It's a Christmas tradition that's more than half a century old. And it happened completely by accident.
It started in 1955, when a local Sears store in
Colorado Springs, Colorado printed an ad that included a special phone number kids could call to track where Santa's sleigh was at any given moment. Unfortunately, someone made a mistake in printing the phone number and kids were calling the wrong line.
A very unamused Colonel named Henry Shoup began answering his phone at what would become
NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defence Command. At first, he thought it was a simple error on the part of one caller.
But as the phone kept ringing and tiny voices kept asking about Santa, Shoup realized he couldn't disappoint them, so he improvised, telling the staff to issue updates to anyone asking about the location of Kris Kringle.
The wrong turned into a rite of the holiday and kept growing in popularity, and NORAD finally decided to make it permanent.
It's become a holiday favourite ever since, adapting to whatever new technology has come along since. In the early days, it was a phone line. Then in the 60s, NORAD put out a special series of 'reports' that was played on hundreds of radio stations across North America (many still do) pinpointing the Jolly Old Elf's exact position on Christmas Eve.
Think of it as kind of an early GPS without the computer gear.
Finally, came the Internet and NORAD has now transferred its annual watch onto the web, with a site devoted to keeping tabs on the most famous journey in the world - what you might call the real Amazing Race, an around-the-world mission that has to be finished with 24 hours.
There may not be a million dollar prize at the end, but there are more than a million kids with a million smiles and that may be worth a lot more.
This year's entry allows kids to track Santa in 3D using Google Earth, play games at the North Pole using the Kids Countdown section, and even offers Santa cams which are only operational on the night before Christmas.
Find the NORAD site here.
Or you can call
1-877-HI NORAD toll free for regular updates, or by email at
noradtrackssanta@gmail.com.
The web presence is said to be the most popular site on Christmas Eve anywhere in the world, receiving an astounding 10,600,838 unique viewers last year from 212 countries.
Other links
Where is Santa right now?
How does Santa's sleigh work?
Were you or a family member naughty or nice this year?
Check your rankings here.
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