The NORAD Tracks Santa (NTS) program has been around for a long time, since 1955 to be exact! And while NORAD has the "history" and excellent technology to track Santa, NORAD cannot expend government funds on the program. Besides the short time a NTS Project Officer spends "managing" the program, NORAD spends only the minimal amount of funds on NTS.
So, how do we do it? The NTS program is funded through generous contributions from our sponsors. Everything from computer servers, web site design, video imaging, Santa's tracking map, and the toll free telephone number, to the souvenir Santa Tracker buttons volunteers are presented on Christmas Eve, companies, corporations and individual sponsors, or what we like to call Partners, bring this program to children around the world.
Without this wonderful generosity the NORAD Tracks Santa Program would not be possible, and NORAD sincerely thanks each and every one of them for their terrific support.
The NORAD Tracks Santa Program is managed by the NORAD and United States Northern Command Public Affairs Office at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, HQ NORAD/NORTHCOM, (719) 554-6889.
With Christmas rapidly approaching I thought this needed a bump.
Santa maintains a huge list of children who have been good throughout the year. The list even includes addresses, ZIP codes and postal codes. The list, of course, gets bigger each year by virtue of the world's increasing population. This year's population right now is 6,634,570,959! Santa has had to adapt over the years to having less and less time to deliver his toys. If one were to assume he works in the realm of standard time, as we know it, clearly he would have perhaps two to three ten-thousandths of a second to deliver his toys to each child's home he visits!
The fact that Santa Claus is more than 15 centuries old and does not appear to age is our biggest clue that he does not work within time, as we know it. His Christmas Eve trip may seem to take around 24 hours, but to Santa it could be that it lasts days, weeks or months in standard time. Santa would not want to rush the important job of bringing Christmas happiness to a child, so the only logical conclusion is that Santa somehow functions on a different time and space continuum.
Questions for Santa
As you know, this is Santa's busiest time of the year. But if it's really important, click here to send Santa an email. His elves, Chuckles and Buckley, will be sure he gets your mail!