The magic of Santa Claus is a powerful thing. Generations of kids have spent many a Christmas night wondering when Santa will arrive (and many parents have reminded kids that they must be in bed and soundly asleep or else their stockings will not get stuffed).
The tradition of staying awake with a watchful eye to the sky for Santa Claus is an old one, but that doesn't mean it can't benefit from a little high tech twist!
If you and your family want to keep tabs on the man in the red suit this Christmas Eve, there's a fun way to do so, and all you need is a smartphone!
Is Santa There?
You've heard of the North American Aerospace Defense Command before, right? Well, maybe you're familiar with them by their acronym NORAD. This is a joint Canadian/U.S. military command whose primary mission is to monitor the airspace above our countries to ensure it stays safe.
However, one festive night, an incredible set of circumstances led to a tradition that's still observed to this day.
Santa Tracker Origin Story
In 1955 the Cold War was in full swing. A phone rang in the NORAD headquarters in Colorado - a phone with an unlisted number that was only supposed to ring for emergency situations.
Colonel Harry Shoup, picked up the receiver and was shocked to hear the voice of a child. The young person was asking for help finding Santa Claus. At first he was confused, but the military man played along. Eventually he and his colleagues at the base realized that a misprint in an ad in a Sears flyer mistakenly listed their top secret number as a line for kids to phone Santa Claus!
70 years later, the tradition continues. But now, instead of phoning into the military, you can just follow along on an app!
NORAD Santa Tracker App
For families who want to track Santa's progress, it's as easy as downloading the NORAD Santa Tracker app from the App Store or Google Play store. Here's what it can do:
- Before Christmas, it provides a real-time countdown
- On Christmas Eve it provides Santa's location as NORAD tracks him through the night skies
- You can read a collection of free holiday stories
- Enjoy some festive music
- Play a surprisingly large collection of holiday themed games
What are the odds of a typo in an ad, leaking a top secret military phone number? And what circumstances led to just the right person picking up the phone at just the right time, and dealing with this mistake with a level of kindness and joy worthy of Saint Nick, himself?
However unlikely, these extraordinary series of events led to a beloved and magical holiday tradition we can carry on this festive season from the palm of our hand, thanks to our smartphones!
Read more
Your kids will hate it (meaning parents love it) - Google Family Link
Google Family Link is a tool from Google to manage children's screen time and restrict potentially harmful content. The article is a back and forth conversation between two parents and their teenager about the merits and downfalls of the Google Family Link app.
Harry Potter and Scam Prevention Part Of Pixel Drop
Google is rolling out its September 2026 Pixel Drop, bringing a fresh batch of automatic software upgrades to Pixel phones and smartwatches.
Tech and Gadgets
Smartphones, smart home, smart cars...well anything that's smart and a gadget, you'll find it here.
Kobo Plus Is The Subscription Service I Just Can’t Quit
What kind of reader are you? Do you look for recommendations from friends with good taste before diving into a book to read it cover-to-cover? Are you easily allured when your favourite author releases a new book? Or do you dabble between a few books all at once so you have something to match your mood at any given time? No matter your reading style, eBooks and eReaders have brought...