| Will you be sitting up this Christmas Eve, eagerly | | | | on the internet in 1998. |
| waiting for Santa to arrive? We all know that he | | | | According to Norad's website, the tradition was |
| manages to visit children across the globe in the | | | | sparked by a misprint in a newspaper |
| course of a single night, bringing gifts and toys | | | | advertisement run by a Colorado store that |
| and spreading Christmas joy all over the world. | | | | invited children to call Santa on a special line. The |
| What if there was a way to track Santa's | | | | number accidentally connected callers to the |
| progress as he drives his sleigh from the North | | | | Operations number at CONAD (the forerunner of |
| Pole? | | | | NORAD). But luckily, the Director of Operations |
| When I was a child, I always knew that Santa | | | | delighted his young callers by asking his personnel |
| wouldn't come until I was properly asleep. He | | | | to watch radar signals for signs that Santa was |
| always entered our house down the chimney, so | | | | indeed on his way. Since then, staff and special |
| we would leave some milk for the reindeer and a | | | | volunteers every year have monitored Santa's |
| couple of mince pies and glass of something | | | | marvelous ride for the benefit of children and |
| special for Santa himself. And in the morning, the | | | | news outlets all over the world. |
| first sign that Santa really had been there was | | | | These days, eager Santa watchers can track his |
| that the milk and mince pies were gone -- quickly | | | | progress online at NORAD's website and in a |
| followed by an unforgettable moment of wonder | | | | variety of languages other than English, including |
| at the miracle of how he had done it. | | | | French, Spanish, German, Italian and Japanese, |
| While we know that only Santa has the power to | | | | starting at 2.00am in Colorado (MST) on |
| achieve this magnificent feat, scientists have | | | | December 24th -- that's 4.00am Eastern and |
| gradually found ways in which to map his journey | | | | 9.00am GMT. There's also information about |
| -- even if they can't keep up with it. Thanks to a | | | | NORAD's history of tracking Santa, along with |
| string of long-range radar installations across the | | | | games, music and Christmas coloring pages. |
| northern borders of North America, we can get | | | | So whether you call him Santa, Father Christmas, |
| an early warning of Santa's departure on his | | | | Nikolaus or Papa Noel, you'll be able to tell exactly |
| annual reindeer ride from his polar base. | | | | when he and his reindeer set out on their |
| Information on Santa's journey is made available | | | | Christmas travels. But for all the technological |
| by NORAD, the North American Aerospace | | | | wizardry, you also know that he'll only come to |
| Defense Command, who have been tracking Saint | | | | your house when you're fast asleep! |
| Nick since 1955 and began showing the program | | | | |