In 1955, a misprinted phone number in a Colorado Springs newspaper turned a military hotline into a source of holiday magic, giving birth to the beloved NORAD Santa Tracker. Col. Harry Shoup, then commander of the Continental Air Defense Command, was the first to answer a child’s call asking about Santa Claus. Realizing the mix-up stemmed from a Sears ad mistakenly listing his top-secret hotline number as Santa’s, Shoup embraced the festive spirit, speaking with the child and playing along as Santa himself.
What began as a lighthearted moment soon became a flurry of calls, with airmen at the command center pitching in to answer children’s questions. On Christmas Eve, a reindeer and sleigh doodled on the defense tracking board sparked Shoup’s idea to share Santa updates with a local radio station. The creative gesture was an instant hit, and NORAD’s Santa Tracker was officially born.
Decades later, the tracker remains a cherished tradition. Each Christmas Eve, NORAD volunteers field over 130,000 calls from curious kids eager to know Santa’s whereabouts. Shoup, lovingly nicknamed “Santa Colonel,” carried the memory of those first magical calls for the rest of his life, treasuring letters from children who thanked him for bringing Santa’s journey to life. Today, the Santa Tracker continues to spread joy, reminding us of the power of imagination and the warmth of holiday traditions.