NORAD is tracking Santa’s flight on Christmas Eve

Photo by Tom Rivers: This mural created by Stacey Kirby Steward in 2018 shows Santa in flight over downtown Albion and the Courthouse Square. The 24-foot-long mural was installed in June 2018 at Waterman Park on Main Street in Albion.

Press Release, NY National Guard

The North American Aerospace Defense Command defends the North American airspace 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

On Christmas Eve, NORAD will add one more element to its mission list as it tracks Santa Claus on his around-the-world flight.

American and Canadian NORAD personnel at the Eastern Air Defense Sector, a unit of the Continental U.S. NORAD Region-1st Air Force, located in Rome, are standing by to support this effort.

“EADS is always happy to support NORAD’s Santa tracking operation,” said Col. Joseph F. Roos, EADS Commander. “Our highly trained Airmen defend the homeland day and night, and they are prepared and ready to track Santa this December 24.”

EADS, which is responsible for the air defense of the United States east of the Mississippi. is composed of the New York Air National Guard’s 224th Air Defense Group, a Canadian Armed Forces detachment, U.S. Army and Navy liaison officers, and federal civilians and contractors. EADS also has a squadron and a detachment in the National Capital Region.

The modern tradition of tracking Santa began in 1955 when a young child accidentally dialed the unlisted phone number of NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command operations center.

The Director of Operations, Colonel Harry Shoup, answered the phone and instructed his staff to check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. A tradition was born and continued when NORAD was formed in 1958.

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

The NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center will become fully operational at 4 a.m. Mountain Standard Time on Dec. 24. Children and parents can call 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) to talk directly to a NORAD staff member who will be able to tell you Santa’s exact location.

Operators are available until midnight. Children, families and fans also keep track of Santa’s location on the NORAD Tracks Santa website and several social media platforms.

Click here to see the NORAD website tracking Santa. Editor’s Note: At 8:34 a.m., Santa was over Sydney, Australia.