Santa's Whiskers
The home page for the official NORAD Santa tracking website: http://www.noradsanta.org/ The official Finnish Post Office in Rovaniemi: http://www.santaclausvillage.info/santa-claus/santa-claus-main-post-office/ The US Postal Service headquarters at L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C.: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Postal_ServiceNeed Proof?
A clue as to where to start looking for “proof” can be found in the popular 1947 Christmas movie “Miracle on 34th Street. Kris Kringle’s defense lawyer presents Judge Harper with three letters addressed simply to "Santa Claus" and delivered to Kris, asserting the U.S. Post Office (and therefore by extension the Federal Government) has thus acknowledged that he is the Santa Claus. When Judge Harper demands "further exhibits", mailmen bring in 21 full bags. He dismisses the case.
The idea that official recognition by government agencies can give credence to the reality of something is a strong one.
Governments Recognition – The Post Office
The United States Post Office. It was in 1912 when U.S. Post Office Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock officially authorized postal employees and citizens to respond to letters sent to “Santa Claus.” Today the Post Office runs two programs: “Letters From Santa” allows a parent, grandparent or any person in a child’s life to mail a letter to their child “From Santa” and postmarked from the North Pole. In “Operation Santa,” the Postal Service facilitates the response to needy children who have written Santa, with a gift and a letter from Santa.
The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute. http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2012/pr12_134.htm
So, for over 100 years a trusted institution has risked it’s credibility, and government credentials, to give credence to the existence of Santa Claus.
The Post Office of Finland. Located on the outskirts of Rovaniemi in the Artic Circle, the main function of this Finnish post office is to sort and reply to some of the 550,000 letters to Father Christmas (Santa) that arrive each year from children, and some adults, around the world. The workers are full-time employees of the Finnish post office. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/christmas/10494193/Who-answers-all-the-letters-sent-to-Father-Christmas.html
The Post Office of Canada. In 1983 Canada Post created an official address for the million Santa letters sent to them annually. That address is “Santa Claus, North Pole, Canada HOH OHO.”
The Post Office of England. More than eight hundred thousand letters are sent by British children to the Royal Mail’s officially established address of “Santa/Father Christmas, Santa’s Grotto, Reindeerland, XM4 5HQ.” A reply is sent if there is a return address and it arrives in time for the normal last Christmas postal date. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/christmas/10494193/Who-answers-all-the-letters-sent-to-Father-Christmas.html
Government Recognition – North American Aerospace Defense Command
Canada & United States. On December 24, 1955, a call was made to the Continental Air Defense (predecessor to NORAD) operations center from a little girl who wanted to know the whereabouts of Santa Claus. She had gotten the number from an incorrectly printed ad in the local newspaper. Colonel Harry Shoup, on duty at the time, received numerous calls that night and rather than hang up had his operators find the location of Santa Claus and report it to every child who called in. When the North American Aerospace Command took over in 1958 it continued with the annual tracking of Santa Claus. Today there is an officially established NORADsanta.org tracking site and each year NORAD issues an official running report tracking the arrival of Santa and his flying reindeer using sophisticated satellite systems, high-powered radars and jet fighters. http://www.noradsanta.org/
Government Recognition – NASA
United States. In 1958 President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as the government agency responsible for space programs and aerospace research.
In 1961 the U.S. public’s perception of the Soviet lead in putting the first man in space (Sputnik) motivated then President Kennedy to ask the Congress to commit to a program to land a man on the moon by the end of the 1960’s (the Apollo program).
Apollo 8 was the second manned mission, launched on December 21, 1968, and became the first manned spacecraft to leave Earth orbit, reach the moon, orbit it and return safely to Earth.
December 25, on the return trip, this conversation took place between astronaut Lovell and ground control Mattingly (taken from the Apollo 8 flight journal):
089:34:19 Mattingly: Hello, Apollo 8. Loud and clear.
089:34:25 Lovell: Roger. Please be informed there is a Santa Claus.
089:34:31 Mattingly: That's affirmative. You're the best ones to know. http://history.nasa.gov/ap08fj/16day4_final_orbit_tei.htm
Government Recognition – NGA
United States. Formed in 2003, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency exploits and analyzes imagery and geospatial information to describe, assess and visually depict physical features and human activity on the Earth. These intelligence products are used in national security challenges and in support of the military’s tactical and operational missions. https://www.nga.mil/About/History/Pages/default.aspx
In 2009 the NGA acknowledged that it uses its services to aid Santa Claus in his annual Christmas visit. In fact, the NGA notes that it has developed a special tool for Claus to use, the NGA Toy Delivery System X-100. It was specifically formatted to help Santa create quick and easy routes around the globe. Since its development in 2006, NGA has made several enhancements to the system, resulting in increased speed and accuracy. http://www.gisuser.com/content/view/19331/2/
Governments, postal services, NASA, NGA, and NORAD have all given credence to the existence of Santa Claus. Perhaps that will make it a little easier for you to believe.