In 1955 a Sears & Roebuck store in Colorado Springs advertised for children to call and talk to Santa. Only trouble was that the misprinted phone number connected the children to the Commander in Chief of CONAD, responsible for the tracking of possible incoming ICBMs over North American airspace. Colonel Harry Shoup happily gave children updates as to Santa’s progress via CONADs radar systems and a tradition was born.

For 53 years, NORAD has been tracking Santa’s trips from the North Pole and around the world and providing up to the minute updates on his deliveries. This year you and your children can track Santa with NORAD by visiting NORAD Track Santa where you will find real-time updates on Santa’s position, videos from his stops in various cities, and the option to track him with Google Earth in 3D.

We have our Santa tracker already set up and are watching him make his way from the other side of the globe to our house. I hope he remembers to stop!

Chris Webb is the father of two amazing sons, a self-professed (and proud) geek and perhaps enjoys Star Wars a little too much for someone his age. Professionally he is an Associate Publisher for John Wiley & Sons where he manages a global technology publishing program.  His publishing blog is http://ckwebb.com.

In addition, he finds is slightly odd to write about himself in the third person.