How a Typo Sparked NORAD's Santa Tracking Tradition
In 1955, a Sears advertisement in Colorado Springs invited children to call Santa Claus. However, due to a misprinted phone number, calls were directed to the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), the predecessor of NORAD. Colonel Harry Shoup, the officer on duty, received a call from a child asking to speak with Santa. Recognizing the mistake, Shoup played along, assuring the child that Santa was en route.
Rather than shutting down the calls, Shoup leaned into the moment. He instructed his staff to continue taking calls and provide “Santa updates” to any children who phoned in. That same night, he even contacted a local radio station to announce that NORAD’s radar had detected an unidentified flying object resembling a sleigh. This light-hearted move captured the public’s imagination and laid the foundation for what would become an enduring holiday tradition.
When NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) was officially established in 1958, the tradition didn’t disappear. Instead, it grew. NORAD adopted the program and began formally tracking Santa Claus each Christmas Eve using its radar systems, satellites, and eventually, jet fighters.
In the decades that followed, the tradition expanded beyond just answering phones. In the 1990s, NORAD launched a website where children could track Santa’s progress around the world in real time. Today, kids and families can follow along through social media, Alexa devices, and even mobile apps. What began as a simple typo has become one of the most heartwarming uses of military technology in holiday history.
The NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center now receives more than 100,000 calls each year, and over 1,000 volunteers including military personnel and civilian staff from the U.S. and Canada help make the magic happen. The tradition has become a symbol of warmth, goodwill, and the unexpected joy that can come from a small mistake handled with heart.
