For more than 60 years, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has tracked Santa’s progress as he delivers presents around the world – all because of a misprinted phone number.
On Dec. 24, 1955, numerous children trying to get in touch with Santa instead called the “red phone” of the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center in Colorado Springs. The colonel on duty and his staff went along with it, and a tradition was born.
Now, new technology has made it easy for NORAD to keep up with the man in the red suit every Christmas Eve. And children can check in on his trip from home, or on the go.
Get updates on Santa from the car
Santa Claus is going to be on the move delivering gifts the night of Christmas Eve, and you’re on the move, too, kids can still check his location – as long as you drive a Chevrolet equipped with an OnStar information system. General Motors has been partnered with NORAD on this effort for a decade.
According to Chevrolet, OnStar gets thousands of requests for updates on Santa each year. And it gives subscribers real-time updates on his progress traversing the globe.
So if you drive a Chevy with GM’s OnStar, calls can be made through the system between 6 a.m. EST on Christmas Eve through 5 a.m. EST on Christmas Day. And for every call made, GM will donate $1 to the American Red Cross
Other ways to track Santa
Knowing that not everyone drives an OnStar-equipped Chevy, your children will still be able to easily keep track of Santa. Just watch his progress through the Official NORAD Santa Tracker below.
Bonus: Track Santa across the world, it’s easy
You can also keep an eye on him from the Google Santa Tracker by clicking here
Merry Christmas!
