Easy Ways to Veganize Christmas

Dec 07, 2020

"Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver."
-Barbara De Angelis

Sustainable Decor

The best time to start shopping for Christmas decorations is right after the holiday ends, as stores put unsold items on sale and people are getting rid of old decorations they no longer want. Instead of buying new products to decorate, however, try finding things secondhand, either online or from local stores. After all, we only use this decor for one or two months out of the year, and it seems silly and wasteful to buy everything new when it stays packed in storage most of the time.

Homemade

Flex your DIY muscles by making decorations at home; string together slices of dried fruits like oranges and grapefruits or air-popped popcorn to wrap around your Christmas tree or hang around the house. Try stitching together your own stockings to hang above the fireplace (or buy locally-made ones instead of those cheap synthetic ones from the store).

Try making a wreath at home made of natural materials, whether they be things you already have around or sticks, branches, pinecones, and other materials found outside. If you're confident enough, you can make your own gingerbread house (but you can also buy vegan kits, like this one from Karma Baker or this one from Sensitive Sweets).

Candles

If you use battery-operated candles, search for ones secondhand if possible. Most of these candles are pretty cheap, both in quality and price, so they often only last a few years. Since batteries are technically disposable products, try rechargeable batteries (though I can't guarantee this will work, as they'd probably need to be charged quite often), which are far more sustainable and economically efficient. (Check out this article to find the best battery charger for you.)

However, you can also use real, plant-based candles instead of plastic ones. I have a few candles from the Etsy store BriarWick, and they are amazing; they're all vegan and smell incredible. (The Cocoa and Coziness one actually smells like warm, melted chocolate!) If you want taper candles, you can find those too, and you can easily find pre-owned candlesticks and candelabras online. (Whenever I'm looking for something, eBay is my first stop because there is always someone trying to get rid of the thing I need.)

The Christmas Tree

Which is better, real or fake? Well, both, depending on how you shop. The best option is to go tree-free, but I suspect most celebrators wouldn't do that. After that, buying a secondhand faux tree is your next-best choice; you wouldn't be responsible for creating new plastic (that will never go away) or for cutting down a tree. Or, if you're creative, you could try making a tree out of products you already have around your house, a little hodgepodge Christmas tree that fully represents you.

Getting a Real Tree

Option three is to buy a fresh, genuine pine. I understand the confusion about buying a "disposable" tree instead of one that (theoretically) lasts forever, but it's not that different from buying plant-based foods you already consume. They're farmed in a similar way, and we eat food far more often than we buy a Christmas tree.

As far as end-of-life, there are many options when it comes to genuine Christmas trees. Some cities have upcycling programs that will convert them into mulch for public use. You can also compost the tree, chop it up to use for firewood, donate to a preserve (if available), or set the tree up outside for animals to use; anything's better than it getting tossed into a landfill where it will sit, nearly perfectly-preserved for decades of Christmases to come.

Getting a Fake Tree

Buying a new, faux tree should not even be a real option (unless they are completely plastic-free or are made using 100 percent recycled materials). You'd be responsible for bringing new plastic into the world that will basically never go away, and what happens if a part of the tree breaks or the lights attached to it stop working? Most of these trees are cheaply made and won't truly last a lifetime, so this option isn't something that should be seriously considered.

Lights & Ornaments

When buying strings of lights for your tree and house, you want to make sure they're LEDs, as they use much less energy than incandescents. Also, to be more efficient, keep lights on a timer or use a smart plug so you can control how long they stay on; though there are many kinds of smart plugs, some monitor energy use, so you can see just how much energy your lights and other appliances use while turned on or off. (I found this article to be helpful.)

With ornaments, making handmade ones or buying from Etsy and other small businesses is certainly the better option compared to buying packs of multicolored orbs at Walmart. As with most things, you can probably find many unique ornaments secondhand to give your Christmas tree some character!

Turn Santa Vegan

Leave out plant-based cookies and milk for Santa Claus, and make sure to write him a letter urging him to go vegan, retire his reindeer to a sanctuary, and give all children vegan-friendly presents. (Parents, make sure to snap a picture and post it on social media for some internet activism!) Since he lives in the North Pole, he should be particularly concerned about the climate crisis that is greatly exacerbated by animal agriculture.

Also, to keep Santa safe this year, leave out some vegan hand sanitizer for him along with the cookies and milk. I'm sure he'll appreciate your thoughtfulness (which will also hopefully make him more open to the idea of veganism).

Vegan Presents

Here's my little quasi-minimalist message of the day: I used to love getting presents. Every Christmas morning, I could barely contain my excitement while my parents sluggishly got out of bed and got ready in the morning while I'd already been anxiously awake for hours. But after I finally opened them all up, and I got that brief hit of dopamine, I still felt unsatisfied. Because material objects don't make us happy long-term. They leave us wanting more, searching for that one product that will give us a sense of completeness that nothing ever has before. So, maybe try no material gifts or try fewer gifts that are more meaningful; quality over quantity.

Since my last post was all about sustainable gift-giving, I won't harp on too much more about it here. However, if you're looking for an easy present that can be given to anyone, you really can't go wrong with food; whether it's a nice meal, a plant-based cookbook, or holiday treats, everybody appreciates a gift related to food (and it's also a good form of activism and, hopefully, a conversation-starter).

Activism Opportunities

1. Donate plant-based foods

Though you can go with the tried-and-true cans of vegetables and boxes of pasta, you can also take this opportunity to donate foods that are clearly labeled as vegan: cans and boxes of vegan soups and chilis, vegan broth/stock, plant-based milks, egg replacements, and snacks like cauliflower puffs, mushroom jerky, cheezy squares, or honey-free granola bars. If you have the option to donate refrigerated and perishable products, you have even more options: seasonal roasts and meat alternatives, plant-based ice cream and other dairy(-free) products, fresh produce, etc.

Additionally, we shouldn't just be donating to humans in need. If you can afford to buy a bag or two of plant-based dog food or some cans of plant-based cat food to donate to local animal shelters -- products most people have never seen before -- that would be great for those animals, for the shelter, for the planet, and for all other animals.

2. Online

As always, you can take this holiday season and people's upcoming new year's resolutions to get active online. To make it fitting for this time of year, gear your outreach to come from a consumerism perspective -- the act of buying all sorts of useless things, as well as beings and body parts, just because that's what we're supposed to do during the holidays -- or from a religious perspective -- the consumption of babies to celebrate the birth of a baby -- or from an ethical perspective -- the good old-fashioned animal rights philosophy that animals don't belong to us to use however we like, especially in the "season of giving" -- or from a health perspective -- the fascination we have with getting skinny and healthy (usually prioritized in that order) in January without addressing the most serious issues in our diet (eating animals and animal secretions).

3. Vegan Caroling

Many Christmas carols accidentally (and sometimes intentionally) encourage animal exploitation, and there are also many that don't. I've taken it upon myself to change some of the speciesist language in Christmas songs by altering the lyrics -- "Veganizing Christmas Carols" -- as well as make a guide to the vegan-friendly songs that don't mention animals in an oppressive way -- "22 Vegan-Friendly Christmas Carols." (There will be new additions to these lists coming out soon!)

Many years ago, my girl scout troop caroled one December evening in front of a popular bakery/café at the corner of a busy intersection in our hometown. Because caroling from door-to-door can be awkward, you can find a stationary spot -- perhaps a vegan restaurant will be amenable to this idea -- to sing your veganized/vegan-friendly carols. It would also behoove you to have a sign with you about what you're doing and why you're changing the lyrics to certain songs or only singing songs that are inclusive to all members of our society.

4. Winter Apparel

Though we may all be celebrating a little differently in 2020, we can still be vocal about veganism without ever needing to open our mouths or phones. Veganize your winter wardrobe with activism apparel that can speak on your behalf while out and about, while at a Christmas party, or even while at church on Christmas Eve. (When shopping around, choose items that are made ethically in fair trade working conditions. Just because we don't want animals to suffer doesn't mean that humans should have to in order to spread that message.)

5. Communion

Speaking of church, if you choose to go on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and take communion, now may be a good time to reach out to someone to ask if the bread/wafers and the wine/juice are vegan-friendly. And if they aren't, urge them to consider choosing products that are suited for all members of the congregation.

6. Gifts

Presents can be a great form of activism, especially if you're giving them outright information about why veganism is so darn great -- for everybody. Here are some categories and lists of presents I'd consider effective in terms of getting your giftee more into the mindset of becoming open to veganism or to making positive changes in their lives:

6.1 Unabashedly Vegan Treats

6.2 Books (Fiction)

6.3 Books (Nonfiction)

How Not to Die (health)
How Not to Diet (health)
Food Choice and Sustainability (environment)
The World Peace Diet (all-encompassing)
The Pornography of Meat (systemic discrimination)
The Joyful Vegan (all-encompassing)
Your Body in Balance (health)
Sick to Fit (health -- ebook is free)
Beyond Beliefs (relationships)
Voices for Animal Liberation (all-encompassing)
Always Too Much and Never Enough (memoir)