By Keith Coffman

Santa Claus flies early on Christmas Eve in his reindeer-powered sleigh to deliver gifts around the world.

That’s according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint military command of the US and Canada at the Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs that for 69 years has given a strange report that tracks Father’s Christmas.

The tracking would have continued even if the federal government shut down, a crisis that the US Congress avoided at the last minute this past week.

“Santa is running in the spirit of Christmas so any possible government action will not affect his mission,” Royal Canadian Air Force Major Jennie Derenzis, a spokeswoman for NORAD, said Tuesday.

Military personnel at the base, who monitor air defenses and issue aerospace and maritime warnings, would be happy to track Santa, and the people who answer the phone lines for those children as part of the tradition are mostly civilian volunteers, Derenzis added.

The tradition began in 1955 when an ad in a Colorado Springs newspaper invited children to call to talk to Santa. However, it inadvertently provided the phone number for the Continental Air Defense Command, the predecessor of NORAD.

An on-duty officer took the calls from the children and assured them that Santa, also known as Kris Kringle or St. Nick, making his gift-giving rounds as scheduled.

The program has evolved with tracking technology for all types of vessels.

Followers of the jolly old elf get real-time updates on . The website features Santa’s North Pole Village, which includes a holiday countdown, games, movie theater, holiday music, web store, and is available in multiple languages.

NORAD Tracks Santa is also available on Facebook (NASDAQ: ), Instagram, YouTube and X, and Amazon (NASDAQ:) Alexa, SiriusXM and OnStar platforms.