You better watch out, Santa!
NORAD is on track to receive a record number of phone calls from children eager for updates on his present-dropping journey around the world, and they’re even using smartphone apps for the first time to keep tabs on Old St. Nick.
On Saturday, volunteers at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, where NORAD is based, told the AP that calls about Santa Claus were on pace to break a record – with more than 4,000 calls an hour coming in – starting at early as 4 a.m.
Though the tracking tradition dates to 1955, NORAD has becoming increasingly high tech to help instantly answer inquiries about Santa’s whereabouts, cookie preferences and more.
“Hello facebook followers. NORAD uses advanced radar and satellite technology to track Santa. However, he won't deliver to your house, and you can't see him in his sleigh, unless you're asleep!” the Santa-tracking agency wrote on its Facebook page, which has more than 876,000 fans.
The @NoradSanta Twitter account has more than 85,000 followers and even boasts a Google Plus page.
NORAD uses its social media outlets to remind curious children that they have to be asleep for Santa to come, advise them what kind of cookies to put out (on Oreos: “oh yeah, double stuff”) and tell kids not to fret over a run-in between overeager pets and Santa.
“Tell her not to worry, I will be extra careful, I love puppies!” the tracker tweeted to one concerned kid.
NORAD’s Santa Tracker app includes not only up-to-date information on Santa’s path, but games like Elf Toss, which is similar to Angry Birds, according to the Associated Press.
NORAD, which normally tracks activity in American skies and seas for defense purposes, got into the Santa-tracking business quite by accident.
A Colorado Springs store’s advertisement in 1955 encouraged kids to call a special hotline – but accidentally printed the number of the Director of Operations at Continental Air Defense Command, according to the NORAD website. The Director of Operations at the time, Col. Harry Shoup, then instructed his staff to check the radar for updates on his location – a tradition which has continued since.
“Based on historical data and more than 50 years of NORAD tracking information, we believe that Santa Claus is alive and well in the hearts of children throughout the world,” the website added.
NORAD is on track to receive a record number of phone calls from children eager for updates on his present-dropping journey around the world, and they’re even using smartphone apps for the first time to keep tabs on Old St. Nick.
On Saturday, volunteers at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, where NORAD is based, told the AP that calls about Santa Claus were on pace to break a record – with more than 4,000 calls an hour coming in – starting at early as 4 a.m.
Though the tracking tradition dates to 1955, NORAD has becoming increasingly high tech to help instantly answer inquiries about Santa’s whereabouts, cookie preferences and more.
“Hello facebook followers. NORAD uses advanced radar and satellite technology to track Santa. However, he won't deliver to your house, and you can't see him in his sleigh, unless you're asleep!” the Santa-tracking agency wrote on its Facebook page, which has more than 876,000 fans.
The @NoradSanta Twitter account has more than 85,000 followers and even boasts a Google Plus page.
NORAD uses its social media outlets to remind curious children that they have to be asleep for Santa to come, advise them what kind of cookies to put out (on Oreos: “oh yeah, double stuff”) and tell kids not to fret over a run-in between overeager pets and Santa.
“Tell her not to worry, I will be extra careful, I love puppies!” the tracker tweeted to one concerned kid.
NORAD’s Santa Tracker app includes not only up-to-date information on Santa’s path, but games like Elf Toss, which is similar to Angry Birds, according to the Associated Press.
NORAD, which normally tracks activity in American skies and seas for defense purposes, got into the Santa-tracking business quite by accident.
A Colorado Springs store’s advertisement in 1955 encouraged kids to call a special hotline – but accidentally printed the number of the Director of Operations at Continental Air Defense Command, according to the NORAD website. The Director of Operations at the time, Col. Harry Shoup, then instructed his staff to check the radar for updates on his location – a tradition which has continued since.
“Based on historical data and more than 50 years of NORAD tracking information, we believe that Santa Claus is alive and well in the hearts of children throughout the world,” the website added.
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