I can confirm that Santa Claus will depart the North Pole at 6pm Australian time tonight.
Check out the wonderful work of Santa Claus and the mighty team at Norad.
A little bit about Norad…
For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s Christmas Eve flight.
The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.
In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, which then took on the tradition of tracking Santa.
Since that time, NORAD men, women, family and friends have selflessly volunteered their time to personally respond to Christmas Eve phone calls and emails from children. In addition, we now track Santa using the internet. Last year, millions of people who wanted to know Santa’s whereabouts visited the NORAD Tracks Santa website.
Finally, media from all over the world rely on NORAD as a trusted source to provide Christmas Eve updates on Santa’s journey.
In Memory of Colonel (Retired) Harry Shoup, USAF
NORAD’s First Santa Tracker
September 29, 1917 – March 14, 2009
RIP Harry. What you started is a truly wonderful thing for children all over the world.
It’s such a relief to know that I’m not the only one who thinks so.
Lyrics
I want to tell you all a story ’bout a Harper Valley widow wife
Who had a teenage daughter that attended Harper Valley Junior High
Well her daughter came home one afternoon and didn’t even stop to play
And she said, “Mama, I’ve got a note here from the Harper Valley PTA”
Well the note says “Mrs. Johnson, you’re wearing your dresses way too high
It’s been reported you’ve been drinkin’ and a runnin’ round with men and goin’ wild
Now we don’t believe you ought to be a bringin’ up your little girl this way”
And it was signed by the Secretary, Harper Valley PTA
Well it happened that the PTA was gonna meet that very afternoon
And boy, were they surprised as Mrs. Johnson wore her miniskirt into the room
And as she walked up to the blackboard I can still recall the word she had to say
She said “I’d like to address this meeting of the Harper Valley PTA
Now there’s Bobby Taylor sittin’ there and seven times he’s asked me for a date
And Mrs. Taylor sure seems to use a lot of ice whenever he’s away
And Mr. Baker can you tell us why your secretary had to leave this town
And shouldn’t widow Jones be told to keep her window shades all pulled completely down
Now Mr. Harper couldn’t be here ’cause he’s stayed too long in Kelly’s bar again
And if you smell Shirley Thompson’s breath you’ll find she’s had a little nip of gin
And then you have the nerve to tell me as a mother you think that I ain’t fit
Well this is just a little Peyton Place and you’re all Harper Valley hypocrites.”
Now I wouldn’t put you on because it really did, it happened just this way
That day my Mama socked it to the Harper Valley PTA
That day my Mama socked it to ‘em at the Harper Valley PTA
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The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.
