Santa Tracker

[Unklescott]

Tomorrow is the big day!! Santa has made his list, checked it twice and he is finally coming to town!
Those of you with little ones might be interested in this Santa tracker available online.
Here's a link to Norad Tracks Santa. Here's how this first got started.
NORAD TRACKS SANTA 2007

For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa. The tradition began on Christmas Eve in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. store advertisement for children to call Santa on a special "hotline" included an inadvertently misprinted telephone number. Instead of Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The Director of Operations, Colonel Harry Shoup had his staff check radar data for any indication of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Indeed there were signs of Santa and children who called were given an update on Santa's location. Thus, the tradition was born. To listen to Colonel Shoup talk about the experience, click here. In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for the North American continent called the North American Air Defense Command, known as NORAD. NORAD inherited the tradition of tracking Santa.

Since that time, Canadian and American men and women who work at NORAD have responded to phone calls from children personally. Additionally, media from all over the world call NORAD on Christmas Eve for updates on Santa's location. Last year this Website was visited by millions of people who wanted to know Santa's whereabouts.

NORAD relies on many volunteers to help make Santa tracking possible. Hundreds of volunteers spend part of their Christmas Eve at the Santa Tracking Operations Center answering phones and emails to provide Santa updates to thousands of inquiring children worldwide.

I hope some of you enjoy this with your children.
Merry Christmas!

[schmoo2]

Thank you for posting the story.It is very interesting!

[Unklescott]

Want to see the weather from the North Pole?
North Pole Forecast

[marybethp]

I tell you, watching this with my 9YO DD was hilarious. She kept announcing where Santa was (like Africa, Russia and Rio de Janero, Brazil, but all of a sudden, she ran down the hall like a bat out of hell screaming "I have to get to bed, he's in CANADA!!!". Apparently, she was worried he was going from Canada directly to our house in New York.

It was so funny (and heck, it got her to bed )

[bbnbama]

I tell you, watching this with my 9YO DD was hilarious. She kept announcing where Santa was (like Africa, Russia and Rio de Janero, Brazil, but all of a sudden, she ran down the hall like a bat out of hell screaming "I have to get to bed, he's in CANADA!!!". Apparently, she was worried he was going from Canada directly to our house in New York.

It was so funny (and heck, it got her to bed )

OMG....that was so funny marybethp!

[just1paul]

all of a sudden, she ran down the hall like a bat out of hell screaming "I have to get to bed, he's in CANADA!!!". Apparently, she was worried he was going from Canada directly to our house in New York.

It was so funny (and heck, it got her to bed )

This had me splitting my sides laughing.

[Unklescott]

That's great Marybeth.
One Christmas the company I worked for rented a Santa suit for me to wear to work on Christmas Eve for our little afternoon party. I was the "class clown" so to speak and a hefty guy to boot. I volunteered to do it, you know one of those "If you had a Santa suit I'd wear it" things. I got to keep the suit until the day after Christmas since the costume rental shop was closed until the day after.
So that evening I wore it to my cousin's house and everybody was rolling. We decided to hop in the car and make the rounds of various aunt's uncle's cousin's etc. I got to one house where there was a 5 year old who was in the process of trying to go to bed. His mom was in the bed with him trying to get him to sleep. The look on her face was as priceless as his when Santa walked in the bedroom. I told him "I came to bring your presents but you're not asleep yet so I'll try to come back later. Now get up in that bed John and go to sleep." That kid scampered back in that bed so fast.
I went back out into the living room and his mom came out in a few and asked "Who in the heck is that?" to which I replied "Santa, who else?" She knew it was me then by my voice. I guess after I left the room John got out of bed to look out the window and she scolded him again. "He said "Shhh mommy, I'm looking for Rudolph."
That was a fun evening. You should have seen the families at red lights honking and waving at me. I also played Santa at a department store the next year. I had a blast.

[Newfherder]

From The Big Book of Newf Family Lore:

Back many, many years ago, very possibly before I was born, a man in the neighborhood made arrangements with some families to come by during the night dressed as Santa. Mom thought it sounded like fun, so she left the door unlocked for him. Unfortunately, she didn't tell Dad, who heard someone in the house. He came roaring down the stairs bellowing "WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON DOWN HERE?" Then, much more sheepishly, "Look kids, it's Santa!"

[MRD]

Funny Stories. Unk, I bet you make a great Santa. That's hysterical about the 5 year old.

I persuaded a friend to dress in a Gorilla suit and come to a scrapbook workshop with 30 women to surprise his wife, my best friend. She was so embarrassed, but got even more so when the Gorilla started groping her. She had NO idea it was her husband and was running from him and he was chasing her and EVERYONE in there was about to split sides laughing. Out of the 30 or so women, only 3 of us knew who the Gorilla was and when he unmasked, it was even more funny. She was mad, embarrassed and relieved all at the same time and both laughing and crying.
Best gag I've ever pulled in my life on anyone. And it helped that her husband was a huge ham and also one of those: give me a costume, and I'll put it on types.

[Missyboxers]

Marybeth, Rosie and Newf, those are hilarious stories!! I love the Santa tracker and was mildly sad to be spending the morning at work, rather than home wrapping presents and religiously tracking. I'm probably too old for this-- I'm 24-- but that doesn't stop me.