The military’s longstanding custom of monitoring Santa Claus as he makes his festive journey around the world will continue this Christmas Eve, despite any potential U.S. government shutdown, officials announced on Friday.
Every year, at least 100,000 children reach out to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to ask about Santa’s current position, with millions more tracking his adventures online. “We fully anticipate Santa will take flight on December 24, and NORAD will track him,” the joint U.S.-Canadian agency stated.
On ordinary nights, NORAD is equipped to detect possible aerial threats, such as last year’s incident with a Chinese spy balloon. However, on Christmas Eve, volunteers in Colorado Springs, Colorado, respond to inquiries like, “When will Santa arrive at my home?” and “Am I on the naughty or nice list?”
This tradition is upheld through contributions from local businesses and corporate sponsors, which helps to insulate it from political commotion. Bob Sommers, a 63-year-old civilian contractor and NORAD volunteer, described the excitement he experiences from families calling in, often leading to “screams and giggles and laughter” on speakerphone.
As part of the call, Sommers typically reminds children that everyone needs to be asleep before Santa can arrive, prompting parents to say, “Did you hear what he said? We have to go to bed early.” The custom of tracking Santa has persisted since the Cold War, well before the emergence of ugly sweater parties and Mariah Carey’s holiday classics. Discovering the roots of this tradition unveils an intriguing story.
The origin tale carries a touch of Hollywood magic. It traces back to a child’s accidental phone call in 1955. A Sears advertisement published in the Colorado Springs newspaper suggested that kids should call Santa, listing an incorrect phone number.
A young boy dialed, but instead reached the Continental Air Defense Command (which later became NORAD), tasked with identifying potential enemy threats amid rising tensions with the Soviet Union and fears of nuclear warfare. Air Force Colonel Harry W. Shoup answered a special emergency phone and was greeted by the eager voice of a child reciting his Christmas wishes.
“He went on a little bit, and he takes a breath, then says, ‘Hey, you’re not Santa,’” Shoup reminisced in a 1999 interview. Realizing the child likely wouldn’t understand a complex explanation, he adopted a cheerful, booming voice and replied, “Ho, ho, ho! Yes, I am Santa Claus. Have you been a good boy?”
Shoup soon learned from the boy’s mother about the mistaken phone number in the Sears ad. After hanging up, the calls continued to pour in, as another child called with a Christmas list in hand. Reports suggest that as many as fifty calls were received daily.
Before the digital age, NORAD utilized a massive 60-by-80-foot plexiglass map of North America to track various objects in the sky. A staff member humorously drew Santa and his sleigh over the North Pole, marking the beginning of this cherished tradition.
“Note to the kiddies,” began an Associated Press report from Colorado Springs on December 23, 1955. “Santa Claus Friday was assured safe passage into the United States by the Continental Air Defense Command.” In a nod to possible threats, the article mentioned that Santa was protected against interference from “those who do not believe in Christmas.”
However, there are skeptics regarding the true origin of the story. Some journalists have cast doubt on Shoup’s recounting of events, pointing out discrepancies about whether the child dialed the wrong number or if it was an intentional call. A 2014 piece from a tech news site highlighted another article that suggested a mistake had been made in the number.
Despite lingering questions about the volume of calls to the secret line, it’s clear that Shoup had a talent for public relations. In a 1986 interview, he acknowledged the opportunities that arose after staff had drawn Santa on the map, advocating for its retention. “It made the military look good — like we’re not all a bunch of snobs who don’t care about Santa Claus,” he remarked.
Shoup passed away in 2009, and his children later confirmed in a StoryCorps podcast that a misprint in the Sears advertisement was indeed the source of the calls. “In later years, he received letters from all over the globe,” said his daughter Terri Van Keuren. “People expressed their gratitude, saying, ‘Thank you, Colonel, for having this sense of humor.’”
NORAD’s tradition is one of the few modern innovations added to the timeless story of Santa Claus, according to Canadian historian Gerry Bowler, who spoke about it in 2010. While numerous advertisements or films attempt to commercialize Santa, NORAD has taken a fundamental component of the legend and presented it through a modern technological lens.
In recent discussions, Air Force Lt. Gen. Case Cunningham explained that NORAD’s radar systems in Alaska and Canada are the primary detectors of Santa’s departure from the North Pole. From there, Santa navigates westward, following the night. “That’s when the satellite systems we use to track targets every single day start to engage,” Cunningham added. “An interesting fact is that Rudolph’s glowing red nose gives off a lot of heat, enabling those satellites to follow him via that heat source.”
On Christmas Eve, NORAD will continue its beloved tradition by tracking Santa via its mobile app and website, allowing fans to join in the excitement from 4 a.m. to midnight. For those wishing to speak with live operators about Santa’s whereabouts, they can call 1-877-HI-NORAD from 6 a.m. to midnight Mountain Time.