Holiday celebrations are built around traditions, and looking out for those less fortunate has become a cherished part of the holiday season for many who celebrate.

That’s true at the Boch Center, the nonprofit institution that operates the historic Wang and Shubert theaters, which just kicked off its 15th year of supporting the Globe Santa program by opening its doors to volunteers during holiday productions and donating a portion of ticket sales.

“We absolutely love it and couldn’t be more honored to be doing it again,’’ Josiah A. Spaulding Jr., 67, longtime president and chief executive of the Boch Center, said in a phone interview. “There’s nothing like celebrating 15 years in a row together.’’

This holiday season, theater patrons will have an opportunity to donate to Globe Santa while attending “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical,’’ which runs at the Wang Theatre Nov. 28 – Dec. 9, and “A Charlie Brown Christmas Live on Stage,’’ which runs at the Shubert Theatre Nov. 29 – Dec. 2.

Patrons can also save money and support Globe Santa with a $10 contribution when they buy tickets to certain performances of either show online by entering the code GLOBE during checkout.

The Boch Center staff has often gotten into the holiday act, Spaulding said, accepting donations for Globe Santa and even turning their efforts into a friendly competition.

“We’ve had, in the past, contests to see which one can ring the bell best and raise the most money in their basket,’’ he said. “The center is honored to do it, but it’s been a real driving force for our staff to take a real interest in supporting the program as well.’’

Spaulding has been known to join in personally. He reminisced about the years in which he would stand outside with Santa Claus and other volunteers and “freeze my butt off for a couple of hours’’ collecting donations.

“I have lost my elf shoes over the years, but I still wear my Santa hat all the time,’’ he said.

Spaulding said he was immediately on board after William F. Connolly Jr., executive director of the Globe Santa program, initially approached him about working together back around 2004.

“When we first talked, it was like a no-brainer — absolutely we’ll be involved,’’ he said.

Part of the mission of the Boch Center, formerly the Citi Performing Arts Center, Spaulding said, is to bring the joy of the arts to as many people as possible, and Globe Santa is one of many philanthropic efforts the institution supports.

“That’s a major priority for our institution. We want to reach out to those who can’t afford to come and work with community groups to do that,’’ he said.

This year, Spaulding said, he feels a special need to contribute, because he sees that the nation’s strong economy has not benefited everyone equally.

“The differences between ... the haves and the have-nots have sort of gotten deeper, and there’s more of a need,’’ he said. “So the fact that we want to all try to reach out harder than we might have in the past is really something that I think everybody strives to accomplish, and that’s certainly what we’re doing.’’

For more than 60 years, the Globe Santa Fund Drive, a program of the Boston Globe Foundation, has delivered gifts to children, keeping holiday traditions alive in families that might otherwise have no gifts on Christmas morning.

Please consider giving. Anyone wanting to help in the effort to make Christmas more joyful for deserving children can donate by mail, telephone or online at globesanta.org.

Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com