# Tracking Santa **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 24, 2002, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-santa/144778 "2002-12-24T22:19:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-santa/144778/1 "2002-12-24T22:19:21Z")
It is a yearly tradition in my house to follow Santa’s trek on Christmas Eve. We do so by going to [NORAD’s](http://www.noradsanta.org) site. Each year for the past ten, the North American Radar Air Defense has tracked Santa’s progress, beginning from when he’s picked up on their radar systems in the Aleutian Island area. At time of posting, he was in Paris, France. Go have a look! Merry Christmas, everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-santa/144778/2 "2002-12-24T22:35:38Z")
So… when will he be over Oregon so I can shoot the sleigh down? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-santa/144778/3 "2002-12-24T23:13:58Z")
When I was a kid in Jacksonville, FL, the news stations every year on Christmas Eve would show stock footage of Air Force jets scrambling to check out some kind of “unidentified aircraft” in the area. We kids would get all excited because Santa was coming, and then it was bedtime. I have no idea whether they still do it. In retrospect, that was kind of weird, sending fighter jets after Santa. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-santa/144778/4 "2002-12-24T23:24:39Z")
Santa probably took off without going through the security checkpoint, so the fighter jets are gonna gun 'im down! ---
**Author:** ![Persephone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Persephone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Persephone)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-santa/144778/5 "2002-12-24T23:53:00Z")
I LOVE that site! Just went to it myself, before coming here. Went through all the clips, and the kids (age 5 & 3) just went crazy. I’m jusst waiting for him to get close enough for me to say “Okay! he’s almost here! Bedtime!!!” I myself have always enjoyed the way the media plays up Santa’s trip. Loved it as a kid, and I still do. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-santa/144778/6 "2002-12-25T03:31:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jackelope \* > \*\*When I was a kid in Jacksonville, FL, the news stations every year on Christmas Eve would show stock footage of Air Force jets scrambling to check out some kind of “unidentified aircraft” in the area. We kids would get all excited because Santa was coming, and then it was bedtime. I have no idea whether they still do it. > > In retrospect, that was kind of weird, sending fighter jets after Santa. \*\* You’d think they’d _know_ after all this time. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tracking-santa/144778/7 "2002-12-25T04:16:44Z")
Santa is in the US Capitol region! I gotta get to bed!