"It's very big," Shanika, 13, said yesterday in one of four executive suites Domi and friends provided for the youngsters.

"I thought the party was going to be boring, but it's not," said the smiling girl, who came with her brother Donovan, 8, known as "DJ," for Domi's 10th annual Santa on Wheels charity event.

"The music made it come to life and being here is special," Shanika said.

A keen floor hockey player at school, the Grade 8 student said she was looking forward to watching the on-ice skills competition that Domi's old team held after the party.

"You always try and make things interesting, try to make this a special time like for everybody else," Domi said before he joined Santa in handing out gifts, including several acoustic guitars taller than the children who got them.

"Sometimes they're not having the best of times in life," he said.

Starting with gifts for 220 kids in 1996, the retired NHLer's toy list totals more than 3,600 children in GTA shelters, at a cost of more than $100,000, an assistant said in a press release.

"It's really grown since I started this," Domi said.

Criticizing Mayor David Miller for his 9% raise and a planned tax on parking lots, Domi said, "I don't think people realize the size of the problem there is in the city.

"The mayor should be worrying about these kids instead of taxing parking lots."

As a child, Domi said he often played football and hockey at Christmas, so he planned this year's event to coincide with the post-party display by the Leafs.

"These kids don't know me as a hockey player," he said. "Many of them don't have cable TV to watch the hockey games and most have never been in this building.

"When you see the smiles on their faces, that's what it's all about," Domi said.