Rest assured, kids of all ages: Santa鈥檚 coming this Christmas Eve, and a second holiday with COVID-19 won鈥檛 stop him.
That鈥檚 the word from the joint U.S.-Canadian military operation that for 66 years has been tracking Jolly Old St. Nicholas on his global mission and has assured us all 鈥� first by land line and more recently by iPhone, Android, OnStar, Facebook, YouTube and more 鈥� that he鈥檚 on his way with a sleigh stuffed with toys and a welcome dose of joy.
In what鈥檚 become its own wildly popular tradition, the Colorado-based North American Aerospace Defense Command provides real-time updates on Santa鈥檚 progress Dec. 24, from 4 a.m. to midnight MST. NORAD鈥檚 Santa Tracker lets families watch Father Christmas in 3D as he transits the South Pacific, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
From deep inside NORAD headquarters, dozens of volunteers field an unrelenting wave of phone calls to 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723). They and other volunteers working off-site because of coronavirus distancing protocols will answer such questions as 鈥淲hen will he come to my house? What kind of cookies does he like?鈥� said program manager and NORAD spokesman Preston Schlachter.
Want to watch? Visit noradsanta.org, check out #NORADTracksSanta and @NoradSanta on Twitter, or use the associated apps. You can also email noradtrackssanta@outlook.com for the latest.
Even before Friday鈥檚 takeoff, the NORAD webpage had been visited more than 3 million times, Schlachter said.
鈥淓very household, every country is having to deal with the impact of this pandemic. Santa Claus is an icon, and he is a source of joy for a lot of people,鈥� Schlachter said.
For those worried about Santa鈥檚 safety 鈥� or their own 鈥� the bearded man likely will be wearing a mask at each stop, and of course he鈥檚 wearing gloves, Schlachter noted. For the technically inclined, NORAD鈥檚 website offers more data on the voyage (Weight of gifts at takeoff: 60,000 tons, or 54,600 metric tons; sleigh propulsion: nine RP, or reindeer power).
Like any good Christmas tale, the program鈥檚 origin has been told for generations.
In 1955, Air Force Col. Harry Shoup 鈥� the on-duty commander one night at NORAD鈥檚 predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command 鈥� answered a call from a child who dialed a number that was misprinted in an ad in a newspaper, thinking she was calling Santa.
Shoup 鈥渁nswered the call, thought it was a prank at first, but then realized what had happened and assured the child that he was Santa, and thus started the tradition that we are celebrating now 66 years later,鈥� Schlachter said.
NORAD鈥檚 mission is to watch the skies above North America for any potential threats. Come early Christmas Eve, the Santa operation begins when a cluster of radar stations in northern Canada and Alaska pick up an infrared signature emanating from Rudolph鈥檚 nose. NORAD鈥檚 array of geostationary satellites above the Earth monitor the journey.
It鈥檚 all shown on large, 鈥渦nclassified鈥� display screens in a festively decorated command post at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs. Masked volunteers sit at tables equipped with telephones, garland, miniature Christmas trees, plenty of caffeine-laden candy and coffee 鈥� and hand sanitizer.
鈥淲e Have the Watch,鈥� is NORAD鈥檚 military-mission motto.
And when it comes to Santa, NORAD adds:
鈥淪anta calls the shots. We just track him.鈥�
鈥擩ames Anderson, The Associated Press
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