Happy Thanksgiving—many a vegan’s least-favorite holiday.
The good news: It doesn’t have to be!
All holidays have the potential to create friction, especially with family. Being vegan just adds another wrinkle to an already fraught situation. Thanksgiving, though, IMHO is the toughest, being that the holiday has devolved into an abnormally huge, factory-farmed, hormone- and antibiotic-riddled “centerpiece” on the dining room table and watching pigskin (American football, for my readers outside North America) all day on the tube. Ugh. [For an honest look at what really goes into getting that turkey on your table, see In Behalf of Animals’ Nicole Arciello’s excellent Let’s Start Talking About Turkeys.]
What to do? You’ve come to the right place. Uncle Joe’s Guide to Avoiding Family Around the Holidays isn’t yet on the NYTimes bestseller list, but just you wait!
Seriously, as with much in life, how you approach the situation makes a big difference. Is the glass half empty or half full? With that in mind, here are my seven tips for getting through Thanksgiving with your sanity intact. (And feel free to appropriate these to any other holiday.)
Educate. In last week’s column I shared that even vegan founding father Donald Watson had to deal with non-vegan family members. If you must gather with relatives around the holidays, choose to use the time to gently educate others. DON’T get into arguments or shouting matches. Both Howard Lyman and Gary Yourofsky, the two most powerful orators the vegan movement has ever known, have said that they would rather speak to non-vegans than vegans. Why? It’s a golden opportunity to get our message to those who need to hear it most. If you remember nothing else from this week’s column, here’s my #1 tip: Turn the question around. When cousin Jim-Bob or Great Aunt Agnes ask, “Why are you a vedge-un?” look them straight in the eye and calmly reply, “Please tell me why you’re still eating animals?” Then be prepared to answer their questions.
Host a Dinner. If you absolutely, unequivocally, undeniably do not want to dine at a table with dead animal products on it, I hear you. I myself am in this category, at least for Thanksgiving. If you enjoy cooking, setting a table, decorating, and entertaining, why not host a vegan Un-turkey Day meal at your place? It needn’t be huge; four-to-six people is an ideal gathering. You can do all the cooking (recommended if you are inviting non-vegans to join you) or make it a potluck if your guests are already onboard. I would be willing to place a small wager that no matter where you live you already know enough veg- or VegCurious peeps to pull off a memorable, cruelty-free Thanksgiving dinner.
Dine at a Veg Restaurant. If you are not the hosting type, a twist on the above is to make a reservation and gather with other like-minded “animal people” at a vegan restaurant. Vegan Meet-Ups are everywhere, so finding your tribe should be a breeze. You’ll be able to dine compassionately with like-minded folks while supporting (most likely) a small business. Win-win. Bonus: No cooking or clean up!
Visit a Sanctuary. I was living in Syracuse, NY when I went “full-veg” and for about my first decade as a vegan I had the fortunate opportunity to attend The Celebration for the Turkeys at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen. Dozens of us gathered (today it’s hundreds!), fed the turkeys, then enjoyed a plentiful potluck. These were some of the most memorable holidays I’ve ever experienced and more than three decades later I’m still friends with many I met during those years. Today, farmed animal sanctuaries are everywhere and many host a “ThanksLiving” celebration where you can enjoy a similar experience. Make a donation to the sanctuary, even if one isn’t required, as the work they do is vital.
Fly Solo. OK, yes, I admit, this one isn’t for everyone. If no other options exist yet you still want or need to celebrate, buy a Tofurky and enjoy your very own solo vegan Thanksgiving dinner. You’ll have leftovers for a few days and can binge watch whatever happens to be streaming this week. Or dust off those old VHS cassettes and go to town.
Opt Out. Lastly, do nothing. Or nothing expected. You needn’t buy into the whole holiday hoopla that BigCapitalism shoves down your throat. I have spent many a holiday “catching up” on life while others ate themselves into comas. I consider it a “free day” when I can tackle a project that “I never seem to get to” on my endless to-do list. Clean out the garage. Read a good book. Figure out why all your Tupperware tops don’t match their bottoms. Or just sleep. You’ll need your rest because Christmas is just around the corner. 🌱
