Where in the World Is Santa Claus?

AZINE. THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN AMERICAN ESSENCE MAG F or more than 60 years, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a binational defensive agency that monitors U.S.-Canadian aerospace for threats, has faithfully tracked the movements of Santa Claus as he travels on Christmas Eve to deliver presents to boys and girls across the world.

This unlikely responsibility is something of a Christmas miracle itself. It began by accident in 1955 when a child called a misprinted phone number in the local newspaper in hopes of reaching Santa. Instead, the phone rang Air Force Col. Harry Shoup’s secret military hotline at the Continental Air Defense Command, NORAD’s predecessor. When Shoup realized the caller was a child, he assured the child that he was indeed Santa Claus and mustered a group of airmen to answer incoming calls for Santa. What began as a child’s accidental phone call has blossomed into an annual program followed by millions. Now, the volunteer-supported hotline receives at least 130,000 yearly calls asking about Santa’s location.

In an interview, this year’s program director for NORAD Tracks Santa, 1st Lt. Sean Carter, provided an insider’s scoop on the magic behind Santa’s incredible journey.

過去60年來，北美防空司令部（由美加兩國組成的雙邊 空中防禦機構，以下稱NORAD）一直持續不懈地在耶 誕夜時，追蹤聖誕老人在全世界送禮物的足跡。這項特 殊任務，其實也可算是聖誕奇蹟了。這一切都始於一場 1955年發生的意外。 當年，一個孩子拿起電話撥打到當地報紙上印錯的 聖誕熱線，沒想到電話卻連上了大陸空防司令部（北美 空防司令部的前身）空軍上校 Harry Shoup 的軍事專 線。Shoup 上校在意識到電話那頭是個孩子時，他臨機 應變回應：沒錯，我就是聖誕老人！他迅速召集下屬一起 幫忙接電話。自那時起，這通意外撥錯的電話便大受歡 迎，成為百萬人引領企盼的年度節目。現在，這支由志願 者組成的服務熱線，每年平均會接到約 13 萬通左右詢問 聖誕老人即時位置的電話。 我們訪問了今年（2022）追蹤聖誕老人的計畫主持 人——卡爾特中尉，了解關於聖誕老人的內幕消息，並為 全世界孩子們都會好奇的問題尋找答案。

What is your job at NORAD? What do you do when you’re not tracking Santa?

Lt. Sean Carter: I am a NORAD and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) public affairs officer. Outside of my Santa-tracking responsibilities, I help to manage our community outreach division. We have the greatest job in the DoD (Department of Defense). It’s our team’s charge to interface with the American and Canadian people—to foster relationships with the beautiful city of Colorado Springs, which NORAD and USNORTHCOM Headquarters call home, to showcase the incredible binational relationship that is wholly unique to the NORAD mission, and to assure our citizens that they can sleep safe and sound.

What technologies are used to track Santa?

Mr. Carter: The NORAD North Warning System —a powerful radar system with 47 installations strung across northern Canada and Alaska—allows the team here to know the second that Santa begins his flight. Our guiding light, now 67 years since our first foray into Santa tracking, has always been Rudolph’s red nose. It’s that little nose so bright that allows NORAD to track the jolly old fellow’s flight path through infrared technologies.

Once airborne, the same satellites that provide warning of possible missile launches against North America kick into high gear. The intensity of Rudolph’s nose is on a par with that of a missile launch, and the satellites have no trouble following their route.

Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, operations officer at NORAD’s precursor organization, answered a wrong-number call on Dec. 24, 1955, from a child wishing to speak to Santa. As the number had been mistakenly published in a local newspaper, the colonel put together a team to answer the calls. It was the beginning of NORAD’s tradition of tracking Santa. _Courtesy of the Department of Defense Two Canadian CF18 Hornet aircraft (top) and a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor. _Cpl. Vicky Lefrancois/DAirPA (top) and Senior Airman Emily Farnsworth (bottom)

請問你在NORAD的職務是什麼？當你沒有追蹤聖誕 老人時，都做些什麼？ 卡爾特中尉：我是NORAD跟美國北方司令部的公共事 務官。在追蹤聖誕老公公的任務之外，我還負責管理和 監督社區外聯分部。我們的工作是整個國防部裡最棒 的！我的小組負責連結美國和加拿大人民，也要與北美 空防司令部和北方司令部的所在地——科羅拉多泉市居 民維持友好的關係。我們要展現的是美加雙邊獨特的密 切連結，也確保了國民每天都能安穩睡個好覺。

追蹤聖誕老人用了什麼樣的科技？ 卡爾特中尉：我們使用的是NORAD北方警示系統，這是 一款強大的雷達系統，從加拿大到阿拉斯加，共設置了 47個彼此連結的裝置，聖誕老人一旦升空，便能即刻偵 測其行蹤。從67年前第一次追蹤開始，偵測的基準點一 直是魯道夫的紅鼻子。這個夜空中最亮的「紅鼻子」，讓 NORAD可以採用紅外線技術，精準定位追蹤那位快樂 老人的飛行航線。 待他起飛時，就會觸發飛彈警示裝置，並且連帶啟 動整個追蹤系統。魯道夫的鼻子配有如導彈般的威力， 所以衛星追蹤其飛行路線絕對可行。 加拿大 NORAD 駕駛 CF-18 的戰鬥機飛行員會從 紐芬蘭起飛，並在加拿大境內上空飛行，一路伴隨馴鹿 雪橇隊。美國則是由 F-15、F-16、F-22 的飛行員，接手

Volunteers monitor phones and computers while tracking Santa Claus at the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center. _Charles Marsh/DVIDS

Canadian NORAD fighter pilots, flying CF-18s, take off from Newfoundland and accompany him as he travels through Canada. While in the United States, American NORAD fighter pilots in F-15s, F-16s, and F-22s have the honor of tipping their wings to St. Nick. All of these systems come together to provide NORAD with a very good, continuous picture of his whereabouts.

How big a team does it take to track Santa?

Mr. Carter: Every holiday season, a team of more than 1,500 Canadian and American uniformed personnel, DoD civilians, and members of the community come together to volunteer to track Santa. It’s no exaggeration to say we receive thousands of calls each year regarding Santa’s whereabouts. The NORAD Public Affairs office manages the program, but it wouldn’t be possible without our corporate contributors.

伴飛聖尼可拉斯的光榮任務。飛行員、地面控制中心和 雷達警示系統一起為 NORAD 提供不間斷的行動報告。

追蹤聖誕老人需要出動多少人員？ 卡爾特中尉：每次追蹤行動都動員了1,500名美國和加拿 大軍方、國防部事務員，和許多來自社區的志願者一同參 與。我們每年接到成千上萬的電話，詢問聖誕老人的行 蹤，一點也不誇張！儘管整個行動計畫是由NORAD公 共事務辦公室管理，不過，只有我們是辦不到的。

聖誕老人和馴鹿們要飛多快，才能在一個晚上把禮物 送到每一個孩子的手中？ 卡爾特中尉：NORAD的情報部門報告指出，聖誕老人 的時間流逝速度和我們不一樣。他的送禮旅程在我們看 來才花了24小時，但對他來說，可能已經過去好幾天、 好幾個禮拜或好幾個月了。聖誕老人不希望急就章，送禮 物給好孩子，還有分送快樂給每個人，是非常重要的工 作，所以，最合邏輯的結論，就是聖誕老人在一個不同的 時間場裡，而他的動作可比光速還快！

More than 1,500 American and Canadian uniformed personnel, Department of Defense civilians, and members of the community volunteer to help track Santa and answer thousands of phone calls every year. _Staff Sgt. Alexandra Longfellow (right) and Dennis Carlyle (left)

How fast does Santa fly in order to get to every child’s house? Does the speed change as Santa drops off more presents but stops for cookies?

Mr. Carter: NORAD intelligence reports indicate that Santa does not experience time the way we do. His trip seems to take 24 hours to us, but to Santa it might last days, weeks, or even months. Santa would not want to rush the important job of delivering presents to children and spreading joy to everyone, so the only logical conclusion is that Santa functions within his own space-time continuum—faster than starlight.

To your second question, however, yes! We have verified that at the time of takeoff, Santa—himself of generous girth—has a whopping 60,000 tons of gifts in tow. Upon his return, the sleigh itself is significantly lighter, though its passenger has nearly quadrupled in generosity. These changes surely play a role in his travels, though we’re not sure to what extent.

Please tell us about the Santa Cams.

Mr. Carter: The Santa Cams are very special, highly technical tools that work to slow down time and make Santa’s presence in any given city perceptible to the human eye. We’re aiming for at least four new Santa Cams to come online this year, so keep an eye out on December 24 to see if you can spot the new cities.

Over NORAD’s 66 years of tracking Santa, what have been some of the most memorable moments? Mr. Carter: Just a few years back, we took a call from the sweetest little girl. She was very worried about her mom, who had deployed overseas just before the holiday season. All she wanted to know was

可以請您談談聖誕老人攝影機嗎？ 卡爾特中尉：聖誕老人攝影機非常特別，高科技的設備能減 緩時間流逝的速度，令聖誕老人無論現身在哪個城市都能被 肉眼捕捉。我能透露的是，今年我們預計讓四架新的聖誕老 人攝影機上線，12月24日當天，大家可以來找找看是架在哪 些城市！

在過去66年的聖誕老人追蹤史上，有什麼特別難忘的 事嗎？ 卡爾特中尉：我們曾經接到一個小女孩的電話，她的媽媽將 在聖誕節前被派遣到海外駐軍，她很擔心母親。她想知道， 就算被派駐在外國，聖誕老公公是否還是可以找得到她媽 媽。我們有幸告訴這個小女孩，無論在哪裡，聖誕老公公絕 對都找得到她的媽媽。給孩子們散布快樂、安全感還有佳節 魔法，這正是我們最熱愛的事。

請問你們可否透露給我們的讀者，何時為打開網站了解聖 誕老人移動位置的最佳良機？還有，是否能掌握聖誕老人 抵達家裡的時間？ 卡爾特中尉：很高興收到你的這項提問！從過去的經驗，我 們知道聖誕老人通常在美東時間早晨6點自北極往東飛，當 東半球孩子還在睡夢中時，開始他的送禮旅途。通常在晚上 9~12點之間，而且只去小孩已經睡著的家喔！如果他到了發 現小孩還沒睡著，他會先往下一戶走，晚一點再回頭走一趟。 了解聖誕老人位置的最好辦法，當然還是造訪我們的 網站 NORADSanta.org，或者打這支專線電話：1-877-HiNORAD (1-877-446-6723)。OnStar 的用戶可以利用 OnStar 裝置追蹤，而 Amazon Alexa 可以直接問「Alexa， 聖誕老人在哪裡？」，也可以手機用戶可上Ａ pp 平臺下載 「NORAD Tracks Senta」App。 佳節愉快！期待能在 12 月 24 日見到大家！

（本文經刪節與編輯）

that Santa would be able to find her mom this year, even though she wasn’t at home. It was the team’s great honor to inform the little girl that Santa would indeed have no problem finding her mom wherever she was. There’s no greater satisfaction than using our Santa-tracking tools to bring a little joy, reassurance, and holiday magic into the lives of children.

What’s your best advice for our readers who wish to track Santa and catch him as he arrives at their homes?

Mr. Carter: I’m so happy you asked. We know from past experience that Santa typically departs the North Pole by about 6 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (North America) to begin his rounds for the children sleeping in the Eastern hemisphere. Santa typically arrives between 9 p.m. and midnight, and only when children are asleep. If children are still awake when Santa arrives, he moves on to other homes and returns later.

Hands down, the best way to keep up with his route is our website, NORADSanta.org, or by calling our call center at 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-4466723). OnStar users can also follow his travels on their devices, and Amazon Alexa users can ask, “Alexa, where’s Santa?” Also, be sure to check the Microsoft, Apple, and Android app stores for our official NORAD Tracks Santa app. Happy holidays, and we hope to hear from you on December 24.

This article was edited for clarity and brevity.

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