For more than 70 years, NORAD has tracked Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve, and it all began with a wrong number. Here’s how to follow him live on 24 December.
Every Christmas Eve, the people who watch the skies over North America take on their most important mission of the year: tracking Santa.
It all started with a wrong number
In 1955, a newspaper advert in Colorado Springs printed a phone number for children to call Santa. But the number was misprinted. Instead of reaching Santa, one child reached the top-secret military command centre that watched the skies over North America.
The officer on duty, Colonel Harry Shoup, could have hung up. Instead, he played along and told the child where Santa was. On Christmas Eve, his team put Santa on their tracking board, and a tradition was born.
Since 1958, the job has belonged to NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defence Command, run jointly by the United States and Canada. Last year the tradition turned 70.
How to track Santa
- Online: from 1 December, noradsanta.org opens with games, music and a countdown. On Christmas Eve it shows Santa’s journey live, as he flies around the world.
- On the app: the official NORAD Tracks Santa app is free on the App Store and Google Play.
- On your smart speaker: just ask Alexa where Santa is.
- On social media: follow NORAD Tracks Santa on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X.
- In many languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, and Korean.
Call NORAD
On Christmas Eve, around a thousand volunteers answer calls from children worldwide, asking where Santa is. In the US and Canada, the number is 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723). From anywhere else, including the UK, you can call straight from the noradsanta.org website.
The lines are open from 11am on Christmas Eve until 7am on Christmas Day, UK time. That’s 5am to 1am in Guatemala.
Top tip for parents
Santa only comes when children are asleep. If he’s getting close to your house and someone is still wide awake, a quick look at the tracker can work wonders.
Listen along with Radio Christmas
We’ll be live all day on Christmas Eve, bringing you Santa updates, Christmas music and messages from listeners around the world. Track Santa with NORAD, and keep Radio Christmas on in the background.
The best present of all
While Santa delivers his presents, our partners in Guatemala and Honduras will make sure hundreds of children have a safe place, a hot meal, and someone who cares this Christmas. Every penny you give goes straight to Central American projects that help over 800 children every week.