A vegan Christmas

We are on the countdown to Christmas now and it certainly is a strange one this year! I am sure if you are like us, you will be trying to spread that little bit of extra Christmas cheer for your little ones. I know most people have put their decorations up early or gone even more 'to town' with them this year. We are all trying our best to keep the positivity and festive spirit up despite the circumstances and hopefully we will all get the chance to celebrate with our loved ones over the Christmas period.

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Speaking of Christmas, since our family went vegan 3 years ago, we celebrate slightly differently. I never had turkey for Christmas dinner anyway as I was vegetarian, but we have definitely 'upped our game' when it comes to Christmas dinner now. For the past 3 years we have made the BOSH Christmas dinner which has gone down a real treat with everyone. ​​

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We make our own crackers with the girls' grandparents which has become a lovely tradition already - each painting one, filling them with handmade Christmas hats (made to measure!) and eco-friendly gifts. I think it is so much more special and worthwhile to source little gifts which the children are going to keep and aren't just made out of plastic which go straight in to the bin after the meal.

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As a family we try to make eco-friendly choices all year round but especially when preparing for Christmas now. We use brown paper to wrap our presents up and all have fun decorating and personalising them. I have to admit that the effort my parents go to certainly puts ours to shame though!! 

I don't think that being aware of these kind of issues is isolated to veganism.
However, I definitely think that we have become more conscious of our carbon footprint since turning vegan. So as Christmas approaches this year I wanted to share some of the simple swaps that we have done and everyone else can do which have a positive impact on animals and our planet.

• Leave animals off your plates and choose to eat plant based foods instead.
• Opt for second-hand toys and gifts. 
• Do present swaps (things people already have and no longer want/use.)
• Give homemade presents,
• Make your own crackers.
• Use brown paper as wrapping paper.
• Make your own christmas decorations (i.e.: festive paperchains)
• Donate to charity or to people in need more than you.
• Only buy as much food as you are going to eat.
• Buy less stuff in general.

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Being vegan isn't about perfection. However, it is about having the intention to lead a lifestyle that causes the least amount of harm to animals and the planet and if we can make little changes to how we celebrate these events each year, we really can make a difference.

I would love to hear what you and your family does at Christmas to make it as vegan, cruelty free and eco-friendly as possible.
​Feel free to share your ideas in the comments.