Millions of children and parents across the globe are tuning in this Christmas Eve to watch a very special flight. The NORAD Santa Tracker for 2025 is now live, following Father Christmas as he embarks on his annual mission to deliver presents around the world.
The Festive Flight Path Begins
As per tradition, the magical journey commenced from Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland. Guiding his sleigh through the night sky, Santa is joined by his trusty reindeer: Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. Families can watch in real-time as Saint Nicholas checks his famous naughty or nice list, making his impressive voyage across continents.
NORAD's Christmas Mission
Monitoring this epic flight is the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). While the military command's primary role is to monitor the skies above the United States and Canada, it takes on an extra, joyous duty every Christmas. Their advanced systems are dedicated solely to tracking the progress of Father Christmas on this most important night.
A Heartwarming History: The Wrong Number That Started It All
This beloved tradition has a charming origin story dating back to 1955. It began when a local newspaper in Colorado printed a department store advert featuring an incorrect phone number for children to call Santa. A child, trying to reach Father Christmas, instead rang the Colorado Springs Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD).
On duty that Christmas Eve was Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup. Rather than dismissing the call, he quickly realised the mistake and kindly reassured the child that he was, in fact, Santa Claus and that he was on his way. As more calls poured in that night, Colonel Shoup assigned a duty officer to answer them, and a timeless custom was born.
Ever since that fateful evening, the command centre – now known as NORAD – has operated this special festive mission. It has grown from a simple phone line into a global digital phenomenon, allowing everyone to share in the magic and anticipation of Christmas Eve.
