News Release
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The North American Aerospace Defense Command
is ready to track Santa’s yuletide journey! The NORAD Tracks Santa website,
www.noradsanta.org, launched today featuring a mobile version, a holiday countdown, new
games and daily activities, and more. The website is available in eight languages: English,
French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Chinese.
Official NORAD Tracks Santa apps are also available in the Windows, Apple and Google Play
stores, so parents and children can countdown the days until Santa’s launch on their smart
phones and tablets! Tracking opportunities are also offered on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,
and Google+. Santa followers just need to type “@noradsanta” into each search engine to get
started.
Also new this year, the website features Santa’s elves in the North Pole Village. NORAD
Tracks Santa is introducing the newest elf and asking the public to help choose the perfect
name for him. Details can be found via NORAD Tracks Santa social media or in the “Name the
Elf” video in Santa’s North Pole Movie Theater at www.noradsanta.org.
Starting at 12:01 a.m. MST on Dec. 24, website visitors can watch Santa make preparations for
his flight. NORAD’s “Santa Cams” will stream videos on the website as Santa makes his way
over various locations. Then, at 4 a.m. MST (6 a.m. EST), trackers worldwide can speak with a
live phone operator to inquire as to Santa’s whereabouts by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-
Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) or by sending an email to [email protected]. Any
time on Dec. 24, Windows Phone users can ask Cortana for Santa’s location, and OnStar
subscribers can press the OnStar button in their vehicles to find Santa.
NORAD Tracks Santa is truly a global experience, delighting generations of families
everywhere. This is due, in large part, to the efforts and services of numerous program
contributors.
It all started in 1955 when a local media advertisement directed children to call Santa direct –
only the number was misprinted. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone rang through to the
Crew Commander on duty at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center. Thus
began the tradition, which NORAD carried on since it was created in 1958.
