How to have an amazing vegan Christmas

How does your family act at the annual Christmas lunch?

Do they accept your choice to be vegan with loving arms, and happily prepare vegan options for you? Do they let you bring a few meals of your own? Or do they shun your lifestyle choice, make fun of you and try to get you to eat some Christmas ham?

I'm fortunate enough to not have experienced the latter problem - but from what I've heard, a lot of vegans have. And it's not okay. Nobody should have to suffer through ridicule and rejection because of an important lifestyle choice they've made. Now, many families are accepting and accommodating, which is totally awesome. It's great when families are willing to learn about how delicious vegan food is and how easy it is to prepare. But some people just aren't so lucky!

And so, to help you have the very best vegan Christmas you can, or whichever holiday you celebrate, and to help you avoid feeling completely out of place and unaccepted, here are some tips.

Educate your family and friends about what veganism actually is 

This seems so simple, but it's super important. If you're a part of a family of gift-givers, you won't want your family members spending money on presents for you that aren't vegan. A lot of people just don't understand what veganism actually is. They get the vegetarian part - no meat - but some people aren't aware of the problems with milk, eggs, wool, silk, leather, etc. A good idea would be to bring up a discussion about Christmas presents and politely ask the family member if they're having any trouble finding vegan gifts. Be helpful, and let them know that you'd appreciate a gift that doesn't contain any animal products, and explain what this includes. It's important to be as friendly and polite as possible if you don't want to stir up trouble, because some people feel uncomfortable when talking about veganism. It's a guilt thing, I think.



Bring some plates of vegan food

Again, this is a simple tip, but one of the most important. If you want your family members to experience the awesomeness of vegan food and realise how delicious it can be - the best way is to show them! Cook up the tastiest vegan Christmas food you can muster, and offer it to your family and friends. Try not to make a big deal about it being vegan at first, because this can turn people off. Wait until they've tried it, then shock them with the news!

"If you're not a fantastic chef, consider ordering some vegan catering to bring along, or buy something from the store."

If you're not a fantastic chef, consider ordering some vegan catering to bring along, or buy something from the store. Otherwise, there are plenty of delicious, simple vegan recipes that you can try instead, so even beginner cooks will have a good chance of success.

Eat what your family is eating

Of course, this doesn't mean you have to eat real Christmas ham, or turkey, or whatever else your non-vegan family is eating - just have a vegan version! For most people, Christmas is about bringing everyone together. Eating a meal together is a huge part of this. So if your meal is totally different to what everyone else is having, you might feel a bit out of place, and your family might think that vegan food is really weird and different. If you make a vegan version of what they're having, they'll realise that vegan food can be just as good as what they eat, and you won't feel like an outcast. If your family's having Christmas turkey with gravy and roast veggies, bring some tofurkey and vegan gravy along - or, if you're not interested in mock meat, a big plate of roast veggies can be just as good.

If all else fails, celebrate Christmas elsewhere 

Christmas is usually a family affair, and spending time with your family is important. But when your family is unaccepting of your lifestyle, ridicules you, and often makes you feel uncomfortable, you don't owe them Christmas day. You shouldn't feel guilty for not wanting to spend time with people who are rude to you. Go out and enjoy Christmas by yourself, or with some friends, or with your pets - choose people who are accepting and loving, people who want everyone to enjoy Christmas, regardless of their lifestyle choices. If there's no one else to spend Christmas with - why not cuddle up at home with some blankets, a big bowl of roast vegetables, and watch Christmas movies? Or head our for dinner with your friends, or cook for your pets, or chat with other vegans online who may be in the same situation as you. You, like everyone else, have the right to an enjoyable and stress-free holiday season!

If you're wondering about how your veganism will affect your Christmas or other holiday celebrations, I hope these tips have helped you. I hope you all have a fantastic holiday and a wonderful new year!

 

How to Help Family & Friends Become Vegan

Once you've been vegan for a while, and you've cooked a lot of delicious vegan meals, your family and friends might start to feel a little curious. At first, they might think you're crazy for avoiding meat, eggs and cheese - but eventually, they might start wanting to try some of your cooking. They might comment on how delicious it is, and how they can't believe it's vegan. They might, even, mention that they would be vegan too, if only they didn't love meat and cheese so much!

And that's the catch. A lot of people are 'potential vegans'. They care about animals, they care about their health, and they like to eat delicious food, just like vegans do. But there's a few issues that get in the way. Addiction and tradition are two examples I've come across often.

"For many people, eating meat is normal. It's something they've grown up doing, and something they never thought much about before."

Let's start with tradition. For many people, eating meat is normal. It's something they've grown up doing, and something they never thought much about before. When meat-eaters talk to vegans, however, they're forced to think about it. These thoughts affect different people in different ways. Sometimes, they'll get defensive. Sometimes, they'll be curious. And sometimes, even, this initial defensiveness will lead to curiosity. This gives vegans the opportunity to show their curious family and friends just how awesome it is to be vegan.

The concept of not eating meat seems (from what I've seen and heard) to be really difficult to comprehend for a lot of people - especially older people. People who grew up in a time when food was scarce can be confused or even offended by the idea of being 'picky' about food. I can understand that, but in actuality, it's not about being picky. Veganism, to me, is about wanting to cause as little harm to animals, people and the environment as possible. So it's a super positive thing, and we can hope that these people will eventually catch on to that. Make sure to let them know.

Help your family learn that all families matter

So, next, let's move on to addiction (a word I'm only using for lack of a better one. If you can think of a better term let me know! I know this isn't really comparable to other, more serious forms of addiction). Cheese has addictive qualities. I've written at length about this in another post, so if you're interested in the addictive nature of cheese, head on over here to find out more. In summary, it can be difficult to give up cheese, but there are lots of alternatives to try, and after being vegan for a while you likely won't ever want to eat cheese again. My post about transitioning from vegetarianism to veganism, found here, has lots of information about cheese alternatives.

Today, I watched a really interesting and informative video by Unnatural Vegan on this topic that I encourage you all to watch. Here it is:

Some vegans probably won't agree with the message in this video, but I think it's totally true, and it's something we should all consider when introducing veganism to non-vegan family members and friends. Unnatural Vegan's message works super well in conjunction with the points I've made in this post.

To summarise Unnatural Vegan's points, most people who eat meat aren't evil. They just don't think the way vegans do. But that can change. I imagine most vegans - including myself - find it impossible to fathom the idea of eating or using animals ever again. We don't understand how anyone could ever want to. And, as someone who hasn't eaten meat since I was six years old, I find the idea of seeing animals as food even more difficult to comprehend. But most vegans ate meat at some point in their life, and most vegans took a while to fully transition into an animal product-free lifestyle. What I'm saying is: the majority of people care about animals and have the potential to be vegan. In most cases all they need is some education, friendly encouragement, and time to reconsider everything they've been taught about animal agriculture. Then, the path to veganism will be the obvious choice to take.

"Veganism isn't hard. It takes getting used to, sure, but it's not hard at all, and if you do it properly you'll never want to go back. Make sure your friends and family members know this."

So the best way to help your family and friends become vegan is to be friendly, helpful and encouraging. Appeal to their best interests. Understand that they probably do care about animals and probably don't really want to eat them. They just need to be made aware of all of the delicious, healthy, fulfilling and nutritionally sound alternatives. Cook for them and show them how awesome vegan food can be, or take them to your favourite vegan restaurant. Perhaps more importantly, make sure they know that the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, and Dietitians of Canada have all certified veganism as appropriate for all stages of the human life-cycle (including during pregnancy, infancy and old age). [source 1, 2, 3]

Veganism isn't hard. It takes getting used to, sure, but it's not hard at all, and if you do it properly you'll never want to go back. Make sure your friends and family members know this. I know it can be difficult sometimes, but try to be understanding. Support and actively encourage any tinge of interest your family members and friends may show. Take any opportunity to educate. Help them realise how amazing veganism actually is. It's getting easier by the day - more and more vegan options are popping up in restaurants and supermarket chains around the world. Now is a great time to act. Make a difference in the world, and help someone you love become vegan today!