(PCM) The NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) web site is drawing quite a bit of controversy but depicting Santa Claus and his reindeer flying through the sky flanked by a fighter jet.
The NORAD Tracks Santa program has been in existence since 1955, as a way for children all over the world to track the whereabouts of Santa Claus and how far along on his Christmas journey was in real-time. The program has included animated videos showcasing Santa’s sleigh and flight path.
In years past, the only animation was of Santa, his sleigh, and reindeer, but now NORAD has added a fighter jet image that is accompanying Santa on this year’s journey. A spokesperson for NORAD is claiming to Reuters that they wanted the site to have a more realistic feel saying : “We wanted to let folks know that, hey, this is a NORAD video, and we’re the military and this is our mission”.
However many parents are not very happy about the addition, as they feel it could possibly give children the wrong idea about Christmas and confuse the association. To children Santa is supposed to be about gifts and fun not necessarily an association to the military. Many feel that this is an easy way for the military to appeal to children as a plan to keep their ranks up in the future, as they can not appeal to adults in the same fashion.
There is even another video on the site that shows military personnel prepping for a test flight with an intelligence officer claiming “intell can confirm that Jack Frost and the Abominable Snowman will not be a threat”….Good to know!
NORAD Tracks Santa came into existence nearly 60 years ago when a newspaper listed the wrong number for children to call and speak with Santa and they ended up calling NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command.