Published: December 24, 2018

The government may be partially shut down, but that won't stop hundreds of volunteers dressed in Christmas hats and military uniforms Monday from taking calls from children around the world who want to know when Santa will be coming.

The military says the NORAD Tracks Santa won't be affected by the government shutdown because it is run by volunteers at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado and is funded by the Department of Defense's budget that was approved earlier this year.

Now in its 63rd year, the Santa tracker has become a Christmas Eve tradition for the 1,500 civilian and military volunteers who will answer the phones for kids calling 1-877-HI-NORAD,