General Glen Vanherck, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command, gives an update on Santa Claus' journey on 'Fox & Friends.' Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. And NORAD has its eyes on him for the 65th straight year. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the NORAD Santa tracker is up and running, as it has been since 1955 when it became an annual tradition. The tradition began by accident when Air Force Col. Harry Shoup – the commander on duty at NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) – answered a call from a child who rang a telephone number misprinted in a newspaper department store ad trying to get in touch with Santa.