Where is Santa? NORAD tracks big man in red across Canadian airspace

The Canadian Armed Forces in North Bay, Ont., has a very important Sunday night.

The military base is home to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which monitors the airspace above Canada 365 days of the year. NORAD identifiesany object that may not have a flight plan.

Santa Claus does not file a flight plan, says Major Kathleen Leaton, a mission crew commander at 22-Wing CFB North Bay.

She explains that a large team of people at CFBNorth Bay make sure that any objectthat shows up on the radar is identified. Any objectthat appears and does not have a flight plan, will be visually identifiedby NORAD fighter jets.

Every Christmas Eve, NORAD provides Santa and his reindeer with an escort through Canadian airspace with the help of thosefighter jets.

"Although he is probably our most special visitor on Christmas Eve, Santa is just like any other air traffic," Leatonsays.

"Everyday 365 days a year NORAD is working to keep Canada and the rest of North America safe by making sure that the right air traffic is coming into the country."

Children of all ages can follow Santa's track across Canada at www.noradsanta.org.