Santa Claus is coming to town—and you can follow his progress online.
As per usual, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is keeping tabs on the man in red as he traverses the globe.
“In addition to our day-to-day mission of defending North America, we are proud to carry on the tradition of tracking Santa as he travels along his yuletide flight path,” Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, said in a statement.
The annual responsibility began in error 64 years ago, when a local newspaper ad urged children to contact Father Christmas directly—via a misprinted phone number.
Instead of reaching the Claus residence at the North Pole, callers were met with the crew commander on duty—one U.S. Air Force Col. Harry Shoup at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center (the predecessor to NORAD).
Quick to realize the mistake, Shoup assured the child he was Santa, and subsequently assigned an elf duty officer to answer ensuing calls.
The ritual continues today, with NORAD (re: various program contributors and volunteers) reporting Santa’s location on Dec. 24 to families across the globe.
Visit noradsanta.org to see how far Kris Kringle has flown, how many gifts have been delivered, and where he’s off to next. Or call 1-877-HiNORAD for Santa’s most up-to-date location.
Powered by Cesium, NORAD’s tracker takes a different approach to Google, which launched its own festive map in 2012.
The lively site, complete with auto-play tunes and fun animations, shows a “live feed” of Santa & Co. exploring the world and travel guides for each stop on the holiday route.
Scroll down to explore the endless excitement of Santa’s Village: Watch cartoons, design an elf, play with the laws of physics, or learn a new skill.
(No, I didn’t spend 10 minutes trying to figure out how to code Santa to jump over two hedges to pick up the present. You did.)
More on Geek.com:
- Take a Virtual Tour of Santa’s House, Elf Village
- Prove Santa Exists With the Kringl App
- How NORAD Hired Santa Claus as its PR Manager
- Santa, Around the World
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