Maybe your tradition is eating a big meal beforehand. Maybe it's packing a separate bag of snacks, consisting of numerous, tiny Tupperware containers that can be tucked into pockets, aprons, and inconspicuously retrieved. Maybe it's preparing a four-course meal for yourself to be reheated, and consumed alongside a selection of confused faces and disapproving glances. Maybe it's taking a moment or two to breathe, collect your thoughts, and prepare a collection of answers for the inevitable list of questions.
We all have our tried-and-true strategies for navigating our first holiday season as a vegan. If we happen to be one of the many individuals in a non-vegan family, probability indicates this meal will be challenging in a completely different way, than it may be for a veg-forward family. Though the first veg holiday is understandably daunting in an obvious way, depending on the familiar structure and social calendar, it's also likely that gathering for subsequent meals can pose some ongoing challenges. Be it the potluck-style gathering with your fifteen friends from high-school, the intimate family dinner featuring the inquisitive Aunt that relentlessly demands to know how you're surviving without protein, and everyone in between: we got you.
Last year, we released the first version of this article, which outlined a series of tips to navigate the first vegan holiday. This year, due to popular demand, we're presenting a second iteration, which not only addresses the looming future gatherings, but pulls in an amazing selection of in-the-know, savvy, experienced practitioners, friends, and folks in the industry who are sharing their great wisdom to make things more accessible, easy, and enjoyable
With a few tips and tricks, you can not only help out those family members and friends, you can make sure that you’re going to have a pleasant experience, enjoy taking part in the celebration, and not leave the evening hungry, because your cousin assumed that all vegans needed to be satiated was a bowl of artisanal greens.
Sandra Nomoto, Ethical Marketer & Book Whisperer
"If you have access to a store with vegan roasts or frozen vegan goods like lasagnas, shepherd's pie, or cheesecakes, these are amazing options for family dinners. I love it when people say, "This isn't meat?!" You realize you are opening their eyes as to how good vegan food is!
You may find more omnivores eating your food vs. you being able to eat the options that are there. I consider sharing as bonus points on Santa's nice list...or just being a good human being!"
Learn more about Sandra
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, bestselling author and ambassador of compassion
"As the winter holidays approach, many of us get overwhelmed as we prepare to host parties and formal dinners for family and friends. I think one of the reasons we become overwhelmed is because our expectations are so unrealistically high. We project these expectations onto our guests and are afraid that if everything isn’t absolutely perfect, we will be judged as inadequate.
Add to that the pressure that this one vegan meal represents all vegan meals and better be extraordinary, lest your guests leave with the false impression that plant-based fare is mediocre or inferior.
One of the ways we can take some pressure off is by re-thinking what we have been taught about what a meal – or a plate – should look like.
A spread based on plant-based foods is so much more aesthetically pleasing than one based on animal products. Taking advantage of the huge variety of colors, textures, sizes, and shapes of plant foods, here are some suggestions for creating a focal point out of a main dish.
STUFF IT: Stuff eggplants, bell or jalapeno peppers, mushrooms, winter or summer squash, potatoes, olives, pea pods, or corn husks.
CONTAIN IT: In the spirit of serving food in something else, create a main dish using ramekins, custard cups, or individual bowls, or make miniature pot pies for each person.
MAINSTAY IT: Tofu, tempeh, seitan, and portabello mushrooms are all great options to serve as the “main dish.” They are hearty, “meaty,” and protein-rich, which is one of the criteria by which people tend to judge “main dishes.”
MOLD IT: Anything made as a loaf, patty, timbale, mold, or burger also serves as great main-dish items.
And remember it is your intentions that your guests appreciate. They do not expect perfection – and neither should you. It is about creating a compassionate center around which you and your loved ones can gather."
View the insider information for Colleen's newest book, coming out in March 2025, and now available for pre-order!
Desiree Nielsen, registered dietitian and bestselling author
"I’m a firm believer in bringing a dish to any holiday gathering, because it will guarantee that you have at least one delicious thing to nosh on that isn’t raw veggies. There is also no better way to show people how delicious it is to be vegan than to bring something yummy to share!
I always try to bring something that is very omnivore-coded, like a fun snack mix, a creamy dip or some cookies."
Learn more about Desiree
Asha Wheeldon, founder: Kula Foods
"Here are 2 recipes I recommend. My advice is this is a great time to have fun and try new food or adjusting traditional recipes. Getting more involved in the kitchen and cooking for family with plants is never a bad idea.
We have a ton of recipes and will be posting a holiday edition next week on our website. I love these recipes because we can eat with our hands, ingredients are easy enough to substitute and are great for sharing."
Recipe 1: Sukuma Wiki
Recipe 2: Injera
Learn more about Asha
Lynda Turner, founder: Fauxmagerie Zengarry
"Cheese is an integral part of the holiday season for many people and the hardest thing for most to give up when they transition to a vegan diet. That's why I created Fauxmagerie Zengarry. We can all enjoy the tradition and taste of cheese, without the dairy.
Whether on a holiday cheese board or in your favourite recipe, our cashew based cheeses make it easy to swap out your dairy-based cheese for an all-natural, delicious, plant-based option.
This article on Vegan Dairy Swaps might be of particular interest!"
Learn more about Lynda
Breanne Smart, Regional Manager: Virtuous Pie and M!LA
"My advice for the holidays is ironically something my very non-vegan grandmother would repeat to my very stubborn and precocious 10-year-old self: 'You’ll catch more flies with honey than you will with vinegar.'
Meeting your friends and family where they are at, with discussion, and with food, is the best way to navigate the holidays. Put on a vegan show, bring your best dish to your holiday dinners. A lot of people’s impressions of vegan food is outdated, and frankly, bad.
Showing your loved ones how delicious vegan food is can help open a conversation about why it’s a better choice for them and the planet."
Learn more about Breanne and M!LA
Lori Blaszkowski, Founder: Little Vegan Treats
"Over the last 25 years, I've been asked All The Questions about why I'm vegan, from curious, to defensive, to clueless, to wildly inappropriate. My suggestion is to just go prepared with a non-incendiary one-liner about why you choose to be vegan.
I have found it helps to keep it simplistic – like you're explaining it to a six-year-old. E.g., "I just prefer to eat plant-based because I think it hurts the animals to eat them – especially when there are so many great alternatives." (and if it's within your means, bring something delish to share that will wow them, either from your kitchen, or your fave local vegan spot.)"
Learn more about Lori and Little Vegan Treats
When it comes down to it...
A lot of the conclusions that are made around vegan food (and veganism in general) are rooted in assumption, misinformation, and things people have seen on social media but don't research outside of one Instagram Story slide.
This could be the opportunity to change that rhetoric and challenge it directly: engage in dialogue, accept questions, and lean into curiosity.
Above all, if you have that poignant moment where you feel like there is no one else who thinks the way you do, your family think it's absurd, and you're being looked at with "that glance", remember you're not the only one. There are thousands of us out here (millions, in fact) who are aligned with you, think what you're doing is crucial and impactful, and are here to tell you to keep doing it.
Here is to a compassionate, safe, and beautiful holiday season -- for humans and animals alike. How will you reflect that this year?
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