They’ve got a ho-ho-homing device on Santa Claus.
For the 68th Christmas in a row, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will be tracing the movements of St. Nick as he makes his way around the globe to give good children a very happy Christmas.
Come Dec. 24, from 4 a.m. to midnight, more than 1,250 military personnel from the U.S. and Canadian joint forces will be manning phones — and speaking eight different languages –giving curious callers the information of Santa’s whereabouts.
The personnel will take the calls from inside Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Co. Several non-military volunteers will also be on hand to man the phones.
“We track Santa with the same assets that we use to keep the North American continent safe every day, which is our jets, our radars, and our satellites,” 1st Lt. Sean Carter, program manager at Norad Tracks Santa told Fox News.
While it may seem silly on the surface, Carter told of the Santa tracker’s “importance” and what the annual tradition means around the world.
“Last year we took a call from a group of kids in Ukraine who were calling on a little battery phone and they said all they wanted was for Santa to turn their power back on,” he stated. “So it’s moments like that, that just give us pause and remind us of the global reach that NORAD Track Santa has.”
One year, NORAD received more than 250,000 calls in a 20-hour period.
The program, which claims to have gently “intercepted” Claus many times over the years with fighter jets, began in 1955 when a child accidentally called the unlisted number of NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command.
Retired Colonel Harry Shoup had the honor of being the first Santa tracker.
Phone lines will open at 4 a.m. Mountain Standard Time on Christmas Eve. Call 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877 446-6723) to speak to a trained Santa tracker.
However, this reporter can vouch that additionally tracking Santa online via noradsanta.org or through the Norad Tracks Santa app is equally if not more rewarding. Plus, there are free games to play on the website like cosmic air hockey.
NORAD’s website also has detailed specs on Santa’s sleigh.
The digital tracker shows Santa on the move across the globe, his rate of speed and telemetry, upcoming destinations and where he has already been in the world.
“Santa usually starts at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean and travels west. So, historically, Santa visits the South Pacific first, then New Zealand and Australia. After that, he shoots up to Japan, over to Asia, across to Africa, then onto Western Europe, Canada, the United States, Mexico and Central and South America,” according to NORAD.
“Keep in mind, Santa’s route can be affected by weather, so it’s really unpredictable. NORAD coordinates with Santa’s Elf Launch Staff to confirm his launch time, but from that point on, Santa calls the shots.”