Omayra Acevedo, Nederland. Just hear those sleigh bells jingling ring-ting-tingling too… That’s what I kept hearing in my head as I walked around and took in the excitement from guests, entertainers, volunteers and vendors. The two days following the Nederland Town Lighting, the Nederland Community Center lit up with more town cheer. 

Over 45 vendors displayed their special crafts from knitting to baked goods, oil and acrylic paintings, homemade jewelry, mugs, postcards, photography, woodwork, candles, jellies and spices, and everything in between. The entertainment included guitarists, singers, a pic jam, dancers, a storyteller and one magician. All these amazing people came together to help raise funds to support the non-profit, Nederland Area Seniors.

I’ve been working with seniors from the Peak to Peak area for over a year now and the more I get to know them, the more I can’t help but be utterly impressed by their stamina, perseverance, strength, humor and even stubbornness. It’s no wonder they are so adored in our community. Many of them were the volunteers running the show this weekend at the Nederland Community Center. 

In my humble opinion, volunteers are the legs we stand on and that position deserves an enormous amount of respect. I’m sure I speak for more than just myself when I say, thank you for your hard work: Jim Elder, Jerry and Barbara Donahue, Jim Guertin, Maureen Sherman, Lee Kennedy, Max Krimmel, Bonnie Carol, Charlene Morrison, Al and Kathy Meyer, Guy Falsetti, Mark Stringfellow, Brent Warren and all the other incredible volunteers that made this event so successful. If it were not for you and the collaboration of the Nederland Area Seniors and Community Center staff, this would not have been possible.

As I spent two days observing the interactions of everyone around me, I found myself filled with warm feelings of joy and comfort. The market was more than just about selling goods, entertaining guests, working hard, eating and raising funds for Nederland Area Seniors. The sum of all these things are what makes the Holiday Mountain Market what it is. Nothing was more important the other. It was a plethora of people coming together as a community to support each other.

Between more than a dozen entertainers, the aroma of freshly cooked food, artisans from all over Colorado, silent auction items donated from Gilpin and Boulder County businesses, and community love, the holiday mountain market blossomed into a magical fundraising event. 

(Originally published in the December 12, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)