Track Santa with NORAD, OnStar, social media

Christmas is just three days away and children all over the world are counting down the hours until the festivities begin, and technology has become so advanced today that they can actually track Santa’s route via the Internet. OnStar-connected vehicles and their passengers can now follow Santa’s journey while road tripping across their state for a family gathering, simply by pushing the OnStar button and asking for a Santa update.

OnStar has linked up with NORAD’s (North America Aerospace Defense Command) Santa Tracker, which for the last 50 years, has helped kids stay informed about Santa’s route on Christmas Eve. The NORAD tradition began in 1955 when a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertised to children to call Santa at a misprinted telephone number. Instead of reaching the North Pole, kids were put through to the CONAD (Continental Air Defense Command) Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Direction of Operations at the time was Colonel Harry Shoup and he had his staff check the radar to Santa’s whereabouts, which was updated when kids called.

According to Wired.com, “Kris Kringle’s Star Duster 5000 sleigh includes reindeer health diagnostics to alert him to any hungry or knackered reindeer, turn-by-turn navigation to help him find the homes of all those good little boys and girls and, of course, hands-free calling. We don’t want him taking his hands off the reins if Mrs. Claus is calling to check up on him.”

In addition to tracking Santa on the NORAD, Google Earth is also available to help kids track his flight. Kids can still call NORAD at 1-877-HI-NORAD from 4:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve to 5 a.m. on Christmas Day. Kids can log on to NORAD’s Facebook page, Twitter account, and Picasa photo album. Who knew the big jolly man would be so up-to-date with social media in between all of the gift giving around the world?

To find out more about the OnStar capabilities, watch the YouTube video here.