Dec. 24. The US Air Force/North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is reporting that Santa Claus has left the North Pole, and is on his way to the Far East, Australia and New Zealand. Next up: Russia, and that’s a big one.
“Santa is entering Australian air space right now,” said US Air Force Col. James Stewart. It’s just after midnight in places like Brisbane where children are sound asleep.
The Air Force issued a communique at 4 am Eastern Standard Time saying that they detected Santa’s sleigh, pulled by eight reindeer, about 500 miles south of the North Pole. They were spotted at 14,000 feet (4,300 meters), heading in a south-easterly direction toward Japan.
Safe travel for Santa
Stewart said Air Force officials were in close contact with heads of state in countries like Japan, China and Korea, granting Santa clear air travel to children’s homes.
More than 20 million presents have been delivered so far. Stewart suggested that pet gorillas should be kept in their rooms because they tend to get too excited when Santa arrives, usually after midnight. “Dogs and cats are OK,” Stewart said. “There’s no reason to worry there.”
Children all over the world…
Santa’s next stops include children in England, Spain and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It’s a massive undertaking: Santa will visit children in more than 200 countries.
…and in North Carolina
Santa and his crew are expected in NorthCarolina well after midnight, Stewart said. The exact timing is unclear, however, based on Santa’s own maps, which are Top Secret.
NORAD will not predict when they will arrive at a specific house, let alone Cornelius or the greater Piedmont region. Santa has nine reindeer this yea4: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen, as well as a special young recruit named Rudolph. The latter has a bright red nose for navigation assistance in cloudy skies. The weather is good for flying, Stewart said.
Pro Tip: Cookies and milk for Santa are much appreciated because there’s simply no extra time for him to eat out. Most restaurants are closed as well.
