NORAD keeps Santa on kids' radar

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Dec 25, 2004 | by R. SCOTT RAPPOLD THE GAZETTE

At NORAD, deep in Cheyenne Mountain, it's their job to detect the launch of a missile anywhere in the world within four minutes.

They have 24 satellites, groundbased radar and F-16 fighter jets at their disposal, meant to protect the United States from an attack from the air or space.

Friday night, though, the focus of this technology and the eagleeyed watchers who monitor it was on one fat guy hauling what was certainly an oversized load.

No, he wasn't suspicious -- though he never files a flight plan. He was Santa Claus, and for 50 years NORAD has tracked his Christmas Eve trek across the globe for millions of eager children.

Why? Because Santa flies so fast, nobody else could.

"Part of our mission is to be able to track Santa," said Michael Perini, NORAD'S director of public affairs. "We don't take that mission lightly."

"It's serious any time you're monitoring anything that's traveling in our air space, and the same attention to detail goes into tracking missiles that goes into tracking Santa," he said.

It goes back to the mid-1950s and a famous typo in The Gazette.

Sears-Roebuck placed an ad with a phone number for kids who wanted to talk to Santa. But the printed number was off by one, and kids who called it got the commander of the Continental Air Defense Command, NORAD'S precursor.

Col. Harry Shoup, on duty Christmas Eve, fielded the first call and told the young caller he would check the radar for Santa. And so a Colorado Springs tradition was born.

Last year, NORAD received 50,000 phone calls, 60,000 e-mails and more than 700 million hits on its Santa-tracking Web site, and Perini expected this Christmas Eve to be even bigger. They came from every state and 60 countries. Five years ago, they got just 7,000 calls.

Of course, the sheer volume of requests for Santa updates couldn't be handled by NORAD's staff, who still have to monitor the other aircraft and watch for missiles.

Hundreds of volunteers, connected with NORAD or another military facility in the region, spend a few hours of the holiday answering phones or e-mails.

"It's great. I've met a lot of kids from England, and it's been a load of fun," Jessica Childers said in the roughly 10 seconds between phone calls.

"We're all having so much fun just listening to all the little voices and the magic that's reflected in the questions they ask," Darali Paulus said.

Most are kids, or adults talking for their kids in the background, and the big question -- after the surprise of getting a live person instead of a recording -- is always what time Santa will be at their house.

The answer is usually about 11 p.m. their time, so they'd better make sure they're in bed.

Perini credits the Web site, redesigned for this year with better graphics and updated every five minutes, with the growth. Plus, he said more phone lines this year meant fewer people got busy signals.

"It is a great magical feeling," said Jason Figueroa, who spent 110 hours designing the Web site. "It's a great thing for the kids. It's great storytelling to keep the belief in Santa Claus alive in kids, and I love that."

Said Paulus, "Even if they lose the belief in the man himself, it keeps the compassion and belief in others alive."