It started with a child’s accidental phone call in 1955. The Colorado Springs newspaper printed a Sears advertisement that encouraged children to call Santa, listing a phone number. A boy called.

NORAD’s tradition is one of the few modern additions to the centuries-old Santa story that have endured, according to Gerry Bowler, a Canadian historian who spoke to the AP in 2010.

It started with a child’s accidental phone call in 1955. The Colorado Springs newspaper printed a Sears advertisement that encouraged children to call Santa, listing a phone number. A boy called.

NORAD's Santa tracker was a Cold War morale boost. Now it attracts millions of kids Each year, at least 100,000 kids worldwide call the North American Aerospace Defense Command to inquire about ...

NORAD's Santa tracker was a Cold War morale boost. Now it attracts millions of kids Each year, at least 100,000 kids worldwide call the North American Aerospace Defense Command to inquire about ...

NORAD’s Santa tracker is a Christmas tradition that’s become nearly global in scope. Each year, at least 100,000 kids call into the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado.

NORAD's live operators chat with callers about Santa's whereabouts. Shoup stationed some airmen on the red phone to field the calls pouring in from children wanting to talk about their Christmas ...

NORAD’s annual tracking of Santa has endured since the Cold War, predating ugly sweater parties and Mariah Carey classics. The tradition continues regardless of government shutdowns, such as the ...

NORAD’s annual tracking of Santa has endured since the Cold War, predating ugly sweater parties and Mariah Carey classics. The tradition continues regardless of government shutdowns, such as the ...

NORAD’s annual tracking of Santa has endured since the Cold War, predating ugly sweater parties and Mariah Carey classics. The tradition continues regardless of government shutdowns, such as the ...