It's about that time of year when Scott Chalkley begins to get phone calls, usually from children asking him for gifts.
No one would mistake the 32-year-old North Carolina resident for Kris Kringle. The father of two doesn't have the beard or the belly, or the North Pole address. But what he does have is Santa's phone number. Or, close enough.
His cellphone number is just a few digits off from what Google lists as Santa's hotline in Georgia.
"I started to imitate Santa Claus and they'd tell me what they want and hope that they were on the good list and I'd encourage them to stay there," Chalkley said.
After eight years of getting calls, Chalkley decided to use his Christmas powers for good. A few weeks ago, he partnered a charity called The Merrie Christmas Project.
"What's special about the Merrie Christmas Project is that it helps families in need at a very hard time of the year with gifts and food and Christmas trees," Chalkley said.
He's proving that sometimes the wrong number can end up being right.
