COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) officially launched its annual Santa tracking program Monday,offering a festive way for families around the globe to follow Santa Claus’s Christmas Eve travels for the 70th consecutive year.
For seven decades, NORAD’s Santa tracking has become a beloved holiday tradition, originating in 1955 following a misprinted advertisement encouraging children to call the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) – NORAD’s predecessor – to speak with Santa. What began as an accidental public service has evolved into a refined,multilingual operation that blends NORAD’s core mission of aerospace defense with holiday cheer. The program provides a unique opportunity to engage with the public and demonstrate the command’s technological capabilities in a lighthearted way.
NORAD’s Santa tracking website, www.noradsanta.org, is now live, featuring “Santa’s North Pole Village” with a holiday countdown, games, a movie theater, and music. The site is accessible in nine languages – English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, portuguese, Chinese, and Korean.
On December 24th, children and families can call 1-877-HI-NORAD between 4 a.m. and midnight MST to speak with live operators about Santa’s location. A new web-based calling option is also available directly through the website for those without phone access. Virtual translation services will support over 200 languages through the call center. Even after live operators conclude at midnight MST, tracking will continue via NORAD’s Interactive Voice Response system and the website until 3 a.m. on December 25th.
The NORAD Tracks Santa program is also available on the official mobile app (Apple and Google Play stores), as well as on social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X. Updates will also be provided through Amazon Alexa, SiriusXM, and OnStar.
