Santa tracking is a fine art, which employs the very latest technology.
Interestingly, it was a technical glitch that started the whole thing, when a newspaper ad urging kids to call Santa accidentally printed the number for a hotline at what was called Continental Air Defense (CONAD) at the time.
THE STORY BEHIND THE ORIGINATION OF NORAD’s SANTA TRACKER
NORAD AND USSPACECOM DISCUSS PREPARATIONS TO TRACK SANTA
When Col. Harry Shoup realized what had happened, he decided to instruct his radar operators to look for signs of a sleigh flying south from the North Pole - and a tradition was born.
COVID precluded the normal large gatherings of people to take phone calls and help handle inquiries in 2020, but in 2021 NORAD’s back in full force, and getting a lot of help.
You can follow along here, beginning at 5:00 a.m. Central Time on Christmas Eve.