NORAD’s tradition is one of the few modern additions to the centuries-old Santa story that have endured, according to Gerry Bowler, a Canadian historian who spoke to the AP in 2010.

The mission of NORAD is to monitor and defend North American airspace 24 hours a day, seven days a week. On Christmas Eve, however, NORAD tracks Santa Claus as he makes his way around the world.

Those without internet access worldwide can also call 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) on Dec. 24 to ask live operators about Santa's location from 6 a.m. to midnight MST. When will Google’s ...

NORAD's Santa tracker was a Cold War morale boost. Now it attracts millions of kids Each year, at least 100,000 kids worldwide call the North American Aerospace Defense Command to inquire about ...

As it does every year, NORAD, the North American Aerospace Command, tracked Santa on his trip around the world on Christmas Eve so children and families could see where he was.

NORAD’s tradition is one of the few modern additions to the centuries-old Santa story that have endured, according to Gerry Bowler, a Canadian historian who spoke to the AP in 2010.

NORAD began to track Santa Claus in 1955, following an accidental phone call made to the agency by a young boy interested in in speaking with Kris Kringle.

NORAD has tracked the Dec. 24 flight since 1955, when a child accidentally called an operations center for an agency that predated the command, believing she was calling Santa Claus.