NORAD to track Santa this year via apps and PCs

Parents with kids looking forward to Santa coming on Christmas Eve have been keeping up with where Santa is each year with help from NORAD. NORAD is the North American Aerospace Defense Command that spends most of the year keeping an eye on the security of America. Each year at Christmas NORAD, switches to tracking Santa to the delight of kids everywhere.

NORAD has announced that it will indeed be tracking SANTA again this year. The special Noradsanta.org website will go live on Sunday December 1, which is only a few days away. The website will have a holiday countdown, games, video, and other activities to get kids and parents into the Christmas mood.

The website is available in eight different languages including English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Portuguese, and Chinese. Santa tracking will also be available via apps for Windows, iOS, and Android devices. NORAD will also be offering Santa tracking updates via social networks.

The real tracking of Santa will begin at 12:02 am on December 24. Santa's path can be tracked using Bing maps in 2D and 3D. The tradition of NORAD tracking Santa began in 1955 when an advertisement misprinted a number that was for children to call Santa directly. Rather than reaching Santa, the number went to the Crew Commander on duty at the Air Defense Command Operations Center. When NORAD was created in 1958, the tradition carried on.

SOURCE: Noradsanta.org