Chaos erupted at NORAD’s Santa-tracking headquarters last night when Santa’s sleigh, led by Rudolph’s newly installed high-beam LED nose, nearly caused an airborne fiasco with a civilian drone. The incident, now being referred to as “The Great Christmas Eve Glare,” has left Santa’s navigation team both blinking and bemused.
“It was like a Christmas light show gone rogue,” exclaimed Chuck Kringle, a NORAD Santa tracker. “One minute all’s calm, the next, Rudolph’s nose is outshining the moon! That drone didn’t stand a chance.” The drone, piloted by local tech hobbyist and Christmas enthusiast Eddie Elfman, reportedly lost control when Rudolph’s new nose lit up the sky like a disco ball at a reindeer rave.
Eyewitnesses on the ground described a surreal scene. “I saw this blinding light zipping across the sky, followed by a smaller, buzzing light desperately trying to keep up,” said Martha Mistletoe, a resident of the town overflown by the sleigh. “I thought, ‘Santa’s really upped his game this year,’ or aliens were finally visiting for Christmas.”
Eddie Elfman, the drone operator, recounted his shock. “I was trying to capture footage of Santa for my vlog,” he said, still visibly shaken but thrilled. “Suddenly, this mega-watt red beam nearly fried my drone. It was like Rudolph went nuclear.”
Back at NORAD, amidst screens blinking red (and not just from Rudolph’s nose), controllers worked hastily to reroute Santa around any potential aerial hazards. “We train for all sorts of scenarios: weather disruptions, airspace issues, but never a reindeer-induced light show,” Kringle added, adjusting his Santa hat, now equipped with sunglasses.
Post-near-miss, Santa was unfazed but agreed that perhaps Rudolph’s nose was “a tad overkill.” In a statement released by Santa (via carrier pigeon), he assured, “Ho ho ho! No harm done! Rudolph’s just got a bit too excited about LED technology. We’ll dim it down for next year. Meanwhile, let’s remember to keep the skies drone-free on Christmas Eve – Rudolph’s nose is quite enough!”
The incident has since sparked a flurry of social media memes, with #RudolphsLEDNose and #SantaDroneDodge trending worldwide. NORAD, meanwhile, is considering adding ‘Rudolph brightness levels’ to their standard Santa-tracking procedures. As for Eddie Elfman, he’s just hoping his footage goes viral – after all, not everyone gets a close encounter with a high-tech Rudolph and lives to tell the tale.