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U.S. NEWS Monday 24 deceMber 2018
Santa tracker will still run despite

government shutdown

By DAN ELLIOTT operation based in Colora-
Associated Press do Springs, Colorado, that
DENVER (AP) — The govern- protects the skies over both
ment may be partially shut countries — has taken over
down, but that won’t stop the Santa tracker since the
hundreds of volunteers tradition started. The mili-
dressed in Christmas hats tary command center em-
and military uniforms Mon- braced and expanded the
day from taking calls from Santa-tracking mission and
children around the world has been rewarded with
who want to know when a bounty of goodwill and
Santa will be coming. good publicity.
The military says the Last year, NORAD Tracks
NORAD Tracks Santa won’t Santa drew 126,000 phone
be affected by the govern- calls, 18 million website
ment shutdown because it hits, 1.8 million followers
is run by volunteers Peter- on Facebook and 179,000 In this Dec. 24, 2014, file photo, NORAD Chief of Staff Maj. Gen.
son Air Force Base in Colo- more on Twitter. Charles D. Luckey takes a call while volunteering at the NORAD
Tracks Santa center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado
rado and is funded by the It takes 160 phones to Springs, Colo.
Department of Defense’s handle the calls that pour Associated Press
budget that was approved in. New volunteers get a O’Shaughnessy, will also Tracks Santa,” said
earlier this year. Now in its playbook that briefs them take a turn answering the O’Shaughnessy, who took
63rd year, the Santa track- on the questions kids might phones Monday. command in May. “I’m re-
er became a Christmas ask. Big screens on the walls “This is my first NORAD ally excited.”q
Eve tradition after a mistak- show a Santa icon making
en phone call to the Con- blistering progress around
tinental Air Defense Com- the globe. U.S. and Ca-
mand in Colorado Springs, nadian officers do live TV
Colorado, in 1955. CONAD, interviews from the phone
as it was known, had the rooms. “It really gets you
serious job of monitoring a into the Christmas spirit,”
far-flung radar network for said Hill, a student at Mis-
any sign of a nuclear at- sissippi State University who
tack on the United States. got involved through Air
When Col. Harry Shoup Force family members sta-
picked up the phone that tioned in Colorado Springs.
day, he found himself talk- “There are Christmas carols
ing not to a military gen- in the background, every-
eral, but to a child who one’s very friendly, happy
wanted to speak to Santa to be there,” she said.
Claus. A Colorado Springs One year, she took a call
newspaper had run an ad from a boy who began
inviting kids to call Santa reading a very long Christ-
but mistakenly listed the mas list. “I remember hav-
hotline number. ing to cut him off after the
Shoup figured out what 10th present or so,” she
had happened and said, explaining to him that
played along. The tradition she had to take calls from
has since mushroomed into other children.
an elaborate operation A girl told Hill she wanted
that attracts tens of thou- to warn Santa not to bump
sands of calls every year. into a bell hanging on her
For the 1,500 civilian and door. “I think she wanted
military volunteers who will Santa to be quiet and not
answer the phones for kids wake her up,” Hill said.
calling 1-877-HI-NORAD, Sometimes the volunteers
it infuses the holiday with have to handle the unex-
childlike wonder. pected. In 2012, a child
“They’re all really sweet, from Newtown, Connecti-
small voices,” said Madi- cut, asked if Santa could
son Hill, a volunteer who bring extra toys for fami-
helped answer the phones lies who lost children in the
in two previous years. mass shooting that year at
“I had a little girl tell me Sandy Hook Elementary.
good night instead of “If I can get ahold of him,
goodbye,” she said. “It’s I’ll try to get the message to
really sweet.” him,” replied the volunteer,
The North American Aero- Sara Berghoff.
space Defense Command NORAD’s commander,
— a joint U.S.-Canadian Air Force Gen. Terrence J.