Easy Ways to Veganize Halloween, Pt. 2
"The things that really scare us are the things that are going on just outside the spotlight that you can't quite see."
-Stephen King
Seven More Vegan Halloween Tips!
Last week, I shared some of my tips for celebrating Halloween veganically. Well, I'm back at it again with even more tips today! Whether you're just buying candy for trick-or-treaters or are throwing a vegan Halloween spook-a-palooza, you've come to the right place. So let's get into it!
1. 100% Vegan Candy/Snack Companies
Vegan Rob's (chips & puffs)
Pig Out (vegan bacon chips)
Vegan Cuts (vegan subscription box)
***Check out VegNews' 2019 Vegan Candy Guide for more information on the plethora of plant-based candy options. For all your vegan shopping needs, check out Vegan Black Market, Billion Vegans, or Vegan Essentials.
2. Black Cat Awareness
Black cats have a poor reputation. Dating back centuries, they have been viewed as omens of evil and bad luck. This Halloween, do your part to help black cats by spreading awareness that black cats, just like all animals, are worthy of life and respect. If you have a black cat, take extra care that they're kept safe inside (as they always should be) to prevent potential attacks or "pranks" against them. Or, visit your local shelter to foster/adopt a black cat (or dog, as they're also unfairly maligned) this Halloween. For more information on how to keep animals safe on Mischief Night and Halloween, check out this PETA guide.
3. Vegan Parties
Trick-or-treating was, admittedly, a lot of fun for me as a kid, despite how cold it was (and how terrified I was of haunted houses). However, whether you're young or old, hosting or attending a Halloween party (as long as there are tons of treats and maybe some tricks) can be a good replacement. After all, the best parts of trick-or-treating are the candy and the costumes, and you get both at a party (plus awesome music, protection from the weather, and no sore feet)!
4. Natural Decor
Skip the fake plastic trinkets and baubles and decorate naturally this year. My favorite is and always has been pumpkins and gourds. I love going to the store to pick out the strangest, most interesting gourds available; I usually skip the jack-o'-lantern carving, preferring the more natural look of a simple yet elegant pumpkin. They last for quite some time, so you don't even have to redecorate for Thanksgiving! Another way I decorate is by buying multicolored popcorn kernels and filling glass jars of various shapes and sizes with them. They give me the feeling of a fall harvest right in my home (and I don't have to worry about buying popcorn for the next six months). Instead of buying autumnal flowers at your local craft store, pick up some fallen sticks outside and place them in a vase; or fill a bowl with pinecones and other goodies you may find out in nature.
5. Vegan Activism
5.1 Spooky Chalking
There's nothing scarier than animal agriculture, but chalk designs don't have to be! This Halloween, arm yourself with a few sticks of chalk and a pinch of creativity and get chalking. Put some designs in your driveway or sidewalk for trick-or-treaters to see as they make their way to your house; or go into town and etch some facts in a public area for the world to read.
5.2 PETA Cards
PETA's free Halloween-themed activism cards are great to hand out to trick-or-treaters (along with vegan candy, of course) or to anyone else you want. You can download the cards here.
5.3 Introverted Activist Info Cards
My info cards, which I first described in "How to Become an Introverted Vegan Activist, Pt. 1," are available for free here. They are short informational cards that I like to hand out to people or put in random places. For Halloween, one of my favorite holidays, I decided to make some special holiday-themed activism cards. They include, but are not limited to, a black cat awareness card, a "flesh is for zombies" card, and a vegan candy guide card.
6. Soy Candles
In the last few years, I've really begun to appreciate a good candle, and what's more Halloween than jack-o'-lanterns? Whether you like to carve one respectable pumpkin or fill your house with various autumnal candles, it's important to keep bees in mind while decorating. But no fear, there are thousands of vegan-friendly candles out there, waiting for you to find them. Just a simple search on Etsy will bring you to shops like AtoZCandles, RBCandleCo, and Frostbeard. Or you can try Evil Queen's fall collection and magic collection, inspired by Harry Potter; I have their If Scents Could Kale candle from their collaboration with Vegetaryn, so I can vouch that their candles are exceptional!
7. Favorite Homemade Fall Treats
7.1 Candy Corn
I mentioned in "Should Vegans Watch Graphic Footage?" that I accidentally ate candy corn after going vegan because I didn't realize that gelatin was boiled skin, hooves, muscles, etc. It seems that no company makes vegan candy corn, which I'm sure will change very soon, with the ones not using gelatin instead coating the candies in beeswax. Why? I don't know; it's ridiculous. Since then, I've missed the treats terribly, but I'm determined to make some at home. For my first try, I'm going to have a go at this recipe from One Green Planet; it looks tasty, sweet, and, most importantly, simple.
7.2 Caramel Apples
I've only had caramel/candy-covered apples on a few occasions, and I found them particularly difficult to eat because they were just so artificially sweet, sickeningly so. Apples are already so wonderful on their own, some are as sweet as candy. But sometimes it's fun to add a little festive twist to the simple apple and spice it up a bit. My preference would be for something a little healthier like these Medjool date caramel apples, but you can also go the classic route with these vegan caramel apples.
7.3 Apple Cake
Loving It Vegan comes in clutch again with this newfound-favorite fall delight. My mom happened across this recipe and made it, and when we tried it, we both fell in love with it. To be honest, as much as I love apples and apple-flavored treats, I'm not much of an apple pie person; I know, very un-American of me. But apple cake is a whole 'nother ball game. My mom and I rationalized that it was so good and that it had apples so it was kind of healthy, that we have both eaten a piece of this cake for breakfast on occasion.
7.4 Hot Cocoa
Once Halloween is over, I'm ready for Christmas, and nothing gets me in the Christmas spirit quite like a steaming mug of hot chocolate. My current favorite is Four Sigmatic's Mushroom Hot Cacao with Cordyceps. I know, I know, it sounds gross to make hot chocolate with mushrooms, but I promise it tastes absolutely delicious! I like to add a splash of maple syrup to sweeten it up a tad, a sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice for a dash of seasonal flavor, and top it with vanilla bean whip.
Happy Halloween!
Oh my goodness, this has been so much fun to write! I'm so excited for Halloween; I've adored this holiday for as long as I can remember. And it's definitely not because of all the free candy and chocolate (I'd eat it all at once and get a massive headache from all the sugar, but that didn't stop me from doing it again the next year...and the next year...and the next year).
I love the spookiness, the spirit of the season. I think of my elementary school music teacher gathering us all together to sing creepy songs, my peers' parents bringing in orange and black bagels and cupcakes for all the students, and watching the Halloweentown movies. Even though these memories are pre-vegan--and my current traditions involve watching Salem witch documentaries and Ghost Adventures, making and eating homemade treats for myself and my dog, and feeling sad about all the animals that suffer for humans' greed (sorry, that one's kind of a downer)--they helped form my love for the holiday. I hope you also have an unearthly, spooky, bewitching Halloween!
be conscious, be kind, be vegan