I have been vegan for just over 6 years now and I know, as vegans, the holiday season - or any other family gatherings - can be incredibly hard to manage. Whether you're just starting your vegan journey and this will be your first Christmas being vegan, or you have been vegan for years, I think we can all learn something from each other and make sure this holiday season is less stressful.
In this post, I would like to share a few tips and tricks I have learned over the years to help you enjoy the holidays and family time, while being vegan.
1. Set boundaries.
Boundaries are there to protect you and your peace and they're extra important to set during the holiday season, to make sure you can actually enjoy some quality time with your friends and family. If your family members are making rude comments or they are being disrespectful of your lifestyle choices, know that you don't have to accept it. That is when setting clear boundaries is helpful.
Here are some examples of the boundaries you can set:
"If you're interested, I can share information about my views at another time."
"We can discuss my lifestyle choices at another time."
"If you keep making rude comments about my lifestyle choices, it will result in this conversation ending."
"You're being disrespectful of my views and it is making it difficult to enjoy quality time together. I would appreciate if you stopped / switched to a different topic."
2. Be prepared to bring your own food.
I am lucky that my mom cooks vegan versions of our traditional Christmas foods for us, but that might not always be the case. Even if it's not your first year being vegan during the holidays, it's important to be prepared and bring your own food. People will likely want to try the food you're bringing, so I suggest you prepare more than just one serving. This is also a great way to show people that you're not missing out on any of your favorite comfort foods. If you're unsure about what to cook, don't worry, I have all sorts of vegan holiday recipes on the blog! You can also either host the dinner or eat beforehand.
3. Know your why and stick to your values.
Everyone has their own reasons for living a vegan lifestyle, so it's important that you remind yourself of your reason. This is great way to make sure you stay true to your morals and values. You don't have to go out of your way to please others! I think after a while of being vegan, it does get much easier and it'll just be second nature.
4. No vegan talk at the table.
I know you might want to take the chance and educate your friends and family, but save yourself energy and apply those boundaries if as soon as you sit down to eat people start to ask why you don't eat meat. Trust me, you don't want to talk about slaughterhouses at the dinner table. If they genuinely seem to be interested in veganism, you can tell them that you appreciate the effort but you would like to discuss it when you aren't eating dinner. Try not to preach as it might push the people around you further away from veganism.
If you have any other tips on how to survive the holidays while being vegan, share them in the comments below!
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