NORAD again tracks Santa online

In 1955, a Sears store in Colorado Springs, Colo., set up a telephone line which children could call to talk to Santa.

Unfortunately, a newspaper ad promoting the phone line misprinted the number, and instead children ended up calling the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD). The director of operations there, Col. Harry Shoup, took the mistake in stride and had his staff check the radar for any indications that Santa had begun his annual route, so that the callers could be reassured about Santa's whereabouts.

Over the years, CONAD was transformed into NORAD, the joint U.S.-Canadian organization responsible for air warning and defense. But NORAD kept up the practice of tracking Santa and answering questions about his location.

The arrival of the Internet added a new dimension to the project. Now, expectant children and their parents can watch live video of Santa and his sleigh on Christmas Eve.

The NORAD Santa site also has plenty of pre-Christmas activities, such as games, videos, puzzles, an online radio station playing Christmas music, and a countdown clock.

There's also breaking news. On the day I checked the site earlier this week, this update appeared:

"NORAD has learned that the closing ceremonies for the Reindeer Games have taken place at the North Pole. More than 48 reindeer participated this year. Challenges included take-off speed, freestyle sky-dancing, synchronized touch-and-go, and hoof patty-cake for the fawns."

To get the most benefit from the site on Christmas Eve, you need to have downloaded and installed Google Earth (earth.google.com), a sort of interactive globe for your computer screen -- but that's a great year-round gadget to have anyway, and a wonderful way to help kids learn about geography. It's free, by the way.

Then, by downloading NORAD Santa's Google Earth overlay on Christmas Eve, you can easily track Santa's movements as he proceeds from east to west through Asia and Europe. Certain destinations will feature icons indicating that video of Santa has been captured and is available for viewing.

Google Earth, and the videos, assume that you have a broadband connection. There are other features of the site that should work with dial-up, however.

You can also follow Norad Santa on Twitter (noradsanta) or Facebook for updates about the site (and about Santa).

The site is made possible by a number of corporate sponsors, including Google and Verizon.

The site is fun for children (of all ages), and if you've got an Internet connection it's free. What a great way to put yourself into the holiday spirit!

--John I. Carney is city editor of the Times-Gazette and covers county government. He is also the author of the self-published novel "Soapstone." His personal web site is lakeneuron.com.