one unidentified sleigh powered by eight reindeer (13. 029)

Although the US Air Force had issued a communiqué on Christmas Eve in 1948 that their emerging early warning radar net to the north had detected the above interloper, the former festive report was a one-off event and it was not until this day 1955 that the North American Aerospace Defence Command launched its annual NORAD Santa Tracker, as our faithful chronicler informs, an annual tradition since spawning many homages, in response to a newspaper advertisement with a misprint. A Sears department store affiliate in Colorado Springs invited children to call Kris Kringle with their wishes but ME 2-6681 directed them actually towards the switchboard of the Continental Air Defence Command Centre, a call reaching a commanding colonel, whom after speaking to the little girl’s mother, assessed the situation and directed operators relay the current location for Santa’s sleigh, and recognising the public relations opportunity pledge to continue to monitor and if necessary defend this “undoubtably friendly” against possible attack from those who do not believe in the spirit of Christmas, a hotline crewed by volunteers to keep the commanders’ red-phone free.