Christmas in July was always too toasty.

“Oh God, it was hot last year,” Lawrence artist Dan Schriner said of the annual Lawrence Arts Center fund-raiser. “They had a Santa serving chocolate-covered strawberries that were melting.”

So organizers this year are moving the benefit indoors and closer to the season for which the proceeds are raised.

Holidayfest 2002 will be from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday at the new arts center, 940 N.H. Admission is $25 for arts center members, $35 for nonmembers.

Now in its eighth year, the party and auction organized by Hearts for the Arts, an auxiliary of the arts center, will feature the same food and drink, dancing and unique art donated by local artists.

It will just be a lot cooler.

“It’s just so hot (in July) and there’s many people gone on vacation,” said Rozi Foreman, co-chairwoman of the event. “We thought this would be a better time of year.”

As always, proceeds will benefit the Arts Center Holiday Shop, an interdenominational party with a gift shop where children can buy inexpensive gifts for friends and family.

Holidayfest will allow children from low-income families to shop for free by doling out “Santa bucks” they can trade in for presents.

An auction of boxes crafted by local artists also will aid the Holiday Shop.

Schriner donated a small wooden piece he calls a tea box. He constructed it from maple and topped it with a hand-hammered copper tea leaf handle.

“It just seems like something that people would want,” said Schriner, who typically creates tapestries. “It’s a nice gift.

Money not needed for the Holiday Shop will be used for youth scholarships in the arts.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” arts center director Ann Evans said. “It’s another time to showcase this great new building and get new people in there.”