Wednesday wasn’t the first time that Anna Minor attended Christmas Love’s annual children’s party, but her mother said this year was a different experience for the 2-year-old.

“She’s older. She can understand it more this year,” said Chrystal Minor, a Hanceville resident. “She loves to play, especially with these other kids.”

The Minors and Sue Mayfield, Chrystal Minor’s mother-in-law, joined several hundred children, parents and volunteers at the Cullman Civic Center. Christmas Love hosted its annual party, providing area children with gifts, prizes and activities.

Doris Patterson, chairman of the party committee, said Christmas Love started 18 years ago to provide help at Christmas in a central location. Gifts and food were distributed Monday through Wednesday, and many more gifts were given as prizes at the party.

The party is sponsored by Family Career Community Leaders of America. Participating Future Career and Community Leaders of America chapters are from Cullman High School, Cullman Middle School, the Career Center, Vinemont, West Point, Fairview and Holly Pond. Patterson estimated that 150 volunteers were involved in the event. She said Welti and Cumberland Presbyterian Church also helped fund the party by providing goods such as napkins, cups and bags.

Activities Wednesday included a bean bag toss, pin the nose on Rudolph, crafts, face painting, a visit with Santa Claus and a gift walk, which boasted the longest line in the room.

The party began as a company-sponsored event, but when that business left town, FCCLA stepped in, Patterson said. FCCLA teachers work with their students to prepare for the event.

“This is sort of their lesson in child development,” Patterson said.

Patterson, who was a teacher for 32 years and taught home economics at Fairview, said her students started the event.

“You can see it got to be too much for one school,” she said. “It’s just a great opportunity for our students to do community service.”

Katie Goodwin and Patricia Counts, both juniors from Holly Pond, agreed that the party was a welcome opportunity to help others.

“When they grow up, that’s what they’ll remember — that someone cared enough to do something like this,” Goodwin said.

“It just shows you sort of what Christmas is all about,” Counts said. “It’s not about receiving. It’s about giving.”

Both girls said they would have loved a similar event when they were children.

Their teacher, Patricia Lambert, has been working at the high school level for only a few months after a transfer from the elementary school. At the party Wednesday, she cheered and distributed candy as children dropped a toy frog into glass jars in a game called “Frog in the Well.”

“It’s too much fun,” Lambert said. “Here’s a chance for me to play with the little ones.”