12/10 - John Cornelio, Rick Maynard, Chris Elliott

LT Col RET  John Cornelio - Norad Santa Tracking - Peterson AFB CO

For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s flight. The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations "hotline." The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.  In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, which then took on the tradition of tracking Santa. Since that time, NORAD men, women, family and friends have selflessly volunteered their time to personally respond to phone calls and emails from children all around the world. In addition, we now track Santa using the internet. Millions of people who want to know Santa’s whereabouts now visit the NORAD Tracks Santa website.  Finally, media from all over the world rely on NORAD as a trusted source to provide updates on Santa’s journey.
Based on historical data and more than 50 years of NORAD tracking information, we believe that Santa Claus is alive and well in the hearts of children throughout the world.
Santa Claus is known by many names, including Saint Nick. Historians claim that the history of Santa starts with the tradition of Saint Nicholas, a 4th century Christian priest who lived in the Middle East in an area of present-day Turkey who became famous for his kindness. He was known for giving gifts to the less fortunate, sprinkling gifts of gold down people’s chimneys or hiding surprises in their stockings. It may be that the Santa we know today emerged from the legacy of Saint Nicholas. Clearly, Santa’s basic approach to gift giving is strikingly similar. Could they be the same person? Only Santa Claus knows for sure. Long before the Wright brothers flew the first airplane or the Montgolfier brothers launched the first hot air balloon, Santa had to find a way to travel from house to house at great speed. We know from our Santa Cam images that Santa’s choice for quick transportation was a herd of flying reindeer. Detailed information on these reindeer remains elusive; we do know, however, that Santa enlisted the reindeer to help him with his worldwide mission of gift-giving. A veil of sweet mystery hides the rest.


Christopher Elliott - Travel Troubleshooter

Are you thinking about your vacation plans for next year yet? You should, now, because travelers may be facing higher prices soon. Recent reports and surveys suggest that rates for hotels, airfares and car rentals may go up in 2011. Meanwhile, alert travelers are nailing down surprising last minute deals on this year’s holiday season.  Travel expert, journalist and consumer advocate Christopher Elliott, knows the world of finance… as in your finances… and travel. In his travel troubleshooter column, he helps protect and rescue travelers from being ripped off! His insights on ticket prices and travel hassles are regularly featured in his nationally-syndicated column.

Rick Maynard - Communications Director KFC

LOUISVILLE, KY - Good things really do come in small packages. To promote KFC’s Festive Feast, a 12-piece meal designed to save time during the busy holiday season, the chain is asking fans to explain why their hometown deserves a holiday season visit from KFC’s “So Good” Secret Santa/Colonel, who will hide miniature prize-filled KFC buckets throughout the selected city.  On December 21, the shortest and darkest day of the year, the crowdsourced winning city will wake to find mini versions of KFC’s iconic buckets hidden by the “So Good” Secret Santa – a Colonel Sanders lookalike who has added some Santa apparel to his trademark white suit. Each bucket will hold cash gift cards of varying amounts and gift checks for KFC food, such as KFC Festive Feasts, ultimately rewarding city residents who find them with more than $20,000 in monetary prizes and holiday meals. Earlier this month, the Colonel visited Santa Claus, Ind. for a day of Secret Santa training, donning a red hat and doling out prizes in preparation for December 21. “In the spirit of Colonel Sanders’ generous legacy, KFC will be making the holidays a little more festive for one city that needs it,” said John Cywinski, Chief Marketing and Food Innovation Officer for KFC. “Those who remember the Colonel know that bringing joy to people coast-to-coast was one of his favorite things to do – and it’s something that we aim to do not only for the holidays, but year-round.”  KFC fans can nominate their city by emailing KFCSoGoodHoliday@gmail.com and explaining why their city is in need of a “So Good” holiday. To join the conversation about which city is most in need of a “So Good” holiday and be one of the first to find out which city has earned one, fans can visit KFC’s Facebook (www.facebook.com/KFC ) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/kfc_colonel)  pages. The brand will announce the winning city via its social media channels on the morning of December 21. For full rules, visit http://www.kfc.com/.