Local military members are checking their lists twice as they get ready to monitor Santa’s trek across Canada on Christmas Eve.
Every year, 21 Aerospace Control and Warning Squadron detects, identifies, and escorts the jolly elf on his festive journey.
Cpl. Colby Ramson says it’s part of what they do every day at the local NORAD facility.
“We’re constantly tracking every single flight that comes in and out of Canada so it’s really not that different tracking Santa Claus,” Ramson says. “It’s a little bit special because he doesn’t file a flight plan so we can’t be 100% certain that it’s him until we visually identify him. That’s why we send up our fighter jets on Christmas Eve to go take a look.”
Ramson, a weapons assistant, says it’s an honour to be part of the team tracking Santa.
“I will likely be one of the first people to see him on radar and then part of my job is to notify the rest of NORAD so everybody, both in Canada and the USA is tracking him,” says Ramson.
On Christmas Eve kids around the world can follow Santa’s journey online at noradsanta.org or they can call 1-877-HI-NORAD.
NORAD, and its predecessor the Continental Air Defense Command, has been tracking Santa since 1955.
