
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
Addressing sleep apnea early might decrease chances of developing Parkinson's disease - 2
10 Moving Design Frill for Summer 2023 - 3
Israeli naval intelligence reduces Iranian threat to Strait of Hormuz - 4
How to watch Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest: Start time, TV channel, performers and more - 5
The powerful new Rubin Observatory just found 11,000 new asteroids and measured 'tens of thousands more'
5 things for parents to know about changes to kids vaccine schedule
First foreign troop in new gang suppression force lands in Haiti to replace previous mission
Moon rush: These private spacecraft will attempt lunar landings in 2026
Scientists captured female sperm whales on video working together during a birth to protect the calf
German finance minister sees advantages of smartphones in schools
Delta flight bound for Atlanta makes emergency landing after engine issue
The most effective method to Execute a Lung-Solid Eating routine After a Cellular breakdown in the lungs Finding
New research reveals urban raccoons across the US show early signs of domestication
How to get tickets for AC/DC's 2026 'Power Up' Tour













