Where Is Santa Right Now?
NORAD, formerly the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), has been tracking Santa’s Christmas Eve flight for more than 50 years.
The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.
Shoup is now 91, and described by his daughter, Terri Van Keuran, as “a nut about Christmas.” When kids got through to Shoup instead of the Sears Santa, he pretended to be St. Nick so as not to break their hearts. This led to Shoup directing his staff to begin tracking Santa by radar.
“If we didn’t do it, truly I don’t know who else would track Santa,” Maj. Stacia Reddish said.
The task that began with no computers and only a 60-by-80-foot glass map of North America now includes two big screens on a wall showing the world and information on each country Santa Claus visits. It took off with the Web site’s 1997 launch, Reddish said.
Now, curious youngsters can follow Santa’s path online with a Google two-dimensional map or in 3D using Google Earth, where he can be seen flying through different landscapes in his sleigh.
Here, Shoup explains how the tradition began. Track Santa by clicking on Santa’s sleigh.
This is so cute. I’ve always wondered, though, about Santa’s stops in places like India and Pakistan. Those stops shouldn’t take as long as your predominately Christian countries, you know?
December 24th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Thanks, Alan. That was great!
December 24th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
http://www.slate.com/id/2207398/?GT1=38001
Happy Birthday, Dear Yeshua, Happy Birthday to You!
Was Jesus a common name at the beginning of the first century?
December 24th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
SANTA ROCKS
December 24th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
I am Santa’s presscorps. Everyone submit your complaints to the bottom of the ocean.
Thanks, Alan. The elves have built a statue of you. Only problem is they won’t take it out of the bathroom and won’t let the humans in there…
I hope nothing naughty is going on…
December 24th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
Santa Claus (1898)
“Made in 1898, G.A. Smith’s ‘Santa Claus’ is a film of considerable technical ambition and accomplishment for its period. It uses pioneering visual effects in its depiction of a visit from St. Nicholas.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc3ei1tseeM
December 25th, 2008 at 7:32 am
Alan,
Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah to you and your family, to your staff and to all liberlanders.
This is a great post–Thank you.
December 25th, 2008 at 9:54 am
With Mrs. Santa right now.
December 25th, 2008 at 11:10 am