
It’s back! In what has become an annual ritual for millions on Christmas Eve, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, is tracking Santa Claus’s journey from the North Pole to deliver gifts to children across the globe.
NORAD’s Santa Claus tracker website — NORADSanta.org — includes a map that allows users to track Santa’s location in real time. The site attracts tens of millions of visitors every year.
Beginning at midnight on Christmas Eve, the site utilizes satellite mapping technology and digital animation to simulate the route of Santa’s reindeer and sleigh.
The tracker also features a live count of gifts delivered by Jolly Old St. Nick. At the time of this publication, that figure was more than 1.3 billion.
NORAD’s history of tracking Santa
The practice began in 1955 when a child accidentally called the unlisted number of what was then the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center, asking for Santa Claus.
Not wanting to disappoint the young caller, Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, the command center’s director of operations, “instructed his staff to check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole,” according to NORAD. Each year since, NORAD has dutifully reported Santa’s location on Dec. 24 to millions of children and families.
The binational military organization, based in Colorado Springs, Colo., eventually enlisted volunteers to answer a dedicated phone line to give updates on Santa’s whereabouts. In recent years, those volunteers have included pop stars, presidents and first ladies.
And the hotline still exists: You can call 877-HI-NORAD (877-446-6723) to reach one of the call center’s operators. (President Trump is scheduled to field NORAD Santa calls from Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday afternoon.) Last Christmas Eve, it logged more than 300,000 calls.
Just don’t ask when Santa will arrive at your house.
“NORAD tracks Santa, but only Santa knows his route, which means we cannot predict where and when he will arrive at your house,” the organization explains on its FAQ page. “We do, however, know from history that it appears he arrives only when children are asleep!”
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Human evolution’s biggest mystery has started to unravel. How 2025 tipped the scales - 2
European nations criticise Israel’s death penalty plans - 3
Indian Health Service is digging out of decades-old construction backlog for medical buildings - 4
Cyclone Narelle turns Australian skies blood red in ‘apocalyptic’ scenes - 5
How 2025 became the year of comet: The rise of interstellar 3I/ATLAS, an icy Lemmon and a cosmic SWAN
Apollo vs. Artemis: What to know about NASA's return to the moon
Step by step instructions to Streamline Your Dozing Involvement in a Savvy Bed
Did Japan’s PM Actually Back the Memecoin Bearing Her Name?
Image of foreigners being arrested in S.Africa during Eid is AI-generated
Taylor Swift changes 2 song lyrics on 'Reputation' on the night of her Eras tour documentary premiere
'Supergirl' drops 1st teaser trailer: Watch Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El and the return of Krypto the Superdog
Figure out How to Track the Establishment of New 5G Pinnacles
A top Marine shares his secrets to keeping fit at 50
Parents who delay baby's first vaccines also likely to skip measles shots










