Concert Warms the Holidays for 75 Youngsters : Giving: The Performing Arts Center throws a party for children with special needs.

Blindfolded and with his hands firmly curled around a wooden stick, Oscar Hernandez swung the baton with all his might at the star-shaped, papier-mache ornament. When candy came cascading out of the hanging pinata, a mob of children flocked to the mound of treats.

Hernandez was one of about 75 Orange County children with a VIP invitation to Sunday’s sold-out musical performance, Fiesta Navidad, and a private backstage party at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Marking a tradition of hope and heritage, the Philharmonic Society and the Orange County Performing Arts Center had their first Christmas celebration for children with special needs.

Seated at the center’s first tier, children 10 to 12 watched Mexican folk dancers and mariachi bands onstage. Some were recent Latino immigrants whose parents lack money for such entertainment; others were the children of AIDS patients.

The show opened with Las Posadas, the traditional Mexican procession portraying Joseph and Mary’s pilgrimage to Bethlehem. Performances by mariachi bands and UCLA’s Ballet Folklorico followed. The cultural extravaganza ended with the audience joining in mariachi renditions of “Jingle Bells” and “Silent Night.”

The festivities began when the music ended. The children, most from three Anaheim elementary schools, filed backstage where they feasted on an assortment of Mexican foods. While some served themselves from the buffet, others eagerly lined up to meet Santa Claus and receive bags filled with board games, toys and candy donated by local companies and toy drives.

The children’s Christmas party is part of the Philharmonic Society’s youth music education program. Organizers said they hope to make this an annual event, in an effort to introduce fine arts to the young, especially those who otherwise might not get the chance.

“This gives these children an opportunity to experience something from their own heritage,” says Dean Corey, Philharmonic Society executive director. “They probably would not have the opportunity to visit the center otherwise. Our hope is to make them feel comfortable there, to welcome them to our community.”

For Dalinda Pineda, 12, this was her first concert. Though mariachi bands are common in her Mexican homeland, she said attending a show and party at the center was exciting.

A polite and confident Andrew Villafana, 10, said the “cool sonic-siren football and backgammon gifts make me happy. This is a special night.”

But for another 10-year-old, this will be her first Christmas without her father, who died of AIDS complications two months ago. She was invited to the party through her connection with the AIDS Services Foundation in Irvine. Wearing a velvet green dress, she bashfully peered into her bag of gifts as a hint of a smile tugged at her lips.

Dena Montiel, an organizer with the Philharmonic Society, said touching the lives of these children is the goal of the celebration.

“This is what Christmas is about, the joy of giving and sharing and to bring happiness.”