Track Santa's Journey on Christmas Eve

In just a few hours, Santa Claus will begin his trek around the globe to deliver presents to all the kids who’ve been nice this year. (And let’s face it, the naughty ones will probably wake up to something under the tree, too.)

If you want to prepare for when Santa will arrive in Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills and Burr Ridge the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will again be tracking Santa’s progress on Christmas Eve. 

NORAD, which normally follows things such as airplanes, missiles and space launches as they fly above North America, got into the Santa-tracking business by accident, according to its website. 

In 1955, a Sears’ ad printed the phone number of a NORAD (then CONAD) hotline and mistakenly said it was Santa’s number.

Children flooded the phone line on Christmas Eve with calls for Santa.

Luckily, next to Santa himself, NORAD was the next best place to reach because it had the ability to check its radar for Santa’s sleigh.

NORAD has continued the tradition ever since, though now children can follow Santa’s journey from the department’s official Santa-tracking website. More than 1,250 civilians and military personnel volunteer to help with the effort, NORAD said. 

Children can also email noradtrackssanta@gmail.com or call 877-HI-NORAD to check in directly with NORAD staff about Santa’s location. 

Follow Santa’s travels at http://www.noradsanta.org.