Santa Claus is coming to town. NORAD has been tracking jolly Old Saint Nick’s Christmas Eve journey around the world for more than 65 years. Axios reports the team is relying on the traditional method to track the King of gifts today. “NORAD will not be using AI to track Santa’s journey,” Captain Rebecca Garand of NORAD tells Axios. “We track Santa using three systems: radars including the North Warning System, satellites and NORAD military aircraft. These systems provide NORAD with a continuous picture of Santa’s whereabouts both in North America and abroad.”Along with his nine reindeer, Santa typically begins his voyage around the globe at 6am ET on Christmas Eve “and zigzags North and South as he makes his way west,” Garand says.
More than 1,000 American and Canadian uniformed personnel, Department of Defense civilian employees and members of the Colorado Springs community volunteer to track Santa’s route, annually, the report notes. Last year, NORAD received over 400,000 calls on its hotline – 1-877-446-6723.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Tracking officially began in 1955 when a child called a secret phone believing it was Santa’s direct line. Air Force Col. Harry Shoup answered and told the child that the Continental Air Defense Command would ensure Santa’s safety during his journey from the North Pole. From there, CONAD became a part of NORAD, and the tradition continued.
As for what time Santa actually visits each home, NORAD reports it’s between 8pm and midnight. But he only visits homes when children are asleep.
So prepare freshly baked hot cookies and cold milk for the big guy and make sure to leave a note. Hopefully, everyone made his nice list this year.
