How a Wrong Number Led to NORAD Tracking Santa

Gary Stephenson

North Carolina: Every December 24th, Santa embarks on a magical journey worldwide, delivering gifts to well-behaved children. The US Air Force initiated tracking Santa over 60 years ago, originating from a misprinted telephone number.

In 1948, they first reported an “unidentified sleigh and eight reindeer at 14,000 feet, heading due south from the North Pole.” This marked the debut of US armed forces reporting on Santa’s Christmas Eve flight, relayed by various news outlets and radio broadcasts.

The Wrong Number

On December 24, 1955, a child seeking Santa dialed a hotline, but a misprinted number connected them to the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center in Colorado. Throughout Christmas Eve, children called in asking for Santa’s whereabouts.

Colonel Harry Shoup, surprised but understanding the situation, assured the children that the Air Force would ensure Santa’s safe journey from the North Pole. As more calls poured in, Shoup directed updates on Santa’s location.

The media caught wind of this accidental tracking and reported it, unknowingly igniting an annual tradition from the misprinted phone number that endures today.

The Tracking Tradition

The Air Force had no intentions of tracking Santa the next year. However, upon realizing that news agencies anticipated their involvement, Shoup decided to continue the tradition on Christmas Eve 1956.

This marked the inception of the Santa Tracker tradition. In 1958, the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) assumed the responsibility, giving rise to NORAD Tracks Santa. Eventually, the Air Force released a phone number for callers seeking Santa Claus updates.

Norad Tracks Santa Today

As the internet era emerged, NORAD’s Santa Tracker surged in popularity. Children not only had the option to call for updates but could also send emails and digitally follow Kris Kringle and his reindeer using computers.

Every Christmas Eve, hundreds of servicemen and servicewomen answer calls. On average, volunteers handle about 100,000 phone calls and over 10,000 emails annually. The NORAD Santa Tracker website attracts approximately 9 million visitors each year.

The news has been published on the Spectrum News 1 website, and it is a reproduced story.