Tracking Santa: The History Behind the Santa Tracker with David Chandley
He travels across the world in 24 hours, delivering gifts to all of the good little girls and boys. Carried in a sleigh pulled by nine magical reindeer, he soars through the air, traveling through cold climates, warm temperatures, wind, rain, and snow. While we may never know exactly how he does it, we now have the ability to track Santa on Christmas Eve.
The FOX 5 Santa Tracker with David Chandley is a technological marvel. Using North Pole technology, as well as receiving personal updates from the big guy in red himself, the FOX 5 Chief Meteorologist is able to track the whereabouts of Jolly Old Saint Nick as he travels from the North Pole to places all across the globe, delivering joy to children everywhere. This Christmas Eve, viewers can join David Chandley on FOX 5 News at 5 & 6 to find out where Santa has been, and where he's going next.
ON THE ROAD CHRISTMAS EVE? You can always watch FOX 5 News at 5 & 6 online!
It wasn't always this easy.
David first started tracking Santa in 1989. He figured that in order to fly, there must be some kind of magical force field around Santa's sleigh and reindeer that could be detectable on the radar. He then created projected Santa tracks, similar to a hurricane or tropical storm tracks, by analyzing global weather patterns and hypothesizing the most efficient toy delivery routes with the least amount of weather impacts. From there, David monitored the radar to find out which track Santa had taken in order to make a more accurate prediction of where he would appear next.
Then one year, it all changed.
“I had just shimmied down the chimney of a delightfully festive home in the Atlanta metro,” said Santa Claus in a recent interview with FOX 5. “I was kneeling by the Christmas tree placing gifts for Tommy and Susie who were already in bed. Mom and Dad were snuggled in front of the fireplace, hot cocoa in hand, watching the local news."
“Then I heard a surprising announcement come from the television," Santa continued, baffled. "‘Ladies and gentlemen, I am excited to announce that Santa is in the Atlanta metro area right now!’ I was flabbergasted and tickled pink at the same time!”
Santa had overheard David Chandley’s Santa Tracker!
“I was pretty impressed with this young fellow after that, so I looked up his name in the Naughty or Nice List archives,” Santa explained. “I saw that he was consistently on the ‘nice’ list, so I decided to give him access to the best tracking technology the North Pole has to offer. I also keep in touch with him on Christmas Eve to make sure he has all of the latest information.”
Santa added that the tracker benefits him as well.
“Ever since David started tracking me, it has made my stops in the Atlanta metro area a lot faster. The children find out when I am headed their way and are already in bed before I arrive!" Santa added confidently, "I know when they are sleeping, and I know when they're awake—and I don’t visit until all of the children are fast asleep.”
When asked what he does with the time he saves, Santa gave a deep chuckle from his belly. “Why, I return to the North Pole and enjoy milk and cookies with Mrs. Claus, of course!”
Want to track Santa too? Be sure to join the FOX 5 Santa Tracker with David Chandley on FOX 5 News at 5 & 6 this Christmas Eve.
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