NATCHEZ — The children in the Braden School auditorium were fairly quiet on Wednesday morning — then a fat man in a red velour suit waltzed in, and they all went crazy.

Santa’s entrance signified the start of another toy giveaway sponsored by the Children’s Christmas Tree Fund.

And scenes like Wednesday’s have been unfolding in Natchez since the early 1900s.

That’s when James Lambert started the fund to provide toys to the area’s needy children.

Caroline McDonough, the event’s chairwoman, is Lambert’s great-great granddaughter and coordinated Wednesday’s toy giveaway.

Moments before the event started she was making last minute checks on the long list of toy recipients.

“This is when it gets a little hairy,” McDonough said. “But when they all start getting their toys, that’s when it’s so rewarding.”

And while McDonough was eagerly awaiting the start of the give way — hundreds of local children were getting anxious and a little fidgety.

Most children alternated between pacing the aisles and standing on their seats in an effort to get a better look at the toys on the stage.

Then it happened — Santa arrived.

The children screamed, the caroling got louder and the seemingly never-ending stream of toys began to flow from the stage.

The children were ecstatic.

But for some the sight of Santa was just too much.

The bearded fat man struck a chord of terror in their tiny bodies.

Their faces quivered and their eyes welled with tears.

But for most meeting Santa was the highlight of their Christmas.

Ernest Johnson, 7, said he loved meeting Santa.

“It was so good,” he said.

And that was about all he could say as his eyes scanned the upper layer of his newly obtained bag of toys.

Like other childrens, Johnson had a hard time making it down the auditorium’s stage steps with his huge bag of toys.

McDonough estimated the event provided toys for more than 350 children Wednesday, not including some groups that got their toys earlier in the week.

All told, McDonough said the fund provided toys to approximately 430 children in Natchez.

“It’s wonderful for everyone who participates,” she said.

And Cole Humphries, 4, was just one of those happy participants.

He was heading home Wednesday with a new toy tool set, he said he was going to use it to build a house.