As his little fingers tore away the baby-blue wrapping paper, a smile widened and lit up Josten Maisonette's face.
The gift he had wanted was in his hands - a Hot Wheels racetrack.
For 6-year-old Josten, as for hundreds of families living near or below the poverty line or in shelters in the metro Boston area, Santa arrived early yesterday, stopping at the Bayside Expo Center to unload crate-loads of toys during the 18th annual Christmas in the City.
"Without this, he wouldn't have a Christmas," said Marielly Velez, 29, Josten's mother. "They wouldn't have a Christmas," she added, pointing to her daughters, Alondra, 4, and Zorielly, 6, who were also busy admiring their gifts. The family lives at the Mary Eliza Mahoney shelter in Roxbury.
The sound of wrapping paper being torn and crumpled and children's laughter filled the expansive hall, as it became one big playground. Some children tossed foam footballs or sat on the floor captivated, watching mechanical puppies bark. One boy lifted his present, a bright-red remote-controlled car, above his head and called excitedly for his father, who sat nearby eating ice cream.
Volunteers swerved through tables and chairs carrying clear plastic bags full of presents. Plates full of cookies covered the tables.
And toys were everywhere - on tables, on floors, in children's hands.
The scene was the culmination of nearly a year of work by hundreds of volunteers led by Jake and Sparky Kennedy, who more than 18 years ago decided to create an event that would allow disadvantaged children to experience the same kind of joy their children felt during Christmas.
"Sometimes I'm frozen by what I see," said Jake Kennedy, who runs Kennedy Brothers Physical Therapy in Boston. "The happiness that this gives you is priceless."
Christmas in the City relies totally on donations and volunteers. If the cost of the event were tallied, it would be about $1 million, according to a spokesman. Renting the center would cost more than $400,000.
The event began at 11 a.m., as more than 2,000 children and their parents stepped off a fleet of 90 yellow school buses, and were greeted by about 1,000 volunteers wearing white and orange T-shirts. The families were ushered to their tables, where they were served pizza and hot dogs and watched a concert with hip-hop singers and dancers.
Then, Kennedy unveiled a surprise, as volunteers lifted six large steel doors at the back of the expansive hall to reveal the "Winter Wonderland," an adjacent hall full of huge, inflated slides, carousels, and other play areas. The children ran to get in line.
While many of the children headed for the play area or to another room where they could speak directly with Santa Claus, some parents insisted they take advantage of free dental screenings or haircuts.
"My son just got his molars sealed to keep him from getting cavities," said Diane Langston, 53, watching her son, Rakeem, 11, rinse his mouth and run past her . to go play in the Winter Wonderland. "If I wasn't here, he probably wouldn't have had that done. I think I'm going to go get him so he can get a haircut, too."
The play area was closed after 90 minutes. When the children and their parents returned to their tables, the steel doors were lowered.
But 30 minutes later, as a gospel choir belted out a tune, the gates were raised again, this time revealing 200 orange carts full of wrapped presents. The volunteers ran into the hall, pushing the carts with them as children screamed with joy.
Weeks ago, children staying at area shelters were asked to list what gifts they were pining for most. Those lists were given to Christmas in the City organizers to guide them in matching donated gifts and gifts purchased with donated funds.
Alexandra Lee has volunteered for the past 14 years, leading the gift-wrapping department. "Just seeing the expression on their faces when they get their toys - that's all I need."
