December 24, 2012 (Colorado Springs)--For over 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and its predecessor, Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa's flight. You and your children can log on at www.noradsanta.com for live updates on Santa's trip around the world, including videos and Christmas activities for young and the young at heart.
The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. ad misprinted the phone number for children to call Santa. Instead of reaching Santa, kids reached to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The Director of Operations, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check radar for indications of Santa's flight south from the North Pole. Children who called were given location updates, and a tradition was born.