NORAD – Tracking Santa Clause

Every Christmas Eve, millions of children follow Santa Claus’ journey across the globe in real time. They watch as his sleigh lifts off from the North Pole and crosses oceans to deliver gifts to children around the world. Using military radar and satellite systems, NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, tracks Santa’s progress in real time and shares his location with the public.

You’re probably wondering why the US military would be involved in such a thing. Well, decades ago, a child made a phone call to a top-secret number by mistake – and that innocent error transformed into the NORAD Santa Tracker that we know and love today.

The NORAD Santa Tracker

It all started in 1955 on a cold December night. America was in the middle of the Cold War, a conflict with Russia – then the Soviet Union – that many feared could lead to nuclear war. At the time, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) – located in Colorado Springs, Colorado – was tasked with defending the United States against airborne attacks.

Suddenly, a phone rang at CONAD. The phone could only be reached by dialing a top-secret number.

The call sent a chill down the spine of Air Force officer and CONAD Director of Operations Col. Harry Shoup, who was on duty that night. Shoup knew the call could signal an attack on the United States.

Prepared for the worst, Shoup picked up the phone and identified himself. But it wasn’t a fellow officer, general, or even the commander-in-chief on the other end of the line. To Shoup’s surprise, the little voice of a child broke the silence to ask if Shoup was Santa Claus.

Shoup quickly realized the child had dialed the secret number by mistake, and in an effort to spread a little Christmas joy, he took on the role of Saint Nick. The colonel later discovered that a local paper had printed a Sears ad that encouraged children to call Santa, but they accidentally included the wrong number, directing kids to CONAD instead of Santa’s home in the North Pole.

As more requests for Santa poured in, Shoup directed his airmen to take the calls while he resolved the issue with the phone company.

But when Christmas Eve rolled around that year, CONAD let the public know it was tracking Santa’s sleigh, and a new beloved holiday tradition was born.

Tracking Santa Today

NORAD was formally established in 1958 as a bi-national organization tasked with aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning in the United States and Canada. It took over the Santa Tracker tradition that year and continues to monitor Santa’s location to this day – although it looks a lot different now than it did in 1955.

Over 1,000 volunteers plan to take calls at 1-877-HI-NORAD on December 24, 2025 – Christmas Eve – from 4 a.m. to midnight Mountain Standard Time. For the first time ever, Santa trackers can contact the program through its website. They can also follow his location with the NORAD Tracks Santa Claus mobile app.

“We’re the only organization that has the technology, the qualifications, and the people to do it,” NORAD’s website explains. “And, we love it! NORAD is honored to be Santa’s official tracker!”

Thanks to NORAD’s technical capabilities, the organization has been able to compile what it describes as “mountains of historical data and NORAD tracking information” to confidently report that “Santa Claus is alive and well in the hearts of people throughout the world.”

1. The NORAD Santa Tracker began under CONAD.
2. A child accidentally called CONAD expecting to speak to Santa Claus. The child’s innocent mistake led to the NORAD Santa Tracker.
3. Children and adults can contact the NORAD Santa Tracker on its website, mobile app, and at 1-877-HI-NORAD.