Comet, meet Hornet

For those kids, big and small, who want to track Santa's progress across North American airspace, NORAD provides a real-time link.

For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa. The tradition began after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. store advertisement for children to call Santa on a special "hotline" included an inadvertently misprinted telephone number. Instead of Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The Director of Operations, Colonel Harry Shoup, received the first "Santa" call on Christmas Eve 1955. Realizing what had happened, Colonel Shoup had his staff check radar data to see if there was any indication of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Indeed there were signs of Santa and children who called were given an update on Santa's position. Thus, the tradition was born.

Four lucky Canadian fighter pilots will actually get to fly alongside the big guy in the red suit - tell me that's not the thrill of a lifetime:

Canadian fighter pilots will gather the first pictures of Santa and his sleigh as he arrives over the continent using special NORAD SantaCams mounted on their aircraft.

The Canadian Air Defence Sector Operations Centre at 22 Wing North Bay alerts NORAD when Santa is entering Canadian airspace. Two CF-18 Hornet fighter jets from 3 Wing meet Santa as he enters Canadian air space off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. As Santa flies across North America from east to west, two CF-18 Hornets from 4 Wing escort him out of Canadian airspace to continue his Yuletide trip.

Just be sure you don't get too caught up with the online fun - I've got it on good authority that St. Nick won't come down the chimney if someone's awake in the house.