Photo: Sean Gallup / Getty Images
Rest assured, children of all ages: Santa Claus is coming this Christmas Eve and a second holiday with Covid – 19 won’t stop it.
That is the word of the joint US-Canadian military operation that during 66 years has been following Saint Nicholas on his global mission and He assures us all, first by landline and most recently by iPhone, Android, OnStar, Facebook, YouTube and more, that Santa is on his way with a sleigh full of toys and a welcome dose of joy.
In what has become a wildly popular tradition, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, with Based in Colorado, provides real-time updates on Santa’s progress on December 54, from 4 am to midnight.
The rast reador NORAD allows families to see Santa Claus in 3D as he transits the South Pacific, Asia, Africa, Europe and America.
From deep within NORAD headquarters, dozens of volunteers receive a relentless wave of phone calls to the 1 – 877 – HI-NORAD (1 – 877 – 446 – 6723). They and other volunteers who work off-site, due to coronavirus distancing protocols, answer questions like “When will you come to my house? What kind of cookies do you like? ”Said Program Manager and NORAD spokesperson Preston Schlachter.
Want to see? Visit Official Site (https://www.noradsanta.org) or see #NORADTracksSanta and @NoradSanta at Twitter, or use partner apps.
You can also email noradtrackssanta@outlook.com for the latest news.
Even before takeoff on Friday, the NORAD website had been visited more than 3 million times, Schlachter said.
“All households, all countries have to deal with the impact of this pandemic. Santa Claus is an icon and is a source of joy for many people. ”
For those concerned about the safety of Santa Claus, or his own, the bearded man will likely wear a mask at every stop and, of course, wear gloves, Schlachter noted.
For lovers of details, the NORAD website offers more information about the trip such as the weight of the gifts on take off (60, 000 tons or 60 , 600 metric tons); sleigh propulsion (nine PR) or reindeer power.
Like any good Christmas tale, the origin of the program has been told for generations.
In 1955, the Air Force Colonel , Harry Shoup, commander on duty one Christmas Eve at NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command, responded to a call from a boy who dialed a number that was misprinted in a newspaper ad, thinking he was calling Santa .
Shoup “answered the call, at first he thought it was a joke, but then he realized what had happened and assured the boy that he was Santa, and thus began the tradition that we are celebrating now 66 years later, ”said Schlachter.
NORAD’s mission is to monitor the skies over North America for potential threats.
Arriving on the eve of Christmas, Santa’s operation begins when a group of radar stations in northern Canada and Alaska pick up an infrared signal emanating from Rudolph’s nose.
The NORAD set of geostationary satellites on Earth monitors the journey.
Everything is displayed on large, “unclassified” screens in a festively decorated command post at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs.
Volunteers sit at tables equipped with telephones, miniature Christmas trees, lots of caffeine-laden candies and coffee, and sanitizer for hands.
“We take care of the guard”, is the motto of the NORAD military mission.
And when it comes to Santa , NORAD adds: “Santa is boss. We just track it down. ”
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