TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Santa Claus sailed across Taiwan's skies at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24), according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
An annual tradition dating back to 1955 started when a local newspaper misprinted a call-in telephone number for a Santa hotline in an advertisement, providing NORAD's predecessor's number instead. Flooded with calls from inquisitive children, the command chose to report Santa's location rather than disappoint.
This year, Claus reportedly took off on his global journey in a sleigh, call-sign "HOHOHO" from the North Pole around 8 p.m. on Sunday, traversing Japan, Korea, and China before soaring over Taiwan.
NORAD posts Claus's flight trajectory on their official website every Christmas Eve, including his destinations, times, and numbers of gifts distributed. They also employ volunteers to handle calls from children.
Elizabeth Mathias, director of public affairs at NORAD, revealed that the organization enlists about 1,100 to 1,200 volunteers each year to answer calls from all over the world. They answered up to 260,000 calls in 2022.
Platforms like Google and Flightradar24 also provide trackers, enabling people worldwide to keep up with Santa's movements.
