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Where’s Santa

December 25, 2011 by · Comments Off on Where’s Santa 

Where's SantaWhere’s Santa, It’s a holiday tradition that started by accident, more than 50 years later tracking Santa has turned into a global event. It all started back in 1955 when a misprint in a Sears ad for a Talk-to-Santa line ended up being a direct call to the old Continental NORAD region (CONAD).

So, instead of talking to Santa they were talking to the commander on duty at the operation center Col. Shoup.

His kind words and patience are what sparked the tradition, and now every year the North American Aerospace Defense Command tracks santa.

More than 80,000 little boys and girls from all over the world will phone-in and email looking for the man in the big red suit.

Airmen and their military families, volunteer to play Santa’s Helpers and spend the day fielding calls.

“It’s our way of giving back to the community because they do so much for us during the year that NORAD tracks santa is our way to give back,” Marisa Novobilski, a tracking Santa volunteer said.

Christmas Eve is a busy day for Santa Claus as he travels around the globe. Thanks to “Santa Cam”, his helpers can get a birds eye view as they track his every move.

Volunteers work non-stop during their two-hour shifts. Surprisingly, the hardest part of their day is getting the boys and girls on the other end of the phone, surprised to hear a human, to stay on the line.

“The mom would take turns passing the phone around and the kids would tell me what they want and they were telling me thank you so much for telling Santa,” Jordan Bremer, a tracking Santa volunteer said.

Jordan Bremer, started volunteering eight years ago when her grandmother, a chief sergeant master in the U.S. Air Force, took her to help out.

While, the constant calls can be a bit overwhelming the tracking Santa is a good way to get in the Christmas spirit.

So, whether you say Joyeaux Noel or Merry Christmas, Santa’s helpers have you covered.

If you’d like to track jolly Old Saint Nick the number is 1-877-HINORAD.

Or you can click on the website www.NORADSanta.org.

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