Approaching the Christmas season as a new vegan or plant based eater can be a daunting prospect. Eating festive meals, desserts, snacks and treats is a large part of the traditional celebrations, much of which is typically not plant-based. 

First I want to reassure you that being vegan does not mean missing out on the delights of Christmas food! With a little planning and a few festive tweaks, Christmas can be not just as good, but better, knowing that you are supporting your health, planetary health and the welfare of animals with your celebrations. Here are my 5 top tips to make your vegan Christmas your best one yet! 

1.    Do some festive planning

Spend a bit of time before Christmas planning the swaps you would like to make for your festive celebrations. Have you found your favourite plant-based sausage and bacon alternatives? What about a delicious homemade nut roast or vegan wellington to bring to the Christmas table? Have you got your eye on any specialty vegan cheeses out there?

If you are spending Christmas with others, inform them of your diet and make a plan with them. Preparing and contributing recipes means you know you will always have an option.

A bit of planning can go a long way, and will help you to relax when it comes to the main event. There are so many vegan recipes and products available these days that it can be exciting to experiment with things you haven’t tried. You never know, cooking up that vegan Christmas cake recipe may just turn into your new favourite tradition.

2.    Don’t feel under pressure

If you are spending Christmas with friends or family who are not vegan, Christmas can be a difficult and triggering time for everyone. Relax in the knowledge that you don’t need to be the voice for all vegans at your Christmas table, so take the pressure off. Expect to get some questions, but choosing to say ‘it’s something I’m trying and enjoying’ or ‘it is suiting me really well and the moment and I am only just learning myself’ can be a good way to diffuse any difficult questions. You can then move the conversation on by asking questions of others that do not involve food.

If you do want to engage in healthy debates around the Christmas table, check out Earthling Ed’s free e-book ‘30 Non-Vegan Excuses & How to Respond to Them’ for some pre-Christmas reading. Brushing up on your knowledge can be a good way to feel confident when entering a discussion on veganism.

3.    Consider non-vegan gifts

Although you have gone vegan, it may not be on the radar for others. Prepare to receive gifts that may not be free of animal products such as food, leather or beeswax candles. How you receive them is totally up to you. You may wish to accept them, use them, donate them or simply re-gift. If you feel able, you may wish to politely decline with your reasons why. When planning your own Christmas gifts, you don’t have to side-step your vegan lifestyle when buying for others. Check out Veganuary’s Christmas Gift Guide for some inspiration.

4.    Take the focus off the food

Food is big part of Christmas, but it’s also not the only part. Christmas is a special time to connect with loved ones, take a break from everyday life, decorate your home, and enjoy activities like singing, ice-skating or playing board games. There is so much more to enjoy so try not to focus solely on the food. Why not try a new activity like wreath making, creating and writing your own Christmas cards, attending a Christmas concert or volunteering at a local soup kitchen.

5.     Celebrate the choices you’re making

Congratulations on approaching Christmas with compassion for your health, our planet and the animals we share it with. Even if Christmas doesn’t go completely smoothly, well done for making a stand. If you don’t share a Christmas table with anyone else who follows a vegan lifestyle, feel assured in the knowledge that thousands of others across the country and the world will be supporting you in spirit from their own Christmas tables (including me!).