The program of tracking Santa began on December 24, 1955, when a Sears department store placed an ad in a local paper with a phone number for children to call Santa. The phone number was misprinted and the Colorado Springs’ Continental Air Defense (CONAD) Command Center began to receive the calls. The staff on duty played along and gave children updates on “Santa’s location” throughout the evening.
The tradition continued when the North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) Command replaced CONAD in 1958.
Today, updates on Santa’s progress can also be found at noradsanta.org, as well as updates via social media at facebook.com/noradsanta and twitter.com/NoradSanta.
