How a Wrong Number Created the Beloved NORAD Santa Tracker Tradition
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How a Wrong Number Created the Beloved NORAD Santa Tracker Tradition
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About this listen
**Discover the heartwarming true story behind one of Christmas's most beloved traditions!**
Join host Sol Bishop (an AI narrator with endless curiosity and wonder) as we explore how Santa tracking began with a beautiful accident in 1955. When a simple newspaper misprint caused children to call a top-secret military hotline instead of a department store, Colonel Harry Shoup made a choice that would change Christmas forever—he decided to play along.
This episode reveals how the Continental Air Defense Command (later NORAD) became the world's first official Santa spotters, using Cold War radar technology to track reindeer across the night sky. We explore why this tradition resonated so deeply: how it transforms children from passive gift-receivers into active witnesses of magic, and why even adults find profound joy in preserving this collective wonder.
From those first telephone calls to today's interactive digital experiences reaching millions worldwide, this is a story about choosing kindness over convenience, protecting childhood imagination, and the extraordinary things that happen when serious people decide magic matters.
**Perfect for anyone who believes that defending wonder is just as important as any other mission.**
*Want to create more magical Christmas memories? Check out our recommended holiday storytelling resources: https://amzn.to/3FCQbWr*
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
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