The energy in the social hall at the Denver JCC was electric as people began trickling in to begin their volunteer work for JEWISHcolorado’s annual program, Christmas Mitzvah Project. Parents and their kids, couples, and even standalone volunteers arrived smiling as they signed in and picked up their volunteer shirts. Despite the cold weather outside, there was no shortage of warmth in the room. Together and to the cheery tune of classic Hanukkah music, community members wrote holiday letters and cards to the elderly, made no-sew blankets and pet toys for Colorado Pet Pantry and other local animal shelters, and stuffed backpacks with school supplies, adding an extra sparkle to the 2022 holiday season. 

For 27 years, the Christmas Mitzvah Project has mobilized volunteers to provide relief at local hospitals, assisted living facilities, shelters, and nonprofit organizations, so that staff can enjoy Christmas with family and friends. This annual example of tzedakah (the Jewish tradition of moral obligation to charitable giving) adds an extra shimmer to the holidays, and this year was no different. As the world continues to encounter spots of darkness and shadow, it’s bright lights like the volunteers and staff of Christmas Mitzvah Project that remind us here in Colorado that as long as we come together with the intention of doing good, we will always keep darkness at bay.