OUT OF LEFT FIELD: Celebrating 70 years of NORAD Tracks Santa
By Kyra Hoggan
There are variations of the origin story of the NORAD/Santa tradition (just like with all other long-standing traditions) but we all agree it started 70 years ago this Christmas.
I’ll tell you what I know. It started in 1955 when a child called CONAD (Continental Air Defense Command) looking to talk to Santa Claus. Now, whether that was because of a typo in a Sears Christmas promotion offering a number to call Santa or just the child misdailing said number is both unclear and irrelevant.
The amazing, touching part to me is that whomever took the call at CONAD (now NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command) did not react the way one expects such a deadly-serious military organization to behave. Bearing in mind that NORAD is tasked with monitoring, patrolling and protecting Canadian and US airspace with radar, satellites and jet fighters – no small task, and certainly not child’s play.
Be that as it may, the powers that be at CONAD saw an opportunity to do something magical, not military, for the children they work so hard to protect, and created a phone line for kids to call to track Santa’s progress through our skies. A Christmas miracle, to be sure!
Of course, back then they had no home computers, no internet, no social media, etc. As technology evolved, so too did NORAD’s Track Santa program. There’s now a website, toll-free number and phone/computer apps to allow people of all ages to participate.
Best of all, to my way of thinking, is how they use the program as an opportunity to educate adults and children alike about NORAD and the science behind what is an incredibly complicated and technical military endeavor – while never undermining the wonder and mystique of Santa’s story. They have photos of jet fighters getting a wave from Santa as they pass him in the sky.
They don’t talk down to kids, instead using terms like ‘geo-synchronous orbit’, but then explaining said terms in down-to-earth language to describe things that are literally out of this world.
It’s beyond charming, and their website is ever so much fun to explore by yourself or with a child – and I promise you, no matter how old you are, you will learn things right alongside any kid you share it with. For example, did know that Santa received an official airplane pilot’s license almost 100 years ago (1927) from US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics William P. McCracken? I’m a reporter, and even I didn’t know that. The site is peppered with fun little facts like that, alongside fascinating and accurate scientific information about the enormous complexity involved in the job of protecting our airspace.
Roughly 1,000 military members are part of the process, but it costs taxpayers next to nothing, as a plethora of donating partners pitch in – the list is too long to recite here, but you can find it on the link at the bottom of this column.
Most of all, it’s a blast! So educational, so much fun, so true to a child’s belief in wonder and magic. And it all started with a mistake – an accidental phone call from a child dialing a wrong number. If the response that child got isn’t the Christmas spirit at work, I don’t know what is.
The phone number you can call to see where Santa is tonight is 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723, and you can track Pere Noel at https://www.noradsanta.org/en/map . The graphics are surreally outstanding. For the fun educational part, go where I go – the NORAD Press Room at https://www.noradsanta.org/en/noradhq#PressRoom
From all of us at Lone Sheep Publishing (Castlegar Source, Rossland Telegraph and Trail Champion), wishing you a holiday season filled with joy, peace and wonder.
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