From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced on Friday that it will track Santa’s Christmas Eve route despite the government shutdown.
Set to go live at 1 a.m. CST on December 24, Santa usually starts at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean and continues west. Historically, NORAD found that Santa visited the South Pacific first, then New Zealand and Australia. After taking care of the children in those regions, he traveled north to Japan, across Asia, through Africa and then to Western Europe. Continuing west, Santa visited Canada, the United States, Mexico and Central America. His final stop on the whirlwind journey was South America.
“Keep in mind, Santa’s route can be affected by weather, so it’s really unpredictable,” NORAD explained. “NORAD coordinates with Santa’s Elf Launch Staff to confirm his launch time, but from that point on, Santa calls the shots.”
NORAD began tracking Santa in 1955 after an advertisement encouraging kids to call Santa accidentally listed the number for the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD). Colonel Harry Shoup answered the phone, which was largely reserved for communication with the Pentagon, to find a little girl on the other line asking about Santa.