The cherished annual operation is undertaken by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), providing millions of children with answers to the question that’s likely at the top of their minds throughout the late hours of Christmas Eve: where is Santa Claus?

To leave presents all across the globe in just one magical night, Santa and his reindeer undoubtedly have to travel at blazing fast speeds. Fortunately, NORAD is able to account for that in its tracking abilities. Afterall, the command — a bi-national partnership between the U.S. and Canadian militaries — keeps watch over the North American airspace 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

NORAD’s Santa tracking began in 1955 when a young child accidentally dialed the unlisted phone number of NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command operations center. The operations director at the time, Col. Harry Shoup, answered the phone. Upon hearing the child’s question, Shoup instructed his staff to check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole.

A tradition was born and continued when NORAD was formed in 1958. Each year since, NORAD has dutifully reported Santa’s location on Christmas Eve. With the rise of the internet, NORAD has been able to expand its display to include a live map on its website for families to follow along. That is expected to go live at 4 a.m. today. It can be viewed at www.noradsanta.org.

The Strack and the Terdiman families gather around Santa Claus in the Wikoff Room at the Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid on Sunday, Dec. 14. From left, Amy Strack, Geoff Strack, Nolan Strack, Santa Claus, Jack Terdiman, Jillian Terdiman, Ayla Strack and Jayson Terdiman. The cherished annual event, which included cookies and refreshments, was free and open to the public as part of the weekend-long Lake Placid Holiday Village Stroll. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

As was the case in 1955, Kids and families can still call the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center at 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) from 4 a.m. today until midnight. They will be able to speak directly to a NORAD staff member who will be able to pass along Santa’s exact location throughout the day.

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About NORAD

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NORAD is broken up into three regions: Alaska, Canada and the continental U.S. The continental U.S. region is further split into two sectors: the Eastern Air Defense Sector and the Western Air Defense Sector. The eastern sector’s operations center is in the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome, formerly the site of the Griffiss Air Force Base.

Though the base closed in 1995, the airport — in addition to its civilian functions — continues to play a military role through NORAD and the electronics research at the Rome Laboratory.

NORAD’s Santa Tracker is a team effort. Its regions and sectors will transfer tracking command between themselves as Santa makes his rounds between the various air spaces. When Santa makes his way through the Tri-Lakes region, he’ll be covered by the Rome-based New York National Air Guard.

“(The Eastern Air Defense Sector) is always happy to support NORAD’s Santa tracking operation,” said Col. Joseph F. Roos, the sector’s commander. “Our highly trained Airmen defend the homeland day and night, and they are prepared and ready to track Santa this Dec. 24.”

NORAD defends North America through aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning. Aerospace warning includes the monitoring of man-made objects in space, and the detection, validation and warning of attack against North America, whether by aircraft, missiles or space vehicles, through mutual support arrangements with other commands.

NORAD uses a combination of ground-based and airborne radar systems, satellites and visual observations from fighter jets to accomplish its strategic objectives.

Responsible for the air defense of the eastern U.S., EADS is composed of the New York Air National Guard’s 224th Air Defense Group, a Canadian Armed Forces detachment, U.S. Army and Navy liaison officers and federal civilians and contractors. EADS also has a squadron and a detachment in the National Capital Region — Washington, D.C. and the surrounding counties in Maryland and Virginia.