I Spot Santa is the oldest Santa tracking tradition in the world and it all started in 1913 because of chance. The great-grandfather of Pasquale Murena was on a rooftop in New York photographing an exciting spectacle. He shot over a dozen pictures of the event and was disappointed when his best photo had a smear on it. Or so he thought! With closer inspection he realized the smear was actually the first picture of Santa Claus. Proving to the world that Santa Claus is real.

It became a world-wide sensation and was part of a traveling exhibit entitled, “The Greatest Discovery Since The Wheel!” The image traveled to five different continents and royalty from all around the world traveled for days to have the chance to see it. It’s rumored that King George V passed out when he first saw the photo due to his excitement. After five years of showcasing the world to astonished children and their parents the photograph was placed in a suitcase and forgotten.

In 2009 Pasquale was looking through old family photos when he noticed something stuck to the back of his great-grandfather’s portrait. It was the original Santa Sighting that was captured in 1913 with the words written on the back, “Keep the magic alive. I believe. Do you?”

He couldn’t sleep that night because the question his great-grandfather wrote kept repeating in his head. He decided to travel to the North Pole with his wife Autumn and look for Santa Claus himself. Once they found Santa they remembered the Spirit and Joy of Christmas they had as children and wanted to share it with others. This is why we have I Spot Santa today.