As Christmas fast approaches, children around the world are anxiously anticipating the arrival of Santa Claus. Now, those children lucky enough to have parents who drive Chevrolets will be able to track his deliveries through General Motors' OnStar information and communication system.
The automaker is getting in on a decades-old tradition started by the North American Aerospace Defense Command in the 1950s. As the story goes, a child accidentally called the red phone set up for military defense at a NORAD center in Colorado while trying to dial the North Pole. The military officer on the other end played along as the kid read his Christmas list, and a tradition was born.
Chevrolet said its OnStar service receives thousands of "Santa update" requests every year. It's partnering with NORAD to give its OnStar users real-time updates on St. Nick's whereabouts.
Calls through GM's OnStar information system can be made anytime between 6 a.m. ET on Dec. 24 through 5 a.m. ET on Dec. 25, the company said. For every call, GM will donate $1 to the American Red Cross.
"NORAD uses sophisticated systems, such as the North Warning Radar System and geo-synchronous satellites with infrared sensors, to follow Santa on his journey around the globe," GM said in a statement Wednesday.