Good morning, Chicago.

The Christmas tradition has an almost global reach: Children around the world watch Santa Claus as he sweeps the earth, distributing presents and defying time.

Each year, at least 100,000 children call the North American Aerospace Defense Command to inquire about Santa’s whereabouts. Millions more follow online in nine languages, from English to Japanese.

On any other night, NORAD scans the skies for potential threats, like last year’s Chinese spy balloon. But on Christmas Eve, volunteers in Colorado Springs ask themselves questions like, “When is Santa coming to my house?” and, “Am I on the naughty or nice list?”

“There are screams and giggles and laughter,” said Bob Sommers, 63, a civilian contractor and NORAD volunteer.

Sommers often says on the call that everyone needs to sleep before Santa comes and encourages parents to say, “Did you hear what he said?” We have to go to bed early.”

NORAD’s annual Santa Pursuit has been around since the Cold War, before the Ugly Sweater Parties and the Mariah Carey classics. The tradition continues regardless of government shutdowns like in 2018 and this year.

Here’s how it all started and why the phones keep ringing.

And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.

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Bethlehem marks the second subdued Christmas Eve during the Gaza War

In the shadow of the war in Gaza, Bethlehem marked another dark Christmas Eve at the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

The excitement and happiness that normally reigns in the West Bank during Christmas week were nowhere to be found. The festive lights and giant tree that usually decorate Manger Square were missing, as were the throngs of foreign tourists that usually fill the square.

Pope Francis opens a year-long anniversary that will test his endurance and the patience of Rome

Pope Francis opened the holy year of 2025 yesterday, kicking off a Catholic Church festival that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome – a test of the pope’s endurance and the Eternal City’s ability to welcome them.

For interfaith families in Chicago, Christmas and Hanukkah are an opportunity to explore new traditions

Peter Kujawinski is happy with the twist he’s put on his family’s “super-cheesy Christmas family pajamas” tradition this year.

“I haven’t told anyone about this,” he said. “But I ordered Hanukkah pajamas because you have to take advantage of (Hanukkah) being on the same day.”

For Peter, 50, who was raised Roman Catholic, and his wife Nancy Kujawinski, who grew up in a Reform Jewish family, Hanukkah, which begins on Christmas Day, brings their two already intertwined traditions even closer together.

‘A powerful connection’: At Northwestern, Lurie starts a choir for children born with heart disease

Each child had already had at least three open heart surgeries.

They had spent countless hours in doctors’ offices and hospitals after being born with severe heart disease.

But this fall, the kids tried a new, completely different tactic to boost their well-being: They joined a choir. Fourteen children ages 8 to 16 with a condition called single ventricle circulation or “Fontan” circulation met once a week for two months to learn singing and breathing techniques and practice songs for a winter concert at Northwestern University. Researchers from Lurie Children’s Hospital and the Northwestern Bienen School of Music founded the group to evaluate the health benefits of singing in a choir for children with heart disease.

According to the FDA, decongestants in many cold medicines don’t work. So what does it mean?

Changes are coming to the cold and cough section of your local pharmacy: U.S. officials want to phase out the leading decongestant found in hundreds of over-the-counter medications, concluding that it doesn’t actually relieve nasal congestion.

Phenylephrine is used in popular versions of Sudafed, Dayquil and other medications, but experts have long questioned its effectiveness. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration officially proposed revoking its use in pills and liquid solutions, setting in motion a process that will likely force drugmakers to remove or reformulate products.

PADS Lake County is purchasing former motel in Waukegan to convert into lodging

PADS Lake County purchased a former 74-room motel in Waukegan to convert the building into Lake County’s first permanent homeless shelter.

Allen Swilley, executive director of PADS Lake County, said housing in permanent locations will greatly increase the chances of success since they are now housed in rotating church basements at night and left alone during the day to go to work or drop their children off at school send for families.

Netflix will air two NFL games on Christmas Day. Here’s what you should know.

Today Netflix will have one of its biggest days since the site launched in 1998, when it first aired two NFL games.

“NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix” begins with a two-hour pregame show at 10 a.m. CST — including a taped appearance by Mariah Carey singing “All I Want for Christmas is You” — before the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Kansas City Chiefs. The Baltimore Ravens face the Houston Texans in the second game. Beyoncé will perform during the Ravens-Texans halftime.

Netflix’s 282.3 million subscribers in more than 190 countries can stream the games. This is the first time a network will distribute an NFL game worldwide. Netflix will offer the games in five languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and German.

Column: It’s another bleak Christmas for the Chicago Bears. This is not what was promised.

Who would have ever thought it would be the Chicago Bears Here on Christmas morning, without a football present and a dark lump of something under a spindly tree that looks like it belongs on Mount Crumpit.

That was certainly not what was promised. That’s what no one imagined over the summer, when the “Hard Knocks” hype was at its peak, when all the growing optimism felt justified as general manager Ryan Poles praised his head coach’s leadership style and the depth of the offensive line he’s built .

Related:

‘Swedish Christmas’: Chicago Blackhawks coaches Anders Sorensen and Derek King share a holiday tradition – even if it’s a package deal

The Chicago Blackhawks have their traditions, like many other teams, but interim coach Anders Sorensen and assistant coach Derek King have a tradition of their own.

Scary ghost stories… for Christmas? There is a long tradition that goes far beyond Krampus

Despite what Mariah Carey claims, maybe all we want for Christmas is boo?

Vintage Chicago Tribune: How Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Became a Christmas Icon

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was created for a purely Scrooge-like reason – to make money.

However, its creator saw Montgomery Ward’s marketing campaign as an opportunity to be as bold in his writing as the fantastical flying deer with a blindingly bright beak that he invented when asked to pull Santa’s sleigh through the fog.

Robert Lewis May wrote the original story – about 100 rhymes in 32 pages – in 1939. It predated his Dartmouth College colleague Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” book by almost two decades.

More than 80 years after its founding, here’s how Rudolph – a pure Chicago invention – became a Christmas icon.