Santa Tracker 2017: Christmas is still a few days away but it’s never too early to start keeping an eye out for Jolly Old St. Nick.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command will continue its annual tradition of tracking Santa as he makes his Christmas Eve trek to bring gifts to all the good boys and girls around the world.
This year marks the 62nd anniversary of NORAD’s Santa tracking task, a tradition that began due to a happy accident. On Dec. 24, 1955, a young boy mistakenly dialed an unlisted phone number of what was then known as the Continental Air Defense Command, or CONAD, Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Col. Harry Shoup was on duty that night, and rather than hanging up, he had his operators find the location of Santa Claus and reported it to every child who phoned in. The tradition has grown through the years and now, the command known as NORAD uses its satellite systems, high-powered radar and jet fighters to track Santa as he makes his annual journey.
Before the big day you can go to www.noradsanta.org to explore the North Pole. Then, starting at 2:01 a.m. EST on Dec. 24, website visitors can watch Santa make preparations for his flight. NORAD’s “Santa Cams” will stream videos on the website as Santa makes his way over various locations.
TIn addition to the games and music, the website now has a section called the library where you and your kids can log on and learn about many holiday traditions from around the world
Then, at 6 a.m. EST, trackers worldwide can speak with a live phone operator to inquire as to Santa’s whereabouts by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) or by sending an email to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com.
Any time on Dec. 24, Amazon Alexa users can ask for Santa’s location through the NORAD Tracks Santa skill for Amazon Alexa, and OnStar subscribers can press the OnStar button in their vehicles to locate Santa. Bing and Cortana users will also be able to find Santa’s location on Dec. 24.
Merry Christmas from all the elves at ACTSmart IT.
