NORAD continues decades-long tradition of tracking Santa's trip around the world

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) — Sometimes kids drop the phone after hearing Santa won't show up if they're not asleep. Others who call the NORAD Tracks Santa hotline wonder if St. Nick will be able to find them.

Adults who also remain devoted to the jolly figure said to deliver presents around the world are checking up on his journey. For 70 years, that's been the tradition at the North American Aerospace Defense Command — a joint United States and Canadian operation charged with monitoring the skies for threats since the Cold War.

More than 1,000 volunteers will be taking calls to 1-877-HI-NORAD on Christmas Eve from 4 a.m. to midnight Mountain Standard Time. For the first time this year, Santa seekers can place a call through the program's website, which organizers say will be easier for people outside North America.

The website allows people to follow Santa’s journey in nine languages, including English and Japanese.

Last year, about 380,000 calls came into a hangar festooned with Christmas decorations at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs — the home of NORAD.

While Santa is no threat, the same combination of radar, satellites and jets that help NORAD carry out its mission throughout the year make it capable of tracking the progress of Santa starting from the international date line over the Pacific Ocean, said Col. Kelly Frushour, a NORAD spokesperson.

Rudolph's nose gives off a heat signature similar to a missile that is picked up by NORAD's satellites, she said.

Last year, Frushour said one girl was upset after hearing Santa was on his way to the International Space Station, where two astronauts were stranded.

“Thankfully, by the time the call was over, Santa Claus had moved on to another destination and the child was reassured that Santa was not trapped in space and was going to make it to her house later that evening,” Frushour said.

A special needs man named Henry who calls every year once asked if the jet pilot escorting Santa through North America could put a note in the plane letting Santa know he was in bed and ready for him to come, said Michelle Martin, a NORAD staffer and Marine veteran.

She said she explained that Santa travels “faster than starlight.”

"I don’t know that our pilot can catch up with him fast enough. He just waves and he goes,” she recalled saying.

The tradition started in 1955 when NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command, was on the lookout for any sign of a possible nuclear attack from the then-Soviet Union. NORAD says a child mistakenly called the combat operations center and asked to speak to Santa Claus. The commander on duty, Air Force Col. Harry Shoup didn't want to disappoint the child, so he ordered staffers to start tracking Santa and take calls from children.

The story goes that the first phone call was either the result of a misprint or a misdial of a number included in a Sears advertisement in the Colorado Springs newspaper encouraging children to call Santa.

The legend developed into the first call coming into a dedicated hotline that connected the command with a general in case of an attack. In 2015, The Atlantic magazine doubted the flood of calls to the secret line, saying a call to a public phone line was more probable and noting that Shoup had a flair for public relations.

In a 1999 interview with The Associated Press, Shoup recalled playing along once he figured out what was happening, telling the first caller, “Ho, ho, ho, I am Santa.”

“The crew was looking at me like I had lost it," he recalled.

He said he told his staff what was happening and told them to play along, too.

It’s not clear what day the first call came in, but by Dec. 23 of that first year, The Associated Press reported that CONAD was tracking Santa.

CONAD soon became North American Aerospace Defense Command. It used to operate inside nearby Cheyenne Mountain. A network of tunnels had been blasted out of the mountain's hard granite so NORAD officers could survive a nuclear attack.

Christmas trees are displayed inside a hangar at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 in advance of the annual NORAD Tracks Santa Operation, at the North American Aerospace Defense Command. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)

A patch representing the annual NORAD Tracks Santa Operation is seen on a military uniform sleeve at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)

Volunteers take phone calls from children asking where Santa is and when he will deliver presents to their house, during the annual NORAD Tracks Santa Operation, at the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, at Peterson Air Force Base, in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (Thomas Paul/North American Aerospace Defense Command. via AP)

Designer Michelle Reid prepares holiday decorations inside a hangar at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 in advance of the annual NORAD Tracks Santa Operation, at the North American Aerospace Defense Command. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)

Volunteers take phone calls from children asking where Santa is and when he will deliver presents to their house, during the annual NORAD Tracks Santa Operation, at the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, at Peterson Air Force Base, in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (Thomas Paul/North American Aerospace Defense Command. via AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams have been reminded time and again how close the margins are between winning and losing. Their latest lesson, a 38-37 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, could prove to be the most costly.

Instead of taking control of the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC, which would give them a bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason, the Rams (11-4) dropped to fifth and would be looking at a cross-country flight to play whoever wins the NFC South.

No extra week to allow 37-year-old quarterback Matthew Stafford to get refreshed or wide receiver Puka Nacua to recover from his intensely physical style of play. No extra week to get wide receiver Davante Adams up to speed in his return from a hamstring injury or potentially get safety Quentin Lake back from an elbow injury. No extra week to address inconsistencies in the secondary or erratic performances on special teams.

The Rams aren’t out of the race for the NFC West title and the top spot in the conference, but they will need help. And no matter where they end up, they will have to address the breakdowns which have cost them in each of their losses, setting aside the furor about how a key 2-point conversion was officiated.

There have been mistakes in the red zone. In this instance, right guard Justin Dedich was called for an ineligible lineman downfield penalty, taking a touchdown off the board on Los Angeles’ opening possession. They settled for a field goal instead.

There have been occasional lulls from the offense. Much like in their Week 3 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles, the Rams’ offense fell into a rut for a long stretch of the second half after going up 30-14 in Seattle. Three straight three-and-outs ran a total of 4:13 off the clock, while allowing the Seahawks to capture and then build momentum in front of their raucous home crowd.

There have been issues in the secondary. The Rams struggled to contain wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba when the Seahawks had no choice but to throw the ball and knew it would be headed his way.

And there have been breakdowns on special teams. Whatever progress had been made in recent weeks evaporated by allowing Rashid Shaheed’s punt return touchdown that kick-started Seattle’s comeback.

Compounding matters was a controversial 2-point conversion that tied the game at 30 in the fourth quarter, where a backward lateral was knocked forward and casually recovered in the end zone after the play had been whistled dead. Head coach Sean McVay, who is typically extremely cautious and measured in his remarks to the media, was as angry as he has ever been after a game, and that ire was still evident Friday.

“I have total appreciation for the layers and semantics of all the rules, especially being on the competition committee, there’s a lot of empathy and difficult spots (for) some of our officials. But I do believe this, that is not something that we want in the game,” said McVay, with the tone of his voice and visible frustration on his face belying his seemingly benign words.

Stafford said immediately after the defeat that the Rams’ best trait this season has been their ability to respond to adversity.

“Whether we win the game or lose the game, there’s plenty to learn from, plenty of plays we’d love to have back in probably all three phases,” Stafford said Thursday. “We’re going to do what we always do. Look at the tape, find a way to, hey, tweak a couple of things, find a way to play better.”

That might be the saving grace for the Rams, getting one more chance to learn from their mistakes before the regular season wraps up. Once the playoffs arrive, those same issues could send them home for good.

“I love exactly where we're at,” McVay said Friday. “Just like every other situation that's come up this year, we're going to come back swinging. And this is going to be a setback that's going to be a setup for a phenomenal comeback for us.”

The Stafford-Nacua connection was brilliant, resulting in a career-high 225 yards receiving on 12 catches with two touchdowns. Stafford finished with 457 yards and three scores, his eighth game this season with at least three touchdown passes and no interceptions.

Special teams. In addition to giving up Shaheed’s 58-yard return, K Harrison Mevis missed a 48-yard field goal and RB Ronnie Rivers had a lengthy kickoff return called back for a penalty.

DL Kobie Turner had 1 1/2 sacks, one tackle for loss, and an interception in one of the best games of his strong three-year career. He nearly batted down Sam Darnold’s 2-point pass in overtime that would have allowed the Rams to escape with the win.

WR Tutu Atwell. When the Rams re-signed him to a one year, $10 million contract in March, it seems like the undersized playmaker would finally have a larger role. But even with Adams sidelined, Atwell played just eight of the offense’s 92 snaps (8%) and was not targeted.

RG Kevin Dotson, the Rams’ best and most consistent offensive lineman, sustained what looked to be a serious ankle injury in the first quarter and did not return. McVay was not optimistic about Dotson's chances of playing in their next game against Atlanta. Adams is also unlikely to be available.

1 — The Rams were the first team in NFL history to lose a game where they had more than 500 yards of total offense and at least a plus-3 turnover margin.

The Rams visit the Falcons on Dec. 29, looking to not only bolster their playoff positioning but their draft standing as well. Los Angeles has Atlanta’s 2026 first-round selection after trading the 26th overall pick in April so that the Falcons could take edge rusher James Pearce Jr., and it would be in the top 10 based on current standings.

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Los Angeles Rams defensive end Kobie Turner runs after making an interception during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Los Angeles Rams place-kicker Harrison Mevis (92) watches his failed field goal attempt during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) tries to get past Los Angeles Rams safety Kamren Kinchens, right, cornerback Cobie Durant (14) during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams, left, is brought down by Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) greets Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) after an NFL football game Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)