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Follow Santa All the Way to Worcester with NORAD’s Santa Tracker

By Patrick Sargent | December 24, 2019
Last Updated: December 24, 2019

It’s Christmas Eve and Santa Clause is working his way to Worcester. And now you can track him across the globe until he gets here!

The North American Aerospace Defense Command [NORARD] is continuing its Christmas Eve tradition of tracking Santa’s journey around the globe. 

 

WATCH SANTA TRACKER BELOW

“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,” said Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command. “The same radars, satellites and interceptors employed on December 24 are used year-round to defend Canadian and American airspace from threats.”

Back in 1955, a local newspaper advertised to children that they could call Santa directly, but the number was misprinted and the calls went through to U.S. Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center, the predecessor to NORAD.

Col. Shoup was quick to realize a mistake had been made, and assured the child he was Santa. Shoup then assigned a duty officer to continue answering calls. Thus, a tradition was born, and continued when NORAD was formed in 1958.

Each year since, NORAD has reported Santa’s location on Dec. 24 to millions of children and families.


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