For decades, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has been tracking Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, answering millions of calls from children worldwide who want to know his location. This heartwarming tradition, which began with a child's accidental call in 1955, continues to bring joy to families around the globe.
FILE - This image provided by NORAD — the North American Aerospace Defense Command, responsible for monitoring and defending the skies above North America — shows NORAD 's Santa Tracker.
“There are screams and giggles and laughter,” said Bob Sommers, 63, a civilian contractor and NORAD volunteer. Air Force Col. Harry W. Shoup picked up an emergency-only “red phone” and was greeted by a tiny voice that began to recite a Christmas wish list. In the pre-digital age, the agency used a 60-by-80-foot plexiglass map of North America to track unidentified objects. A staff member jokingly drew Santa and his sleigh over the North Pole.“Note to the kiddies,” began an AP story from Colorado Springs on Dec. 23, 1955. “Santa Claus Friday was assured safe passage into the United States by the Continental Air Defense Command.”
‘There may be a guy called Santa Claus at the North Pole, but he’s not the one I worry about coming from that direction,’” Shoup said in the brief piece. “Why, it made the military look good — like we’re not all a bunch of snobs who don’t care about Santa Claus,” he said.
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