NORAD began its annual tradition of tracking Santa Claus in 1955.
The tradition started after a newspaper advertisement gave children a telephone number to call for Santa information. A digit was printed incorrectly, directing calls to the Continental Air Defense Command, or CONAD, rather than to the intended retailer. Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup instructed staff to provide Santa’s location to the children who called.
CONAD continued the custom in later years, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as NORAD, inherited it when the joint command was created in 1958. Today, volunteers answer calls and provide online updates each Christmas Eve.
NORAD’s Santa-tracking service is a seasonal public-relations tradition, not an actual military detection operation. Its playful story combines real aerospace institutions with an imaginary Christmas journey.