Democrats young and, er, older alike toasted the holidays at what has become a traditional festive gathering thrown by the Denver Young Democrats on Thursday at the Governor’s Residence — officially, it’s the Boettcher Mansion — in Denver.

Boasting the best attendance yet for the annual affair, with a crowd numbering 150, the organization celebrated silver linings in last month’s election, when Republicans made gains in Colorado — unseating an incumbent U.S. senator for the first time in more than three decades and wresting control of the state Senate by a single seat — while Democrats helped Gov. John Hickenlooper buck a national wave to win a second term and the party held onto its majority in the state House.

Lisa Steffen, Jessica Knevals and Sarah Waddell pose for a friend’s snapshot in front of a Christmas tree at the Denver Young Democrats’ annual holiday party.

Calling the 2014 election “exciting,” Denver Young Democrats president Aaron Culbertson noted that the group found itself yet again in the thick of a cycle with momentous implications, both in Colorado and nationwide.

“I’m proud to be a Young Democrat because the youth in this state continues to be a beacon of light and example to all of us,” he said in brief remarks to the crowd. Culbertson cited the Jefferson County students who recently brought attention to attempts by the school district’s board to review some history curriculum and this week’s march by hundreds of East High School students in Denver, protesting a Missouri grand jury’s decision not to indict a police officer for shooting an unarmed black teen.

Denver Young Democrats president Aaron Culbertson speaks to the capacity crowd at the organization’s annual holiday party on Dec. 4 at the Governor’s Residence in Denver.

“We recognize that Colorado youth has a voice, they want to have a voice, and it reverberates not just across this state but across the nation,” he said.

Despite mixed results in the recent election, he said, the mission of the Democratic Party — and its youthful organization, which counts members up through age 36 — is unchanged.

“We want to lift each other up and lift ourselves up together, not in spite of one another,” he said. “Because we are not a political agenda, as Democrats, we are a people agenda.”

The holiday party took place at the opulent mansion, displaying holiday decorations installed late last month by members of the American Society of Interior Designers. The designers came up with distinct themes meant to reflect the state’s various lifestyles for each room of the historic structure’s first floor, including decorations depicting winter sports, ranching and mountain living. (The mansion is open for tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Dec. 13-19.)

Mary Elizabeth Brice and Susan Rogers, known as the chair of vice for the Denver Democratic Party, celebrate the holidays at the annual Denver Young Democrats’ soiree on Dec. 4.

Photos by Ernest Luning/The Colorado Statesman

Partygoers enjoyed beer provided by Denver microbrewery Diebolt Brewing Company and wine from Denver’s Bonacquisti Wine Company.

The host committee for the bash included state Sens. Irene Aguilar and Lucia Guzman; state Reps. Crisanta Duran, Beth McCann, Dave Young and Lois Court; Garnett; CU Regents Michael Carrigan and Stephen Ludwig; State Board of Education member Val Flores; Denver Public Schools Board of Education member Mike Johnson, who was the founding president of the Denver Young Democrats; and Aaron Goldhamer, Roger Sherman, Liz Adams, Christopher Applegate, Corrie Houck, Tea Schook, Marcia Leger-Lovato and Cory Nadler.

— Ernest@coloradostatesman.com