This year, NORAD will once again be tracking Santa on Christmas Eve --they've done it for more than 50 years.
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Background: according to the story, it began in 1955 when a Colorado Springs-based Sears store ad included a Santa hotline. The number was a misprint; calling it would put kids through to the command center at the Continental Air Defense Command, CONAD, which is NORAD's predecessor.
Since that time, staffers at NORAD have responded personally to phone calls from children on Christmas Eve --lots of volunteers pitch in, too. This year, the information is provided in six languages. The number? 877-HI-NORAD. It operates from 2 am (Mountain) Dec 24 till 2 am (Mountain) Dec 25.
Using it's 47 radar installations across Canada, satellites, Santa Cams and Canadian CF-18 jet fighters, NORAD will provide updates throughout Christmas Eve to let folks know where Santa is along his journey.You can also track him using Google Earth and get glimpses of Saint Nick captured with the NORAD Santa Cams.
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PS: NORAD, of course, is a real military organization that oversees aerospace defense for the U-S and Canada. The special website where kids can track Santa's whereabouts on Christmas Eve has been updated with lots of fun features and, of course, video footage of his journey around the world (but only on Christmas Eve!).
FYI: To get in on the fun, head on over to noradsanta.org.