Do you follow Santa through NORAD every year? I (unexpectedly) loved The Night Santa Got Lost: How NORAD Saved Christmas. I hope you give this Christmas book a read, this was a surprise hit in our house and I’d love to hear what you thought too.
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If you’ve never experienced NORAD before, you’ll absolutely love it. On Christmas Eve, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracks Santa as he delivers presents around the world. What I love most about this book is actually the historical info at the end. Did you know that NORAD came about when Sears misprinted a phone number for Santa, mistakenly sending kids to speak with the Army? By the end of the day the Colonel on duty had started “tracking” Santa to give the callers updates on his jolly whereabouts, and NORAD was born! Such a cool story!
Watching NORAD to track Santa has been part of my family Christmas experience since I can remember, and I’ve loved passing this to my own kiddo. Seeing Santa over Bali, Havana, Germany… it makes the night even more magical.
The Night Santa Got Lost: How NORAD Saved Christmas is one of my favorite new holiday traditions. We just discovered this book in 2021 and I found myself emotional the first time we read it. I’m not from a military family and I’m not religious, but somehow this one hit me right in the feels.
This book is a beautiful tribute to the armed services all over the world. When Santa needs a helping hand during a particularly bad storm, the world’s military powers come together to help deliver presents. Presented in the style of “The Night Before Christmas” this was a great read aloud for bedtime. We leaned heavily into how all the soldiers and pilots and everyone else came to help Santa and all the kids in all the countries. A great read for 4-8 year olds.
By Michael Keane, illustrated by Michael Garland.
This book is specifically about Christmas, if you’re looking for another holiday please take a look at my Picture Books for Holidays list.
Looking for more? Take a look at our last read, Change Sings, by the awe-inspiring Amanda Gorman (who performed her poem The Hill We Climb at Biden’s inauguration). Or if you need a few options, take a look through some quick reviews.