You’d think that the United States’ primary missile detection system might have important things to do at all times, including Christmas Eve. However, tonight NORAD’s central mission involves being “in charge of the annual Christmas mission to keep children informed of Santa’s worldwide journey to their homes” or in other words, helping you track Santa by phone, email and website.
Yes, this is probably the only government agency for which you’ll get a real person answering your call, tonight at 1-877-HINORAD. You can also email noradtrackingsanta@gmail.com.
I just called and the operator said Santa was just entering Maui, which means he may have just visited the Obama children.
“Santa Claus may be able to fly around the world in a sleigh, but even he can’t cross North American airspace without NORAD knowing about it.”
“”If we didn’t do it, truly I don’t know who else would track Santa,” said Maj. Stacia Reddish.”
Do you know how this practice started? “In 1955, a Colorado Springs-based Sears store ran an advertisement encouraging children to call Santa Claus on a special telephone hotline. Due to a printing error, the phone number that was printed was the hotline for the Director of Operations at the Continental Air Defense (CONAD). Colonel Harry Shoup took the first Santa call on Christmas Eve of 1955 from a six-year old boy who began reciting his Christmas list. Shoup didn’t find the call funny, but after asking the mother of the second caller what was happening, then realizing the mistake that occurred, he instructed his staff to give Santa’s position to any child who called in.” http://www.noradsanta.org/en/whytrack.html So there is a reason for even the most apparantly pointless government projects.
Jason Stumpner
December 24th, 2008
Thanks for linking that… it solves the mystery of how NORAD would have gotten involved with this in the first place, which is what I was wondering.
libertariangirl
December 24th, 2008
I’m going to go ahead and say that when I look at the FICA line on my paycheck, I’m not happy, and I’m less happy when I actually read about where that money goes.
Grant
December 31st, 2008
Tracking hi-jacked planes on 9-11….?
Tracking santa… priceless
The Green Libertarian
February 8th, 2010