By US Rep. Tony Wied

It’s one of the most beloved Christmas traditions – watching Santa’s sleigh as he makes his way across the globe on Christmas Eve, guided by NORAD’s Santa Tracker. But did you know it all started with a wrong number?

Back in 1955, Sears placed an advertisement in a Colorado Springs newspaper with a phone number for children to call Santa. Unfortunately, the number was misprinted, and instead of reaching the North Pole, children were calling a top-secret military hotline at the Continental Air Defense Command – the Cold War predecessor to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Colonel Harry Shoup, the officer on duty, picked up the phone expecting a general or even the President. Instead, he heard a small voice ask, “Is this Santa?” Rather than hanging up, he played along. And when the calls kept coming, he had airmen help staff the line to update children on Santa’s status.

The week of Christmas, Col. Shoup’s staff added Santa and his sleigh to the plexiglass map used to track unidentified aircraft. What began as a fluke soon became a cherished tradition.

Each year since, NORAD has “tracked” Santa’s flight path, first by phone and radio, and now through websites and apps – the tradition has sleigh-ed the test of time. Volunteers answer thousands of calls and emails from children waiting to see when Santa will arrive, keeping the magic alive. This year marks NORAD’s 70th year of keeping Christmas on course – a reminder that sometimes the best traditions come from happy accidents.