If incoming Christmas cookies, candy canes, and other holiday treats have you concerned about getting out of shape this holiday season, don’t worry.
These holiday-themed events are enough to keep you busy (and sore) all season long, while giving back to the community—and they’re only a selection of the CrossFit events happening this December. (See more here.)
WOD for Toys for Tots
When: Saturday, December 2 Where: CrossFit Salvo
Registration: Closed November 20—but you can still come and watch!
Help spread holiday cheer by participating in CrossFit Salvo’s sixth annual WOD 4 Toys for Tots—or if you missed registration, just show up at CrossFit Salvo on December 2 to donate a new toy and watch the action.
The competition pits four-person teams (two males, two females) against each other. Each team receives holiday-themed T-shirts, and a sled to represent Santa’s sleigh is incorporated into the workout. A portion of the proceeds are used to buy new toys that are donated to Toys for Tots.
Who it benefits: Toys for Tots, a program run by the Marine Corps that distributes toys to children whose parents can’t afford Christmas gifts.
Learn more at wodfortoys4tots.com.
Jingle All the Weights 2017
When: Saturday, December 9 Where: Fort Collins CrossFit
Registration: $110 per team. Sign up at jinglealltheweights.com.
Fort Collins CrossFit’s second annual Jingle All the Weights competition is an all-day event for two-person teams (one male, one female) in Rx and Scaled divisions. Participants are asked to bring new toys, nonperishable food items, or gently used winter gear to donate to Realities for Children’s Santa’s Workshop.
All workouts except one have already been announced on the event website.
Who it benefits: Realities for Children’s Santa’s Workshop is a Larimer County toy and winter gear distribution event. It is currently the largest distribution of toys to children in Northern Colorado who have been abused or neglected. In 2016, donations were distributed to more than 1,000 children in Larimer County.
Learn more at jinglealltheweights.com.
2017 Alpine CrossFit Holiday Weightlifting Meet
When: Saturday, December 9 Where: Alpine CrossFit
Registration: Open until just before the event. $36.98 per competitor. Sign up here.
If you’ve always dreamed of having your lifts judged by someone in a Santa hat, here’s your chance. The seventh annual Alpine CrossFit Holiday Weightlifting Meet is a fun-filled competition for the heavy-lifting Christmas-lover. Expect Christmas decorations, holiday-themed apparel, and your favorite Christmas tunes.
All experience levels are welcome—and vendors will be on site, so you can do some Christmas shopping between lifts.
Who it benefits: The (Christmas) spirit of competition.
12 Days of Christmas Charity WOD
When: Saturday, December 16. 9 & 10:30 a.m. Where: CrossFit LoDo
Registration: No registration necessary. Just show up 10 minutes early to sign CrossFit LoDo’s waiver.
Don your holiday gear (think: elf shoes, jingle bell caps, and candy cane-striped anything) and show up at CrossFit LoDo for a charity WOD benefiting Urban Peak. The workout is the classic (dreaded) 12 Days of Christmas, but with holiday music and decorations setting the tone, it won’t be downright torture.
All fitness levels are welcome (including spectators). There’s no cost to participate, but donations are encouraged—as are plates of Christmas cookies.
Who it benefits: 100% of the proceeds raised through this event will be given to Urban Peak, an organization that serves youth in Denver and Colorado Springs who are experiencing homelessness.
Note: The workout pictured is from 2016 and not necessarily the 12 Days of Christmas WOD that will be used this year.
Faith Rx’d’s Naughty or Nice
When & Where: Various dates and locations (below)
Registration: Register by December 5th to order an iconic Naughty or Nice shirt. Otherwise, just show up.
Give a gift. Get a lift. Sponsored by FaithRx’d, Naughty or Nice is a worldwide Christmas charity WOD. CrossFit boxes choose a local charity to benefit. FaithRx’d provides the workouts: Naughty is the harder workout; Nice is the scaled version.
Worldwide, more than 100 gyms are participating in Naughty or Nice. So far, 13 of those gyms are in the Denver area.
“We don’t actually require that [the gyms] do toys for kids, although that tends to be the approach this time of year,” said Sarah Almquist, the service coordinator for Faith Rx’d’s Denver chapter. “It’s really about each gym opening themself up to the community.”
Past Naughty or Nice events have involved potlucks and Christmas parties. Reach out to your gym of choice to find out what they’re doing.
Who it benefits: Each gym partners with a charity of their choice. Proceeds from shirt sales benefit Faith Rx’d.
Learn more at naughtyornice.events.
Naughty or Nice Dates and Locations
Saturday, December 2
CrossFit Ken Caryl
CrossFit Loop
CrossFit Omnia
Tuesday, December 5
CrossFit LTP
Wednesday, December 6
Sloans Lake CrossFit
Saturday, December 9
Backcountry CrossFit
CrossFit South Aurora
Mountainside CrossFit
Redstone CrossFit
Friday, December 15
CrossFit Arvada
Saturday, December 16
CrossFit Cherry Creek
CrossFit Encounter
CrossFit KADA
Photo credit: Alpine CrossFit
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