Get ready to wow your guests and inspire your relatives. Whether you’re bringing a show-stopping vegan dish, choosing animal-friendly gifts, or navigating family traditions with kindness, the holidays are the perfect time to prove that a compassionate celebration never means missing out.
Start With Compassion, Not Confrontation
Not everyone celebrates vegan holidays yet. Try to meet people where they’re at. We know that our loved ones are good people, so it can be uncomfortable to see them eating dishes that animals suffered for. Remember that most of us weren’t born and raised vegan.
You’ve likely eaten animals at Thanksgiving or Christmas, too, in the past. Were you heartless? No. Listening to your heart caused you to go vegan. One day, after seeing how kind you are, others may find that going vegan better aligns with their values, too.
Your compassionate attitude and your delicious meals will speak volumes.
Tell Your Host Ahead of Time
Contact your host well ahead of time, since telling them “I’m vegan” a week before the holiday will trigger panic. Tell them something like: “I’ll bring a main dish and a side—just let me know what time works to drop them off.” That one text does more than any conversation about your ethics ever could. It hands your host an easy solution instead of a task and gives you the opportunity to impress people with great vegan food.
It’s easy to enjoy holiday staples that we know and love without contributing to animal suffering.
You can make mashed potatoes made with dairy-free milk and vegan butter, green bean casserole with savory vegan broth and soy milk, and a vegan stuffing (many premade stuffing mixes are “accidentally vegan”).
Loved Ones May Not Know What “Vegan” Means
Our loved ones may not realize that “vegan” doesn’t mean the same thing as “vegetarian.” Before you fill your plate, ask what’s actually in the dish.
While it’s good to do your due diligence, if you’re new to being vegan, give yourself grace. Focus on making choices that align with your values—not on being perfect (there’s no such thing!). If you ate someone’s dish because they said they didn’t use dairy, but you later find out they used a product that contained whey, you’re still vegan. Every animal-free meal helps spare living, feeling individuals.
Have Answers to Common Questions
People may ask questions about what you eat and why you don’t eat certain things. Treat genuine curiosity as an opportunity, not a challenge. It’ll be easy to respond if you already have an answer in mind.
For example, if someone asks where you get protein, you could say “Beans, nuts, lentils, tofu, and many other plant-based foods have all the protein we need.”
If someone makes a comment about turkeys, you could tell them that turkeys are doting and resourceful parents who typically live up to five years in nature, but the meat industry slaughters them within their first six months of life. The young birds are often still conscious when their throats are slit and they’re dumped into scalding-hot defeathering tanks.
How to Handle Gifts That Aren’t Vegan
The best thing to do is to give people ideas before gift-giving time rolls around.
- “I’m living compassionately with animals in mind. Here are a few things I love.”
- Share a small wish list with inexpensive vegan items.
- Suggest a donation in your name to help a cold dog survive the winter, provide a dog chained outside with a sturdy doghouse, or another cause that touches your heart.
Letting an item go unused doesn’t help animals, and turning down a gift can hurt someone’s feelings and make being vegan seem like it’s about perfection rather than intention. Someone chose that gift for you because they care. Receiving it with a smile doesn’t compromise your compassion—it acknowledges their thoughtfulness. You don’t need to correct them in the moment, but if it feels right, this could be a good opportunity to explain (gently) how that item harms animals.
For example, the wool in that sweater was stolen from sensitive, social sheep. In the wool industry, workers often forcefully pin terrified sheep down and hastily sheer them, causing them pain and terror. Sharing these facts kindly can help loved ones understand that your choices are rooted in concern for animals, not criticism of them.
Protect Your Own Peace
If you feel uncomfortable watching loved ones eat animals’ flesh at the table, that reaction is normal, and it doesn’t mean you’re “being dramatic.” Decide ahead of time how you’ll handle it: step outside for a few minutes if you need to, sit next to the family member who understands you, or focus on the bigger picture: not being there doesn’t help animals. Being there gives you the opportunity to share how good vegan food is and explain how animals suffer in the meat, dairy, egg, and fishing industries to curious loved ones.
It Works for Every Holiday
No matter what belief you subscribe to, you can honor it without harming animals. The heart of any holiday meal is togetherness, not what’s sitting in the center of the table, so swap the ingredients and keep the meaning.
- Have a vegan Christmas by making PETA’s vegan holiday recipes.
- Get into the Hanukkah spirit with PETA’s vegan Hanukkah dishes and holiday gift ideas.
- Do Ramadan right with PETA’s list of vegan Ramadan recipes.
- Celebrate ThanksVegan next year.
Preparing for holidays as a vegan gets easier every year, and every dish you serve is one less animal who suffered for the celebration. Going vegan spares around 200 animals a year, and the holiday table is one of the best places to start showing family and friends what that compassion looks like.
