
It’s back! In what has become an annual ritual for millions on Christmas Eve, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, is tracking Santa Claus’s journey from the North Pole to deliver gifts to children across the globe.
NORAD’s Santa Claus tracker website — NORADSanta.org — includes a map that allows users to track Santa’s location in real time. The site attracts tens of millions of visitors every year.
Beginning at midnight on Christmas Eve, the site utilizes satellite mapping technology and digital animation to simulate the route of Santa’s reindeer and sleigh.
The tracker also features a live count of gifts delivered by Jolly Old St. Nick. At the time of this publication, that figure was more than 1.3 billion.
NORAD’s history of tracking Santa
The practice began in 1955 when a child accidentally called the unlisted number of what was then the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center, asking for Santa Claus.
Not wanting to disappoint the young caller, Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, the command center’s director of operations, “instructed his staff to check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole,” according to NORAD. Each year since, NORAD has dutifully reported Santa’s location on Dec. 24 to millions of children and families.
The binational military organization, based in Colorado Springs, Colo., eventually enlisted volunteers to answer a dedicated phone line to give updates on Santa’s whereabouts. In recent years, those volunteers have included pop stars, presidents and first ladies.
And the hotline still exists: You can call 877-HI-NORAD (877-446-6723) to reach one of the call center’s operators. (President Trump is scheduled to field NORAD Santa calls from Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday afternoon.) Last Christmas Eve, it logged more than 300,000 calls.
Just don’t ask when Santa will arrive at your house.
“NORAD tracks Santa, but only Santa knows his route, which means we cannot predict where and when he will arrive at your house,” the organization explains on its FAQ page. “We do, however, know from history that it appears he arrives only when children are asleep!”
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Glen Powell will host 'Saturday Night Live' with Olivia Dean as musical guest: What to know ahead of their debut - 2
7 Odd Apparatuses to Make Your Party Stick Out! - 3
Geomagnetic storm grounds launch of Mars space weather satellites - 4
Grasping the Basics of Business Land Regulation - 5
Doctors looking into hormone therapy as a way to ward off dementia in women
I’m a doctor. Here are 10 science-backed tips to help you get healthier.
6 Top Computer game Control center
5 Side interests That Work on Psychological wellness
Happy with Running Shoes for 2024
US students studying housing, health outcomes and sustainability win 2026 Rhodes scholarships
Investigating the World's Chief Authentic Urban communities to Visit
35 million tons of food go to waste yearly in the US. Experts share tips to help stop it
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 192 — Space, 2026!
An eye for an eye: People agree about the values of body parts across cultures and eras













