24 December 2023 , 10:30
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There are some Christmas traditions that children around the world look forward to. One very popular festive custom is tracking Santa as he makes his way across the globe, delivering presents to all the good little girls and boys.
Every Christmas Eve, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) adjusts its satellites to track Father Christmas on his sleigh. But did you know that its mission to track Santa started completely by accident?
A post shared on the Airforce's official website reveals how the idea came about - and it's such a sweet story. It reads: "In 1955, a young child trying to reach Santa dialled the misprinted phone number from a department store ad in the local newspaper. Instead of calling Santa, the child called the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
"Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, the commander on duty that night who answered the child's phone call, was quick to realise a mistake had been made and assured the child he was Santa. After more incoming calls, Shoup assigned a duty officer to continue answering calls and a tradition was born that continued when NORAD was formed in 1958.
"Each year since, NORAD has dutifully reported Santa's location on Dec. 24 to millions of children and families across the world. Because of the support, services and resources generously provided by volunteers, our government and corporate contributors, NORAD Tracks Santa has persevered for more than 65 years. "
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Christmas is celebrated by 160 countries around the world, and 81 percent of countries have at least some citizens celebrating the festive period. With this in mind, Hallmark Cards recently shared some of the most quirky traditions from around the globe - and a few are jaw-dropping.
On December 5 each year, Austrians like to mix fear with their festivities by dressing up as a half-goat, half-man creature known as Krampus. Sounds pretty sinister and Halloween-like, right? Krampus is said to be an evil counterpart to St Nicholas, and he terrorises the children who have been put on the naughty list.
In Germany, they also hang stockings up - but it requires a lot more effort before you can receive any presents. On the evening of St Nicholas Day (December 5) German children clean and polish their boots, making sure they're spick and span, before leaving them outside their bedroom door. Then, in the morning, their shoes will be stuffed with sweets and nuts to reward their hard work and to get them in the Christmas spirit.
In Japan, Christmas is not officially celebrated on a national basis - but citizens have found their own tasty way to mark the occasion. On Christmas Eve, many Japanese families head to their local KFC for a celebratory meal – and they're prepared to wait for it.
The tradition began in 1974 after a wildly successful marketing campaign called "Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!" or "Kentucky for Christmas!" Now, people order their KFC boxes months in advance or stand in two-hour-long lines to get their "finger lickin' good" festive food.