Food Guides, How to Vegan, Lifestyle Guides

Vegan Holiday Survival Guide

The holidays are stressful. No matter what you celebrate, you’ll spend hours slaving away in the kitchen making a meal for your whole family. Not to mention finding everyone a gift, working your regular day job, and still maintaining your sanity – or at least trying too. Now add the fact that your vegan to all of this and the holidays become ten times harder. Since we’ve been vegan a collective 6 years, we have been able to learn a thing or two about how to survive the holidays as a vegan. Learn our tips and tricks be reading below.

 

Don’t be the extreme vegan

Yes, make vegan food – but don’t be serving your entire family salad and tofu if they’re used to turkey and stuffing. They will just end of disappointed and it will be a not so fun time for everyone. There’s a time and place to start talking about veganism, and the holiday dinner table is not it. Let your family enjoy their evening and you will too! Unless prompted or asked a question there is no need to bring up veganism at all.

Gift a vegan starter kit

Get your family excited about veganism by gifting them their favourite food item, except vegan. Perhaps it’s a bag of chips, cinnamon rolls, or even bacon! If you make veganism fun and exciting your family will be more likely to start incorporating more vegan food into their lives. Plus it’s like a subtle form of vegan activism.

vegan holiday survival guide

Participate

Don’t be the person who doesn’t help out simply because you don’t eat all the food. You don’t necessarily need to make the food, but helping set the table, serve drinks, or simply keeping them company in the kitchen works wonders. By participating in prep you’ll let everyone know they can put their guards down and shouldn’t think you’re going to put them down for eating turkey.

Bring vegan food

If you’re not hosting be sure to bring something vegan and make sure it’s enough to serve EVERYONE! Bring a dish so that you know you’ll be able to eat, but make sure it’s also enough so that people can try it as well. It’s a great way to introduce people to vegan food and start conversation – but only if it’s welcomed, see tip one. Try bringing our Mushroom Stuffing, Smoky Butternut Squash Soup, Smashed Potatoes, or Gingerbread Biscotti.

Have Fun

The holidays is about spending time with the people you love, so don’t forget to do just that! It’s not about what you eat or don’t eat, it’s not about what you believe – it’s about spending time with your friends and family. The dinner table shouldn’t be a place for debates or arguments or anger – so just lighten up and have fun! Joke around with each other and don’t take everything so seriously, you have the rest of your life for that.

 

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