Aurora kicks off holiday season with tree lighting, asks for help with city's gift and food drive
The City of Aurora welcomed the holiday season Tuesday night with its annual Holiday Tree Lighting, a celebration that filled the Great Lawn with music, lights and the spirit of giving. But along with the festive atmosphere came an urgent message: the annual toy and food drive the city runs is facing a major shortage.
The Aurora Public Library's Season of Giving drive supports children and families within Aurora Public Schools. This year, donations are far lower than usual.
"We're down about 60% from past years," said Minda McGurk, outreach and events supervisor for Library and Cultural Services.
Collection bags are usually filled eight to 10 at a time. McGurk said only two have been filled so far.
"This is huge. This is kind of the difference between them having a Christmas or not," she said. "We try to let families choose three to four gifts per child. This year, we'll be lucky if we can provide one."
The drive runs through Dec. 11, and the library has added an Amazon wish list to make donating easier. Gifts and non-perishable food items can also be dropped off at any Aurora Public Library branch.
"To the best I can guess, it's the economy," she said. "Families are struggling with groceries, rent, car payments. People want to give, but many can't give like they used to."
Middle and high-school students are the biggest gap this year.
"They're forgotten a lot," McGurk said. "We really don't want to leave them out."
Aurora Public Library will accept donations through Dec. 11. You can drop off new toys or non-perishable food items at any Aurora Public Library branch.
Donors can also shop the Amazon "Aurora Library Season of Giving 2025" wish list and ship items directly.
"These kids deserve to have a happy Christmas," McGurk said. "Even one gift can make that happen."
People of means in Aurora seem to be spending less this holiday season, too. The city's Merry Makers Market on Tuesday brought dozens of local vendors together. Some say they're seeing fewer sales.
Among the vendors was Howard Krames, owner of Magic Gifts and Goodies. His table overflowed with colorful fidgets, Pokémon items, stickers and seasonal gifts. It's 3D merchandise he designs and sells both online and at markets across Colorado.
Crain left his job to build the business full time.
"My business has been growing since I started in July of 2023," he said. "But this year has been a little different. Some events we expected to do well at, we're only seeing 60 to 70% of what we thought. We've even lowered prices on some items just to get more moved."
