Macon native has been receiving calls meant for Santa for 8 years. Here’s how it started

There is an old adage about the four stages of a man’s life.

1. He believes in Santa Claus.

2. He doesn’t believe in Santa Claus.

3. He is Santa Claus.

4. He looks like Santa Claus.

A few months ago, Scott Chalkley shaved the beard he had worn for three years. At 32, he never would have been mistaken for a resident of the North Pole, anyway.

But he definitely has been diagnosed with Stage Three Santa Claus.

They even have the same initials — S.C.

“When I was young, every time my mom asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say, ‘Santa Claus,’ ’’ he said. “And here I am.’’

After graduating from Stratford Academy in 2005 and attending college at Wake Forest, Scott began his career as an advertising copy writer and creative director at agencies in Miami and Austin, Texas. He now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Eight years ago, while working in Miami, his cellphone rang. The area code showed up as 478, the primary area code for his hometown of Macon and Middle Georgia.

“It was a little boy who kept calling me several times,’’ Scott said. “I was trying to work, and he kept calling back. He would ask, ‘Who is this?’ and I would say, ‘Hey, you called me!’ He would hang up, then call back. I didn’t know what was happening, but I was annoyed. ’’

It would have been aggravating had the same youngster kept dialing the same wrong number. But Scott soon began getting other calls. All were from the 478 area code. Most were from children trying to reach the man in the red suit.

“It was a mix of kids and older ladies who would apologize for dialing the wrong number,’’ he said. “One woman said she was sorry, and she sounded exasperated, too. She had dialed a 10-digit number — 951-262-3062 — for a Santa Hotline she found on Google.’’

Scott’s number was 478-951-2623. It’s the same cell number he has had since high school. At the time, dialing the area code was not necessary to make a local call. Anyone calling from the 478 area code would be connected with Scott after dialing the first seven digits of the 10-digit number.

Before long, he decided to stop pushing back on every innocent misdial and go along on the sleigh ride. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

He became Santa Claus.

“I formed a pretty robust Santa impression,’’ he said. “I talked with the kids and had conversations with them and encouraged them to stay on the ‘Good List.’ ’’

He developed the ho-ho-whole routine. At the office, he would put the children’s calls on the speaker phone and do his impressions as his co-workers listened. He saved the voice mails and played them for entertainment.

As a self-appointed Santa, Scott hardly was a one-hit wonder. The next holiday season, the calls returned. Soon, he never needed to look at the calendar to know it was the holidays. All he had to do was glance at his caller ID.

He began receiving off-season calls and messages at odd times of the year, too. It could be late spring or early summer. Even when there were hundreds of shopping days until Christmas, his personal hot line was warm to the touch.

“A lot of kids who call in January are disgruntled that they did get what they thought they might get from Santa,’’ Scott said, laughing.

He is now married with two children of his own — Hughes, 5, and 19-month-old Weller. His wife, Margaret, often finds herself recruited into the role of Mrs. Claus.

“It has been a parlor game for eight years,’’ Scott said. “She has experience with it. Every now and then I will answer: ‘North Pole. How may I direct your call?’ I will hand her the phone, and she has to transform into Mrs. Claus on the spot. I am (listed) in my brother’s phone as Santa Claus, and he will allow my nephew to call me under the auspice of being Santa Claus.’’

Until he changed his regular voicemail to a Santa theme, it regularly caused confusion for younger callers. A few, however, were undeterred. He believes it could have been because his name is Scott Chalkley and the name of character played by Tim Allen in the movie “The Santa Clause’’ was Scott Calvin.

Switching to the Santa-themed voice mail certainly left a trail of baffled callers in his personal life — from old friends to doctor’s offices calling to confirm appointments.

This past Tuesday, Scott raised the bar even higher on his Accidental Santa character. As part of “National Day of Giving” (#GIVINGTUESDAY ), he launched his “For a Good Claus” campaign with a new website, www.ForAGoodClaus.org to raise money for the Merrie Christmas Project through the United Way of Central Georgia.

The Merrie Christmas Project was started earlier this year by Macon’s Mike and Nancy Kaplan in memory of their daughter, Merrie Kaplan. Its mission is to “spread Christmas joy with presents, trees and food’’ to needy families and children in the area.

Scott’s website states its mission is “giving back to the always entertaining, often misdialing kids of Middle Georgia.’’ It includes a collection of voicemails from children called “From the Mouths of Babes.’’ Some are touching. Others are hilarious.

The idea of giving back is what drives Scott. Even though he lives three states away, his heart is still in the heart of Georgia.

“We want to help make Christmas special for the kids around my hometown who have made Christmas very special for me for a long time,’’ he said.

And he promises to keep on being Santa.

“It has become enjoyable,’’ he said. “It’s fair to say I would miss it if it ever ends.’’

Ed Grisamore teaches journalism at Stratford Academy in Macon. His column appears on Sundays in The Telegraph.