NORAD Tracks Santa (T minus six hours!)

[pokerfan]

You can even have updates sent to your phone.

http://www.noradsanta.org

For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s Christmas Eve flight.

The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.

In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, which then took on the tradition of tracking Santa.

Since that time, NORAD men, women, family and friends have selflessly volunteered their time to personally respond to Christmas Eve phone calls and emails from children. In addition, we now track Santa using the internet. Last year, millions of people who wanted to know Santa's whereabouts visited the NORAD Tracks Santa website.

Finally, media from all over the world rely on NORAD as a trusted source to provide Christmas Eve updates on Santa's journey.

[rcrush]

1. Maybe this year they'll finally shoot that fat bastard down.

[pokerfan]

2. A clear and "present" danger to our national security

violating our air space year after year...

[rcrush]

11. Makes me want to fire guns in the air on Christmas Eve.

I'm gonna go all Yosemite Sam on the neighborhood tonight!

[rcrush]

14. I called it!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7321474&mesg_id=7321474

[kayakjohnny]

3. I'll never forget the time when I was probably 6 or so and my parents had the radio going

on Christmas Eve. The radio said something about some air force pilots flying alongside Santa and the reindeer. And it was confirmed and so official sounding.

I swallowed the whole thing, because who would lie to a little kid, right?

And I could just visualize these jets right next to Santa. They might've even had the pilot's voices on tape or whatever.

So I'm thinking, "Cool, he's on the way"

What a sucker I was.

It was still a great memory though.

[pokerfan]

4. reminds me of Christmas Vacation

Clark: Hey, Kids, I heard on the news that an airline pilot spotted Santa's sleigh on its way in from New York City. (the kids sit up excitedly)

Cousin Eddie: (after a pause) You serious, Clark?

[kayakjohnny]

7. Ha!

Cool. Forgot that.

[AsahinaKimi]

5. Isn't it a bit early?

Today is the 23rd...

[pitohui]

6. that's what i thought too

i'm scratching my head over here...

[Common Sense Party]

8. Only for a few more hours...on the other side of the world.

They track Santa around the globe. My girls love it.

[AsahinaKimi]

9. Yes but there its the 24th (morning or close to noon)

I chat with some friends in China on this one website. They are about now, ready for lunch.

[pokerfan]

10. Current time in Aukland, NZ

Thursday, December 24, 2009 at 3:20 PM

Plus figure in Santa's travel time from the North pole...

[tigereye]

12. since my son is now a teen, we kind of miss the whole Santa thing

we still check the tv news before he goes to bed to see the Santa tracker though, it's cute and a fun tradition.


When I was a kid, I used to swear that I heard sleigh bells. :D

[pokerfan]

13. current location

[Odin2005]

15. I love that.

Every Christmas my niece is asking me where Santa is and I report back to her. :rofl: