In the nation’s capital, Washington, the excitement is palpable as Santa prepares for his worldwide gift-giving expedition. For seven decades, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has been faithfully monitoring Santa’s travels from the North Pole, a tradition that began in 1955. While NORAD’s primary mission remains homeland security, each year it takes on the whimsical task of following Santa’s sleigh on its epic journey.

The anticipation builds as the Santa Tracker website has been live for weeks, but the real excitement kicks off on Christmas Eve. At 4 a.m. Eastern on December 24, NORAD begins providing updates as Santa embarks on his trip, delivering cheer to every corner of the world.

For those eager to witness Santa’s progress live, our station offers a seamless viewing experience. Tune in via our streaming plus app, accessible on platforms like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and other smart TVs. Additionally, viewers can follow along on our mobile app or online, ensuring that Santa’s journey can be enjoyed from anywhere with an internet connection. Best of all, no subscription or cable login is necessary to join in the festive fun.

You can watch Santa’s journey live on this station’s streaming plus app, our free streaming platform available Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TVs and platforms. Viewers can also watch on our mobile app or online here, making it easy to tune in from home, on the go or from anywhere with an internet connection. No subscription or cable login is required.

Click here to visit the NORAD Tracks Santa website.

Callers can also dial in throughout the day to find out where Santa is on his journey by calling  1-877-HI-NORAD to ask the live operators about Santa’s location from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Eastern. 

Users can now use the program’s website to make a call, making it easier for those without a phone or for those outside of North America to call in and track Santa. 

The tradition started in 1955 when NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command, was on the lookout for any sign of a possible nuclear attack from the then-Soviet Union. NORAD says a child mistakenly called the combat operations center and asked to speak to Santa Claus. The commander on duty, Air Force Col. Harry Shoup didn’t want to disappoint the child, so he ordered staffers to start tracking Santa and take calls from children.

The story goes that the first phone call was either the result of a misprint or a misdial of a number included in a Sears advertisement in the Colorado Springs newspaper encouraging children to call Santa.

The legend developed into the first call coming into a dedicated hotline that connected the command with a general in case of an attack. In 2015, The Atlantic magazine doubted the flood of calls to the secret line, saying a call to a public phone line was more probable and noting that Shoup had a flair for public relations.

In a 1999 interview with The Associated Press, Shoup recalled playing along once he figured out what was happening, telling the first caller, “Ho, ho, ho, I am Santa.”

“The crew was looking at me like I had lost it,” he recalled.

He said he told his staff what was happening and told them to play along, too.

It’s not clear what day the first call came in, but by Dec. 23 of that first year, The Associated Press reported that CONAD was tracking Santa.

CONAD soon became North American Aerospace Defense Command. It used to operate inside nearby Cheyenne Mountain. A network of tunnels had been blasted out of the mountain’s hard granite so NORAD officers could survive a nuclear attack.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.