The countdown to Christmas has begun and Santa Claus on the radar — literally — as the North American Aerospace Defense Command launched its annual Santa Claus tracking website today.
The NORAD Tracks Santa website — — offers yuletide enthusiasts a Countdown Calendar and a kids’ Countdown Village which includes holiday games and activities that change everyday, according to a news release from NORAD, which is based at Peterson Air Force Base.
Videos from students and troops around the world are also featured on the website, which is now available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese and Chinese.
Santa trackers can access the website on their smart phones, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter by typing @noradsanta in the websites’ search engines.
Starting at midnight on Christmas Eve, visitors can watch Santa as he prepares for his flight. At 4 a.m., trackers can call and talk to a live phone operator about Santa’s whereabouts by calling the toll-free number 877-446-6723 or by e-mailing noradtrackssanta@gmail.com.
Santa Cams will also stream videos of Santa as he makes stops around the world.
NORAD started the Santa tracking tradition in 1958. In 1955, local media misprinted the phone number to call Santa, directing them to an on duty Crew Commander at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center.
