Tracking Santa
As children we made sure to be on our best behavior as our parents informed us that Santa Claus did not bring gifts to the naughty children, instead they received a lump of coal. On December 24th we would set out cookies and milk to receive Santa in our home and make sure he left the gifts we requested in the letters we prepared and sent. What a magical man Santa must be as he accomplishes this feat of delivering toys and candy to boys and girls all around the world in a single night, armed only with his elves who prepare the gifts in the workshop and his 10 flying reindeer which pull his sleigh.
Before Santa came to town, we were fast asleep dreaming of all the wonderful gifts we would wake up to. But before we laid our heads to rest, we had to know Santa’s whereabouts. We would call the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and they would inform us how close Santa was to our home.Years later this tradition continued.
In 1955, a local newspaper ran a Sears Roebuck ad inviting children to contact Santa personally. The ad listed Santa’s direct line, but the number in the copy was off by a digit. Instead of connecting to a Sears Santa impersonator, the number printed was that of a secret air defense emergency number: the red telephone at the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The red phone meant that it could only be the Pentagon or CONAD commander in chief General Earle Partridge on the other end.
On December 24th, the red phone rang and Colonel Shoup answered, with nothing but silence in response. The Colonel insisted, and then, on the other line, came the soft voice of a little girl asking if he was really Santa Claus. Many calls came in that night, and children were informed of Santa’s coordinates.
CONAD, now NORAD, continues this tradition inviting children from all over the world to call in and ask about Santa’s location as they track him on the radar.
The yearly tradition at Trusted Translations continues, and Santa will be visiting our loyal recurrent clients this year as well. Contact us today for a surprise gift on your next translation project.