Every Christmas Eve, something magical happens high above the clouds… Santa and his reindeer take to the sky! But did you know there’s a special team that helps keep an eye on his journey? It’s true — and the story of how it all began is just as magical as the holiday itself.
Long ago, on Christmas Eve in 1955, a newspaper accidentally printed the wrong phone number for Santa Claus. Instead of calling the North Pole, kids started calling a top-secret phone line for a military command center!
At first, the officers were surprised — they weren’t expecting calls from children asking, “Is Santa on his way?” But instead of turning anyone away, they decided to do something wonderful…
They played along!
The commander on duty checked his radar (the same one used to watch the skies) and announced,
“Yes! We’ve spotted Santa heading south from the North Pole!”
From that moment on, tracking Santa became a Christmas tradition.
Today, NORAD uses satellites, radars, and even reports from Canadian and American fighter pilots who occasionally see a sleigh streak past at incredible speed. And of course… Rudolph’s glowing nose always shows up bright and clear.
Every year, millions of kids follow Santa as he glides over oceans, mountains, and sleeping towns — delivering gifts and joy to homes around the world.
And that’s how a happy accident turned into the magical holiday adventure we all love.
Track Santa here!
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