Keeping Track of Santa with NORAD

Do you know what NORAD is?

Even more important, do you know they TRACK SANTA?

It’s true, and not only that, they offer an interactive website that features Christmas music, games, videos, a library of information on Santa and a countdown!

How fun is that?!

So check out the website with your kids (or without.  Because everyone knows they would probably just hog it and you wouldn’t get to look at all the cool stuff yourself…..)

I was totally cool enough to snag me a chat with one of Santa’s helpers,  Captain Jennifer Stadnyk, Public Affairs Officer for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).  She works all year round at NORAD and gave us a little peak at what goes on behind the scenes there each Christmas season.

Captain Jennifer Stadnyk

She Is Fierce: What is NORAD and what does it do? 

Captain Stadnyk:  NORAD is a bi-national military organization responsible
for ensuring the skies above North America are safe. NORAD performs this
important mission 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year by
monitoring the airspace and coasts of North America, and by being
prepared to defend from any danger in the air.

 She is Fierce: What countries are involved in NORAD and where are they located?
  
Captain Stadnyk: We are a bi-national
command, which means Americans and Canadians work together at our
headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado as well as our NORAD Region
headquarters located in Anchorage, Alaska; Winnipeg, Manitoba, and
Panama City, Florida with supporting Air Force Bases across Canada and
the U.S.
  
She is Fierce: How far in advance do you start getting ready for the Santa Tracking?

Captain Stadnyk: NORAD begins preparing in the spring, however we start working with Santa around August of each year.

She is Fierce: Does Santa know you are tracking him?

Captain Stadnyk: He does! We have fighter
pilots who escort Santa as he crosses certain parts of North America.
This year, the Royal Canadian Air Force has identified two pilots in
Bagotville, Quebec, who will escort Santa across eastern Canada and hand
off the duties to two other pilots from Cold Lake, Alberta.

http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/article-template-standard.page?doc=canadian-norad-region-names-santa-s-escort-pilots%2Fhophw6vc

She is Fierce: Has Santa ever gotten lost and you’ve had to help him out?

Captain Stadnyk: Santa has been flying for centuries and has never gotten lost! So far
he has been self-sufficient in that regard. We keep a close eye on him
though, just in case he needs any help!

She is Fierce:  Has Santa ever come visit you there?

Captain Stadnyk: In fact, Santa visits NORAD
Headquarters in Colorado Springs so that he can meet with the operators
and finalize his plans. He also receives a briefing on how we will use
our military jets, radars, satellites and Santa Cams to follow him
during his journey. He recently visited us on September 26th.

http://www.norad.mil/Newsroom/PressReleases/tabid/3993/Article/4853/santa-claus-visits-norad-headquarters.aspx

She is Fierce:  How many countries does Santa have to see in one night and how long does he have at each house?

Captain Stadnyk:  Luckily, as
there are multiple time zones, Santa is able to visit all countries
and homes where there are children who believe in him. He usually
starts his journey at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean
and travels west. It’s important to note that since Santa travels
faster than starlight, he does not experience time the way we do. His
trip seems to take 24 hours to us, but to Santa, it might last longer!
Santa spends whatever amount of time is needed in order to get all the
presents into each house. Remember, his time, is not the same as ours.
He could stop at your house so quickly, you wouldn’t even hear him! In a
twinkle of an eye!

She is Fierce: What happens if you don’t have a chimney?

Captain Stadnyk: We don’t know exactly
how Santa gets into houses, but we suspect there might be some magic
involved as it’s very difficult for a big man to even to get down a
chimney. We assume he uses the same magic to get into houses that don’t
have chimneys, but he has never shared his secret with us! What we do
know is that children without chimneys still get their presents!

She is Fierce:  What did YOU ask Santa for Christmas?

Captain Stadnyk: World Peace. And a vacuum cleaner (I have a Husky puppy who sheds a LOT)

At the NORAD headquarters, military members, civilian employees and families are all involved in answering phones, responding to emails and helping keep track of Santa’s whereabouts on December 24th

So here’s how you can use the NORAD Santa Tracker:

1. Check out their interactive website here.

2. Starting 4a.m. MST on 12/24 you can:

Track Santa on line here


Call the tracker for a real-time Santa status update at 1-877-HI NORAD


Email the tracker for a Santa update at noradtrackssanta@outlook.com

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