
The application also shows the most emblematic places in the world that Santa Claus visits during his tour, such as the Eiffel Tower or the Great Wall of China. In addition, children can have fun playing or watching videos in the countdown to the big night.
NORAD: The curious story behind the Search for Santa
It dates back to a 1955 advertisement at the Sears, Roebuck & Co department store asking children to call Santa directly.
But the phone number contained a typo. Instead of calling their private phone, children accessed the Continental Air Defense Command, the predecessor of NORAD.
“Any call that came through that line was normally from the president, the secretary of defense or even the president,” Knott said. Colonel Harry Shoup was working that Christmas Eve when the first boy called.
“That little girl’s little voice said, ‘Is Santa Claus here? ‘”, Knott explained. “(Colonel Shoup) looked around because he thought someone was playing a joke on him but then he talked to the girl’s mother and realized what was happening.”
Shoup sent his staff to monitor the radar for signs of Santa Claus and give that information to the children and established the tradition.
Norad’s free app to track Santa’s location on Christmas Eve
The Norad Tracks Santa app, available for free worldwide, allows children to track Santa’s location on Christmas Eve. In addition to the app, children can access the website www.noradsanta.org, call 1-877-HI-NORAD or send an email to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com.
The website is available in eight languages, including English and French. According to Knott, the project has the support of NORAD partners and volunteers, who provide information on the whereabouts of Santa Claus.
“We have thousands of volunteers who come and will tell people where Santa Claus is,” he said. As for how Santa Claus manages to deliver all the presents in one night, Knott explained that “the first thing is that he flies faster than starlight”, although he added that there is still a little bit of magic in the process.
The Origins of the Norad Santa Claus Tracker Tradition
The Origin and History of Santa Claus
Although it is very separate from the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, it’s important to keep in mind that Santa Claus has nothing to do with that day. He was not the uncle of Jesus Christ, nor did he give him gifts on the day he was born, since that was the role of the Three Kings in the Christian tradition. Santa Claus is a character that has been invented in more recent times… read more»
