Today’s blog
Lynn Murphy Mark
NORAD Santa Tracker
Yesterday, Christmas Eve, it was possible to follow Santa’s trajectory around the world – every continent, every archipelago, every island with people, all got touched by Santa. By the end of his nocturnal voyage, Santa had delivered over 7.5 BILLION gifts. The trip is tracked by NORAD, or the North American Aerospace Defense Command, an organization that keeps eyes on the skies 24/7/365.
However, on Christmas Eve, thoughts of threats from above turn to happier subjects, such as the miraculous generosity of an old guy in his signature suit and sleigh flying in the stratosphere. That means the sleigh travels 30 miles above the earth at an astonishing speed, while delivering gifts to Earth’s children and grown-ups. Anyway, once a year you can google NORAD and find a link to Santa’s whereabouts. Little icons appear on the surface of the earth and touching an icon uncovers the name of the town or city where Santa has stopped, and some history about it.
I have two grandsons, three and five, who got to watch a little of Santa’s journey yesterday. They were actually busy helping put together a mysterious shelf because Santa had left them a note asking for their help. They didn’t question the veracity of the note. They simply did what they could to assist their parents in assembling what is bound to be a huge surprise this morning. The shelf will be outfitted with LEGO base plates, and the boys will have a large surface on which to exercise their LEGO imaginations.
Cameron, the five year old, wrote a big note to Santa more or less saying, “we did what you asked”, and leaving cookies and milk for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer. This morning, pictures and videos will stream from New Jersey to grandparents in St. Louis. We will all vicariously enjoy watching the kids’ reactions to Santa’s work. I have spent two Christmas’s in New Jersey and soaked in the childhood energy and sense of wonder. There’s really nothing like it.
The Santa Tracker got its start in 1955 when a young boy trying to reach Santa dialed a misprinted number from a department store ad and was connected to NORAD. The boy had a question about Santa and the North Pole. When the officer who took the call realized what was going on, he assured the boy that he was Santa himself. More calls came in from the mistaken number and the Santa Tracker was born.
Just for today, and just for the children, I can lay aside my concern over the concept of a jolly, generous and hard-working being representing the Christmas story. I believe that along the way, my grandsons will be taught all the positive qualities about Santa. The kindness of making and giving gifts, the joy of delivering offerings to others, the gratitude that comes with receiving gifts, the principle of sharing what one has with others – I know my children well enough to trust that they will impart these meanings to Cameron and Alexander.
And when the time comes that the meaning of Santa changes for the boys, they will have memories of magical times when the seemingly impossible took place. I know I still do, some seven decades later.