JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Prime Osborn Convention Center was filled with excitement Saturday morning as thousands of children poured in for the 26th Children’s Christmas Party of Jacksonville.
Mayor Donna Deegan opened the event by cutting the ribbon on a bow-wrapped door.
The line to get into the convention center wrapped around the parking lot. Some people waited in line for hours; arriving as early as Friday afternoon.
Among the first inside was 11-year-old Christopher Smith and his family. Before heading off to pick out gifts, Christopher stopped for a photo with Santa Claus.
Then the search was on.
Smith said as he chose a smartwatch, a bubble blower and a skateboard.
Smith was one of thousands of children who attended the event, which organizers said is designed to make sure children in need have something special to open on Christmas morning.
Children 12 and under were eligible to receive gifts ranging from small novelty items to bikes and other wheel toys, like bikes. All distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
News4JAX employees volunteered at the event, helping hand out toys and bikes donated earlier this month to the station during the Channel 4 Toy Drive.
For families like Smith, the event offers meaningful relief during a difficult year.
“It’s hard to buy anything,” Smith’s grandmother, Marsha Bozich said. “It’s hard to buy anything. This is like the fifth year we’ve come here…It means a lot to people. There’s people like us that just can’t afford it.”
Deegan said the need for events like this remains significant.
“The need is great, so it’s wonderful to be able to provide something like this for families who might not otherwise be able to have Christmas,” Deegan said.
As for Smith, he said he’s already looking forward to Christmas morning — and opening his new gifts.